With the entertainment industry thoroughly shaken up, the coming Fall TV season is a bit of an odd one, to say the least. In a time before streaming, a summer where all the television writers were on picket lines rather than in writers’ rooms would have been devastating for the medium, but in the age of streaming giants and non-traditional release schedules, TV continues to march along—albeit at a significantly subdued pace. After all, most of broadcast TV has been crippled by the writers’ and actors’ strikes, with just a few new shows actually making it to the airwaves this fall; the only uniquely-prepared broadcast network is NBC, which will be premiering at least two new scripted series (The Irrational and Found), and touting the return of hits Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I. Other shows have not been so lucky, like fan-favorite Abbott Elementary, which is delayed indefinitely.
However, with the untraditional release model that streaming has offered, where TV is produced and aired year-round, there will still be some new and returning shows to look forward to this fall, especially from the various streamers. Though, a number of streaming series have already found their once-fall release dates pushed in an effort to stockpile content for the foreseeable future, so the dates listed below are, unfortunately, subject to change.
Below, we’ve gathered the best new and returning shows to look forward to this fall while we all anxiously await a conclusion to the perpetual stalemate Hollywood has been subject to at the hands of corporate greed.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Network: Paramount+
Premiere Date: September 7
Status: Season 4
Trek fans have been quite well-catered to as of late. Just a few weeks ago, the excellent latest run of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds wrapped up, and quite soon, we’ll be treated to more with the fourth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks. For those out of the loop, it’s an animated comedy series that started in 2020 focusing on “lower-deckers,” members of Starfleet who are low-ranking officers with far less glamorous jobs than their more elite counterparts that the franchise usually focuses on. Helmed by Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahon, the series has been well-received thus far, and in our review of the first season, we said that it “finds a lot about the long-running sci-fi franchise worthy of lampooning, but mostly it’s a fun, imaginative and clever look at this beloved universe from a very different perspective.” —Elijah Gonzalez
The Changeling
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: September 8
Status: New Series
Even though we’ve seen many “grounded” takes on horror in recent years from film studios like A24, outside of a few exceptions, it doesn’t feel like there’s been the same rush in the television landscape. The Changeling, an eight-episode adaptation of the book of the same name produced by Apple Studios and Annapurna, seems like it could fill this gap. Apollo (LaKeith Stanfield) and Lillian Kagwa (Adina Porter) are new parents who find their life taking a grim turn after the birth of their child, as a sinister prophecy and strange happenings threaten their new life. Described as a “fairytale for grown-ups,” its trailer alludes to foreboding worlds hidden in plain sight as Apollo attempts to steer his loved ones away from frightening ends. The otherworldly imagery in the preview hints at an unsettling odyssey through New York City that will hopefully bring fantastical scares to life. —Elijah Gonzalez
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
Network: AMC
Premiere Date: September 10
Status: New Series
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) has long been a Walking Dead fan-favorite since his introduction as a standoffish redneck touting an impractical bow-and-arrow as his Weapon of Choice, and September 10th marks his official time to shine. The spin-off follows Daryl after he’s washed ashore in France (the origin of the zombie outbreak!) and struggles to find out how and why he’s there. It seems we’ll finally get to see how Europe dealt with the undead. Reedus stars alongside newcomers Clemence Poesy as Isabelle and Adam Nagaitis as Quinn. —Gillian Bennett
Welcome to Wrexham
Network: FX (streaming on Hulu)
Premiere Date: September 12
Status: Returning
While it is a series about soccer (or football, if you’re across the pond), Welcome to Wrexham‘s charm stems from its very human portrayal of this underdog team, the warm town they call home, and the people that populate both the stands and the Welsh countryside. And of course it wouldn’t be the docuseries it is without the celebrity status of the club’s co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, who are learning to navigate the world of UK football, all while trying to build the Red Dragons into proper hometown heroes. Season 2 continues to provide the football, the fanatics, and the locale that made the first season a hit for FX, while further examining the sport, the celebrities, and the community thriving in North Wales. —Anna Govert
The Morning Show
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: September 13
Status: Returning
In many ways, The Morning Show feels like a soap opera masquerading as a prestige drama, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable to watch. What started as a fictionalized take on the real-life Today Show scandal has now morphed into a show that seemingly will go to every length and do anything to make sure its characters are constantly yelling at each other—but when its Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, and Julianna Margulies (just to name a few), what more could you ask for? In its third season Alex (Anniston) and Bradley (Witherspoon) are once again facing outside forces and real-life political curveballs as they fight to save the network, their show (the titular Morning Show), and their reputations. Throw in a ripped-from-the-headlines storyline surrounding a tech giant (and how that industry is changing media as we know it), and this season is sure to be the messiest—and most enjoyable—yet. —Anna Govert
Wilderness
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: September 15
Status: New Series
Female revenge has become a subgenre of its own. Spanning everything from Gone Girl to Do Revenge, watching women get even is a cathartic experience, and Prime Video’s latest thriller Wilderness is bringing more of that sweet, sweet vengeance to the small screen. The series follows Jenna Coleman’s Liv, loving wife to Oliver Jackson-Cohen’s Will—that is, until she discovers that he’s been cheating on her. As they embark on the romantic, American road trip of their dreams, that dream quickly transforms into a nightmare as Liv attempts to use the setting to get the ultimate revenge on her unfaithful husband. With the couple’s happy facade fading into the rearview mirror, this thriller is sure to entertain any fan of the genre, and anyone keen to see another woman get her revenge. And if you need any more reason to tune-in, “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)” is the title sequence song, as if this show couldn’t get any more enticing. —Anna Govert
Sex Education
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: September 21
Status: Final Season
Everyone’s favorite sex-crazed, bumbling Brits are back for the fourth and final season of Netflix’s Sex Education. Goodbye Moordale, hello Cavendish Sixth Form: the gang is in a new school, where Otis (Asa Butterfield) has taken up his mother’s mantle once more to so graciously be the school’s new (and only…) student sex therapist. Only time will tell how well this goes for him the second time around. All I know is I need Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) to get her happy ending before series end. —Gillian Bennett
The Continental
Network: Peacock
Premiere Date: September 22
Status: New Series
From the world of action franchise John Wick comes The Continental, a three-episode miniseries that catalogs the ins and outs of the iconic, underworld-friendly hotel chain The Continental. As hitmen, murderers, and all manner of seedy individuals come to stay within the hotel, the neutral ground provided by the chain allows the darkest figures within the John Wick universe to converge in one place. The series follows a young Winston Scott (portrayed here by Colin Woodell, taking the reins from Ian McShane) as his past comes knocking and he’s dragged back into the underbelly of 1970s New York. The ’70s-tinged action and further exploration of this intriguing world make The Continental more than worth a three-night stay when it premieres this fall. —Anna Govert
Gen V
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: September 29
Status: New Series
Have you ever watched an episode of The Boys, with its f—ed up violence, unhinged sexuality, and undeniable villany and thought, but what if they were hormonal college kids? Well, Gen V seeks to satiate that need in this The Boys spin-off from Prime Video. Taking place at the Vought International-run college for superpowered beings, the series seems to mix The Hunger Games-level bloodthirsty competition with Euphoria-level teen angst as it follows a group of Supes aiming to secure their spot at the top of their class. And featuring familiar faces from some of the best teen shows of the past five years (including Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Jaz Sinclair and Chance Perdomo, and Teenage Bounty Hunters’ Maddie Phillips) within its undeniably stacked cast, this series is not one to miss this fall. —Anna Govert
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Network: Crunchyroll
Premiere Date: September 29
Status: New Series
While the fall is full of standout anime, the one that I’m personally most eager to check out is the heavily-anticipated adaptation of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, a story that seems to have a lot to say about mourning and the passage of time. It follows Frieren, an elf previously part of a legendary band of adventurers who saved the world from a great evil after a decade-long quest. However, unlike her compatriots, Freiren can live for thousands of years, and as her journey becomes increasingly distant, she must contend with leaving her companions behind. This evocative premise has been bouncing around in my mind since I first heard about the acclaimed manga years ago, but I abstained from reading the source material after learning it was slated to receive an adaptation from Madhouse with Keiichirou Saitou, who previously helmed the ingenious Bocchi the Rock! adaptation, serving as director. If its gorgeous trailer is any indication, the studio seems to be keying into the melancholic wavelength that this material requires. The premiere episode will be a 2-hour special, and I couldn’t be more ready to be emotionally obliterated. —Elijah Gonzalez
Chucky
Network: SYFY (streaming on Peacock)
Premiere Date: October 4
Status: Returning
SYFY’s kooky hit Chucky is coming back once again for more gruesome gags and horrifying hilarity. Picking up in the aftermath of Season 2, Chucky (Brad Dourif) has found himself with not just any family, but the family—the First Family. Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) have to figure out how to remove Chucky from the world’s most secure house before it’s too late. Also featuring the return of Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), who must contend with last season’s murderous rampage, Season 3 of Chucky is the perfect way to kick off spooky season with some to-die-for hijinks from our favorite possessed doll. —Anna Govert
