It’s never too early to prepare for the wave of new and returning Fall TV shows coming our way starting in just over a week. Decision-making can surely riddle anyone with anxiety, as it certainly does me, so why not use my list to help decide which shows to watch this season? Here are 20 shows I am certainly watching starting this week:
The Big Bang Theory (Sept. 24, 8 PM, CBS)
TV’s number-one sitcom is finally coming to an end this year after Jim Parsons wanted to step away from the reliable studio laughs. Debuting on Monday before moving to its regular timeslot on Thursday, season 12 of Big Bang will explore Sheldon and Amy’s lives after their wedding and it’s sure to keeping the whole family laughing.
The Good Doctor (Sept. 24, 10 PM, ABC)
I love Freddie Highmore. That’s all.
Mr. Inbetween (Sept. 25, 11 PM, FX)
Scott Ryan stars as Ray Shoesmith, an Australian underworld hitman in our ever-growing field of television assassins, as he straddles the line between his lives at work and home. Ray is tough to an almost terrifying point, and his anger management classes are definitely needed.
This Is Us (Sept. 25, 9 PM, NBC)
Let’s get ready to cry some more with Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley, and Ron Cephas Jones.
Single Parents (Sept. 26, 9:30 PM, ABC)
A new network sitcom, this show follows the struggles of childrearing experienced by a group of single parents portrayed by former Saturday Night Live player Taran Killam, Gossip Girl‘s Leighton Meester, Brad Garrett, Kimrie Lewis, and Jake Choi.
Survivor (Sept. 26, 8 PM, CBS)
It’s season 37, and Jeff Probst is still snuffing torches with a dimpled precision. Plus, Mike White of Chuck & Buck and Enlightened fame is a survivor this season? I’m excited to see how the David vs. Goliath story goes.
Grey’s Anatomy (Sept. 27, 8 PM, ABC)
There’s no way I’m not going to watch Grey’s. I have seen every season since 2005 and I’m as interested in seeing what happens to Meredith, Alex, Miranda, and Richard now as I was 13 years ago. If Shonda Rhimes created it, produced it, or even endorsed it, I’m watching it.
How to Get Away with Murder (Sept. 27, 10 PM, ABC)
Triple Crown of Acting (Oscar, Emmy, and Tony) winner Viola Davis knows how to thrill an audience and she has delivered during every season of How to Get Away with Murder. From the looks of this teaser, and that SLAP, we’re in for yet another wild year with Annalise Keating and the Murderous Attorneys.
Murphy Brown (Sept. 27, 9:30 PM, CBS)
Candice Bergen and Faith Ford are coming back to TV!
The Good Place (Sept. 27, 8:30 PM, NBC)
One of the most inventive sitcoms, Mike Schur asks his audience to ponder morality and life’s other philosophical intricacies through one of the best ensembles out there. Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, and my personal favorite Manny Jacinto are now back on Earth trying to be better people. Will they succeed? Hopefully not, so we can see Maya Rudolph again.
Rel (Sept. 30, 9:30 PM, Fox)
Lil Rel Howery, whom we all loved in The Carmichael Show and Get Out, now has his own self-titled sitcom in which his wife has left him for his barber. I’ll be watching.
Superstore (Oct. 4, 8 PM, NBC)
These lovable characters are back to welcome us to big-box superstore Cloud 9 in the fourth season. I adored each season of Superstore so far, and this thoughtful comedy centered on a diverse group of working-class Americans opens up a conversation about middle America that many shows ignore. The humor created by the ensemble is a factor in creating this conversation, but my favorite moments of the show are those snippets of customers in the store between the scenes and the understanding that these characters are doing all they can to try to forget how much they hate their jobs. Life on the edge of poverty is probably the most relatable concept out there, and Superstore handles the comedy of it with a unique wit.
Will & Grace (Oct. 4, 9 PM, NBC)
One of my favorites from this past year, and past 20 years, Will & Grace never disappoints. With the list of guest stars seen in season 9, the tenth season of this ever-hilarious, perfectly-bitchy sitcom is sure to deliver with Matt Bomer, David Schwimmer, Chelsea Handler, Jon Cryer, and more slated to star.
Big Mouth (Oct. 5, Netflix)
A surprise hit of 2017, Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg teach us about puberty in this hilarious and crude animated series. Following the lives of their 7th-grade selves, Nick (voiced by Nick Kroll) and Andrew (voiced by John Mulaney) navigate adolescence, sex, arousal, and hormones alongside Jessi (voiced by Jessi Klein), Jay (voiced by Jason Mantzoukas), and Missy (voiced by Jenny Slate) with the advice of Duke Ellington (voiced by Jordan Peele), Freddie Mercury (voiced by Jordan Peele), the Statue of Liberty (voiced by Nick Kroll), Jessi’s vagina (voiced by Kristen Wiig), Elizabeth Taylor (voiced by Maya Rudolph), and others. The best characters on the show, though, are the Hormone Monsters Connie (voiced by Maya Rudolph) and Maurice (voiced by Nick Kroll) in two of the best voice-over performances I have ever seen.
All American (Oct. 10, 9 PM, CW)
Beverly Hills High School football coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) recruits Spencer James (Daniel Ezra), a teen football star from South L.A., to play for him and their worlds inevitably clash in this new Greg Berlanti-produced drama. Inspired by the real life of football player Spencer Paysinger, this show should provide us with some relief from the Friday Night Lights withdrawal we’ve definitely been feeling.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Oct. 12, 9 PM, CW)
The final season of one of the best shows on TV? Sign me up. The musical numbers continue to stand out after three seasons, and the supporting cast continues to shine alongside show creator and star Rachel Bloom. While no trailer has been released, enjoy one of my favorite songs from the past season.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Oct. 26, Netflix)
Starring Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men fame, this new take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch comes to Netflix with the sharpness and grit of creator Roberto Augierre-Sacasa’s Riverdale television adaptation on The CW. This version of Sabrina is based on the comics, but still includes Aunts Hilda and Zelda and everyone’s favorite cat Salem. Sabrina isn’t sure she wants to pledge herself to Satan on her 16th birthday, so let’s see how she grapples with witchcraft in the series being released just in time for Halloween.
House of Cards (Nov. 2, Netflix)
The final season is upon us, now focused on the character we loved the most anyway: Claire Underwood. Be prepared for a strong performance from Robin Wright after receiving an Emmy nomination for each season thus far. Frank is now dead, as indicated by the teaser, and I can’t wait to see what Claire has in store.
Homecoming (Nov. 2, Amazon)
Julia Roberts on television? I’m in, no questions asked.
Escape at Dannemora (Nov. 18, 10 PM, Showtime)
Although I haven’t seen it, this true crime drama directed by Ben Stiller showcases the 2015 Clinton Correctional Facility escape of two murderers (Academy Award winner Benicio del Toro and Golden Globe nominee Paul Dano) with the help of the prison employee (Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette) with whom they both became romantically involved. An Emmy Award winner for The Sopranos, Michael Imperioli has a supporting role as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Based on the trailer alone, this gray-toned, wintry drama is sure to excite Emmy voters and audiences next year.