Fall is an amazing time of year—arguably one of the best. Chunky sweaters and leggings make their mark in peoples’ wardrobes, Pumpkin spice lattes reappear at your local neighbourhood Starbucks and your fall TV schedule gets back to normal after months of bingeing and watching reruns over and over and over again. There are always shows we’re excited to nestle down and watch again—those go-to’s we spent the last few months anticipating to see how they would fare after the cliff-hanger season finale—but with this new season also brings some new shows worth giving a second glance to. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of our most anticipated new shows for fall. Pop some popcorn and get ready for a sweet season of TV.
Gotham (Premieres Monday, September 22 at 8 pm on Fox)
Holy fall shows, Batman! This upcoming show has been a serious most anticipated for DC fans. Circling around a young Bruce Wayne right after his parents were murdered in Gotham City and the rookie Detective James Gordon who was on the case (played by The O.C.’s Ben McKenzie—Californiaaaaaa here we cooooome), we also get a view of how some of the Batman franchise’s most notable villains (including Penguin, Catwoman, the Riddler, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange, Harvey Dent and Mr. Freeze, allegedly) came to be so, well, villainous. If you’re a comic book-turned-flick fan or still celebrating Chrismukkah (we’re right there with you), this will be your new fall show.
Marry Me (Premieres Tuesday, October 14 at 9 pm on NBC)
NBC is going to be dominating the airwaves this upcoming fall season, particularly with new TV show launches. Marry Me was created by the same guy that created Happy Endings (may that show rest in peace) and even has Penny—er, Casey Wilson—as the leading lady, alongside Ken Marino as her love interest. After being together for a handful of years, Annie and Jake decide to get hitched, except a string of botched proposals makes them think they’re not as ready to take the plunge as they originally thought. It seems a little silly and out there, but if you were a Happy Endings fan you might just love it.
One Big Happy (A premiere date hasn’t been specified yet)
Another sitcom containing an ex-Happy Endings cast is Elisha Cuthbert in One Big Happy. A gay single woman, Lizzy, decides to have a baby with her straight BFF Luke (Nick Zano—the hottie from What I Like About You, 90210, 2 Broke Girls and Happy Endings), only to find out he eloped to some gorgeous British woman he met on the same day she found out she was preggers. Produced by Ellen DeGeneres, this timeline may be done (and there are arguments against whether multi-camera sitcoms are even relevant anymore), but if you’re looking for something quirky and lighthearted, this will probably be your jam.
American Horror Story: Freak Show (Premieres Wednesday, October 8 at 10 pm on FX)
Okay, so maybe this is already an existing show, but the beauty of AHS is that you can watch each season and it’s basically like a miniseries. And since this is apparently Jessica Lange’s last season, we’re definitely excited. Freak Show will centre around a 1950s Florida freak show, with German expat Lange at the helm, no doubt directing some debauchery and maniacal shows that will make our skin crawl—she plays the villain all too well. Other castmates that are rumoured to be returning this season are Sarah Paulson as the two-headed woman, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Gabourney Sibide, Jamie Brewer, Emma Roberts, Denis O’Hare and Michael Chiklis. Maybe just watch this in the daylight though.
State of Affairs (Premieres Monday, November 17 at 10 pm on NBC)
Were you a fan of Katherine Heigl circa Izzie on Grey’s Anatomy (when the show was still worth watching)? Well, after a stint in movie roles, she’s back to TV in a new drama, but this time as a CIA agent Charleston “Charlie” Tucker, responsible for handling security on a press conference for the first female black president, Constance Peyton (played by Alfre Woodard). Along the lines of other political dramas we’ve come to know and love, this is sure to have it’s fair share of scandal and nail-biting moments.
Bad Judge (Premieres Thursday, October 2 at 9pm on NBC)
Created by the always-funny Will Ferrell, Bad Judge follows a cutthroat judge in LA who spends her nights partying, drinking and sleeping around, but is brought down to earth when an eight-year-old boy whose parents she had thrown in jail contacts her. Fronted by Kate Walsh in a very different role we’ve seen her in than before—we’re used to the type-A Addy from Grey’s and Private Practice—this show may be one that has an end point in the story line, but nonetheless looks like our type of guilty pleasure dramedy.
Honourable mention goes to those shows we’re just dying to come back to TV: The Good Wife, Scandal, The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead, Boardwalk Empire and all those in between.
