Television can be a great part of your day, something to look forward to, and a lot to take in all at once. With every season comes new and exciting shows, and there are more things you can watch from previous seasons available for streaming at just the touch (or click) of a button.
Yet not all shows are made equally. Deciding what to watch can be a huge task, given that there are hundreds of channels and likely dozens of shows weekly. That means there is more program than any human can and should watch in one lifetime. You need to be selective, and when you're being selective, you should try and create some joy for yourself. We're here to help for the Fall 2022 season by narrowing down your choice and giving you a list to pick from.
Note that while we can't go over the entire fall T.V. schedule (there are much better and more efficient resources for it), here are the highlights that you should give at least a little bit of attention to:
Let's start with the shows everyone knows and loves and is looking forward to seeing come back. From classics to new hits, here are the returning favorites:
You might wonder how Grey's Anatomy is still on the air or are incredibly excited for the new season, but in either case, you can expect the 19th season of the show to be coming this fall season. It is the longest-running show on ABC, and the medical drama still has stories to tell and hearts to potentially break. And while some people involved with the show want it to be over after 400 episodes, wondering if it still has stories to tell, it still seems to have stories to tell. Without spoiling anything, season 18 left viewers with some things to be curious about and excited for.
And if you're looking for something to binge before the fall season, here's your show. You have 18 seasons of drama and entertainment to get you through the evenings for the next several months.
While not every C.W. show based around superheroes made it last year, we are seeing the return of The Flash, one of the first C.W. superhero shows of the current age and arguably the best. The super speedy hero continues to hold good ratings, and we'll be interested to see what interesting adventures he gets into this Fall. We also might see some extended universe stuff during the run for those interested in other CWverse (previously the Arrowverse) shows. In fact, we outright expect it.
Interestingly, as of this writing, we do not know the new season's premiere date, which means there could be a delay. Whatever the case, stay tuned in; we know it will be worth the wait.
One of the biggest hits of recent seasons has been Ghosts, an American version of a famous British series that features a couple living in a house inhabited by a series of ghosts who cannot get to the afterlife. Samantha can see the ghosts after a near-death experience, while her husband can not. This will be the show's second season, so we're hoping the show will really get to stretch out on its own and try out new things while delivering more of what fans love.
This breakout hit might come a bit further into September than some people would like, but good things come to those who wait.
While it's been on the air for a while now, Young Sheldon is not losing much traction as the series follows a young Sheldon Cooper (of The Big Bang Theory) and his family, which is trying to raise the young genius. Both something of a period piece and a standard sitcom, taking place in the 80s and 90s, the show is developing nicely with a devoted following and will air on CBS this Fall right before Ghosts.
While being a spinoff, the show features lots of laughs and considerable talent, and there will be much more to come. The show is already renewed for a seventh season in 2023.
With a bit more of a real story attached to it while remaining funny, Young Rock features Dwayne Johnson in a semi-autobiographical sitcom about his upbringing and history, bringing in hilarious anecdotes. Season three will focus on the time after The Rock's WWE debut and explore his early career.
Whether you are a huge fan of The Rock or want something new and funny to watch this Fall, it might be worth catching a few episodes of Young Rock. It also looks like it will come at the tail end of Fall, so you'll have something to look forward to for a while.
Do you like Law & Order? Do you like it and its spinoffs so much that you feel like you could watch three hours of it in one night? Then we have great news for you! At least the premiere episodes for this season's Law & Order series appear to be all on the same night, and we imagine they'll open strong. You'll want to watch these to get the season's tone.
We probably don't need to tell you what Law & Order is, as it has been the defining crime procedural for what feels like and is actually decades now. And while other offshoots have come and gone, we currently have these three to see us through the Fall season, complete with interesting cases and lots of drama.
When we're talking about new stars, we might be speaking a little more literally when we mention D.C.'s Stargirl (otherwise known as Stargirl), another show to join the CWVerse that looks to be a fun time while providing a lot of the flair and writing that keep many people coming to other shows just like it. It features Brec Bassinger as Courtney Whitmore, a high school student who finds the Cosmic Staff and becomes the superhero Stargirl about a decade after the original Justice Society of America was wiped out. She becomes an inspirational figure to those around her, creating a new generation of heroes.
It is an inspiring show filled to the brim with hope when many people need it. It might not be for everyone, but it has its devoted fans.
One of the most loved shows of last year was Abbott Elementary, and it is coming back for another season! The show is a mockumentary sitcom about teachers working in a horribly underfunded school that makes for a harsh working environment. Yet some teachers want to create a better life for their students regardless.
The show was nominated for several awards last season, with no small share of them going to the highly talented cast. It's intensely funny while poking fun at the modern U.S. education system yet still has a heart at its core.
The winner of the crudest and most eye-catching title goes to Kevin Can F**K Himself, a show on AMC which is most certainly a dark comedy but is also a sitcom (in several formats). It has Annie Murphy in the lead role as Allison Devine-McRoberts, a woman seeking to find new meaning in life while having an unhappy marriage with the titular Kevin. Scenes involving Kevin use an old-school multi-camera format, complete with canned laughter. When it's more personal for Allison, it takes a single-camera approach. In any case, it's quite funny, and it has something to say.
You can find that it is in some ways what it appears on the tin, but there's some interesting direction and camera work to be found in the show, and we're curious about where it will go in its second season.
House of Ho is a reality series that follows the Ho family that defines itself as a docusoap, featuring couple Binh and Hue Ho and their family some time after they immigrated to America from Vietnam. Having found great success, the show is about family bonds and intergenerational drama, and many people will connect with it. Returning for its second season, we're likely to get to know the family better and meet the extended family.
It might not be a show for everyone, but people looking forward to the second season are likely extremely excited, and we can expect more now that HBO knows its popularity. This is one of the few shows we'll mention that is generally found on streaming, in this case, HBO Max.
On top of returning shows that millions of people love, some additional shows are getting a lot of attention from both potential audiences and the network. Here are the top ones to look out for:
When it comes to shows on the C.W., especially superhero shows, there are strong supporters and absolute haters. However, one you should watch out for in either way is Gotham Knights, which looks to be an exciting show that follows what happens after Bruce Wayne's murder. The children of Batman's enemies need to form an alliance with the adopted (if wayward) son after being framed for the murder. It's a show that looks like it could go off the rails, but it might do so in the right ways. Whether you're new to Batman or have watched everything, it might be an interesting premiere to check out.
However, you might have to wait a while, as it premieres just as winter will start nipping at people's heels.
No, it's not the 80s again. American Gigolo is a series that is a reimagining of the movie from the 1980s. It stars Jon Bernthal as a man trying to navigate the modern world and the Los Angeles sex industry after being framed and arrested for murder. It does not seem like you'll need to want the movie to get interested in the show, so we're looking forward to what the show and its multiple threads have to offer.
While The Patient is technically on Hulu by way of F.X., any T.V. fan will still want to check it out because it comes from the creators of the hit thriller The Americans. It is a psychological thriller involving a therapist held prisoner by a serial killer. The serial killer wants the therapist to help him reduce his homicidal urges. Additional personal stakes and developments are at play, but giving away too much would spoil the fun.
It's certainly looking to be an intense series for some, but we know it will be interesting regardless. It is expected to be a limited series of 10 episodes.
Alaska Daily is not like the rest of the shows on this list. It stars Eileen Fitzgerald as Hilary Swank, a disgraced award-winning journalist who leaves New York behind to join an Anchorage daily metro paper. It's a show as much about the characters as the plot, and it's a redemption story.
We don't know much more about this upcoming drama except that it was originally titled Alaska and is likely to have more to it than meets the title card. Whatever the case, we think it will be worth watching at least a few episodes.
So Game of Thrones didn't exactly end to most people's satisfaction, potentially ruining the entire franchise for many viewers (it was quite a few seasons of investment, after all). Yet HBO is trying to give the property new life with House of the Dragon, and it's quite possibly the earliest show we will mention here.
Yet the turmoil of the last season of Game of Thrones doesn't mean you shouldn't give House of the Dragon a chance when it comes out, especially if you have access to HBO. Many budgets are thrown into this thing, and plenty of talented actors and people are working behind the scenes.
We aren't sure how House of the Dragon will turn out or whether it will live up to its high expectations of it. But many people are going to be talking about it this Fall.
The C.W. wouldn't be The C.W. without Supernatural. Yet Supernatural ended. What is a fan to do? The answer is to watch The Winchesters, a show about Sam and Dean's parents, who led their own fascinating lives. It places the two as young adults before they had children, and it will be great to see these established characters in a new light.
We don't want to spoil too much of Supernatural in case you haven't watched it yet and would like something long and winding to binge, but we will say that it's nearly guaranteed that fans of the show will find a lot in The Winchesters to appreciate. However, we suspect the series will remain open enough for new fans to enjoy as well.
Not everything gets the full attention of the masses and the press, but that doesn't mean you need to ignore the shows. In fact, you could be the one that brings the best dark horses to your friend group, raising your standards and reputation as a tastemaker in your friend group. We can't predict every show or know what's good ahead of time, but here are a few we are keeping our eyes on:
The Curse, starring Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder, has one of the more intriguing concepts this season that can go in any direction. It is a scripted comedy featuring a newly married couple trying to conceive a child (and having a difficult time) while co-starring on an HGTV show. There's also a curse! The two stars mentioned above also play a crucial role in the series production, so one can easily say this is a creative endeavor with a strong vision.
We're not sure when it will come out on Showtime, but we expect this quirky comedy to come out later this year.
Murder is entertaining to watch on T.V., right? That's what Love & Death is banking on, as it features Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery in the early 1980s. Candy Montgomery is most well-known for her murder of her friend Betty Gore. Given that the show is based on a book on the subject and is a fascinating story by any metric, we hope the show lives up to the story and the talent involved.
Filming for the show finished in March of 2022. While there is no official release date yet, practically all signs point to Love & Death getting a release this Fall.
The White House Plumbers is a five-part limited HBO series about the political saboteurs of Richard Nixon, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy (of Watergate fame). It will star Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux as Hunt and Liddy. It's based in part on public records and a book, so it will be a depiction of a true story (with perhaps some slight artistic changes, we will have to wait and see about that).
The White House Plumbers looks to be that perfect cross between a prestige show we love to watch a few of every season and something a bit funnier, if only because a lot of what happened was absurd. This is not mentioning the fact that practically everyone involved is immensely talented. We can't wait for when it comes out.
Here's an odd premise for you for an animated horror-comedy. A woman played by Audrey Plaza gets impregnated by the devil, who happens to be voiced by Danny DeVito. The series occurs 13 years later as the woman tries to live a normal life with their antichrist daughter. It's a bit more complicated than that. This all happens in Delaware.
Does this pique your interest? If so, you will want to check out Little Demon, which might be our most anticipated animated show for this Fall. It's sure to have a ton of creativity behind it, and it's the perfect show for people who enjoy the likes of Rick and Morty or other adult animated comedies.
Ok, you've picked out your lineup for this Fall and are excited about the premieres and beyond. Now what? How can you make everything more fun? How can you make sure you don't miss anything? Here are a few tips to help you out:
There is so much on T.V. and other distribution methods that we are drowning in incredible stories and content. It's unlikely you'll be able to get to all of it, at least in its entirety. However, we hope you can find a few shows to look forward to in the coming fall season. It's closer than you think, and the sooner you can plan your T.V. night, the better! Happy watching, and come back to this page as you need to if you forget a premiere date.
