Even though we’re in the midst of a crazy heat wave here in Western New York, it’s still the official first day of fall. And although I love all the same cliche things about the season as everyone else—the pumpkin spice lattes, the clothes, the apple cider—my favorite thing about fall is that it brings some much-needed renewal to my fangirl soul. My favorite sports (football and hockey) are back, the fall movie season begins with blockbusters mixed in with early Oscar contenders, and, of course, new television shows and seasons are found everywhere you look.
The return of this most wonderful time of the year means the return of our longest-running feature here at NGN. Whether this is your first time visiting this post or your sixth (Time flies when you’re writing about good TV!), very little has changed. Below you’ll find my fall TV viewing schedule with premiere dates (or next episode dates for shows that returned early), times, and networks included to help make your scheduling easier. And as always, new pilots I’m checking out will be highlighted in pink (because of course they will be). I’m also going to stick to scripted shows and leave out reality TV and variety shows because there’s just too many of those to keep track of!
After you finish perusing my picks, tell me what your fall in TV Land looks like in the comments. I always love comparing viewing schedules with my fellow fans!
Monday
The Gifted (9 p.m. on FOX)
The X-Men were my first favorite group of superheroes (I learned all about them from my comics-loving cousins as a kid.), so media about mutants and young people with special powers will always be a kind of catnip for me. For being someone who adores superhero movies, I haven’t found a ride-or-die superhero show yet (especially after The Flash disappointed me in Seasons 2 and 3), so I’m trying a couple of new ones this season and hoping one will stick. This one looks like it has a great cast (Amy Acker!) and an intriguing premise (What happened to the X-Men?), which might finally be enough to satisfy my superhero-loving heart.
Series Premiere October 2
Tuesday
black-ish (9 p.m. on ABC)
This is one of the returning shows I’m most excited about. The way this incredible cast blends humor, real conversations about real issues, and just enough sincerity to tug at your heartstrings is unlike anything else on television, and I can’t wait to see where this next season takes one of my favorite TV families.
Season Premiere October 3
This Is Us (9 p.m. on NBC)
I’ve stocked up on plenty of tissues in preparation for this season premiere. Although I’m ready to put the focus on Jack’s death behind us (the uncertainty surrounding it made me incredibly anxious last season) and I know the show is certainly not, I’m still looking forward to seeing what this incredible cast brings to the table every week. With two-time Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown leading the way, my emotions are certainly going to get a workout.
Season Premiere September 26
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (9:30 p.m. on FOX)
I feel like I start every season of this show wondering how the writers are going to work their way out of the corner they backed their characters into, and they have yet to disappoint me in how they do it. In fact, I have loved every season opener of this show, and I expect this premiere to be no different. The Nine-Nine has been my TV “happy place” for years now, and I’m read to be back there among one of the funniest casts on television and a writing crew who has managed to outdo their own brilliance year after year.
Season Premiere September 26
The Mayor (9:30 p.m. on ABC)
This is the new show I’m most looking forward to trying out this season. First and foremost, my love for Lea Michele and the characters she plays is well-documented around these parts, so even though I still wish she’d return to Broadway, I’m excited to see what she does in this role. But even more than my support of former Glee cast members, what drew me to this show was the heart the trailer showed. This seems like more than a satire; it seems like a show about someone who learns to become a part of something bigger than themselves, which is my favorite kind of story. There’s a real story to be told here about neglected communities, civic engagement, and what it takes to make real change—and I’m hopeful that this show will be brave enough to tell those stories with laughter and love.
Series Premiere October 3
Wednesday
Speechless (8:30 p.m. on ABC)
I may only have one show to watch on Wednesdays for now, but it’s a winner. The first season of Speechless was incredible—funny and unflinching and emotionally affecting without being emotionally manipulative—and I can’t wait to see what this show has in store for us in Season 2. I may have started it last season out of my love for Minnie Driver and desire to see fresh new stories told on television, but by the end of the year, I tuned in every week because every member of the cast is perfect in their roles and the story was more than just “important;” it was good. I have every reason to believe it’s going to avoid a sophomore slump and deliver another stellar season this year.
Season Premiere September 27
Thursday
Superstore (8 p.m. on NBC)
This one comes with a caveat: I haven’t watched the first two seasons yet, but I have them queued up for a weekend in early November when I’ll be recovering from very minor dental surgery and will need some comfort TV to watch. Therefore, I won’t be starting this season right away, but I plan to jump in as soon as November rolls around and I get caught up. I know I’m missing something special, and I don’t want to be on the outside looking in anymore! (Especially not after my “shipper” heart saw what happened at the end of last season—I don’t even watch the show, and it made me melt!)
Season Premiere September 28
The Good Place (8:30 p.m. on NBC)
This is one of my favorite shows currently airing on television, and it started Season 2 off with a bang this week. It’s smart and silly at times, but it’s also a show that somehow manages to be about both the worst things that can happen to people and the best at the same time. I won’t say anything else out of fear of spoiling people who somehow missed Season 1 (WATCH IT NOW!), but the fact that this show already has such a strong voice and theme (Our ability to connect with each other can save us from the bad places in this world and the next.) speaks to a kind of storytelling confidence and bravery that has me willing to go along on this crazy ride for every twist and turn and NSYNC dance party along the way.
Next episode airs September 28
Will & Grace (9 p.m. on NBC)
I was a huge fan of Will & Grace when I was in my teens, so I’m approaching this revival with cautious optimism. It’s going to be so nice to see all these actors back in their roles, and I’m excited to see how their characters and the writing for them have grown and evolved with the changing times. I’m also slightly nervous about revisiting a piece of media that spoke to such a specific time in both the country and in my life. No matter what happens, though, Debra Messing’s hair is as beautiful as ever, and we all know that’s what really matters.
Series Premiere September 28
Friday
Once Upon a Time (8 p.m. on ABC)
It’s worth a shot, right? There’s potential for this story (featuring adult Henry, cursed Regina/Rumple/Killian, and a host of new fierce female leads) to refresh the series and bring back the gloriously magical feeling of Season 1. However, there’s also potential for it to be like Season 8 of Castle (aka the Lost Year), and I will immediately regret giving it a chance. For now, I’m choosing to be hopeful because in truth, the show hasn’t really let me down yet. It’s had its ups and downs, but it’s never stopped wearing its hearts on its sleeve and preaching that belief can change the world. That’s something I think the television world still needs, and as long as this show keeps that central theme, I’ll still keep coming back for more. (Unless something bad happens to Emma, her parents, or her relationship with Killian—then consider this show dead to me. I know Henry’s the lead now, but this will always be Emma’s story to me—and her happy ending is the one I will always be most invested in.)
Season Premiere October 6
Jane the Virgin (9 p.m. on The CW)
I had to take a break from this show for a little while after Michael’s death because it made me too sad to keep watching, but that break was exactly what I needed to remind me that something is missing in my TV viewing life without the Villanueva women. And as a Jane/Rafael shipper from basically the pilot, I’m excited to see what becomes of their relationship this season.
Season Premiere October 13
Sunday
Outlander (8 p.m. on STARZ)
To paraphrase Stefon from Saturday Night Live, this show has EVERYTHING—time travel, Scottish history, gorgeous scenery, gorgeous people, incredible acting, sweeping romance, and some of the best sex you’ll ever see on television. As soon as the first words of the theme song started again a couple of weeks ago, I was instantly transported back into this beautiful world, and I remembered how lovely it feels to escape into a piece of fiction as completely as this show allows viewers to do. It’s so easy to get swept away and swept up in this grand love story, and it satisfies my inner romantic like little else.
Next episode airs September 24
Ghosted (8:30 p.m. on FOX)
I can never say no to Adam Scott, and Craig Robinson always makes me laugh. This show looks like it will be a fun way to end the weekend, and it has a great Ghostbusters-meets-X-Files vibe that sold me in the trailer.
Series Premiere October 1
Streaming
Fuller House (Netflix)
Last year, this show brought something happy into my life when I was looking for some joy, so I’m incredibly excited to start watching it tonight. It’s cheesy and sappy and by no means a perfect show, but it does its job perfectly—and that job is to warm hearts with a story of female friendship and family. It’s nostalgic and unashamedly ridiculous at times, but it also managed to get me invested in multiple storylines last season, which I’m excited to see play out in Season 3.
Begins Streaming September 22
Alias Grace (Netflix)
Am I mostly checking this one out because of my crush on Zachary Levi? Yes. But am I also checking it out because it looks like a strong piece of historical fiction? Yes. I haven’t read Alias Grace, but the track record with streaming service of adaptations of Margaret Atwood works is pretty good right now. (I loved Season 1 of The Handmaid’s Tale.) This looks wonderfully cinematic and atmospheric, and it seems like nothing else on television—in a good way.
Begins Streaming November 3
Marvel’s Runaways (Tuesdays on Hulu)
I know very little about this show beyond the fact that it’s about kids and is supposed to connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fortunately, that’s enough for me to at least give it a shot. As I said when writing about “The Gifted,” I’m still on the hunt for a superhero show, and my mind is open to the possibility that this could be the one to snag my heart.
Series Premiere 11/21
The Crown (Netflix)
I binged the first season of this acclaimed drama based on a recommendation from my best friend, and I’m so happy she texted me incessantly to tell me how good it was—because she was right. Not only is this show absolutely beautiful, it’s a compelling examination of a woman in power and what that means for those around her, especially her husband. I’m ready for my heart to continue to be broken by this close look at a troubled time in a marriage between two strong and strong-willed people, and I’m ready to continue to learn more about a government I know embarrassingly little about. (Because if fall isn’t the time to get excited about learning, then what is?)
Begins Streaming December 8
Nerdy Girl Notes 
I love this post. I love seeing what you’re watching and seeing what shows we’ll have in common and I like sharing my slightly terrifying quantity of shows with everyone else. I think I have slightly fewer shows than last year, mostly due to the lack of appealing new shows, but that probably just means I’ll fill it in with catching up on older shows.
Monday: I have both Supergirl and Lucifer returning, although I’m a little on the fence about Supergirl. I like some of the things I’ve heard about the new season and am fairly disinterested in others, so we’ll see if I end up keeping it. I am also trying out The Gifted and anticipate that I will like it, if only for Amy Acker.
Tuesday: I’ll be watching most of ABC’s comedy line-up with Fresh Off the Boat, Black-ish, and The Mayor along with Queen Sugar. I am still on the fence about returning to This Is Us, which I don’t love like I want to, but Sterling K. Brown is probably gonna draw me in again.
Wednesday: I’ve got Speechless, Riverdale, Broad City and my beloved You’re the Worst. There’s a slight chance I’ll save Riverdale to binge once the season is over but we’ll see how I feel about it week to week.
Thursday: A busy but good night with Better Things, Superstore, The Good Place, The Big Bang Theory, Life in Pieces, Mom, Grey’s Anatomy, and Chicago Fire.
Friday: My favorite day of the week with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin. It’s such a good pairing and gives me really good TV to look forward to catching up on over the weekend.
Saturday: I’ve got 5 more weeks of Halt and Catch Fire then my Saturday nights will return to being free.
Sunday: Surprisingly light with only Outlander, Bob’s Burgers and potentially Ghosted
Streaming: I will get around to the most recent series of Transparent at some point, I’m sure. I am partway through the book version of Alias Grace and am now really excited about the miniseries when it comes out, especially with Zachary Levi 😉
I always love reading your fall tv posts every year!
My returning shows are Scorpion, NCIS, The Good Place (which I enjoyed watching this week!), NCIS, NCIS:LA, Lucifer, Supergirl, and maybe HTGAWM (I’m getting tired of the drama lol). Overall I’m most looking forward to The Good Place and Lucifer, they both should be pretty fun.
The new shows on my schedule:
Sunday – Star Trek: Discovery, which I am excited for partially because I don’t have a ton of sci-fi type shows in my fall tv, and because the cast seems pretty great (+ diverse, which is always good to see).
Wisdom of the Crowd – I’m trying this out mostly because I’m procedural trash, and on the off chance that it will have some interesting thoughts on technology and surveillance, but I’m not expecting a lot.
Monday – Valor. The trailer intrigued me but I’m not normally someone who watches military centric shows, so I’ll have to see how it goes.
Tuesday – The Mayor, which I 100% agree with you on. It’s the new show that looks the most promising to me from the trailers, and it looks like a great combination of comedy, political satire, and some familial heartfelt moments.
Kevin (Probably) Saves the World – This could be a lot of fun or it could be really dumb, but I enjoyed Kimberly Hebert Gregory’s character Yvette in the trailer a lot so I figured I’d try an episode or two.
I honestly hadn’t heard of Alias Grace until a couple weeks ago and I didn’t realize Runaways was coming this season, so I may end up adding both of those to my schedule once I get a good look at them.
That’s all that I’m planning on trying right now, but I’m looking forward to hearing what everyone thinks of Ghosted and The Gifted and I might pick them up if they seem to be going well.
Thanks for the previews. Only one at this moment that I’ll be watching is Once Upon A Time. Giving it a chance. If they screw up Hook and Emma, I’ll be done. Will see how it goes, especially after Episode #702.
I’ve been taking a break from broadcast TV and Tumblr lately so when I logged on the other day and saw gifs of The Good Place and I didn’t recognize the scenes I was thrown for a loop. I had assumed nothing was back until next week, but nope, good old NBC throws a show into a random spot early… gah! So we watched that on hulu last night and my delight in its return makes up for their scheduling nonsense. I kept cackling and clapping at every twist and turn of the plot 🙂
Anyway, I found a calendar of premieres online and have everything sorted out now, although we’re watching the 18 hour Ken Burns Vietnam War this week so I’m going to have to catch up everything else later.
We have nothing for Monday unless we watch Supergirl at dinnertime just because it’s on. Hubby usually had car shows to watch on Mondays so I guess I’ll go read a book. We’ll probably stick with This Is Us because apparently hubby doesn’t mind that, we’ll catch up with blackish and B99 online afterwards. Wed: Speechless, thank goodness it got renewed. It’s such a great little show. And the Goldbergs before that over dinner (we like, when it’s on, but wouldn’t go out of our way to catch up). We were disappointed by Designated Survivor – it seemed like it could be so much better but I usually fall asleep halfway through, so I’m vetoing that. Th: Superstore and The Good Place, and (soon) Scandal and HTGAWM. If HTGAWM is too exhausting we’ll switch to Chicago Fire. Friday is no longer a dead zone with Crazy Ex Girlfriend, which I finally watched and LOVE SO MUCH, and Jane the Virgin. Hubby has never watched either so we’ll see if he’s game. We watch The Last Man on Earth on Hulu – nothing much to see on TV on Sunday nights, unless I’m forgetting something obvious. Oh yeah, that was Once night! I’m on the fence about Once. (Given the choice between CrazyExGF and Once right now I’d choose CEG.) But if I hear good things from the fans we’ll watch. Hubby was very confused when I tried to explain the reboot.
I’m also excited for Stranger Things, and The Crown.
This summer we really broke ourselves of the habit of flipping channels, watching whatever was on. Hubby got control of the remote one night and I was just dying, watching totally random crap we don’t care about (or maybe it’s just that I don’t care about it). When I had control I went straight to Netflix/Amazon and we got through Scandal from the beginning, The Americans (minus the most recent season that wasn’t free yet – when will it be free?!), Orphan Black start to finish, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, and now we’re on season 3 of Mad Men (we had never watched it!) I’m hoping we can continue to be more deliberate viewers.
I am with you on needing to watch TV deliberately. I ABHOR channel flipping. I like that so much is on demand these days, it really makes channel flipping unnecessary. My bf is in another state right now so that means I get all the TV watching decision to myself and I cant say Im not happy about it.
So random but I live in Western NY too! It’s been obscenely hot (maybe I took out my sweaters and boots a bit prematurely?) If you ever want to watch Black-ish together, hit me up!