The best new TV shows always premiere in the fall, and everybody knows it. In fact, it’s a longstanding tradition that’s been in practice since the early days of TV, and it’s based around the idea that less people are around to watch TV in the summer because they’re all away on vacation. So, the major networks have always waited until the fall season to rev back into high gear. This falls brings a ton of new programming we’re super, super excited about—from historical dramas to completely fictitious outlaw motorcycle clubs. Here are the 8 best TV shows coming this fall.
Mayans MC
September 4 (FX)
After what seems like an eternity of waiting and several monumental bumps in the road, Kurt Sutter’s answer to Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC, is actually slated to premiere on September 4, on FX. Only one trailer exists for the show, and far as we can tell it centers around one of the club’s newest prospective members, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes. The show apparently takes place 2.5 years after the finale of Sons of Anarchy, and if we know Sutter, he’ll be tying things up nicely. And if this show holds even a 10th of a candle up to its predecessor, viewers are in for a wild and bumpy ride—probably on some insane Harley bobber.
Kidding
September 9 (Showtime)
Even Jim Carrey is getting in on the TV action. Kidding debuts on Showtime in September, and follows the life of Jeff, AKA Mr. Pickles (Jim Carrey), an iconic children’s television star, revered and idolized by people all over the country for fostering an unwavering attitude of kindness and compassion on everyone he meets. However, what we see on the screen isn’t always reflected in real life. When his family starts hitting some pretty heavy bumps in the road, Jeff has trouble coping with everything happening, which slowly seeps out of his psyche and into his professional life.
Forever
September 14 (Amazon)
Portlandia might be over, but at least Fred Armisen hasn’t given up on being funny. He stars as Oscar in this Amazon Prime Original, along with Maya Rudolph, who plays his wife, June. June and Oscar have been married for 12 years, and in those 12 years, have developed unhealthy patterns of normalcy. They eat the same food, go on the same repetitive vacations, talk about the same things, and live the same comfortable, boring life in their suburban neighborhood in Riverside, California. But as the two embark on a new journey in new and unfamiliar territory—a ski trip—they learn they’re quickly going to have to adapt.
The First
September 14 (Hulu)
Remember that time like, two years ago, when Sean Penn accidentally got the world’s most dangerous and single-largest drug cartel king, El Chapo, caught and placed behind bars? Penn has kept out of the media spotlight since (probably for his own safety), but makes his return to the screen this September on Hulu’s original show The First. Penn plays Tom Hagerty, an astronaut preparing to be the captain of the first crew of human beings to travel to Mars. The plot focuses not just on the astronauts as they prepare for the biggest manned mission since the moon landing, but also on their family and loved ones, and the support team helping them get there.
Maniac
September 21 (Netflix)
We’re living in crazy times when A-List celebrities like Jonah Hill and Emma Stone are veering away from the big screen and into the TV production studio, but alas, here we are. Maniac debuts on Netflix this September, and is a dark comedy about two people—Annie Landsberg (Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Hill)—two strangers who enter a late-stage pharmaceutical trial for a new wonder drug whose inventor, Dr. James K. Mantleray, claims is capable of repairing anything wrong with one’s brain, ranging in severity from schizophrenia (as experienced by Milgrim) to broken hearted indifference (experienced by Landsberg). Of course, things don’t always go as planned.
The Romanoffs
October 2 (Amazon)
The details behind Amazon Prime’s The Romanoffs has been shrouded in tight-lipped secrecy, but we knew early on we were going to like it because it was coming straight from the brain of Mathew Weiner (Mad Men). As more details have become known, we think it may very be one of the most interesting shows of the fall. It follows eight different storylines—set all over the world—of people claiming to be descendants of Russia’s last great royal dynasty, the Romanovs. From our best guess, the show aims to either validate or discredit these peoples’ beliefs—we’re not sure which.
Homecoming
November 2 (Amazon)
What’s interesting about Homecoming is that it actually began as a fictional podcast that blew up. Amazon bought the rights to the show and gave it a two-season order right off the bat in 2017, despite not a single episode ever having been produced. It stars Julia Roberts (no, seriously) as Heidi Bergman, a caseworker at a secret government facility whose job it is to help soldiers adjust to civilian life after coming home from war. We were huge fans of the podcast, and given Amazon Prime’s recent track record, we’re willing to bet they’ve done a great job adapting this for the screen.
The Kominsky Method
November 16 (Netflix)
Another show we know just enough about to be interested in, The Kominsky Method is a new sitcom by Chuck Lorre and stars Michael Douglas as Sandy Kominsky, a formerly (and briefly) successful actor who manages to somehow become one of Hollywood’s most highly sought and revered acting coaches. Alan Arkin plays Norman, Sandy’s long-time agent and best friend. Lorre has said the show started as a simple spec script about the process of ageing—the idea of getting older, falling into poor health, losing loved ones, becoming out of step with evolving culture, etc. It sounds pretty depressing, but if there’s one thing we know about Lorre, he doesn’t have a sad bone in his body.
