Though 2018 has often felt like the universe testing humanity’s willingness to go on, there’s at least one thing on the horizon that we can all look forward to: television! As we head deeper into September, it means season (and series) premieres are right around the corner. So in an effort to stay constructively distracted, here are 17 television series to look forward to this fall. There is a lot, but keeping up with it all might prove the best kind of challenge.
SEPTEMBER 2018
American Vandal (September 14)
Source: Netflix
Season 2 of American Vandal, which hits Netflix on September 14, will investigate who poisoned the lemonade at a local Catholic high school, causing everyone to shit their pants. A person who goes by the name of “The Turd Burglar” emerges as the culprit, but who are they — and why did they cause #TheBrownout? The first season of the genius true crime documentary satire asked, “who drew the dicks?” but season two — yes, number two — is somehow more promising.
BoJack Horseman (September 14)
Source: Netflix
Everyone’s favorite depressive cartoon horse is back for the new season of BoJack Horseman. Finally the star of another successful television show, BoJack must once again contend with the the person he’s become, whether he’s willing to work to change, or if he’s too defeated by his own existence to keep trying. The searing Hollywood parody is known to leave viewers a little more down than up, so binge at your own risk.
Magnum P.I. (September 24)
Source: CBS
There’s a lot going on with this Magnum P.I. remake. Tom Selleck isn’t in it, for example, and star Jay Hernandez isn’t rocking a mustache. But it still looks like an exciting, modern update to the crime-solving classic, iffy interviews by the showrunner notwithstanding. Plus, Zach Knighton is in it, which is great news for fans of the gone-too-soon sitcom Happy Endings.
Manifest (September 24)
Source: NBC
Imagine this: a dramatic television series that opens with a missing plane, lost time, and the creeping sensation that it all means something. Could it be you’re thinking of Lost? Or The X-Files? This time, it’s Manifest, the new NBC series that centers on a plane that went missing in the Bermuda triangle for six years unbeknownst to its passengers. It looks so by-the-book spooky, it can only go two ways: Absolutely perfectly, or eaten alive by the internet. Here’s hoping it’s more of the former.
The Good Place (September 27)
Source: NBC
NBC’s sleeper hit The Good Place continues to reinvent itself in ways viewers never see coming. Its jokes move at the speed of light, and the series subverts the sitcom—its main characters are dead, after all—but in the fun kind of way! Without giving away too much, it looked as if at least one character was getting a do-over at the end of Season 2. Whether they make the most of it remains to be seen, but fans are definitely rooting for them.
OCTOBER 2018
Superstore (October 4)
Source: NBC
Superstore has long been overlooked, but it won’t be for much longer. The show resolved a long-simmering romantic entanglement in the season three finale that was broadcast directly into Cloud 9 stores across the globe — unbeknownst to the pair, of course — and it will be delicious to watch where they go from here. Thursday nights have been so quiet without Garrett’s wisecracks.
Flight of the Conchords: Live at the London Apollo (October 6)
Source: HBO
Who likes to rock the party? Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement like to rock the party. The musical duo resurrected their Flight of the Conchords act for one night only, and footage from that blissful night will debut on HBO in the form of a comedy special. Whether Conchords collaborator and Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will be there is unclear, but one can hope.
Star Wars Resistance (October 7)
Source: Disney
The first-ever Star Wars series entirely inspired by Japanese anime will air at the surprisingly late hour of 10 PM. The cast is stacked with talent like Bobby Moynihan and Star Wars obsessive Donald Faison. Stars like Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie will pop by on occasion to voice their film characters.
Doctor Who (October 7)
Source: BBC
Jodie Whittaker’s first Doctor Who episode will premiere on BBC America on October 7. The Thirteenth Doctor is here, and she’s spectacular. What else is there to say? If you’re new to Doctor Who and just tuning in to see the franchise’s first-ever woman incarnation, you might just recognize the lead from roles in Black Mirror and Broadchurch.
Riverdale (October 10)
Source: The CW
Campy, intense, and absolutely ludicrous, Riverdale is can’t-miss TV. In two seasons, it’s already covered sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, not to mention serial killers, a mafia subplot, and gang rivalries. They even did a musical episode! It’s brilliant and ridiculous and instantly addictive. Plus, there’s a chance fans get a crossover with one of its two spinoffs before too long…
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (October 12)
Source: The CW
Will Rebecca finally find love, happiness, stability, a correct diagnosis, and working medication? Hard to say. But this biting, insightful, award-winning series will air for one final season on The CW and hopefully provide fans with some answers. At the very least, it should offer new, ingenious songs to sing in the shower.
The Romanoffs (October 12)
Source: Amazon Prime Video
Arguably the 2018-19 season’s most high-concept series, The Romanoffs revolves around a group of people who believe themselves to be descendants of the great Russian imperial family. It’s an anthology series, which means the episodes are mostly self-contained, and it has literally every actor you’ve ever heard of. Consequently, it looks like Amazon’s most enticing (and ambitious!) original since The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Charmed (October 14)
Source: The CW
The Charmed revival bills itself as a “fierce, funny, feminist reboot” of the late-’90s, mid-’00s classic, and if it delivers, it could be The CW’s breakout hit of the season. This edition does not have ties to the original, which is a bold choice, but promises women of color vanquishing demons and defeating the patriarchy at every turn. So if you loved the original Charmed, don’t astral project yourself away from this one. It’s true that a witch’s work is never done.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (October 26)
Source: Netflix
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina promises to be a dark, horror-inspired take on everyone’s favorite teenage witch. Netflix’s supernatural drama promises devil worship, camp, romance, and Salem the cat, all lead by the brilliant Kiernan Shipka.
STILL TO COME
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (January 2019)
Source: NBC
Looking ahead to January 2019, the odds are high that comedy nerds will have something to celebrate along with the new year: The debut of the expanded Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 on its new home, NBC. Noice. Toight.
iZombie (January 2019)
Source: The CW/DC Comics
The last season of iZombie is slated for a mid-season replacement, so not too much is known about it yet. Hopefully, it will prove a satisfying conclusion to the entertaining, offbeat, wildly creative series that never got the critical appreciation it deserves.
Veep (January 2019)
Source: HBO
Though not confirmed for January quite yet, it’s likely that the month will also herald the triumphant return of Veep. It’s expected that season seven will bee the HBO series’ final outing–with life as weird as it is, how much longer can a political satire last?
