Fall TV Preview 2021

The fall television season is here. It’s an eclectic mix. Trying a few new shows this year though some of them are technically reboots or continuations. Here’s the run down of what I’ll be watching (by premiere date):

[‘NEW’] IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY [FX]
Upcoming Season: 1 (or 3)
Premiere Date/Time: Tue. Sept. 7 @ 10pm
Genre: Biography Drama
Starring: Sarah Paulson (AHS, Studio 60, Nurse Ratchet)
Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart, Lady Bird, Neighbors 2)
Creators: Ryan Murphy & others (American Horror Story, Nip/Tuck)
Premise: The Monica Lewinsky scandal is dramatized
(Monica Lewinsky is actually one of the producers of the show)
Why I’ll give it a chance: Loved their OJ installment
What could hurt it: Not a fan of their Versace installment

[NEW!] AMERICAN RUST [SHOWTIME]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Sun. Sept. 12 @ 10pm
Genre: Crime Drama
Starring: Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom; The Comey Rule)
Maura Tierney (ER; Newsradio; The Affair; The Whole Truth)
Creator: Dan Futterman (Gracepoint, In Treatment, Capote)
Premise: A police chief is linked to a crime in Pennsylvania
Why I’ll give it a chance: Jeff Daniels is awesome
What could hurt it: Comparisons to Mare of Easttown

THE MORNING SHOW [APPLE TV+]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Fri. Sept. 17
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Starring: Jennifer Aniston (Friends, Horrible Bosses)
Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies, Election, Wild, Walk the Line)
Creator/Showrunner: Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights, Bates Motel)
Why I watch: I like the conflict and Billy Crudup’s character

[NEW!] ORDINARY JOE [NBC]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Mon. Sept. 20 @ 10pm
Genre: Tryptic Drama
Starring: James Wolk (Mad Men, Zoo, Watchmen, The Crazy Ones)
Natalie Martinez (The Crossing, Kingdom, Under the Dome)
Creators: Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner (House, Glee, Rise)
Premise: One guy on three parallel timelines: cop, nurse, rockstar
Why I’ll give it a chance: The three options intrigues me
What could hurt it: It might get confusing or you favour one to much

[NEW!] THE WONDER YEARS [ABC]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Wed. Sept. 22 @ 8:30pm
Genre: Nostalgic Dramedy
Starring: Dule Hill (West Wing, Psych, Suits, Ballers)
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Iron Man 2)
Creator: Saladin K Patterson (Psych, Big Bang Theory)
Premise: Growing in Montgomery, Alabama in the late 1960s
Why I’ll give it a chance: Lee Daniels and Fred Savage involved
What could hurt it: Maybe too preachy?

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE [NBC]
Upcoming Season: 47
Premiere Date/Time: Sat, October 2 @ 11:30pm
Genre: Sketch Comedy
Starring: Colin Jost (Coming 2 America)
Bowen Yang (Awkwafina is Nora from Queens)
Creator: Lorne Michaels (30 Rock, Portlandia)
Why I watch: It’s an institution. Hope Kenan stays.

THE SIMPSONS [FOX]
Upcoming Season: 33
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Sep 26 @ 8pm
Genre: Animated Comedy
Starring: Dan Castellaneta (Hey Arnold!)
Hank Azaria (Smurfs, Ray Donovan)
Creator: Matt Groening (Futurama)
Showrunners: Al Jean (The Critic) & Matt Selman (newcomer)
Why I watch: I’ve seen every episode, why stop now?

THE GOOD DOCTOR [ABC]
Upcoming Season: 5
Premiere Date/Time: Mon, Sept 27 @ 10pm
Genre: Medical Drama
Starring: Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel, Finding Neverland)
Richard Schiff (West Wing, I Am Sam, The Affair)
Creator/Showrunner: David Shore (House, Houdini and Doyle)
Why I watch: Hope it rebounds from a shaky season

[NEW!] THE PROBLEM WITH JON STEWART [APPLE TV+]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Thu. Sept. 30
Genre: ‘News’ Show
Starring: Jon Stewart (The Daily Show, Death to Smoochy)
Creator: Brinda Adhikari (CBS Evening New with Jeff Glor)
Premise: Deep dives similar to John Oliver’s show
Why I’ll give it a chance: I like Stewart and his interviews
What could hurt it: Too many ‘news’ shows out there

[NEW!] CSI: LAS VEGAS [CBS]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Wed. Oct. 6 @ 10pm
Genre: Procedural Drama
Starring: William Petersen (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation)
Jorja Fox (CSI: ER, The West Wing)
Creator: Jason Tracey (Burn Notice, Elementary)
Premise: A reboot of the original so technically Season 16
Why I’ll give it a chance: I liked the original and Petersen
What could hurt it: Gets too repetitive with sexual crimes

YOUNG SHELDON [CBS]
Upcoming Season: 5
Premiere Date/Time: Thu, Oct. 7 @ 8pm
Genre: Family Comedy
Starring: Iain Armitage (Big Little Lies, The Glass Castle)
Zoe Perry (Scandal, The Family)
Creators: Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro (The Big Bang Theory)
Showrunner: Steven Molaro (The Class, The Big Bang Theory)
Why I watch: The kids are pretty darn entertaining especially Missy

SUCCESSION [HBO]
Upcoming Season: 3
Premiere Date/Time: Oct. 17
Genre: Dark Family Drama
Starring: Jeremy Strong (The Gentlemen, Trial of the Chicago 7)
Kieran Culkin (Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Cider House Rules)
Creator/Showrunner: Jesse Armstrong (The Thick of It, Peep Show)
Why I watch: Such a conniving family. So fun.

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD [SHOWTIME]
Upcoming Season: 9
Premiere Date/Time: Sun. Nov. 9 @ 9pm
Genre: Mystery Drama
Starring: Michael C Hall (Six Feet Under, Game Night)
Jennifer Carpenter (The Enemy Within, Limitless)
Creator: James Manos Jr. (The Sopranos, The Shield)
Showrunner: Clyde Phillips (Nurse Jackie, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose)
Why I watch: Hoping they can redeem their awful finale.

[NEW!] THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR [APPLE TV+]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Fri. Nov. 12
Genre: Dark Comedy
Starring: Will Ferrell (SNL, Stranger Than Fiction, Anchorman)
Paul Rudd (Ant Man, Living With Yourself, Wet Hot American Summer)
Creator: Georgia Pritchett (Veep, Succession, Avenue 5)
Premise: A bizarre relationship between a psychiatrist and his patient
Why I’ll give it a chance: That’s a great cast
What could hurt it: I don’t like Ferrell’s beard

[NEW!] HAWKEYE [DISNEY+]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Wed. Nov. 24
Genre: Action Adventure
Starring: Jeremy Renner (Avengers, The Town, The Hurt Locker)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Bumblebee, Pitch Perfect 3)
Creator: Jonathan Igla (Mad Men, Bridgerton)
Premise: Clint Barton trains a new Hawkeye
Why I’ll give it a chance: Marvel shows are well produced
What could hurt it: Not my favourite Avenger

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS [NBC]
Upcoming Season: 9
Premiere Date/Time: ongoing @ 12:30pm
Genre: Talk Show
Starring: Seth Meyers (SNL, The Awesomes, New Year’s Eve)
Creator: Lorne Michaels & NBC
Why I watch: Mostly just his Closer Looks, sometimes his interviews

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER [HBO]
Upcoming Season: Still in Season 8
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, still running @ 10pm
Genre: ‘News’ program
Starring: John Oliver (Daily Show, Community)
Creator: John Oliver
Why I watch: Love Oliver’s rants and the “Now This” segments

What new shows are you going try this year?

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Emmy Predictions