As always, TV is a game of mimicry. So Fall 2021 gives us lots of gritty murder mysteries. And it’s a game of grabbing our attention with familiar brands, so we can’t help but notice “The Wonder Years” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
The Event Series is still a thing, as it has been since “Lost” in 2004. One of the first mimics – before the age of streaming — was “Invasion.” And now we have another Event Series called “Invasion.”
On the other hand, originality has a niche. Nothing else looks like “The Premise” — for better or worse.
And we’re finally done with new superhero shows for the sake of new superhero shows. None of the new series at The CW — home of the DC TV universe — feature superheroes. (But if you’re still into the genre, Disney Plus has “Hawkeye.”)
With the overwhelming amount of choices, if you don’t know what you’ll be watching this fall, no one could blame you. But this handy list of release dates is here to help you out.
It includes short descriptions of all the new shows (in bold), plus I put a bigger spotlight on 10 shows that have built-in buzz or just plain look good.
(All times are Eastern.)
SEPTEMBER
Thursday, Sept. 2
“What We Do in the Shadows,” 10 p.m., FX
“A.P. Bio,” streaming, Peacock
Friday, Sept. 3
“Dive Club,” streaming, Netflix – A group of teen girl divers encounters a bizarre mystery of the deep in an Australian show that looks to combine mediocre acting with evocative oceanic visuals.
“Money Heist,” streaming, Netflix
Sunday, Sept. 5
“Billions,” 9 p.m., Showtime
“Guilt,” 9 p.m., PBS – This U.K. series gives a whimsical yet honest take on the cover-up of an accidental killing.
Monday, Sept. 6
“Robot Chicken,” midnight, Adult Swim
Tuesday, Sept. 7
“Impeachment: American Crime Story,” 10 p.m., FX
“On the Verge,” streaming, Netflix – A group of women friends, including Julie Delpy and Elisabeth Shue, reinvent themselves in their 40s.
Wednesday, Sept. 8
“Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.,” streaming, Disney Plus – This “Doogie Howser” update features a teen Hawaiian girl in the lead role.
“Into the Night,” streaming, Netflix
“Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” streaming, Hulu
Thursday, Sept. 9
“Kin,” streaming, AMC Plus – For people who like stories of warring crime syndicates, well, this is another one.
“Mumbai Diaries 16/11,” streaming, Amazon Prime – This Indian import focuses on hospital workers doing their jobs amid an intense terror attack.
Friday, Sept. 10
“The Smurfs,” 7:30 p.m., Nickelodeon – The franchise returns to TV for the first time since it dominated 1980s kids’ programming.
“Lucifer,” streaming, Netflix
“Pretty Hard Cases,” streaming, IMDb TV – This Canadian import is the latest in the genre of two bickering law enforcement agents who must work together.
Sunday, Sept. 12
“Scenes from a Marriage” (miniseries), 9 p.m., HBO – Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac play spouses in a marriage that starts great and falls apart. It should appeal to fans of the recent film “A Marriage Story” … or people who stock Kleenex next to their remotes.
SPOTLIGHT
“American Rust,” 10 p.m., Showtime – Since “True Detective,” great actors have lined up to lead gritty crime series that focus on the detective’s idiosyncrasies. Now it’s Jeff Daniels’ turn. Set in the once-thriving steel town of Buell, Pa., the series gives insights into its collapse. On a macro level, we have a drug-overdose plague, as Maura Tierney sees in her hospital job. On a micro level, it’s about Daniels’ hunt for a killer.
Monday, Sept. 13
“Back to Life,” 10 p.m., Showtime
“Ultra City Smiths,” 11 p.m. AMC – Like “Team America: World Police” made fun of action movies by using puppets and voice actors, this series does the same for the inner-city crime genre.
“Finding Alice,” streaming, Acorn TV – This quirky British drama explores a widow’s challenges when her husband dies and investigators suspect her of murder.
“Y: The Last Man,” streaming, FX/Hulu – Based on a graphic novel, this is the latest exploration of how survivors move forward after the world population is decimated by a plague. Imagine “The Walking Dead” with no zombies but plenty of feuding humans.
Thursday, Sept. 16
“Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol,” streaming, Peacock – After Tom Hanks fronted three Robert Langdon film adaptations, the saga moves to the small screen and Ashley Zukerman (“Fear Street”) takes over. Like “Indiana Jones” with more emphasis on the investigation than the adventure, the series should appeal to people who see history as a mystery to be solved.
“He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,” streaming, Netflix – An adult version premiered earlier this year. Now the kids get their take as the popular 1980s franchise continues its renewed pop-culture incursion.
“The Premise,” streaming, FX/Hulu – This series proves originality isn’t dead. Quality is open question, though. A proven cast (Jon Bernthal, Daniel Dae Kim, Lucas Hedges, Kaitlyn Dever) explores current issues in off-kilter tones.
Friday, Sept. 17
“Chicago Party Aunt,” streaming, Netflix –This animated series in the style of “Big Mouth” chronicles a teen who lives with his hot mess of an aunt.
“The Morning Show,” streaming, Apple TV Plus
“Sex Education,” streaming, Netflix
“Squid Game,” streaming, Netflix – This Asian import continues the “Battle Royale” and “Hunger Games” tradition of totalitarian states using citizens in a grand twisted game.
Monday, Sept. 20
“9-1-1,” 8 p.m., Fox
“Dancing with the Stars,” 8 p.m., ABC
“The Neighborhood,” 8 p.m., CBS
“The Voice,” 8 p.m., NBC
“Bob Hearts Abishola,” 8:30 p.m., CBS
“The Big Leap,” 9 p.m., Fox – It’s surprising this hasn’t happened sooner in the age of reality TV. It’s a scripted series about people who aim to turn their lives around with success on an “America’s Got Talent” type of show.
“NCIS,” 9 p.m., CBS
“NCIS: Hawai’i,” 10 p.m., CBS
“Ordinary Joe,” 10 p.m., NBC – We only live one life, but this show imagines alternate lives that would’ve spun forward had the title dude made different key decisions. The premise appears headier than the execution.
Tuesday, Sept. 21
“FBI,” 8 p.m., CBS
“The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox
“FBI: International,” 9 p.m., CBS – Dick Wolf further expands his biggest franchise outside of “Law & Order.” Here he explores agents in international offices who operate without badges or guns.
“Our Kind of People,” 9 p.m., Fox –This primetime soap explores the gap between rich and poor black cultures, with one woman aiming to bridge it.
“FBI: Most Wanted,” 10 p.m., CBS
“New Amsterdam,” 10 p.m., NBC
Wednesday, Sept. 22
“Chicago Med,” 8 p.m., NBC
“The Goldbergs,” 8 p.m., ABC
“The Masked Singer,” 8 p.m., Fox
“Survivor,” 8 p.m., CBS
“The Wonder Years,” 8:30 p.m., ABC – The switch from a white to a black family in the 1960s will definitely make this version different. But there’s a reason why “The Wonder Years” is on the list of legendary shows that should not be remade, even if it’s for the sake of brand recognition.
“Alter Ego,” 9 p.m., Fox – Like “The Masked Singer,” but with digital avatars.
“Chicago Fire,” 9 p.m., NBC
“The Conners,” 9 p.m., ABC
“Home Economics,” 9:30 p.m., ABC
“Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC
“A Million Little Things,” 10 p.m., ABC
“Dear White People,” streaming, Netflix
“Jaguar,” streaming, Netflix – A Spanish import about Nazi executioners who assimilate into Spain.
“Star Wars: Visions” (miniseries), streaming, Disney Plus – Various creators are invited to briefly play in the Disney “SW” sandbox.
Thursday, Sept. 23
“Law & Order: SVU,” 9 p.m., NBC
“Law & Order: Organized Crime,” 10 p.m., NBC
“Bangkok Breaking,” streaming, Netflix – In this Asian import, the main character is the titular city – one that features both futuristic architecture and horrific slums.
“Code 404,” streaming, Peacock
“Creepshow,” streaming, Shudder
“The Croods: Family Tree,” streaming, Hulu/Peacock – The kids’ animated franchise takes to the small screen.
“Doom Patrol,” streaming, HBO Max
Friday, Sept. 24
“Blood & Water,” streaming, Netflix
SPOTLIGHT
“Foundation,” streaming, Apple TV Plus – In the “Foundation” books, Isaac Asimov intriguingly applies predictive analytics to the entire human race. But there’s a reason why the series has resisted adaptation: It’s mostly intellectual. The TV series aims to dramatize it as psychohistorian Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) teams up with a young woman (Lou Llobel) who plays out the adventurous side of the yarn.
“Ganglands,” streaming, Netflix – A French import set amid the worldwide drug war.
“Goliath,” streaming, Amazon Prime
SPOTLIGHT
“Midnight Mass” (miniseries), streaming, Netflix – For the third straight fall, Mike Flanagan produces a horror miniseries for Netflix. “The Haunting of Hill House” challenged for my top spot in 2019, and “The Haunting of Bly Manor” was a step down. But when it was good, it was really good. Flanagan remains one of the elite combiners of horror and humanity, so “Midnight Mass” easily makes my “must watch” list.
Sunday, Sept. 26
“The Simpsons,” 8 p.m., Fox
“The Great North,” 8:30 p.m., Fox
“BMF,” 9 p.m., Starz – 50 Cent produces a gritty but stylish look at the intersection of rap music, drugs and money in 1980s Detroit.
“Bob’s Burgers,” 9 p.m., Fox
“Family Guy,” 9:30 p.m., Fox
“The Rookie,” 10 p.m., ABC
Monday, Sept. 27
“The Good Doctor,” 10 p.m., ABC
“Midsomer Murders,” streaming, Acorn TV
Tuesday, Sept. 28
SPOTLIGHT
“La Brea,” 9 p.m., NBC – This is NBC’s annual hyped-up bid for a hit Event Series. It blends the titular tar pits with the creepy idea of falling down a sinkhole into infinite depths. But what if you emerged into another world? When the story gets to this point, “La Brea” calls to mind “Terra Nova,” from a decade ago. That’s not a bad series to be compared to, but the fiscal math of how expensive SF epics can stay on the air remains sketchy.
Wednesday, Sept. 29
“The Chestnut Man,” streaming, Netflix – From the producer of the Swedish “The Killing,” this book adaptation emphasizes style in its trailer. The story will, of course, be about a string of killings.
Thursday, Sept. 30
“Station 19,” 8 p.m., ABC
“Grey’s Anatomy,” 9 p.m., ABC
“Big Sky,” 10 p.m., ABC
“Love 101,” streaming, Netflix
“Luna Park,” streaming, Netflix – This Albanian import combines colorful imagery of a nighttime amusement park with the mystery of a missing woman. It could be rewarding for viewers who don’t mind subtitles.
OCTOBER
Friday, Oct. 1
“Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” 8 p.m., CW
“S.W.A.T.,” 8 p.m., CBS
“Magnum P.I.,” 9 p.m., CBS
“Blue Bloods,” 10 p.m., CBS
“Maid,” streaming, Netflix – Margaret Qualley (who has memorable small roles in “The Nice Guys” and “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”) stars as a maid who lives a difficult life as a low-paid single mother. Meanwhile, she dreams of a wonderful conflict-free life of leisure.
Sunday, Oct. 3
“Call the Midwife,” 8 p.m., PBS
“Grantchester,” 9 p.m., PBS
“The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” 10 p.m., AMC
Wednesday, Oct. 6
“Tough as Nails,” 9 p.m., CBS
“CSI: Vegas,” 10 p.m., CBS – For people longing for more of the original “CSI” (2000-15) – probably a larger cohort than we’d like to admit – this spinoff brings back William Peterson and Jorja Fox. A suitcase of cash features in the trailer, and that’s probably what was pushed across the CBS desk to the actors. It’s not a total throwback, though: They’re training the next generation of crime scene probers.
Thursday, Oct. 7
“Young Sheldon,” 8 p.m., CBS
“United States of Al,” 8 p.m., CBS
SPOTLIGHT
“Ghosts,” 9 p.m., CBS – I loved Rose McIver in “iZombie,” so I can’t scoff at her fronting another supernatural comedic drama. Based on a British series, it gives us the ghosts’ perspective in a haunted house. Eventually, bed-and-breakfast-owner McIver interacts with them. It could be fun; it could be terrible. Either way, it’s an out-of-the-box entry for CBS, so its existence will probably be ephemeral.
“B Positive,” 9:30 p.m., CBS
“Bull,” 10 p.m., CBS
Friday, Oct. 8
“Shark Tank,” 8 p.m., ABC
“Nancy Drew,” 9 p.m., CW
“Leverage: Redemption,” streaming, IMDb TV
Sunday, Oct. 10
“The Equalizer,” 8 p.m., CBS
“Legends of the Hidden Temple,” 8 p.m., CW – Nickelodeon did a kiddie adventure movie about a theme park full of surprises a few years back, and apparently it has a fan base. The CW aims to tap into it.
“Killer Camp,” 9 p.m., CW – The U.K. original (which aired on the CW last year) winkingly combines slasher kills with reality-show interview cut-ins. Although we get the joke already, the network decided we need an American version, too.
“NCIS: Los Angeles,” 9 p.m., CBS
“SEAL Team,” 10 p.m., CBS
Monday, Oct. 11
“The Baby-Sitters Club,” streaming, Netflix
Tuesday, Oct. 12
“Chucky,” 10 p.m., SyFy/USA – The horror franchise about a grinning killer doll bizarrely gets a full-series treatment.
Wednesday, Oct. 13
“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” 8 p.m., CW
“Batwoman,” 9 p.m., CW
“The Sinner,” 10 p.m., USA
SPOTLIGHT
“Dopesick” (miniseries), streaming, Hulu – Michael Keaton combined with a complex conspiracy tale calls to mind the movie “Spotlight” – and that’s not a bad thing. Nor is the cast around him – Peter Sarsgaard, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosario Dawson – that dramatizes the rise of addictive drug OxyContin and the powerful groups that made it happen.
Thursday, Oct. 14
“Legacies,” 9 p.m., CW
“Guilty Party,” streaming, Paramount Plus – A journalist digs into the case of a wrongfully convicted woman.
Friday, Oct. 15
“Day of the Dead,” 10 p.m., SyFy – The Romero zombies have featured in dozens upon dozens of official and unofficial movies. With the rise of “The Walking Dead,” it was only a matter of time before this TV series crawled forth from the ground.
SPOTLIGHT
“I Know What You Did Last Summer,” streaming, Amazon Prime – Sure, it’s yet another name-recognition horror cash-in, but on the other hand, “IKWYDLS” (which had three movies from 1997-2006) makes sense as a TV series. The original book by Lois Duncan was a mystery, not a slasher. So the longer form of TV could find an appealing middle ground between the two genres.
“You,” streaming, Netflix
Sunday, Oct. 17
“Fear the Walking Dead,” 9 p.m., AMC
“Hightown,” 9 p.m., Starz
“Baptiste,” 10 p.m., PBS
Monday, Oct. 18
“Wakefield,” 9 p.m., Showtime – In this U.K. import, a British-Indian doctor gets around the stifling system to heal patients. But he has his own problems. It looks good, for people who enjoy this subgenre.
Tuesday, Oct. 19
“The Bachelorette,” 8 p.m., ABC
“Queens,” 10 p.m., ABC – Nineties R&B and rap stars such as Brandy and Eve play themselves as they prepare for a comeback tour.
Thursday, Oct. 21
“The Blacklist,” 8 p.m., NBC
Friday, Oct. 22
SPOTLIGHT
“Invasion,” streaming, Apple TV Plus – One of the first post-“Lost” Event Series was “Invasion,” which combined Hurricane Katrina-style tension with a subtle alien takeover. This unrelated series makes me want to … well … rewatch the 2005 show. The new one seems overwrought. But I can’t scoff at the ambition of portraying how an alien invasion impacts the world, rather than a limited area.
Sunday, Oct. 24
“Insecure,” 10 p.m., HBO
Monday, Oct. 25
“All American,” 8 p.m., CW
“4400,” 9 p.m., CW – The cult-favorite “The 4400” (2004-07) gets a continuation.
Thursday, Oct. 28
“Walker,” 8 p.m., CW
NOVEMBER
Friday, Nov. 5
“Animaniacs,” streaming, Hulu
“Dickinson,” streaming, Apple Plus TV
Sunday, Nov. 7
“Condor,” 9 p.m., Epix
“Dexter: New Blood,” 9 p.m., Showtime – Another popular 21st century series (2006-13) gets a continuation.
“Yellowstone,” streaming, Paramount Plus
Thursday, Nov. 11
“The Game,” streaming, Paramount Plus
“Ragdoll,” streaming, AMC Plus – Lucy Hale can always be counted on to re-emerge in a TV series. But this one is darker than her usual fare. She’s among the detectives investigating a serial killer whose proclivities would fit well on “Hannibal.”
Friday, Nov. 12
“The Shrink Next Door” (miniseries), streaming, Apple Plus TV – An unconventional therapist – almost the opposite of Richard Dreyfuss in “What About Bob?” – helps a patient. With Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell starring, and with the 1970s setting, this has potential.
Sunday, Nov. 14
SPOTLIGHT
“Yellowjackets,” 10 p.m., Showtime – The premise is intriguingly chilling: We catch up with women 20 years after their high school soccer team’s plane crashed in the wilderness. Some survived, some didn’t. No one talks about the details. Christina Ricci, Melanie Lynskey and Juliette Lewis are all on my list of actresses I trust to lead a series, and “Yellowjackets” boasts all three.
SPOTLIGHT
“Mayor of Kingstown,” streaming, Paramount Plus – Taylor Sheridan, known for character-centered crime films, sometimes leaves viewers wanting more plot details (see “Those Who Wish Me Dead”). The longer form of TV could be the solution. Officialdom including Jeremy Renner, Dianne Wiest and Kyle Chandler navigate a prison’s power structure.
Tuesday, Nov. 16
“The Flash,” 8 p.m., CW
“Riverdale,” 9 p.m., CW
Thursday, Nov. 18
“Anna,” streaming, AMC – This British import deals with a plague on an island. It differentiates itself by having a 6-year-old as the main character.
Friday, Nov. 19
“Cowboy Bebop,” streaming, Netflix – The popular animated series gets a live-action take.
“The Great,” streaming, Hulu
“The Wheel of Time,” streaming, Amazon Prime – Featuring lush cinematography, magic and a vast story of power plays, this is Prime’s unapologetic attempt to draw “Game of Thrones” and fantasy-epic fans into one big camp.
Wednesday, Nov. 24
“Hawkeye,” streaming, Disney Plus – Of the six Avengers, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye took the longest to get a title project (13 years after Iron Man). But he’s also the first to get a TV series.
Thursday, Nov. 25
“The Beatles: Get Back” (miniseries), streaming, Disney Plus – Originally conceived as a documentary film, Peter Jackson’s project has been reworked as a longer-form miniseries.
Sunday, Nov. 28
“The Hot Zone: Anthrax,” TBD, NatGeo – The second season of “The Hot Zone” turns its attention to the deadly white powder from the early days of post-9/11 terrorist fears.