It’s that time of year and even though the network premieres aren’t what they used to be, it’s time to take a look. Stay tuned to New & Noteworthy posts for any updates on these and the variety of cable and streaming.

• Line of Fire (NBC, 9/21) – Peter Krause and Hope Davis head a family of law enforcement agents tangled in a deadly conspiracy, the cast here is the draw and oddly Jenna Bush Hager is an EP loosely drawing on her own Secret Service years so maybe a fresh take on the premise.
• Private Eyes West Coast (CW, 10/5) – Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson reprise their Private Eyes investigators, now married with a baby and relocated from Toronto to Victoria, British Columbia, until a would-be detective pulls them back onto a case, I watched and have completely forgotten the original of this but it echoes the light Canadian capers I like and wondering if we’ll still see Priestley in Wild Cards as well.
• NCIS: New York (CBS, 10/6) – LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna returns to his hometown and partners with a roguish agent played by Scott Caan, if you watch these then this is a no-brainer, and I don’t.
• Eternally Yours (CBS, 10/8) – From the Ghosts team, two vampires married 500 years contend with the human dating their daughter, the initial preview on this looks silly but then again so does Ghosts and that’s a fave.
• Cupertino (CBS, 10/8) – Robert and Michelle King’s Silicon Valley legal drama, with Mike Colter as a lawyer cheated out of his stock options by his former startup, who opens a firm to fight back, I’m a big fan of the Kings and glad to see they’re keeping their Colter streak and I’m happy to catch a bit of drama poking at the tech neighbors in my backyard.
• Newlyweds (NBC, 10/23) – A multi-camera comedy starring real-life spouses Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, the Friday night lineup doesn’t promise magic but this sounds like a Dharma & Greg-ish marriage, and with a good cast it’s worth a watch, plus Jamie Lee Curtis, who EPs, sneaks in as the ex.

And a few returning shows I’ll keep my eye on: R.J. Decker (ABC, 9/15), Best Medicine (Fox, 9/22), Doc (Fox, 9/22), Animal Control (Fox, 9/27), Scrubs (ABC, 9/30), Tracker (CBS, 10/4), Abbott Elementary (ABC, 10/7), Elsbeth (CBS, 10/8), Happy’s Place (NBC, 10/23), St. Denis Medical (NBC, 11/2), The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC, 11/2).

And a few I watch look like they are being held for midseason: High Potential (ABC), Shifting Gears (ABC), Matlock (CBS), Murder in a Small Town (Fox), Bob’s Burgers (Fox), and Wild Cards (CW), which has finished filming but has no announced date and has turned up in January or February in past years. Ghosts (CBS) is down to a Halloween special in October and a Christmas special in December, with the remaining 18 episodes of season six held until early 2027.

New shows are waiting for midseason too… this list tends to shift a bit: The Rockford Files (NBC, January), with David Boreanaz as a newly paroled James Rockford; Baywatch (Fox, January), with Stephen Amell as Hobie Buchannon and David Chokachi back from the original; The Interrogator (Fox), created by and starring Stephen Fry as a former MI6 agent running a team of outsiders; Einstein (CBS), with Matthew Gray Gubler as Albert Einstein’s great-grandson; The Rookie: North (ABC), with Jay Ellis; and an untitled Grey’s Anatomy spinoff (ABC).

September means a lot of things, but it still means the official start of network TV season. And while the new excitement has gotten a little lackluster, I feel like the lineup deserves a moment. Stay tuned to New & Noteworthy posts for any updates on these and the variety of cable and streaming.

• Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (CW, 9/24) – Weird to see a L&O not hit NBC, but I guess the Canadian shows all go to the CW.
• 9-1-1: Nashville (ABC, 10/9) – Looks like Chris O’Donnell steps into the lead firefighter role.
• DMV (CBS, 10/13) – A workplace comedy that hopefully is funnier than a trip to the DMV, with Tim Meadows and Harriet Dyer.
• Sheriff Country (CBS, 10/17) – Morena Baccarin takes on her spinoff role from Fire Country.
• Boston Blue (CBS, 10/17) – Donnie Wahlberg’s Blue Bloods character moves to Boston, that’s 4 out of 5 spinoffs if you’re counting.

And a few returning shows I’ll keep my eye on: High Potential (ABC, 9/16), Brilliant Minds (NBC, 9/22), Murder in a Small Town (Fox, 9/23), Doc (Fox, 9/23), Bob’s Burgers (Fox, 9/28), Shifting Gears (ABC, 10/1), Abbott Elementary (ABC, 10/1), Matlock (CBS, 10/12), Elsbeth (CBS, 10/12), Watson (CBS, 10/13), Ghosts (CBS, 10/16), Tracker (CBS, 10/19), St Denis Medical (NBC, 11/3), Happy’s Place (NBC, 11/7).

There’s always something new these days so I tend to focus a little less on ‘fall tv’ but why not point out what’s happening network-side? Things tend to shift so check your local listings and stay tuned for weekly New & Noteworthy from me for a fuller list of what’s happening.

• Universal Basic Guys (Fox, 9/8) – An addition to Fox’s Animation Domination block, I usually watch at least one of everything but seem to have skipped this.
• High Potential (ABC, 9/17) – Based on the French series, Kaitlin Olson stars as a single mom who is a smarty who notices stuff and starts to help the police, the first one was a cute variation of the very standard person with some expertise in a weekly procedural with a hint of overarching drama and some insight into her personal life, I’ll likely stick with it.
• Rescue: Hi-Surf (Fox, 9/22) – Baywatch Hawaii kind of thing but you know, serious, by John Wells of ER, The West Wing, etc.
• Matlock (CBS, 9/22) – Kathy Bates takes the Andy Griffith role in this latest redo, I feel like this should be a fun and charming procedural so fingers crossed.
• Brilliant Minds (NBC, 9/23) – Zachary Quinto takes the lead in this latest medical procedural as a neurologist with a team looking at brain stuff, I might be mostly over the physician’s unique approach to treating patients but I’ll check it out.
• Murder in a Small Town (Fox, 9/24) – Big city detective finds murders in a quiet coastal town, this looks quaint but maybe not compelling with Kristin Kreuk who seems to always be doing some Canadian tv show, and Rossif Sutherland (a not well-known to me son of Donald Sutherland).
• Doctor Odyssey (ABC, 9/26) – Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson dealing with medical issues on a luxury cruise ship, I’m not sure what tone they’re going for with this but assume it’s a light frothy and as one of Ryan Murphy’s expecting some extreme cases, the preview got record views so I guess this will be a success.
• Joan (CW, 10/3) – Jewel thief fighting to get her daughter back, I love a thief show though technically I think this is a miniseries, Sophie Turner plays the lead based on a true story.
• NCIS: Origins (CBS, 10/14) – I have yet to get into any of the NCIS shows but this goes back to young Gibbs.
• George & Mandy’s First Marriage (CBS, 10/17) – I was a Big Bag fan but didn’t get into Young Sheldon, this is the universe continuing.
• Happy’s Place (NBC, 10/18) – There is something endearing about Reba McEntire so hope her return to sitcoms is a good one as she inherits her father’s bar along with a half-sister she didn’t know about.
• St. Denis Medical (NBC, 11/12) – Allison Tolman is always welcome this time in a hospital comedy

And a few of the returning shows I’ll have my eye on: 9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox, 9/23), Sullivan’s Crossing (CW, 10/2), Found (NBC, 10/3), The Irrational (NBC, 10/8), Accused (Fox, 10/8) Abbott Elementary (ABC, 10/9), Tracker (CBS, 10/13), The Equalizer (CBS, 10/20), Children Ruin Everything (CW, 11/13), Ghosts (CBS, 10/17), Elsbeth (CBS, 10/17), Night Court (NBC, 11/19).

Not a huge surprise that there’s a ton of derivative tv (reboots, remakes, prequels, etc.) and while that doesn’t mean it’s bad I’m always hopeful for something that isn’t just a rock block of cops. I’ll be tuning in to see if any of these get added to season passes. Since the network barely scratches the surface of new offerings I did include a handful of cable and streaming as well that I might keep my eye on. Along with some returning fall favorites and an endless backlog of options.

• Monarch (Fox, Sunday 9/11) – A little old-fashioned soapy family dynasty with a country twist, I caught the first which in fact felt a little old-fashioned
• Quantum Leap (NBC, Monday 9/19) – I’m sure I watched a few of these and I remember it fondly, though Bakula declined to be a part of it we will have to tune in to see if this scenario from the past of the week is captivating and if there’s a new spin.
• The Rookie: Feds (ABC, 9/27) – For all you Rookie fans, I like me some Nathan Fillion but didn’t stick with it for whatever reason, we’ll see how Niecy Nash in the FBI version does.
• So Help Me Todd (CBS, 9/29) – With Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin as a mother/son duo who have different sensibilities about adherence to the law as attorney and PI, let’s hope they’re able to shine.
• East New York (CBS, 10/2) – A newly promoted deputy inspector looks to lead the police to protect and serve.
• Family Law (CW, 10/2) – Abby’s a mess and the only way she can keep practicing law is with the help of her estranged father and his new family members.
• Alaska Daily (ABC, 10/6) – Hilary Swank as a big-time journalist looking into small-town Indigenous Alaska issues is likely worth a look.
• Walker Independence (CW, Thursday 10/6) – Prequels seem to be having a thing, look at the Walker’s journey out west.
• Fire Country (CBS, 10/7) – Prisoners get to knock time of their sentence by fighting fires, and one prisoners ends up back in his home town.
• The Winchesters (CW, Tuesday 10/11) – For fans of Supernatural a prequel about Sam and Dean’s parents.
• Lopez vs Lopez (NBC, Friday 11/4) – Father and daughter George and Mayan Lopez star in this family comedy.

Some cable and streaming highlights:

• Reboot (Hulu, 9/20) – A comedic look at bringing a sitcom cast back together, enough quality peeps I hope it gives them something to work with.
• Interview with a Vampire (AMC, 10/2) – The story has been told but it’s not a bad one, Anne Rice in as EP.
• A Friend of the Family (Pea, 10/6) – If you’ve seen the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight you might get de ja vu, a scripted take.
• Let the Right One In (Show, 10/9) – More repurposed tales, the movie was good so maybe a series about a 12-year-old vampire.
• High School (Freeveem, 10/14) – Based on the high school memoir of Tegan and Sara it looks like a good perspective and it’s got a nice pedigree.
• Shantaram (App+, 10/14) – Charlie Hunnam as a fugitive getting lost in Bombay, sure.
• From Scratch (Net, 10/21) – Zoe Saldana and her husband in a book adaptation about an American woman who falls for a Sicilian chef in Italy.
• Dangerous Liaisons (Starz, 11/7) – Right another one of these.
• The English (Am, Nov) – 1900s Western English woman played by Emily Blunt shows up to avenge her son’s death.
• Tulsa King (Paramount+, 11/13) – I’m not optimistic about Stallone’s acting abilities though happy to eat my words, but intrigued by the tale of ex con trying to build a new crew by the Yellowstone creators.
• Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu, 11/22) – The story of an Indian immigrant who founded the male-stripping empire.
• Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin (Pea, 11/23) – A spinoff of the movie, we follow one of the characters to Germany.
• Also slated for November: Wednesday (Net), Kindred (AMC), Fleishman is in Trouble (Hulu), and The Idol (HBO).

Stay tuned for new and noteworthy for reminders and additional fare. And things change so please check your local listings.

Well, last year the pandemic put most new tv out of commission. But things have been happening and networks are back to their old tricks. Network tv is of course only a small sliver of new tv but streamers and cable don’t have quite the same fall feel to me. I called a bunch of these out in New and Noteworthy last week but still felt like this deserved its own post. Note I don’t have any insight as to whether anything is actually supposed to be any good.

• The Big Leap (Fox, 9/20) Mondays at 9pm – A scripted drama where Scott Foley works on a reality dance show where dancers get a second chance, I like Scott Foley and this hodge podge of people looks both fun and heartwarming.
• NCIS: Hawaii (CBS, 9/20) Mondays at 10pm – They’re taking the formula and hanging it on Vanessa Lachey, I don’t watch these.
• Ordinary Joe (NBC, 9/20) Mondays at 10pm – James Wolk plays three versions of himself in a sort of sliding doors fashion, I mean he’s due a hit right, but while this looks like a good showcase for him I’m dubious?
• Our Kind of People (Fox, 9/21) Tuesdays at 9pm – This looks like it could be good bad or just bad soapy show showing an unwelcome entry into the area of Black elite on Martha’s Vineyard.
• The Wonder Years (ABC, 9/22) Wednesdays at 8:30pm – This reenvisioning from the previous white family in the late 19060s to a Black family in Alabama at the same time. looks like a good version of revisiting.
• FBI International (CBS, 9/21) Tuesdays at 9pm – Adding to a full night of FBI action, I also don’t watch these but assuming similar.
• La Brea (NBC, 9/28) Tuesdays at 9pm – Natalie Zea among others get sent into a primeval world through a sinkhole in LA, looks ridiculous, so you know maybe.
• CSI: Vegas (CBS, 10/6) Wednesdays at 10pm – At least some of the originals are back in this reboot, were we missing CSI? I watched this for a bit but dropped and didn’t keep up with the spinoffs.
• Ghosts (CBS, 10/7) Thursdays at 9pm – Rose McIver stars as a woman who can see the ghosts in the property purchased in hopes of turning it into a B&B, based on the British version which I haven’t seen.
• Queens (ABC, 10/19) Tuesdays at 10pm – A musical drama version of Girls 5eva with Brandy?
• 4400 (CW, 10/25) Mondays at 9pm – A reboot of the 2004 series which I don’t remember, but vanished people return, with no memories.

Premiere dates are subject to change so stay tuned for “next week”s and check your local listings.

Fall is looking a little different this year and while things are now starting to kick back into production there will be a bit of a lag. In addition to a few new shows that are making it out we’ll start to see re-purposing shows that have already been released in one way or another, which I think is a great idea.

This isn’t the first time this has happened but it’s been kicked up a bit, CBS All Access (CBSAA) showed the first season of The Good Fight on CBS, but only the first season which was enough to get me hooked to pay for the next season(s) through Amazon. Syfy showed the first season of Harley Quinn from DC Universe, but only the first season (it’s now on HBO Max) and I’ve yet to break down to pay for any further services (though it’s very fun). We are up through season 3 of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Burden of Truth on the CW which makes an entertaining enough summer show. Oh and Schitt’s Creek, you can thank the CBC for that one too, it aired on Pop though most of you are seeing it on Netflix.

A few of these are in their wrap up phase but here are a few exchange students you might want to say hello to:

• Coroner (CW, 8/5) – From the CBC, so far this show is a good procedural where our protagonist is struggling with her own demons and solving crimes through the bodies found, a third season has been ordered.
• Dead Pixels (CW, 8/18) – This British show has been renewed for a second series where we’ll see what happens with three obsessive online gamers, somewhat entertaining but not my thing, finale 9/22.
• Devils (CW, 10/7) – An international co-production from Italian and French companies, Patrick Dempsey works his way into the picture as American CEO while a head of trading tries to get to the bottom of a scandal, it’s been renewed for a second season.
• LA’s Finest (Fox, 9/21) – From Spectrum, Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union are cop partners in an offshoot of the Bad Boys franchise, renewed for a second season, early reviews are middling.
• Manhunt: Deadly Games (CBS, 9/21) – From Spectrum this is a scripted true-crime anthology focused on Richard Jewell and the ’96 Olympic bombing, the first season on Unabomber aired on Discovery and was solid enough though wouldn’t go too far out of my way for it.
• One Day at a Time (CBS, 10/12) – This fun re-imagining of the original ’70s show started on Netflix and got picked up by Pop starting with season 4 which is where we’ll start on CBS, it’s a fun one and if you can go back and catch earlier shows do it.
• Star Trek: Discovery (CBS, 9/24) – From CBSAA, the seventh in the franchise, based on history I’m not sure we’ll continue to get these on CBS but the third season is targeting later this year, generally favorable reviews.
• Swamp Thing (CW, 10/6) – From DC Universe this was cancelled after the first season so this tale of mysterious swamp creature will be one shot (I was under the impression this got axed with a network direction change and not because it was a stinker).
• Tell Me a Story (CW, 7/28) – From CBSAA the first of the two seasons starts with riffs on fairy tale themes but as a modern day serialized drama, I passed on this.
• Transplant (NBC, 9/1) – More of the Canadians as this story of a Syrian refugee who is rebuilding his medical career and so far is a good procedural, and has been renewed for a second season, also playing on Hulu so you can catch up.

There are also a few new shows coming up, these are the ones that look like they’ve been scheduled:

• Connecting (NBC, 10/1 moved to 10/8) – A video chats in the pandemic show, and based on my impressions of comparable step into separate filming Love in the Time of Corona, turns out you actually need to have a good show to make this format work, we’ll see.
• Filthy Rich (Fox, 9/21) – Kim Cattrall is the matriarch of this mega-rich evangelical family, early notes on this say it’s not quite capturing the soapy magic it should.
• NEXT (Fox, 10/6) – Delayed from midseason, an AI gets loose and it’s creator, played by John Slattery, helps try to protect the world from it.
• Big Sky (ABC, 11/17) – Are two disappeared sisters not the only missing girls in this area, the latest from David E. Kelley.

Note: Schedules are even more fluid than normal so stay tuned to “New and Noteworthy TV” posts, which will also continue to feature the ever releasing cable and streaming, as well as your own local listings.