The month of September tends to give me a lot of mixed feelings. To many of us, it most importantly (and most unfortunately) marks the end of summer; it is a time to get back to reality and hit the books. For others, it indicates the beginning of football season, cool fall weather and anticipation of the holidays.
However, each fall also represents a fresh, new season for television series. Realistically speaking, most new series that premiere will be cancelled, but some will be lucky enough to be picked up for a second season, and then, there are the rare gems that find their hardworking casts celebrating at the Emmy Awards and will last for seasons to come.
The 2015 fall season will feature dozens of new programs, but these are the shows you should be sure to check out:
Scream Queens
Ryan Murphy, the creator of television hits “Glee” and “American Horror Story“, has a new, highly-anticipated project that will premiere Sept. 22 on Fox. “Scream Queens” is a comedic horror-anthology series, meaning it will have a scary theme, featuring some comedic, possibly satirical, relief. Like “American Horror Story” and “True Detective,” the show will have a new storyline each season.
The first season will focus on a series of murders involving a Kappa Kappa Tau sorority. While the reputation of the “Scream Queens” creator alone is impressive, the cast boasts many well-known actors and actresses like Emma Roberts, “Glee”‘s Lea Michele, Skyler Samuels, Glen Powell, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer and Jamie Lee Curtis, who will play the university’s dean. Special guest stars even include pop stars Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas.
Watch: On Fox, Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
The Bastard Executioner
Another talented and well-known creator, Kurt Sutter, is following up the end of his immensely popular show “Sons of Anarchy“ with a new drama that premiered on the FX network Tuesday night. “The Bastard Executioner” is a period drama set in Wales, following a warrior knight who, after receiving a divine message of sorts, decides to lay down his sword until a period of violence and rebellion force him to journey as an executioner who must keep his identity secret. The show sounds a little King Arthur-ish, but, personally, I hope it will end up more like a love child between “Sons of Anarchy” and “Game of Thrones“ – which sounds pretty sick, does it not?
The series will once again star Sutter’s lovely wife and seasoned actress, Katey Sagal, along with Darren Evans, newcomer child actor Ethan Griffiths, Lee Jones, and Stephen Moyer in his first big television role after the end of “True Blood.”
Watch: On FX, Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Blood & Oil
Don Johnson returns to TV starring as an oil tycoon in the new ABC primetime soap opera “Blood & Oil,” premiering Sept. 27, alongside Lubbock-born Chace Crawford, who is also returning to the small screen in a big way after his popularity on The CW’s “Gossip Girl.” The series follows a young couple, played by Crawford and Rebecca Rittenhouse, who move to North Dakota after the biggest oil discovery in American history. It looks like the show may have what it takes to become a modern-day “Dallas,” but if not, let’s hope that at least the amount of scandalous drama will be comparable.
Watch: On ABC, Sundays at 8 p.m.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert, fresh off of his 9-year stint on “The Colbert Report,” is the newest member of the boys’ club that is late-night television, replacing David Letterman on CBS. His role as a talk show host is new territory for him as he tries to figure out who “the real” Colbert is rather than playing an absurd, satirical conservative as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” The first episode premiered last week with strong support from his huge fan base, but his laugh-out-loud jokes and no-holds-barred interviews with celebrities and politicians on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” may earn him some new followers.
Watch: Weeknights on CBS at 10:35 p.m.
Limitless
CBS’s new series “Limitless” is the television adaptation of the 2011 homonymous movie starring Bradley Cooper. It has the same idea as the movie—a man, played by Jake McDorman, gains the ability to use the full capacity of his brain thanks to a new extraordinary drug called NZT. McDorman’s co-star and leading lady of the show is played by Jennifer Carpenter in one of her first big television roles since playing Debra Morgan on Showtime’s “Dexter.” Bradley Cooper will also have a major recurring guest-starring role in the show, which premieres on Sept. 22.
Watch: On CBS, Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
The Grinder
On Fox’s new legal comedy series, “The Grinder,” which premieres on Sept. 29, Rob Lowe plays an actor who returns to his hometown after his long-running TV series, on which he played a lawyer, is suddenly cancelled. It just so happens that the family of his character, Dean Sanderson Jr., owns a real law firm. Sanderson decides that his experience playing a lawyer has prepared him to work as one, so he joins the family’s firm. Fred Savage plays his younger brother and real-life lawyer on the show. The cast also includes Mary Elizabeth Ellis, William Devane and Natalie Morales.
Watch: On Fox, Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Code Black
There hasn’t really been a great medical drama since “Grey’s Anatomy” and its predecessor “ER,” so maybe CBS’s new series “Code Black“ will answer the prayers of the many fans of the niche genre. “Code Black” takes place in an overcrowded, understaffed emergency room in the Los Angeles County hospital. The cast includes Benjamin Hollingsworth, Theo Breaux and Luis Guzman, as well as seasoned actress Marcia Gay Harden. The new ER drama premieres Sept. 30.
Watch: On CBS, Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
Angel From Hell
“Angel From Hell” is a new sitcom on CBS, starring Jane Lynch and Maggie Lawson, who form an unlikely friendship after Lynch’s character, Amy, reveals she is the guardian angel of Lawson’s character, Allison. In all honesty, the plot sounds like one of a sitcom just waiting to be cancelled, but I’m holding out hope for this one—purely because of Lynch. Fans of the former “Glee” star will have to wait a little longer for this one, however; the new series premieres Nov. 5.
Watch: On CBS, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
Grandfathered
Let’s be honest—”Full House” stud John Stamos does not look like your typical grandfather. However, in his new sitcom, “Grandfathered,” premiering on Fox Sept. 29, Stamos plays a recently divorced bachelor who discovers he has a grown son who, thanks to a one-night stand, has a baby daughter of his own. Jimmy, Stamos’s character, finds himself struggling with suddenly becoming not only a middle-aged father but also a grandfather. Josh Peck (best known for his former role in “Drake & Josh“) plays his son, Gerald. Other cast members include Paget Brewster, Christina Milian and Kelly Jenrette. Former “Full House” co-star Dave Coulier is also set to guest star in the new sitcom.
Watch: On Fox, Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
The CW, which brought you guilty pleasures like “Gossip Girl” and “The Vampire Diaries,” has a new comedy-drama that will premiere Oct. 12. “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” stars Rachel Bloom, who plays a single woman living in New York City. One days, she runs into her ex from high school, and after he tells her he is moving across the country to live in West Covina, California, she decides to, well, follow him (hence the “crazy” part).
Watch: On The CW, Mondays at 8 p.m.
About Nicole Crites
