TV Guide Magazine’s Fall Favorites
Fall is always our favorite time of year. For nearly 70 years, TV Guide magazine has excitedly covered the new TV series debuting each autumn. It’s the magazine’s biggest issue of the year, and for good reason: Who can resist peering ahead to see what hot stars, exciting tales, enticing mysteries and epic adventures are coming their way? This year is no exception, with a slate of colorful new series sure to have you glued to your screen in the months ahead. Here are several upcoming shows that have us hooked already.
Monarch
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 11, 8/7c, Fox
They’re a little bit country . . . and we’re a little bit on the edge of our seats waiting for this show to premiere! Real-life country music superstar Trace Adkins plays a fictional king of country music, Albie Roman, in this highly anticipated powerhouse drama. And wait until you meet his domineering wife, Dottie Cantrell Roman (Susan Sarandon)! They rule a musical dynasty, but will it all come crashing down when long-buried family secrets come to light? The star-studded supporting cast includes Anna Friel, Joshua Sasse and Beth Ditto as the Roman children, who crave stardom of their own.
Bad Sisters
Premieres Friday, Aug. 19, Apple TV+
Irish actress and writer Sharon Horgan (Catastophe) created this dark but funny thriller. Five sisters—played by Horgan, Eve Hewson (Behind Her Eyes), Anne-Marie Duff (His Dark Materials), Eva Birthistle (The Last Kingdom) and Sarah Greene (Dublin Murders)—have forged a strong bond after the untimely death of their parents. They vow to stick together and protect one another, but they’re about to find that familial alliance tested.
Mo
Premieres Wednesday, Aug. 24, Netflix
In what looks to be a timely comedy, Mo Amer plays Mo Najjar, a Palestinian refugee seeking asylum in the United States. Amer cocreated the series along with Golden Globe award-winning comedian Ramy Youssef (who stars in the Hulu series Ramy, in which Amer co-stars). Expect the half-hour episodes to explore serious issues with a funny touch. Teresa Ruiz (Narcos: Mexico) co-stars as Mo’s fiercely independent girlfriend, and Farah Bsieso plays his devout The Price Is Right-loving mother.
Quantum Leap
Premieres Monday, Sept. 19, 10/9c, NBC
Fans of the 1989–93 original—starring Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a time-, space- and body-hopping scientist, and Dean Stockwell as his holographic friend and observer, Rear Admiral Calavicci—will be happy to see that this sequel looks every bit as wild and fun as its inspiration. In the trippy modern update, Raymond Lee plays scientist Dr. Ben Seong, who’s part of a military research project headed by Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson). The team is investigating what happened to Sam Beckett 30 years ago, and why he disappeared, when Ben steps into the accelerator and takes a trip into the past. He even sees a friendly apparition of his own, Addison (Caitlin Bassett). Will Ben be able to put wrongs right as he makes his quantum journeys? And more important—might we see the return of Dr. Beckett at some point? Only time will tell.
So Help Me Todd
Premieres Thursday, Sept. 29, 9/8c, CBS
Todd Wright (Skylar Astin) is a private detective who doesn’t play by the rules … unless they’re his mother’s. Strictly by-the-book attorney Margaret Wright (Oscar- and Tony-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden) asks her wayward son Todd, who’s lost his PI license, to come on board as her legal firm’s in-house investigator, setting up a delightful odd-couple legal drama. With two actors of this caliber, we can’t wait to crack this case.
East New York
Premieres Sunday, Oct. 2, 9:30/8:30c, CBS
Amanda Warren (The Leftovers) returns to TV in this gripping new drama that comes from executive producers of NYPD Blue. Just like that classic cop drama, East New York promises gritty drama, biting action and emotionally passionate storylines. Warren stars as Deputy Inspector Regina Haywood, a street cop promoted to lead of the 74th Precinct. This tough Brooklyn neighborhood is rapidly changing, which causes upheaval, but it’s a place Haywood loves—and will do anything to protect. To save it, she and her squad will have to become part of it, no matter how much danger that puts them in. The cast includes Jimmy Smits, Richard Kind, Olivia Luccardi, and Kevin Rankin.
Walker: Independence
Premieres Thursday, Oct. 6, 9/8c, The CW
This spinoff of the hit drama Walker (starring Jared Padalecki) is a prequel. Set in 19th-century Independence, Texas, the series follows Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara), whose husband was supposed to be the town’s new sheriff. Tragically, he was murdered—by, Abby suspects, the man who took the job in his stead (Greg Hovanessian). Determined to avenge her late husband, Abby vows to take the new sheriff down, but in a town like Independence—where seemingly everyone has something to hide—that may be a dangerous proposition indeed.
Alaska Daily
Premieres Thursday, Oct. 6, 10/9c, ABC
Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank headlines this new drama from creator Tom McCarthy (who won an Oscar for writing the 2015 newsroom drama film Spotlight). Swank plays disgraced journalist Eileen Fitzgerald, who moves to Anchorage to take a job at a local newspaper and start anew. Will she find redemption while also investigating a mystery? Fellow cast includes Jeff Perry, Meredith Holzman, Grace Dove, Matt Malloy and Pablo Castelblanco.
Tulsa King
Premieres Sunday, Nov. 13, Paramount+
If you’ve been riveted by the Western drama Yellowstone, its spinoff 1883 or the gritty crime drama Mayor of Kingstown, you can thank prolific writer and director Taylor Sheridan, the creator of this new drama starring Sylvester Stallone and written by Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos). Stallone is Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a hardened 75-year-old New York City mobster who has spent the past 25 years in prison. Now out, he has a new, philosophical lease on life, but that doesn’t mean he’s leaving crime behind—he’s just building a criminal enterprise in, of all places, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dana Delany, Garrett Hedlund and Andrea Savage costar.
