It’s fall, y’all! And amid the changing weather comes a new season on TV. From primetime to premium cable, new and returning series are taking over our screens. Here’s what to watch out for.
This Is Us (9 p.m. Tuesdays, NBC) – How can this show continue to surprise viewers and travel back and forward in time as the cast (particularly the growing group of young talent) ages IRL? By growing with the characters, introducing new ones that enter their lives and employing clever writing that continues to elicit gasp-inducing twists and reveals. Season 4 is already going strong — and keeping Kleenex in business.
The Masked Singer (8 p.m. Wednesdays, Fox) – This was supposed to be a joke. I was not expecting to find myself feverishly jotting down clues and genuinely trying to identify the voices behind the intricate cartoonish costumes. And yet here I am, addicted to this show. It’s not as deep as it sometimes attempts to be, pushing the singers to reveal the existential reasons behind selecting a dog or butterfly costume. Jenny McCarthy is a judge. And the pans to the audience, chanting their favorite singer’s masked moniker and inexplicably miming in unison, look like something out of Black Mirror. But don’t take it too seriously. The Masked Singer is just plain dumb fun.
Almost Family (9 p.m. Wednesdays, Fox) – A famed fertility doctor is revealed to have secretly impregnated hundreds of women using his own, ahem, “genetic material.” Problematic much? Based on the Australian series Sisters — and inspired by some troubling real-life cases — this Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) drama follows the doctor’s daughter (Brittany Snow) as she connects with two newly discovered half-siblings, including one of her childhood friends (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and a retired Olympian (Emily Osment). Local fun fact: Cincinnati native Zina Camblin is a writer for the show (and Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga).
Mr. Robot (10 p.m. Sundays, USA) – Rami Malek returns as a bonafide star after winning the Best Actor Oscar for his take on Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. In this fourth and final season of the hacker psycho-thriller, Elliot will try to make peace with Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) and face off with Whiterose (BD Wong) while presumably blowing our minds in the process.
Living with Yourself (Netflix) – Paul Rudd stars in dual roles in this dark comedy about a man burnt out on life. Taking self-care to a new level, he undergoes a mysterious treatment to become a happier person, only to be replaced by a clone — who’s better than him at everything.
Mrs. Fletcher (10:30 p.m. Sundays, HBO) – Kathryn Hahn has been stealing scenes as a supporting character in comedies for years, as seen in everything from Anchorman and Step Brothers to Parks and Recreation and Transparent. In this new comedy by Tom Perrotta (The Leftovers), Queen Hahn steps into center stage as a woman embarking on a new life chapter. A divorced empty-nester with her son going off to college, Eve Fletcher experiences a sexual reawakening as her son comes of age in his own ways.
The Morning Show (Friday, Nov. 1, Apple TV+) – So I’m still not sure how to watch Apple TV+ on a regular TV (I’m a purist), but I will figure it out in time to watch this star-studded original dramedy that premieres when the service launches. Steve Carell and Jennifer Aniston star as hosts of a popular daily new program when the former is fired amidst a scandal a la Matt Lauer, while Reese Witherspoon plays an up-and-coming journalist eager to step in and shake up the show.
The Crown (Sunday, Nov. 17, Netflix) – We know Olivia Coleman can slay a royal role after her Oscar-winning turn in The Favourite, and now she’s taking on a more contemporary queen — Elizabeth II circa 1964-77. Tobias Mezies and Helena Bonham Carter take over as Prince Philip and Princess Margaret, respectively. This season will see Harold Wilson’s time as prime minister, British decolonization around the world, the moon landing and the introduction of a pre-princess Diana (Emma Corrin).
This article appears in Oct 2-15, 2019.