Fall TV Preview Guide: 34 New Shows
Updated
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A morally and politically corrupt judge suffers a major family catastrophe and mental breakdown, and believes he's hearing voices from God that are pushing him onto a vigilante track,” explains series creator Ben Watkins.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Is Judge Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman) crazy, or is God really sending him messages that encourage him to mete out vigilante justice via his partnership with killer K.D. (the perpetually terrific Garret Dillahunt)? That will be up to the audience to decide. “I'm content with the audience being in a position where they're asking themselves [if it’s] important that they ever know,” says "Sons of Anarchy" alum Perlman. “I'm content if the audience is getting more questions than they are answers, because that means they're engaged, and they're actually participating in the storytelling rather than just sitting back and having everything downloaded to them.”
BASS, FISH... GET IT?: Episode 2 features a delightful cameo by ‘N Sync alum Lance Bass, who plays… well, let’s just say it involves a pet store, a fish, and a jingle you won’t be able to get out of your head for days. — Kimberly Potts
Amazon StudiosWHAT TO EXPECT: Is Judge Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman) crazy, or is God really sending him messages that encourage him to mete out vigilante justice via his partnership with killer K.D. (the perpetually terrific Garret Dillahunt)? That will be up to the audience to decide. “I'm content with the audience being in a position where they're asking themselves [if it’s] important that they ever know,” says "Sons of Anarchy" alum Perlman. “I'm content if the audience is getting more questions than they are answers, because that means they're engaged, and they're actually participating in the storytelling rather than just sitting back and having everything downloaded to them.”
BASS, FISH... GET IT?: Episode 2 features a delightful cameo by ‘N Sync alum Lance Bass, who plays… well, let’s just say it involves a pet store, a fish, and a jingle you won’t be able to get out of your head for days. — Kimberly Potts
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: "Oh, f--k. I don’t know," sighs creator Kurt Sutter. That could be because there are so many twists in the two-hour premiere he doesn't want to spoil anything. Let us try: Wilkin Brattle (Aussie theater actor Lee Jones), a 14th century knight who lays down his sword to become a farmer in Wales, picks it up again for revenge after his village is slain for its rebellion against the Baron Ventris's ever-increasing tariffs. Urged by the mystical healer who counsels him (Katey Sagal's Annora of the Alders) to assume the identity of a journeyman executioner, he ends up in close proximity to the one man he'd rather avoid, Stephen Moyer's cunning Chamberlain Milus Corbett. "It’s a complete power play," Jones says. "They both have something over the other, and they both need each other as well. They're jostling for position." Yes, we know that was way more than one sentence.
WHAT TO EXPECT: As in Sutter's last series, "Sons of Anarchy," the antihero is well-versed in violence but it weighs on him, and he’s influenced by a strong woman. "It’s almost like Annora is the spirit guide of the series in that she drives a deeper, bigger mythology," says Sutter, who also plays her companion, the Dark Mute. "She is moving these bigger chess pieces around the board. There are times when her actions are extreme, but there'll be moments where you see her as a safe place for Wilkin."
THE MEDIEVAL DICK CHENEY: That's how Sutter looks at Moyer's Milus, who’s been the devil in Ventris’s ear while the baron’s wife, Lady Love (Flora Spencer-Longhurst), has voiced the angel. "He likes being the power behind the power," he says. "He came from some f--kng dirt poor village and he basically crawled, fought, and f--ked his way to the top. You may not love everything he does, but at least you’ll understand where it comes from." — Mandi Bierly
Ollie Upton/FXWHAT TO EXPECT: As in Sutter's last series, "Sons of Anarchy," the antihero is well-versed in violence but it weighs on him, and he’s influenced by a strong woman. "It’s almost like Annora is the spirit guide of the series in that she drives a deeper, bigger mythology," says Sutter, who also plays her companion, the Dark Mute. "She is moving these bigger chess pieces around the board. There are times when her actions are extreme, but there'll be moments where you see her as a safe place for Wilkin."
THE MEDIEVAL DICK CHENEY: That's how Sutter looks at Moyer's Milus, who’s been the devil in Ventris’s ear while the baron’s wife, Lady Love (Flora Spencer-Longhurst), has voiced the angel. "He likes being the power behind the power," he says. "He came from some f--kng dirt poor village and he basically crawled, fought, and f--ked his way to the top. You may not love everything he does, but at least you’ll understand where it comes from." — Mandi Bierly
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: Neil Patrick Harris hosts a live variety show featuring everything from hidden camera pranks to musical acts — or, as he puts it, “If you watch the show with your friends you may well win $1,000.”
WHAT TO EXPECT: Not your grandma’s variety show. “The variety show as a label hasn’t really existed for the last decade if not more, and so those that remember variety shows back in the Carol Burnett days, this is very, very much not like that,” Harris says. “We’re not variety in the Las Vegas way or in the sketch comedy way, but we are a variety of random elements in a show — gaming, pranking, hidden camera, musical acts.” Think segments like “Sing-Along Live,” in which an unsuspecting viewer at home will be challenged to finish the lyrics to a song for a chance to win money. There is also “Neil vs.” in which Harris will challenge a studio audience member to a competition, and “Undercovers,” wherein a heavily disguised Harris will punk a celebrity friend. Speaking of which, Harris’s famous pals will be featured prominently, including a celebrity guest announcer who rotates for each episode, the first being Reese Witherspoon.
HEADS UP, REESE: “I’ll see if i can’t get [Reese] to participate in some other way,” says Harris. “She may not know that but, you know, it’s live and she’s a good sport.” — Robert Kessler
NBCWHAT TO EXPECT: Not your grandma’s variety show. “The variety show as a label hasn’t really existed for the last decade if not more, and so those that remember variety shows back in the Carol Burnett days, this is very, very much not like that,” Harris says. “We’re not variety in the Las Vegas way or in the sketch comedy way, but we are a variety of random elements in a show — gaming, pranking, hidden camera, musical acts.” Think segments like “Sing-Along Live,” in which an unsuspecting viewer at home will be challenged to finish the lyrics to a song for a chance to win money. There is also “Neil vs.” in which Harris will challenge a studio audience member to a competition, and “Undercovers,” wherein a heavily disguised Harris will punk a celebrity friend. Speaking of which, Harris’s famous pals will be featured prominently, including a celebrity guest announcer who rotates for each episode, the first being Reese Witherspoon.
HEADS UP, REESE: “I’ll see if i can’t get [Reese] to participate in some other way,” says Harris. “She may not know that but, you know, it’s live and she’s a good sport.” — Robert Kessler
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “'Moonbeam City' is a sexy, neon-soaked ‘80s animated cop adventure — it’s utterly beautiful cartoon imagery combined with very, very dumb inane comedy,” promises creator Scott Gairdner.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The totally tubular "Miami Vice"/"Jem and the Holograms" mash-up you never knew you wanted. To create the titular metropolis, Gairdner teamed up with animation powerhouse, Titmouse, the studio behind such popular Adult Swim series as "The Venture Bros." and "Black Dynamite." “I’m fascinated by ‘80s depictions of the future: "RoboCop," "Blade Runner," and "Back to the Future Part II." That made me think that if you can get a guy in synth-soaked ‘80s world who’s a total idiot, it would be a fun way to frame a character.” That “total idiot” is Dazzle Novak (voiced by Rob Lowe), a cop as handsome as he is empty-headed. “With Rob, you get the fun of having an ‘80s icon play with his image, but he’s also a fantastic actor,” says Gairdner. “He’s crazy handsome, too. I feel bad the audience doesn’t get to witness his dreamy eyes as we do in the recording booth.”
NAME GAME: You already know how to create your porn star name. Gairdner shared with us the secret to determining your "Moonbeam City" name: “A boring last name and a first name that an eight-year-old girl would name her horse.” That’s how you end up with a cast of characters like Dazzle Novak, Pizzaz Miller, and Chrysalis Tate. And Gairdner already has his own name picked out: “Hawk Carlyle.” — Ethan Alter
Comedy CentralWHAT TO EXPECT: The totally tubular "Miami Vice"/"Jem and the Holograms" mash-up you never knew you wanted. To create the titular metropolis, Gairdner teamed up with animation powerhouse, Titmouse, the studio behind such popular Adult Swim series as "The Venture Bros." and "Black Dynamite." “I’m fascinated by ‘80s depictions of the future: "RoboCop," "Blade Runner," and "Back to the Future Part II." That made me think that if you can get a guy in synth-soaked ‘80s world who’s a total idiot, it would be a fun way to frame a character.” That “total idiot” is Dazzle Novak (voiced by Rob Lowe), a cop as handsome as he is empty-headed. “With Rob, you get the fun of having an ‘80s icon play with his image, but he’s also a fantastic actor,” says Gairdner. “He’s crazy handsome, too. I feel bad the audience doesn’t get to witness his dreamy eyes as we do in the recording booth.”
NAME GAME: You already know how to create your porn star name. Gairdner shared with us the secret to determining your "Moonbeam City" name: “A boring last name and a first name that an eight-year-old girl would name her horse.” That’s how you end up with a cast of characters like Dazzle Novak, Pizzaz Miller, and Chrysalis Tate. And Gairdner already has his own name picked out: “Hawk Carlyle.” — Ethan Alter
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A multi-generational family comedy about life's relatable and sometimes awkward moments, told in four separate stories every week,” says series creator Justin Adler.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Stories often inspired by the cast and crew’s real lives, as when new parents Greg (Colin Hanks) and Jen (Zoey Lister-Jones) sob as they leave the hospital with their baby. “That was a late edition to the script based on a rehearsal,” says Adler. “Colin was telling an anecdote about when he and his wife left the hospital with their first child, they were both crying. They were like, ‘We're so happy! We're so happy!’ The next day Colin came in, and it was in the script. He's like, ‘I have to be careful what I say now around you guys.’"
DEEP BENCH: In addition to Hanks, the cast also includes James Brolin and Dianne Wiest as the family ‘rents, "Breaking Bad" alum Betsy Brandt as eldest sibling Heather, and "The Newsroom" alum Thomas Sadoski as her brother Matt. “I took a look at it and I said, ‘Yeah… a guy that lives at home in his parent's garage? That seems like the complete opposite of ["The Newsroom’s"] Don Keefer to me,” says Sadoski. “He's not living in his parents’ garage because he's not ambitious. It's quite the opposite. The guy has this amazing optimism. Sometimes it works out and most of the time it doesn't, but he's never defeated by it.” — KP
Darren Michaels/CBSWHAT TO EXPECT: Stories often inspired by the cast and crew’s real lives, as when new parents Greg (Colin Hanks) and Jen (Zoey Lister-Jones) sob as they leave the hospital with their baby. “That was a late edition to the script based on a rehearsal,” says Adler. “Colin was telling an anecdote about when he and his wife left the hospital with their first child, they were both crying. They were like, ‘We're so happy! We're so happy!’ The next day Colin came in, and it was in the script. He's like, ‘I have to be careful what I say now around you guys.’"
DEEP BENCH: In addition to Hanks, the cast also includes James Brolin and Dianne Wiest as the family ‘rents, "Breaking Bad" alum Betsy Brandt as eldest sibling Heather, and "The Newsroom" alum Thomas Sadoski as her brother Matt. “I took a look at it and I said, ‘Yeah… a guy that lives at home in his parent's garage? That seems like the complete opposite of ["The Newsroom’s"] Don Keefer to me,” says Sadoski. “He's not living in his parents’ garage because he's not ambitious. It's quite the opposite. The guy has this amazing optimism. Sometimes it works out and most of the time it doesn't, but he's never defeated by it.” — KP
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “The show is a thrilling window into the future, driven by characters who you’ve never seen before, but at the same time have intensely relatable human experiences that people will want to come back and watch week after week,” says "Minority Report" exec producer Max Borenstein.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Picking up fifteen years after the events of the Steven Spielberg-directed, Tom Cruise-starring blockbuster, the TV version of "Minority Report" transports viewers to the far-off year of 2065, a future in which the Pre-Crime unit has been dismantled and its psychic Precogs are scattered to the four winds. But one Precog, Dash (Stark Sands), can’t rid himself of the visions of violent murders, so he forges an alliance with a cop, Lara Vega (Meagan Good), to help him prevent crimes. “Vega originally thought she’d be part of the Pre-Crime program,” explains Good. “But by the time she became a cop, that system was abolished. So she’s frustrated about having to do police work the old-school way.”
CRUISE CONTROL: Since "Limitless" star Bradley Cooper will be a recurring presence in the TV version of that film, could we potentially see Cruise make his first-ever episodic TV appearance on "Minority Report"? “Never say never,” Good teases. Borenstein says that there are no immediate plans to bring Cruise onboard the series, but “we do have plans to bring back certain characters and actors from the film that fans will appreciate.” — EA
FoxWHAT TO EXPECT: Picking up fifteen years after the events of the Steven Spielberg-directed, Tom Cruise-starring blockbuster, the TV version of "Minority Report" transports viewers to the far-off year of 2065, a future in which the Pre-Crime unit has been dismantled and its psychic Precogs are scattered to the four winds. But one Precog, Dash (Stark Sands), can’t rid himself of the visions of violent murders, so he forges an alliance with a cop, Lara Vega (Meagan Good), to help him prevent crimes. “Vega originally thought she’d be part of the Pre-Crime program,” explains Good. “But by the time she became a cop, that system was abolished. So she’s frustrated about having to do police work the old-school way.”
CRUISE CONTROL: Since "Limitless" star Bradley Cooper will be a recurring presence in the TV version of that film, could we potentially see Cruise make his first-ever episodic TV appearance on "Minority Report"? “Never say never,” Good teases. Borenstein says that there are no immediate plans to bring Cruise onboard the series, but “we do have plans to bring back certain characters and actors from the film that fans will appreciate.” — EA
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A naked tattooed amnesiac is found in Times Square, covered in cryptic tattoos that connect her to one of the FBI’s top agents,” says creator/exec producer Martin Gero.
WHAT TO EXPECT: An FBI thriller suffused with an ongoing mystery. While designing Jane Doe’s (Jamie Alexander) intricate tattoos, Gero consulted with map makers, a famed New York Times puzzle contributor, and a magician, and he promises he won’t hold back on clues to Jane’s history and her connection to Agent Weller (Sullivan Stapleton). “What’s exciting about the backstory that the writers, Greg [Berlanti], and I have come up with is that it’s extraordinarily dense, so that allows us to turn a lot of cards,” Gero says. “It’s not like every five episodes you get a crumb of what’s going on. Especially in these early episodes, we’re giving you huge pieces of the story.” ANSWERS, KEY: “Our first season certainly has a beginning, middle, and end,” says Gero. “The primary push is ‘Who is Jane Doe and what is her connection with Kurt Weller?’ We’re going to answer all of those questions over the course of the first season.” — Victoria Leigh Miller
NBCWHAT TO EXPECT: An FBI thriller suffused with an ongoing mystery. While designing Jane Doe’s (Jamie Alexander) intricate tattoos, Gero consulted with map makers, a famed New York Times puzzle contributor, and a magician, and he promises he won’t hold back on clues to Jane’s history and her connection to Agent Weller (Sullivan Stapleton). “What’s exciting about the backstory that the writers, Greg [Berlanti], and I have come up with is that it’s extraordinarily dense, so that allows us to turn a lot of cards,” Gero says. “It’s not like every five episodes you get a crumb of what’s going on. Especially in these early episodes, we’re giving you huge pieces of the story.” ANSWERS, KEY: “Our first season certainly has a beginning, middle, and end,” says Gero. “The primary push is ‘Who is Jane Doe and what is her connection with Kurt Weller?’ We’re going to answer all of those questions over the course of the first season.” — Victoria Leigh Miller
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: "It is a behind-the-scenes look at "Up Late With Miss Piggy," where we will be learning more about the Muppets than we've ever known before,” says executive producer Bob Kushell.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The Muppets are back with a mockumentary-style sitcom that finds Miss Piggy hosting her own late-night TV show, the aforementioned "Up Late"; Kermit is her executive producer, Fozzie is her sidekick, and Gonzo is her head writer. The talk-show setting "gave a place for all of the Muppets to be working together," Kushell explains. "This is our "Cheers." That's where they all go; that's where they're family."
CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING: The nation gasped when it was revealed that Kermit and Miss Piggy would no longer be a couple when the show opens. (Kermit is dating a new pig named Denise, while Piggy is happily single.) Blame the split on the relentless glare of fame, says executive producer Bill Prady: "If you ask Kermit about it, he became frustrated that Piggy wanted to conduct their relationship in public… And if you ask Piggy about it, she'll say he knew what he was getting into." — Dave Nemetz
Eric McCandless/ABCWHAT TO EXPECT: The Muppets are back with a mockumentary-style sitcom that finds Miss Piggy hosting her own late-night TV show, the aforementioned "Up Late"; Kermit is her executive producer, Fozzie is her sidekick, and Gonzo is her head writer. The talk-show setting "gave a place for all of the Muppets to be working together," Kushell explains. "This is our "Cheers." That's where they all go; that's where they're family."
CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING: The nation gasped when it was revealed that Kermit and Miss Piggy would no longer be a couple when the show opens. (Kermit is dating a new pig named Denise, while Piggy is happily single.) Blame the split on the relentless glare of fame, says executive producer Bill Prady: "If you ask Kermit about it, he became frustrated that Piggy wanted to conduct their relationship in public… And if you ask Piggy about it, she'll say he knew what he was getting into." — Dave Nemetz
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “The girls of a sorority house are being terrorized by a crazed, costumed killer and why it is happening of course relates to something that happened in the house 20 years ago,” says executive producer Brad Falchuk.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Plenty of GIF-able moments and quick wit courtesy of sorority leader Chanel (Emma Roberts) and her minions who are also named Chanel (Ariana Grande, Abigail Breslin) as well as Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis, who Falchuk calls “the OG scream queen who brings real gravitas to set”). The dean hates the Greek system and tries to do everything within her power to shut them down. When she can’t do that, she forces the sorority to accept anyone who wants in no matter how uncool they may be. (Enter Lea Michele’s Hester, a decidedly dorky girl in a neck brace.) “This is the Ryan Murphy think piece on the state of women and the horrible reality of women pushing each other out of the way to get up the ladder and out the glass ceiling,” says Curtis. “It is very dark and accurate.”
NEED TO KNOW BASIS: “We are all kept in the dark very specifically. It is possible that every single member of this cast will no longer be in this cast by the end,” says Curtis. “I went to a wardrobe fitting, and she had all my dark business suits and then there was a robe. I said, ‘What am I doing in a robe?’ She said, ‘Well it is post-coital.’ I said, ‘Wait, I’m coiting someone?’ I had no idea I was getting some action.” — Carrie Bell
Steve Dietl/FOXWHAT TO EXPECT: Plenty of GIF-able moments and quick wit courtesy of sorority leader Chanel (Emma Roberts) and her minions who are also named Chanel (Ariana Grande, Abigail Breslin) as well as Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis, who Falchuk calls “the OG scream queen who brings real gravitas to set”). The dean hates the Greek system and tries to do everything within her power to shut them down. When she can’t do that, she forces the sorority to accept anyone who wants in no matter how uncool they may be. (Enter Lea Michele’s Hester, a decidedly dorky girl in a neck brace.) “This is the Ryan Murphy think piece on the state of women and the horrible reality of women pushing each other out of the way to get up the ladder and out the glass ceiling,” says Curtis. “It is very dark and accurate.”
NEED TO KNOW BASIS: “We are all kept in the dark very specifically. It is possible that every single member of this cast will no longer be in this cast by the end,” says Curtis. “I went to a wardrobe fitting, and she had all my dark business suits and then there was a robe. I said, ‘What am I doing in a robe?’ She said, ‘Well it is post-coital.’ I said, ‘Wait, I’m coiting someone?’ I had no idea I was getting some action.” — Carrie Bell
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “'Limitless' is a visually innovative, fast-paced procedural that attempts to bring some of the thrills you get from the movies to the small screen,” says executive producer Craig Sweeny.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Instead of a remake of Bradley Cooper’s hit 2011 movie, the show is a continuation of that story, with a new underachiever, Brian Finch (Jake McDormand), realizing his true potential courtesy of the brain-enhancing pill NZT. Once he’s on the drug, quitting isn’t an option because the FBI has a vested interest in making use of his abilities. “You have this universe that gets bigger, with intersecting plotlines and characters from the movie,” McDormand says. One of those characters is Cooper’s Eddie Morra, who appears in the pilot and will make recurring cameos throughout the season. “I would have Bradley in all 22 episodes if I could,” says Sweeny. “Ideally, I’d love to see him three or four more times over the course of the season.”
BEFORE YOU 'SHIP: Brian’s primary partner and confident at the FBI is straight-shooting agent, Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter). But Sweeny insists that romance isn’t in the cards for the pair… at least, not yet: “People have found it refreshing to explore the idea that there can be a real friendship between a man and a woman that isn’t about whether they’re going to have sex.” — EA
Michael Parmelee/CBSWHAT TO EXPECT: Instead of a remake of Bradley Cooper’s hit 2011 movie, the show is a continuation of that story, with a new underachiever, Brian Finch (Jake McDormand), realizing his true potential courtesy of the brain-enhancing pill NZT. Once he’s on the drug, quitting isn’t an option because the FBI has a vested interest in making use of his abilities. “You have this universe that gets bigger, with intersecting plotlines and characters from the movie,” McDormand says. One of those characters is Cooper’s Eddie Morra, who appears in the pilot and will make recurring cameos throughout the season. “I would have Bradley in all 22 episodes if I could,” says Sweeny. “Ideally, I’d love to see him three or four more times over the course of the season.”
BEFORE YOU 'SHIP: Brian’s primary partner and confident at the FBI is straight-shooting agent, Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter). But Sweeny insists that romance isn’t in the cards for the pair… at least, not yet: “People have found it refreshing to explore the idea that there can be a real friendship between a man and a woman that isn’t about whether they’re going to have sex.” — EA
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A wildly fun, groundbreaking show about an eternal optimist that gives all the answers to families that have lost a loved one,” says Todd Harthan, "Rosewood" creator/executive producer.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Morris Chestnut as Miami’s premier pathologist, Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, a charismatic guy who happens to be living with his own serious health ailments. Harthan says he came up with the idea after noticing that he “wasn’t necessarily seeing an eternal optimist” on any other show on TV. Rosewood will bounce that optimism off of his reluctant partner in crime solving, Det. Annalise Villa (Jaina Lee Ortiz), and his mama, played by Lorraine Toussaint. BALANCING ACT: “In the writers’ room we tried to pay close attention to injecting levity into the show without ever being disrespectful to the case that we’re solving,” says Harthan. Still, expect some scary moments for Rosewood, who has “various ticking time bombs” in his body that can take him out at any time. — VLM
Jeff Daly/FOXWHAT TO EXPECT: Morris Chestnut as Miami’s premier pathologist, Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, a charismatic guy who happens to be living with his own serious health ailments. Harthan says he came up with the idea after noticing that he “wasn’t necessarily seeing an eternal optimist” on any other show on TV. Rosewood will bounce that optimism off of his reluctant partner in crime solving, Det. Annalise Villa (Jaina Lee Ortiz), and his mama, played by Lorraine Toussaint. BALANCING ACT: “In the writers’ room we tried to pay close attention to injecting levity into the show without ever being disrespectful to the case that we’re solving,” says Harthan. Still, expect some scary moments for Rosewood, who has “various ticking time bombs” in his body that can take him out at any time. — VLM
WHERE WE LEFT OFF: Five years ago, “The Cheerleader” (of “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” fame) revealed her superpowers to the world.
WHAT'S COMING UP: "Reborn" starts five years later — and all evolved humans (or “evos”) have either been hunted down or are in hiding. There's no more cheerleader to save: She's been dead for a year, though Jack Coleman, who plays her father, Noah (aka “Horn-Rimmed Glasses”) says, “Claire Bennet is very much alive in his mind.”
SUPER-SATURATION: You may not remember, but there was once a time when superheroes didn't dominate film and TV. "Heroes" was the genre's first mainstream hit and while they won't be able to replicate that “first kiss,” as Coleman calls it, he does think this sequel has what it takes — “that element of discovery” and a “quick rush of adrenaline” — to hook new and old fans alike. — Robert Chan
Christos Kalohoridis/NBCWHAT'S COMING UP: "Reborn" starts five years later — and all evolved humans (or “evos”) have either been hunted down or are in hiding. There's no more cheerleader to save: She's been dead for a year, though Jack Coleman, who plays her father, Noah (aka “Horn-Rimmed Glasses”) says, “Claire Bennet is very much alive in his mind.”
SUPER-SATURATION: You may not remember, but there was once a time when superheroes didn't dominate film and TV. "Heroes" was the genre's first mainstream hit and while they won't be able to replicate that “first kiss,” as Coleman calls it, he does think this sequel has what it takes — “that element of discovery” and a “quick rush of adrenaline” — to hook new and old fans alike. — Robert Chan
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: A Vegas-set conspiracy thriller about a former military operative who is recruited into a high-stakes game where a secret organization of the rich, powerful, and morally questionable gamble on his ability to stop crimes from playing out. “Alex [Philip Winchester] gets trapped in a massive century-long conspiracy,” says executive producer John Rogers ("Leverage"). “He realizes the game will go on with or without him so he might as well save innocent people by playing while simultaneously trying to take it down.”
WHAT TO EXPECT: “An action movie every week,” according to Rogers, especially after Wesley Snipes was cast as the game’s pit boss Mr. Johnson. “There’s a tussle between Johnson and Alex in the pilot and when Phil saw Wesley throw the stuntman like a sack of potatoes, he wanted to try it so we sent the stuntmen home.” "Strike Back’s" Winchester did every stunt in the pilot — except busting through a glass window. “Only because the network said no,” Winchester explains.
NAKED AND UNAFRAID: No double was required when Winchester had to strip down and give chase in his boxers. “Most TV shows are pretty exploitative of women, so I like to flip it and give a little back to those who appreciate a nice set of male abs,” Rogers says. Winchester, meanwhile, takes his occasional exploitation like a pro. “It is a little strange running down the street in your underwear in front of all these extras, but I’ve got mouths to feed at home,” says the actor. “If I have to drop trou to take care of my wife and my six-month-old baby, that’s just another day at the office.” — CB
NBCWHAT TO EXPECT: “An action movie every week,” according to Rogers, especially after Wesley Snipes was cast as the game’s pit boss Mr. Johnson. “There’s a tussle between Johnson and Alex in the pilot and when Phil saw Wesley throw the stuntman like a sack of potatoes, he wanted to try it so we sent the stuntmen home.” "Strike Back’s" Winchester did every stunt in the pilot — except busting through a glass window. “Only because the network said no,” Winchester explains.
NAKED AND UNAFRAID: No double was required when Winchester had to strip down and give chase in his boxers. “Most TV shows are pretty exploitative of women, so I like to flip it and give a little back to those who appreciate a nice set of male abs,” Rogers says. Winchester, meanwhile, takes his occasional exploitation like a pro. “It is a little strange running down the street in your underwear in front of all these extras, but I’ve got mouths to feed at home,” says the actor. “If I have to drop trou to take care of my wife and my six-month-old baby, that’s just another day at the office.” — CB
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “The original title was 'Boom,' and that's really what it's about: a boom town and the explosive growth that sucks everybody into it,” says executive producer Josh Pate. WHAT TO EXPECT: Wheelin’, dealin’, and the return of Don Johnson and Chace Crawford to the tube. The show, set in Williston, North Dakota, follows the rivalries and machinations of the already rich (Johnson’s Hap Briggs) and the wannabe rich (Crawford’s Billy LeFever) in the Dakota boomtown after the discovery of the largest oil reserve in U.S. history. Pate says many of the characters, situations, and certainly the wild west vibe of the show is inspired by people he’s met while scoping out the real Bakken region boomtown in North Dakota. “I talked to one guy who had gone up there with like five hundred bucks in his pocket, and he went to Costco and he got a slow cooker and a bunch of chicken thighs and would just go out to the rigs and sell chicken. He started making five hundred bucks a day. In a couple of months he had stacked up enough to buy a Laundromat,” says Pate, who used the laundromat detail in the pilot. “It is a cutthroat world up there and you do make alliances that don't last very long, because somebody gets an opportunity and the cost of the opportunity is to throw somebody else under the bus.”
LEADING MAN: “It took a really special project for me to want to jump back into TV,” says Crawford, who can’t say enough good things about his co-star. “[Don’s] the man. He's got the best energy, and the best stories, by far… He wants this to be a hit more than anyone. He's doing phenomenal work, and I look forward to every chance I get to have scenes with him.” — KP
Fred Hayes/ABCLEADING MAN: “It took a really special project for me to want to jump back into TV,” says Crawford, who can’t say enough good things about his co-star. “[Don’s] the man. He's got the best energy, and the best stories, by far… He wants this to be a hit more than anyone. He's doing phenomenal work, and I look forward to every chance I get to have scenes with him.” — KP
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “It’s an epic political and personal saga which tells the story of India from an Indian and British family’s perspective as it moved towards independence,” says executive producer Charles Pattinson.
WHAT TO EXPECT: The British classes at work and play. One of the places they play is a Brits-only club nestled in the hills of Simla and overseen by aging socialite, Cynthia Coffin (Julia Walters, aka Mrs. Weasley to "Harry Potter" fans). Even there, though, they can’t escape the tides of change sweeping across India. Says Pattinson, “The British Empire is clearly coming towards an end and the question that will overhang the series is: ‘How does Britain leave?’”
ALTERNATE TITLE: "Malaysian Summers": Pattinson had every intention of shooting "Indian Summers" on location, but weather concerns and bureaucratic red tape ruled that out. So instead, the production set up shop in Penang, Malaysia — a town with its own British Colonial past. In fact, many of the scenes are shot in actual Colonial-era buildings. “All of the buildings are there, they’ve just been left to the jungle,” says Pattinson. “We cut through the jungle and restored them.” — EA
PBS MasterpieceWHAT TO EXPECT: The British classes at work and play. One of the places they play is a Brits-only club nestled in the hills of Simla and overseen by aging socialite, Cynthia Coffin (Julia Walters, aka Mrs. Weasley to "Harry Potter" fans). Even there, though, they can’t escape the tides of change sweeping across India. Says Pattinson, “The British Empire is clearly coming towards an end and the question that will overhang the series is: ‘How does Britain leave?’”
ALTERNATE TITLE: "Malaysian Summers": Pattinson had every intention of shooting "Indian Summers" on location, but weather concerns and bureaucratic red tape ruled that out. So instead, the production set up shop in Penang, Malaysia — a town with its own British Colonial past. In fact, many of the scenes are shot in actual Colonial-era buildings. “All of the buildings are there, they’ve just been left to the jungle,” says Pattinson. “We cut through the jungle and restored them.” — EA
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “'Homeland' meets 'Grey's Anatomy' meets 'Jason Bourne,'” says star Priyanka Chopra.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Unfolding via multiple timelines, the story revolves around FBI trainee Alex Parrish (Chopra), who goes on the lam after she’s set up to take the blame for the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. Did she actually do it, or was it one of her secrets-keeping fellow recruits? Though producers have promised to reveal the terrorist’s identity by the end of Season 1, Chopra is not yet privy to that scoop. “I want to know who the damn terrorist is!” the Bollywood superstar says. “It could be anyone. Don't trust anyone on this show. You just never know who it's going to end up being, and what's going to happen."
THE PIG STAYS IN THE PICTURE: “I read like 26 pilots, almost everything that ABC was making this year,” says Chopra, who’s also a successful singer and 2000’s Miss World pageant winner. “And, to me, 'Quantico' and 'The Muppets' were my favorite, but I was told I couldn't be on 'The Muppets' because Miss Piggy won't allow any [females] on it except herself, so I went for 'Quantico.'” — KP
Guy D'Alema/ABCWHAT TO EXPECT: Unfolding via multiple timelines, the story revolves around FBI trainee Alex Parrish (Chopra), who goes on the lam after she’s set up to take the blame for the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. Did she actually do it, or was it one of her secrets-keeping fellow recruits? Though producers have promised to reveal the terrorist’s identity by the end of Season 1, Chopra is not yet privy to that scoop. “I want to know who the damn terrorist is!” the Bollywood superstar says. “It could be anyone. Don't trust anyone on this show. You just never know who it's going to end up being, and what's going to happen."
THE PIG STAYS IN THE PICTURE: “I read like 26 pilots, almost everything that ABC was making this year,” says Chopra, who’s also a successful singer and 2000’s Miss World pageant winner. “And, to me, 'Quantico' and 'The Muppets' were my favorite, but I was told I couldn't be on 'The Muppets' because Miss Piggy won't allow any [females] on it except herself, so I went for 'Quantico.'” — KP
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A perennial bachelor/man about town/restaurateur Jimmy [John Stamos] finds out he is not only a father but a grandfather,” says executive producer Danny Chun.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Funny father-son bonding between Stamos and his insta-son Josh Peck who believes his playboy pops will be able to help him get out of the friend zone with his baby mama (Christina Milian). “He’s got my face but he doesn’t know how to use it yet,” explains Stamos, who will experience some girl problems of his own with Peck’s mom (Paget Brewster). “She’s the one that got away and who still calls him on his bulls--t. He has something to prove to her.” Chun says most of the laughs will come from “this specific character being thrust into conventional family situations. What would Jimmy be like at a baby birthday party or on a family beach day? Like John himself, Jimmy has always been a charming dashing guy, and we’re interested in exploring what that guy is like at 50.” Stamos admits sometimes the storylines are quite similar to the star’s real life: “I get insecure. I get lonely. I don’t have it all figured out. I had that moment where I was like, ‘Am I watching the pilot or an 'E! True Hollywood Story' on me?’”
HOW RUDE: Chun admires just how close to home Stamos is willing to take the jokes. “Nothing is off limits, not his age, his tan, vanity, or his tight pants. The only thing we try to resist is references to his hair because that’s what Uncle Jesse was all about.” Explains the actor, “If you’re not able to make fun of yourself, you’re in trouble because people are going to do it anyway. Besides, I still look good for almost 52. I meditate and drink enough baby’s blood.” — CB
Erica Parise/FOXWHAT TO EXPECT: Funny father-son bonding between Stamos and his insta-son Josh Peck who believes his playboy pops will be able to help him get out of the friend zone with his baby mama (Christina Milian). “He’s got my face but he doesn’t know how to use it yet,” explains Stamos, who will experience some girl problems of his own with Peck’s mom (Paget Brewster). “She’s the one that got away and who still calls him on his bulls--t. He has something to prove to her.” Chun says most of the laughs will come from “this specific character being thrust into conventional family situations. What would Jimmy be like at a baby birthday party or on a family beach day? Like John himself, Jimmy has always been a charming dashing guy, and we’re interested in exploring what that guy is like at 50.” Stamos admits sometimes the storylines are quite similar to the star’s real life: “I get insecure. I get lonely. I don’t have it all figured out. I had that moment where I was like, ‘Am I watching the pilot or an 'E! True Hollywood Story' on me?’”
HOW RUDE: Chun admires just how close to home Stamos is willing to take the jokes. “Nothing is off limits, not his age, his tan, vanity, or his tight pants. The only thing we try to resist is references to his hair because that’s what Uncle Jesse was all about.” Explains the actor, “If you’re not able to make fun of yourself, you’re in trouble because people are going to do it anyway. Besides, I still look good for almost 52. I meditate and drink enough baby’s blood.” — CB
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: "Rob Lowe plays a famous TV lawyer who finds himself at a crossroads in life when his legal drama ends, and he moves back home to his small town thinking that he has the experience to be a lawyer for real," says co-creator Jarrad Paul.
WHAT TO EXPECT: It's a brother comedy at heart, with Lowe's superstar character, Dean, returning to Boise, Idaho where his younger sibling, the competent-but-sizzle-free family man Stewart (Fred Savage), has a firm with their father, Dean Sr. (William Devane). "Stewart sees Dean as someone who people look to as a champion," Savage says. "Dean sees Stewart as someone who has a family, who has a home, and who's loved. That becomes a more interesting push and pull — that we both value what the other has without really seeing the value in our own lives." While Stewart and his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) adjust to the upheaval of having Dean home, Dean's search for something real will also have its ups and downs. He'll have a sparring partner and potential love interest in a new firm colleague (Natalie Morales), run into an old girlfriend (guest star Christina Applegate), and experience what it's like to lose. "In his mind he's never lost a case. Even though he's never really won a case because none of his cases have been real, he's still 280 and 0," Paul says.
SHOW WITHIN THE SHOW: Clips of "The Grinder," Dean’s TV series, will continue to be used to inform each episode thematically. "We looked at 'The Good Wife' and 'Scandal,' but it's kind of a collection of all of these shows," says co-creator Andrew Mogel. "We cut to our Boise courtroom and it feels like a traffic court compared to the other." — MB
Ray Mickshaw/FOXWHAT TO EXPECT: It's a brother comedy at heart, with Lowe's superstar character, Dean, returning to Boise, Idaho where his younger sibling, the competent-but-sizzle-free family man Stewart (Fred Savage), has a firm with their father, Dean Sr. (William Devane). "Stewart sees Dean as someone who people look to as a champion," Savage says. "Dean sees Stewart as someone who has a family, who has a home, and who's loved. That becomes a more interesting push and pull — that we both value what the other has without really seeing the value in our own lives." While Stewart and his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) adjust to the upheaval of having Dean home, Dean's search for something real will also have its ups and downs. He'll have a sparring partner and potential love interest in a new firm colleague (Natalie Morales), run into an old girlfriend (guest star Christina Applegate), and experience what it's like to lose. "In his mind he's never lost a case. Even though he's never really won a case because none of his cases have been real, he's still 280 and 0," Paul says.
SHOW WITHIN THE SHOW: Clips of "The Grinder," Dean’s TV series, will continue to be used to inform each episode thematically. "We looked at 'The Good Wife' and 'Scandal,' but it's kind of a collection of all of these shows," says co-creator Andrew Mogel. "We cut to our Boise courtroom and it feels like a traffic court compared to the other." — MB
Marcia Gay Harden
Neil Jacobs/CBS
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “'Dr. Ken' is about a physician and a father who is wholly good-intentioned and always overreacts,” says star Ken Jeong.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Before he stole scenes in "The Hangover" and "Community," Jeong was an actual licensed physician who practiced medicine. The comedy is based on his experiences, though loosely. “It's really less up about patient care and is more based on the relationships between the doctors and the nurses in the workplace, and with my character's wife and kids,” Jeong explains. Some storylines we’ll see in the first season include Dr. Ken feeling jealous of his wife Allison’s (Suzy Nakamura) ex-boyfriend and dealing with patients who self-diagnose on the Internet.
ON EDGE: Jeong’s big break came in the R-rated "Hangover" movies, and "Dr. Ken" is more of a family show. So can he do G-rated comedy? “There are some clubs in his bag that I don't think he's gotten to swing yet because they weren't called for in 'The Hangover' or 'Community,'” exec producer Mike Sikowitz says. The show, adds Jeong, “has that 'Roseanne' kind of feel, where you have that edginess but there's a real sweet vibe in the middle.” — Kelly Woo
Danny Feld/ABCWHAT TO EXPECT: Before he stole scenes in "The Hangover" and "Community," Jeong was an actual licensed physician who practiced medicine. The comedy is based on his experiences, though loosely. “It's really less up about patient care and is more based on the relationships between the doctors and the nurses in the workplace, and with my character's wife and kids,” Jeong explains. Some storylines we’ll see in the first season include Dr. Ken feeling jealous of his wife Allison’s (Suzy Nakamura) ex-boyfriend and dealing with patients who self-diagnose on the Internet.
ON EDGE: Jeong’s big break came in the R-rated "Hangover" movies, and "Dr. Ken" is more of a family show. So can he do G-rated comedy? “There are some clubs in his bag that I don't think he's gotten to swing yet because they weren't called for in 'The Hangover' or 'Community,'” exec producer Mike Sikowitz says. The show, adds Jeong, “has that 'Roseanne' kind of feel, where you have that edginess but there's a real sweet vibe in the middle.” — Kelly Woo
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A very modern, very honest sex comedy that revolves around a very needy brother and sister; two people that are hanging onto each other for dear life,” says star Tommy Dewey.
WHAT TO EXPECT: A divorced mom (Michaela Watkins) and her daughter (Lynn Barr) move in with her bachelor brother, Alex (Dewey). He seems like a textbook sitcom bro, but “as the layers of this show peel away,” says Dewey, the show reveals more emotional depth. Still, there’s plenty of silliness to offset what Dewey calls “heavy moment fatigue.”
TRADING PLACES: Alex is the zany one and his sister is the straight man — at first. “As the series goes on,” explains creator Zander Lehmann, “They do sort of switch positions.” — RC
HuluWHAT TO EXPECT: A divorced mom (Michaela Watkins) and her daughter (Lynn Barr) move in with her bachelor brother, Alex (Dewey). He seems like a textbook sitcom bro, but “as the layers of this show peel away,” says Dewey, the show reveals more emotional depth. Still, there’s plenty of silliness to offset what Dewey calls “heavy moment fatigue.”
TRADING PLACES: Alex is the zany one and his sister is the straight man — at first. “As the series goes on,” explains creator Zander Lehmann, “They do sort of switch positions.” — RC
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “It’s 'The Graduate' meets 'Caddyshack,'” says executive producer, Gregory Jacobs.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Like "Red Oaks’s" main character, David (Craig Roberts), Jacobs was a young, slightly directionless tennis pro working at various country clubs during the mid-‘80s and having misadventures with an eccentric group of other twentysomethings. Still, Roberts is quick to add that he’s not directly portraying the producer. “Greg never gave me too much information so that it was like I was playing him. I’m definitely of that coming-of-age age, so I could relate to the character.” "Oaks" also lured some top-notch directing talent, including David Gordon Green, Amy Heckerling, and Hal Hartley. “It was like a crash course in directing, seeing how differently they work,” says Roberts. “Hal was very much about the visuals, Amy was very careful with each DOUBLE TROUBLE: Roberts took lessons to brush up on his tennis skills prior to shooting, though “they had a double that stepped in when I needed to hit a winner,” he says. “He’s a better actor as well; he should probably just play my part.” — EA
Amazon StudiosWHAT TO EXPECT: Like "Red Oaks’s" main character, David (Craig Roberts), Jacobs was a young, slightly directionless tennis pro working at various country clubs during the mid-‘80s and having misadventures with an eccentric group of other twentysomethings. Still, Roberts is quick to add that he’s not directly portraying the producer. “Greg never gave me too much information so that it was like I was playing him. I’m definitely of that coming-of-age age, so I could relate to the character.” "Oaks" also lured some top-notch directing talent, including David Gordon Green, Amy Heckerling, and Hal Hartley. “It was like a crash course in directing, seeing how differently they work,” says Roberts. “Hal was very much about the visuals, Amy was very careful with each DOUBLE TROUBLE: Roberts took lessons to brush up on his tennis skills prior to shooting, though “they had a double that stepped in when I needed to hit a winner,” he says. “He’s a better actor as well; he should probably just play my part.” — EA
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: Set in “this one moment in history [where] England almost never was,” according to David Dawson, it's the story of a Saxon boy kidnapped and raised by Vikings who returns to fight alongside the first king of England, Alfred (played by Dawson).
WHAT TO EXPECT: Think "Game of Thrones" without the dragons. The show is based on the immensely popular "Saxon Stories" by Bernard Cornwell and combines the fictional warrior Uhtred with the real, historical King Alfred. “We were really living it,” says Dreymon, who spent months clad in period-appropriate leather and furs. “We were in the mud and the rain and the snow.” Even their studio shots were unheated, so they were “freezing like [the characters] would have been.” And he's hoping their devotion to realism pays off: “The idea of filming it in an almost documentary [style], I hope is going to go a long way. It's a new style that I don't think has been done with a period piece before.”
MYTH BUSTING: In Great Britain, Alfred is the equivalent of George Washington: Everyone knows he's the father of their country, but few know anything about him. The popular image is a “big, muscular warrior,” says executive producer Gareth Neame ("Downton Abbey"), but he was actually frail and sickly — stricken with what modern scholars think might have been Crohn's Disease. “It made me admire him even more,” says Dawson. “Everyday was a struggle for him, yet he managed to save Wessex [the “last kingdom” to stand against the Vikings].” — RC
Kata Vermes/BBC AmericaWHAT TO EXPECT: Think "Game of Thrones" without the dragons. The show is based on the immensely popular "Saxon Stories" by Bernard Cornwell and combines the fictional warrior Uhtred with the real, historical King Alfred. “We were really living it,” says Dreymon, who spent months clad in period-appropriate leather and furs. “We were in the mud and the rain and the snow.” Even their studio shots were unheated, so they were “freezing like [the characters] would have been.” And he's hoping their devotion to realism pays off: “The idea of filming it in an almost documentary [style], I hope is going to go a long way. It's a new style that I don't think has been done with a period piece before.”
MYTH BUSTING: In Great Britain, Alfred is the equivalent of George Washington: Everyone knows he's the father of their country, but few know anything about him. The popular image is a “big, muscular warrior,” says executive producer Gareth Neame ("Downton Abbey"), but he was actually frail and sickly — stricken with what modern scholars think might have been Crohn's Disease. “It made me admire him even more,” says Dawson. “Everyday was a struggle for him, yet he managed to save Wessex [the “last kingdom” to stand against the Vikings].” — RC
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: Four ethnically diverse friends tackle tricky topics — i.e. Can you send condolences in a text? Do you have to say grace when at a friend's house if they do even if you don't believe? — via irreverent conversations.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Producer/creator DJ Nash ("Growing Up Fisher") told NBC that he wanted to "write a series that made people talk by looking at life's gray areas, the way we do on Saturday nights with our true friends." He also wanted to write about key players in his own life, including a multi-ethnic wife and black best friends, so college ethics professor Mitch (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), his attorney wife Tracy (Vanessa Lachey), and stand-up comedian Russell (Tone Bell) and new wife Angie (Bresha Webb) were born.
LIFE AS ART: Nash isn't the only one who relates to this subject matter. Gosselaar says they "are all living the alternate universes of their characters. Like when we tried to get together for a cast barbecue, we were texting trying to figure out what to bring and what time. For Vanessa and I, it was all about kid nap times. Tone and Bresha were like, 'We will just be waking up around 11 so we can get there by 1.' They actually showed around 2. That's how it is when parents are trying to make plans with their friends who don't have kids." — CB
Colleen Hayes/NBCWHAT TO EXPECT: Producer/creator DJ Nash ("Growing Up Fisher") told NBC that he wanted to "write a series that made people talk by looking at life's gray areas, the way we do on Saturday nights with our true friends." He also wanted to write about key players in his own life, including a multi-ethnic wife and black best friends, so college ethics professor Mitch (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), his attorney wife Tracy (Vanessa Lachey), and stand-up comedian Russell (Tone Bell) and new wife Angie (Bresha Webb) were born.
LIFE AS ART: Nash isn't the only one who relates to this subject matter. Gosselaar says they "are all living the alternate universes of their characters. Like when we tried to get together for a cast barbecue, we were texting trying to figure out what to bring and what time. For Vanessa and I, it was all about kid nap times. Tone and Bresha were like, 'We will just be waking up around 11 so we can get there by 1.' They actually showed around 2. That's how it is when parents are trying to make plans with their friends who don't have kids." — CB
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: "This is a f--ked-up romantic comedy about a girl who decides the key to her problems is to drop everything and stalk her ex-boyfriend in West Covina, California,” explains star/co-creator Rachel Bloom.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Bloom plays Rebecca Bunch, a successful New York City lawyer who runs into her high school crush and impulsively follows him, "Felicity"-style, across the country to the suburban bliss of West Covina. ("Two hours from the beach… four in traffic," the local residents claim.) "Love is actually a form of insanity," Bloom says. "She's on somewhat of the right track because she knows she's not happy. She's just curing her unhappiness in the wrong way."
WHAT RHYMES WITH 'PRETZEL'?: "Ex-Girlfriend" is a musical, too, with Bloom and others belting out two to three original songs each week that range from R&B slow jams to modern pop tunes. (She calls the show "'Ally McBeal' meets 'Flight of the Conchords.'") The pilot features a huge musical number with 150 extras dancing behind Bloom as she's lifted into the air atop a giant pretzel. And coming from the world of YouTube, Bloom was awed by the scope of the production: "It took us three seconds to write, 'She floats up into the sky on a giant pretzel like Betty Boop sitting on the moon.' But it takes thousands and thousands of dollars to make!" — DN
The CWWHAT TO EXPECT: Bloom plays Rebecca Bunch, a successful New York City lawyer who runs into her high school crush and impulsively follows him, "Felicity"-style, across the country to the suburban bliss of West Covina. ("Two hours from the beach… four in traffic," the local residents claim.) "Love is actually a form of insanity," Bloom says. "She's on somewhat of the right track because she knows she's not happy. She's just curing her unhappiness in the wrong way."
WHAT RHYMES WITH 'PRETZEL'?: "Ex-Girlfriend" is a musical, too, with Bloom and others belting out two to three original songs each week that range from R&B slow jams to modern pop tunes. (She calls the show "'Ally McBeal' meets 'Flight of the Conchords.'") The pilot features a huge musical number with 150 extras dancing behind Bloom as she's lifted into the air atop a giant pretzel. And coming from the world of YouTube, Bloom was awed by the scope of the production: "It took us three seconds to write, 'She floats up into the sky on a giant pretzel like Betty Boop sitting on the moon.' But it takes thousands and thousands of dollars to make!" — DN
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “It’s Supergirl,” says executive producer Ali Adler. “What’s great about this show is... as detailed as our pitch was — the one-sentence pitch actually boils down to that iconic ‘S.’ It was more of a one-letter pitch.”
WHAT TO EXPECT: “It is light and hopeful and, even though it is about a female superhero, it is really about that notion of one strong, courageous hero who is trying to help the world showing other people that they don’t need superpowers to be heroes, too,” Adler says. The first season will spend time establishing the world Kara (Melissa Benoist) lives in, which includes her day job working for a very demanding media mogul (Calista Flockhart). Think part action drama, part "Devil Wears Prada."
SOUL SISTER: Not many superheroes have siblings, but Kara has a sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), who works at the secret agency that enlists Kara’s super-powered help. Their relationship “provides a dynamic to explore feeling known and vulnerable, while still exhibiting that insecurity and sense of competitiveness we often find with our sisters and brothers,” Adler notes. “No matter our secrets or our super powers, it’s something we can all identify with.” — KW
Sonja Flemming/CBSWHAT TO EXPECT: “It is light and hopeful and, even though it is about a female superhero, it is really about that notion of one strong, courageous hero who is trying to help the world showing other people that they don’t need superpowers to be heroes, too,” Adler says. The first season will spend time establishing the world Kara (Melissa Benoist) lives in, which includes her day job working for a very demanding media mogul (Calista Flockhart). Think part action drama, part "Devil Wears Prada."
SOUL SISTER: Not many superheroes have siblings, but Kara has a sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), who works at the secret agency that enlists Kara’s super-powered help. Their relationship “provides a dynamic to explore feeling known and vulnerable, while still exhibiting that insecurity and sense of competitiveness we often find with our sisters and brothers,” Adler notes. “No matter our secrets or our super powers, it’s something we can all identify with.” — KW
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A Bonnie & Clyde serial killer team haunts the Sunset Strip as the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll party is raging on in the early ‘80s, while two cops are chasing them down,” says creator Steven Baigelman.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Baigelman, a self-confessed “research junkie” did a deep-dive into the history of the ‘80s to prepare for the show. “At the time, L.A. was the murder capital of the country, but the Strip was also this aspirational world where people came to realize their dreams. And it seemed like serial killers were doing the same: They were positioning themselves for recognition and fame in the same place other people were coming to be rock stars.” As Kent aka the Sunset Strip Killer, "Gossip Girl’s "Ed Westwick plays the “Clyde” half of "Wicked City’s" Bonnie & Clyde duo, while "Parenthood’s" Erika Christensen is his “Bonnie,” Betty, a nurse seduced into the glamorous serial killer lifestyle. “Warning 'Parenthood' fans: Please don’t go into this thinking you’re watching 'Parenthood,' because you’re so not,” says Christensen with a laugh. “Betty is so far from Julia.”
L.A. ROCK CITY: To reinforce the authenticity of "Wicked City’s" recreation of the Sunset Strip, some of the era’s most popular rockers will be woven into the show. Billy Idol licensed his music and hand-picked his own stand-in for the pilot, while Mickey Ratt frontman, Stephen Pearcy, appears as a backstage bouncer. Says Baigelman, “If you’re really paying attention and know who these people are, you’ll pick up on those winks.” — EA
Eric McCandless/ABCWHAT TO EXPECT: Baigelman, a self-confessed “research junkie” did a deep-dive into the history of the ‘80s to prepare for the show. “At the time, L.A. was the murder capital of the country, but the Strip was also this aspirational world where people came to realize their dreams. And it seemed like serial killers were doing the same: They were positioning themselves for recognition and fame in the same place other people were coming to be rock stars.” As Kent aka the Sunset Strip Killer, "Gossip Girl’s "Ed Westwick plays the “Clyde” half of "Wicked City’s" Bonnie & Clyde duo, while "Parenthood’s" Erika Christensen is his “Bonnie,” Betty, a nurse seduced into the glamorous serial killer lifestyle. “Warning 'Parenthood' fans: Please don’t go into this thinking you’re watching 'Parenthood,' because you’re so not,” says Christensen with a laugh. “Betty is so far from Julia.”
L.A. ROCK CITY: To reinforce the authenticity of "Wicked City’s" recreation of the Sunset Strip, some of the era’s most popular rockers will be woven into the show. Billy Idol licensed his music and hand-picked his own stand-in for the pilot, while Mickey Ratt frontman, Stephen Pearcy, appears as a backstage bouncer. Says Baigelman, “If you’re really paying attention and know who these people are, you’ll pick up on those winks.” — EA
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: Star Bruce Campbell says, “If you like horror, stop on by and if you like comedy, stop on by. If you like either one, come on by — see if you can tolerate the other.” Campbell can be so understated because the original "Evil Dead" series practically invented the horror comedy genre. Fans have been clamoring for a sequel for nearly 25 years. Well, it's finally here and it has all the gore, laughs, and vintage Campbell that the hardcore faithful have been waiting for.
WHAT TO EXPECT: “Even if this were on [basic] cable, we couldn't do what we're doing right now,” says Campbell. Since Starz is a premium channel, they can stay true to the spirit of the "Evil Dead" series, which is one part gruesome horror, one part "Three Stooges"-style slapstick. That means blood — cartoonish amounts of blood. “I went blind the other day shooting a scene,” says Campbell. “Picture that: Take a shower and open your eyes right into the faucet. That's how much blood there is on the show.”
I'M GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS...: How are Campbell and Lucy Lawless (who last played Xena almost 15 years ago) handling the intense physicality of once again filming low-budget horror? Acupuncture, arnica (the herbal equivalent of Icy Hot) and, “Thankfully, Lucy and I have both developed a good team of stunt people over the years.” — RC
StarzWHAT TO EXPECT: “Even if this were on [basic] cable, we couldn't do what we're doing right now,” says Campbell. Since Starz is a premium channel, they can stay true to the spirit of the "Evil Dead" series, which is one part gruesome horror, one part "Three Stooges"-style slapstick. That means blood — cartoonish amounts of blood. “I went blind the other day shooting a scene,” says Campbell. “Picture that: Take a shower and open your eyes right into the faucet. That's how much blood there is on the show.”
I'M GETTING TOO OLD FOR THIS...: How are Campbell and Lucy Lawless (who last played Xena almost 15 years ago) handling the intense physicality of once again filming low-budget horror? Acupuncture, arnica (the herbal equivalent of Icy Hot) and, “Thankfully, Lucy and I have both developed a good team of stunt people over the years.” — RC
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “When Amy comes into Allison’s life she claims that she’s her guardian angel, and we’re not sure whether she’s her guardian angel or if she’s crazy,” says creator/exec producer Tad Quill. “But we know that no matter what Amy has Allison’s back, which is a rare thing in this world.”
WHAT TO EXPECT: A modern day throwback to fantasy comedies like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeanie," but with an edge. Guardian angel Amy (Jane Lynch) is a day-drinker with no filter, but she’s fiercely devoted to her charge, Allison (Maggie Lawson). Lynch describes her character as “compassionate but flawed,” adding that Amy “really has no shame, no self-doubt, makes her mistakes and makes them big… She doesn’t have much of a critical voice going on in her head.” VOICE OF AN ANGEL: Her "Glee" days may be over, but Lynch tells us she tends to “find a way to sing in everything.” Indeed, Quill teases: “We actually do have a little singing in one of the first few episodes.” — VLM
Cliff Lipson/CBSWHAT TO EXPECT: A modern day throwback to fantasy comedies like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeanie," but with an edge. Guardian angel Amy (Jane Lynch) is a day-drinker with no filter, but she’s fiercely devoted to her charge, Allison (Maggie Lawson). Lynch describes her character as “compassionate but flawed,” adding that Amy “really has no shame, no self-doubt, makes her mistakes and makes them big… She doesn’t have much of a critical voice going on in her head.” VOICE OF AN ANGEL: Her "Glee" days may be over, but Lynch tells us she tends to “find a way to sing in everything.” Indeed, Quill teases: “We actually do have a little singing in one of the first few episodes.” — VLM
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “In a secret section of the Constitution, there's an article that empowers the Vice President to have her own secret agent [who] solves our nation's problems in times of extreme crisis,” says series creator Blake Herron.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Serious action sequences for Agent X (Jeff Hephner), who’ll clash with a recurring villainess named Olga ("The Vampire Diaries’s" Olga Fonda). As for the Veep? She’s played by an actress by the name of Sharon Stone (who’s also an executive producer on the series). Vice President Natalie Maccabee is not only thrown into Agent X supervising duties (vice presidents are never told about X until after they take office), but she’s still reeling from the suspicious death of her aspiring politician husband. “[Natalie] took a pledge to fight against all enemies, foreign and domestic. What she's going to find out is all enemies aren't foreign,” Herron hints. “There is possibly a conspiracy going on within the U.S. government.”
HER ALFRED: If Agent X is Veep Maccabee’s Batman, her Chief Steward, Malcolm Millar (Gerald McRaney), is the VP’s version of Alfred. “The Malcolm character is the one who I think will surprise the audience the most,” says Herron, who promises some game-changing twists half-way through the 10-episode first season. “You're going to find out that he is a man with his own demons.” — KP
TNTWHAT TO EXPECT: Serious action sequences for Agent X (Jeff Hephner), who’ll clash with a recurring villainess named Olga ("The Vampire Diaries’s" Olga Fonda). As for the Veep? She’s played by an actress by the name of Sharon Stone (who’s also an executive producer on the series). Vice President Natalie Maccabee is not only thrown into Agent X supervising duties (vice presidents are never told about X until after they take office), but she’s still reeling from the suspicious death of her aspiring politician husband. “[Natalie] took a pledge to fight against all enemies, foreign and domestic. What she's going to find out is all enemies aren't foreign,” Herron hints. “There is possibly a conspiracy going on within the U.S. government.”
HER ALFRED: If Agent X is Veep Maccabee’s Batman, her Chief Steward, Malcolm Millar (Gerald McRaney), is the VP’s version of Alfred. “The Malcolm character is the one who I think will surprise the audience the most,” says Herron, who promises some game-changing twists half-way through the 10-episode first season. “You're going to find out that he is a man with his own demons.” — KP
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: Moira Walley-Beckett, the Emmy-winning "Breaking Bad" writer and exec producer who created "Flesh and Bone," thinks of it as "one girl's journey through shark-infested waters."
WHAT TO EXPECT: Real life ballerina Sarah Ray stars as Claire, an emotionally-scarred ingenue at New York City's fictional American Ballet Company, but "Flesh" is not a show about ballet; it's a character drama. And it's definitely not "Center Stage" (despite the fact that Sascha Radetsky co-stars as the company’s leading man and lothario, and Ethan Stiefel serves as the series' consultant and choreographer). The company's bisexual artistic director ("House of Cards's" Ben Daniels) asks things of Claire that warrant a TV-MA rating, and the true nature of her dysfunctional upbringing will be a slow, uncomfortable reveal. "Claire’s a very shrouded character, and she’s very difficult to read," Walley-Beckett says. "I gave [Sarah] a lot of background information as to Claire’s wounding, and her history, what her coping mechanisms are, and how many secrets she’s keeping."
BINGE WARNING: The journey is so dark, Walley-Beckett wouldn't recommend watching all eight episodes in one sitting when they become available on Starz Play and Starz on Demand Nov. 8. "By the end of four, I think everybody should take a mental health break," she says. — MB
StarzWHAT TO EXPECT: Real life ballerina Sarah Ray stars as Claire, an emotionally-scarred ingenue at New York City's fictional American Ballet Company, but "Flesh" is not a show about ballet; it's a character drama. And it's definitely not "Center Stage" (despite the fact that Sascha Radetsky co-stars as the company’s leading man and lothario, and Ethan Stiefel serves as the series' consultant and choreographer). The company's bisexual artistic director ("House of Cards's" Ben Daniels) asks things of Claire that warrant a TV-MA rating, and the true nature of her dysfunctional upbringing will be a slow, uncomfortable reveal. "Claire’s a very shrouded character, and she’s very difficult to read," Walley-Beckett says. "I gave [Sarah] a lot of background information as to Claire’s wounding, and her history, what her coping mechanisms are, and how many secrets she’s keeping."
BINGE WARNING: The journey is so dark, Walley-Beckett wouldn't recommend watching all eight episodes in one sitting when they become available on Starz Play and Starz on Demand Nov. 8. "By the end of four, I think everybody should take a mental health break," she says. — MB
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “It’s the most kick-ass show on TV,” sums up "Badlands" star and executive producer, Daniel Wu.
WHAT TO EXPECT: A unique fusion of post-apocalyptic imagery combined with the aforementioned martial arts bad-assery. Set in a dystopian American future and based on a legend from Chinese history, the series is a global production, with cast and crewmembers hailing from both the U.S. and Hong Kong. “The Hong Kong guys spoke Chinese and English on set and some of the American stuntmen were learning Chinese,” says Wu, who plays Sunny, a sword-wielding warrior trying to navigate a treacherous futurescape. “They’d come to set in the morning and be like ‘Ni hao!’” That off-screen mixture of cultures was felt on screen too, says exec producer David Dobkin: “We arrived at a mix of ideas that seems to stand on their own as a single idea.”
PAIN POINT: Born in California, Wu became a Hong Kong superstar in the ‘90s, but he hadn’t fought on-screen for almost eight years when "Badlands" came along, and he had to do a crash course to get back in fighting shape. “Midway through production, I got hung up on the wire during wire work and it ran across my rib and cracked it. I didn’t know for three or four days! Eventually, I said ‘This hurts more than normal. Maybe I should go see a doctor.’ Ibuprofen was a good friend of mine for the next two weeks.” — EA
James Dimmock/AMCWHAT TO EXPECT: A unique fusion of post-apocalyptic imagery combined with the aforementioned martial arts bad-assery. Set in a dystopian American future and based on a legend from Chinese history, the series is a global production, with cast and crewmembers hailing from both the U.S. and Hong Kong. “The Hong Kong guys spoke Chinese and English on set and some of the American stuntmen were learning Chinese,” says Wu, who plays Sunny, a sword-wielding warrior trying to navigate a treacherous futurescape. “They’d come to set in the morning and be like ‘Ni hao!’” That off-screen mixture of cultures was felt on screen too, says exec producer David Dobkin: “We arrived at a mix of ideas that seems to stand on their own as a single idea.”
PAIN POINT: Born in California, Wu became a Hong Kong superstar in the ‘90s, but he hadn’t fought on-screen for almost eight years when "Badlands" came along, and he had to do a crash course to get back in fighting shape. “Midway through production, I got hung up on the wire during wire work and it ran across my rib and cracked it. I didn’t know for three or four days! Eventually, I said ‘This hurts more than normal. Maybe I should go see a doctor.’ Ibuprofen was a good friend of mine for the next two weeks.” — EA
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: "'Chicago Med' is the next chapter in the Chicago trilogy that began with 'Chicago Fire' and then 'Chicago P.D.' The series is set in the city’s newest and most advanced hospital where life and death is the backdrop for our characters professional and personal lives," says executive producer Peter Jankowski.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Some of the characters we met earlier this year when the show had its backdoor pilot will be missing — "The Walking Dead's" Andrea Holden, for example, is out — but there will be a handful of new ones, including those played by "Arrow's" Colin Donnell and "Pretty Little Liars's" Torrey DeVitto. Look for S. Epatha Merkerson's hospital administrator, Sharon Goodwin, to be the show's family leader — much like Voight and Boden lead their charges on "P.D." and "Fire," respectively. "Her character will be the show’s Rock of Gibraltar," Jankowski says.
CROSSOVER AND OVER: "You will see many of your favorite characters from 'Chicago Fire' and 'Chicago P.D.' appear in 'Chicago Med,'" promises Jankowski. — Breanne Heldman
Elizabeth Morris/NBCWHAT TO EXPECT: Some of the characters we met earlier this year when the show had its backdoor pilot will be missing — "The Walking Dead's" Andrea Holden, for example, is out — but there will be a handful of new ones, including those played by "Arrow's" Colin Donnell and "Pretty Little Liars's" Torrey DeVitto. Look for S. Epatha Merkerson's hospital administrator, Sharon Goodwin, to be the show's family leader — much like Voight and Boden lead their charges on "P.D." and "Fire," respectively. "Her character will be the show’s Rock of Gibraltar," Jankowski says.
CROSSOVER AND OVER: "You will see many of your favorite characters from 'Chicago Fire' and 'Chicago P.D.' appear in 'Chicago Med,'" promises Jankowski. — Breanne Heldman
THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: Says exec producer Frank Spotnitz, “What would it be like to be a father, a mother, or a daughter in Nazi America?”
WHAT TO EXPECT: Spotnitz promises a “respectful and relatively faithful” adaptation of author Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel, which imagined an alternate post-war America where the country was divided up between the victorious Axis powers. Fully aware that he was adapting the “crown jewel of [Dick’s] canon,” Spotnitz carefully crafted a world that’s recognizable in some ways and scarily different in others. “To me, the sci-fi aspect of the show is the least interesting part of it,” he says. “It’s really about getting into the characters and this world that’s so rich.”
FAMILY BUSINESS: Dick’s daughter, Isa Dick Hackett, has been closely involved with the series since its inception, even gifting Spotnitz with two never-published chapters from the "Man in the High Castle "sequel that remained unfinished when her father passed away in 1982. “She’s been incredibly supportive, and also an incredibly perceptive critic,” he says. “This is not just a job for her; it’s quite personal because we’re talking about her father.” — EA
Amazon StudiosWHAT TO EXPECT: Spotnitz promises a “respectful and relatively faithful” adaptation of author Philip K. Dick’s 1962 novel, which imagined an alternate post-war America where the country was divided up between the victorious Axis powers. Fully aware that he was adapting the “crown jewel of [Dick’s] canon,” Spotnitz carefully crafted a world that’s recognizable in some ways and scarily different in others. “To me, the sci-fi aspect of the show is the least interesting part of it,” he says. “It’s really about getting into the characters and this world that’s so rich.”
FAMILY BUSINESS: Dick’s daughter, Isa Dick Hackett, has been closely involved with the series since its inception, even gifting Spotnitz with two never-published chapters from the "Man in the High Castle "sequel that remained unfinished when her father passed away in 1982. “She’s been incredibly supportive, and also an incredibly perceptive critic,” he says. “This is not just a job for her; it’s quite personal because we’re talking about her father.” — EA
'Hand of God' (Now streaming, Amazon)
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THE 1-SENTENCE PITCH: “A morally and politically corrupt judge suffers a major family catastrophe and mental breakdown, and believes he's hearing voices from God that are pushing him onto a vigilante track,” explains series creator Ben Watkins.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Is Judge Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman) crazy, or is God really sending him messages that encourage him to mete out vigilante justice via his partnership with killer K.D. (the perpetually terrific Garret Dillahunt)? That will be up to the audience to decide. “I'm content with the audience being in a position where they're asking themselves [if it’s] important that they ever know,” says "Sons of Anarchy" alum Perlman. “I'm content if the audience is getting more questions than they are answers, because that means they're engaged, and they're actually participating in the storytelling rather than just sitting back and having everything downloaded to them.”
BASS, FISH... GET IT?: Episode 2 features a delightful cameo by ‘N Sync alum Lance Bass, who plays… well, let’s just say it involves a pet store, a fish, and a jingle you won’t be able to get out of your head for days. — Kimberly Potts
Amazon StudiosWHAT TO EXPECT: Is Judge Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman) crazy, or is God really sending him messages that encourage him to mete out vigilante justice via his partnership with killer K.D. (the perpetually terrific Garret Dillahunt)? That will be up to the audience to decide. “I'm content with the audience being in a position where they're asking themselves [if it’s] important that they ever know,” says "Sons of Anarchy" alum Perlman. “I'm content if the audience is getting more questions than they are answers, because that means they're engaged, and they're actually participating in the storytelling rather than just sitting back and having everything downloaded to them.”
BASS, FISH... GET IT?: Episode 2 features a delightful cameo by ‘N Sync alum Lance Bass, who plays… well, let’s just say it involves a pet store, a fish, and a jingle you won’t be able to get out of your head for days. — Kimberly Potts
We know you can't wait for your beloved shows to return this fall, but the upcoming TV season will also offer up a slew of new series vying for your attention every night of the week. Click through this slideshow to check out potential new favorites to add to your roster.
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