Season and series finales have (mostly) aired and now, a week after Upfronts ended, summer is nearly upon us. There’s a lot of original summer programming coming our way, but there’s also the new fall-winter season coming. New shows won’t be debuting for three or four months, but there’s anticipation brewing for the new TV offerings coming down the pipeline. After viewing the trailers for all of the new shows released during Upfronts, we’ve put together a list of the shows we’re most interested in seeing on our screens in the fall.
DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Melissa, Shana, Araceli and Clarissa). “When I first saw the promo for this one, I felt like I was watching the trailer for a movie — not just network TV’s next attempt at coming up with a political drama,” Shana said. Kiefer Sutherland is back and he’s saving America again — but not as a federal agent. This time he’s the mild-mannered Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who gets chosen as the Designated Survivor, even after being told he was going to be reassigned the morning of the State of the Union. Only now the President and his Cabinet are dead and it’s up to Sutherland’s Tom Kirkland to fend off a potential war with Iran and adjust to a job he never wanted. And that’s all in his first night as President. DESIGNATED SURVIVOR will air this fall on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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CONVICTION (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Brianna, Rebecca, Araceli and Luciana). “It looks like the complete opposite of Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter, so I’m interested to see how that’ll play out,” Brianna said about this new ABC show. Granted, the cancellation of AGENT CARTER was a blow, but the continued presence of Atwell on television is a good thing. In CONVICTION, she plays the former daughter of a President who has wasted her life and her brilliant legal mind. When she gets arrested, her former courtroom nemesis gives her a choice: lead his new unit dedicated to figuring out if people have been wrongly convicted, or go to jail. This is a new shot for Hayes Morrison and it looks like she’s going to take it. CONVICTION will air this fall on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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FREQUENCY (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Brianna, Shana, Araceli and Luciana). “Time travel is in this fall, but this one twists the genre,” Araceli said. Peyton list stars as Detective Raimy Sullivan, a woman who is burdened by the perceived sins of her father. But one day she uses an old ham radio and actually connects with her dead father….who is still alive back in 1996. The information she provides him ensures that he can escape his coming death, but now the pair have to deal with the ramifications of changing the past. And there are some pretty big ramifications. FREQUENCY will air on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT this fall on The CW.
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TIME AFTER TIME (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Melissa, Brianna and Araceli). “One of my favorite movies ever and the clip looks faithful to the film. I wish ABC would have launched TIME AFTER TIME in the fall,” Melissa lamented. Time travel is a big theme this season, but instead of going to the past, the protagonists in TIME AFTER TIME are heading to the future. After HG Wells invents a time machine, his friend (who he doesn’t realize is Jack the Ripper), uses the machine to escape the police. And Wells, of course, follows him to the future to apprehend him. Thus begins the classic fish-out-of-water tale, with the past meeting the future. TIME AFTER TIME will premiere at midseason on ABC.
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TIMELESS (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Shana, Araceli and Luciana). “?I was sold on the time travel front, but it’s also Goran Visnjic. The ER fan in me is thrilled to see him again,” Luciana said. In TIMELESS, a very bad man steals a time machine and hops back to the Hindenburg disaster to try and change history. Three people — a history teacher, a soldier and an engineer — are also sent back to stop him. And thus likely begins a chase through time. But there’s something very odd going on here that only this bad man seems to truly understand — because the history teacher might be crucial to what’s happening. TIMELESS will air on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT this fall on NBC.
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PITCH (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Brianna, Shana, Araceli and Clarissa). “It’s all about the girl power!” Shana said. And that’s exactly what PITCH is about: the first female professional baseball player. Ginny Baker is doing her best to represent her gender and make her father proud when she’s given an opportunity that no other woman has had. But can she prove she deserves her spot? It’s a female empowerment show and a show about teamwork and family. PITCH will air on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
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STILL STAR-CROSSED (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Melissa, Shana and Araceli). This show is a “new spin on an old favorite,” Melissa said. STILL STAR-CROSSED is about what happened after infamous young lovers Romeo and Juliet killed themselves. What became of their families? What became of the City of Verona? There’s unrest in the streets as the Montagues and the Capulets continue their lasting feud, while the Prince of Verona tries to bring about peace via an arranged marriage. Shondaland has proven it can churn out fun and buzz-worthy shows and while STILL STAR-CROSSED is a departure from their typical fare, we’re willing to give it a chance. STILL STAR-CROSSED will premiere at midseason on ABC.
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RIVERDALE (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Melissa, Brianna, Araceli and Clarissa). “[It’s a] teen drama with a twist,” Rebecca said. Not a single trailer has been released yet for this new show, but the premise is intriguing everyone. This is not your typical Archie story. This is a look at a small town where people are hiding secrets and doing very bad things and that alone has piqued our interest. RIVERDALE will premiere at midseason on The CW.
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Honorable Mentions
BULL (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Melissa and Rebecca). “Thinking after he left NCIS I would never see him again, putting Michael Weatherly as a Sherlock Holmes-style psychologist in a court room is definitely all I needed to be signed up for this,” Rebecca said. Weatherly plays Dr. Jason Bull, the founder of a very successful trial and jury consulting firm. And he’s the man who knows how to get your client off the most heinous of charges. BULL will Tuesdays this fall on CBS. Watch the trailer.
NO TOMORROW (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Brianna and Luciana). “It looks fun and kind of adorable. Hopefully, it will take the sting from GALAVANT’s cancellation as Joshua Sasse returns to TV,” Brianna said. Part rom-com, part self-discovery series, NO TOMORROW centers around a woman who is regimented until meets the man of her dreams. He’s all about being spontaneous and living life to the fullest because he’s convinced the world is going to end in 8 months. NO TOMORROW will air on Tuesdays this fall at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. Watch the trailer.
THIS IS US (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Araceli and Luciana). “It looks real,” Luciana said, of the most-watched trailer coming out of Upfronts. “With real life issues and a great sense of humor. I’m in.” Indeed, THIS IS US looks like nothing else on television right now. It’s just a simple story about a group of people who are loosely connected through their shared birthday and their experiences. THIS IS US will air on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT this fall on NBC. Watch the trailer.
LETHAL WEAPON (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Melissa). Aside from TIME AFTER TIME, LETHAL WEAPON is another of Melissa’s favorite movies and she thinks the remake looks pretty faithful to the original. Indeed, the two main actors here work well together and there’s a lot of fun action, as well as emotion. LETHAL WEAPON will air on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT this fall on Fox. Watch the trailer.
PRISON BREAK and 24: LEGACY (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Clarissa). I must have been the only person who watched the original PRISON BREAK and 24, but PRISON BREAK in particular is probably my most anticipated new show. The chance to revisit the Scofield and Burrows brothers (especially after the series ending with Michael seemingly dead) is going to be great. And while 24 isn’t continuing with SUTHERLAND, the new star seems compelling. Both shows will premiere at midseason on Fox. Watch the PRISON BREAK and 24: LEGACY trailers.
MAKING HISTORY (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Clarissa). I enjoy quite a few comedies on Fox right now, including NEW GIRL, THE GRINDER (*sob* never over it’s cancellation), THE LAST MAN ON EARTH and BROOKLYN NINE-NINE. I found the trailer for this new series to be quite funny. Time travelling with funny guys is always amusing and seeing Leighton Meester get a chance to flex her comedy chops in such a ridiculous role is something I’m really looking forward to. Plus, the fact that the creators of THE LAST MAN ON EARTH are behind this is enough for me to give it a look. MAKING HISTORY will premiere at midseason on Fox. Watch the trailer.
THE MICK (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Rebecca). “Exactly 13 seconds into the trailer I was laughing out loud at my computer, and by the time it finished I was convinced comedy had not been born until IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY producers put Kaitlin Olsen on screen as the aunt you never want anywhere near your kids. ” Indeed, the premise of this show might be somewhat familiar (think UNCLE BUCK with a woman), but Olsen is a joy to watch on screen. Her comedy chops on SUNNY have always been spot-on, so watching her get a chance to shine in a new series should turn out well. THE MICK will premiere at midseason on Fox. Watch the trailer.
DOWNWARD DOG (TV Addict staff who are intrigued by this show: Rebecca). “At every moment of every day I am thinking about what is going on in my dog’s mind, and this show looks like it will answer my ponderings in a hilarious and endearing way,” Rebecca said. The dog, Martin, takes the place of the narrator of this show, which looks like the doggie version of LOOK WHO’S TALKING. He’s humorous, but there’s also an underlying emotion here that animal lovers should enjoy. DOWNWARD DOG will premiere at midseason on ABC. Watch the trailer.