13 Recommended TV Shows Premiering This Fall

We’re almost there, folks. The dog days of summer are beginning to recede into the cool breezes of fall. And fall is, hands down, the best time of the year. Not only does it mean that the kids are off the streets once more, but the weather is beginning to turn cooler. It’s Mother Nature’s yearly excuse to sit on the couch and partake in the best kind of surfing: channel surfing. Thankfully, this fall has some solid new shows premiering that are sure absolutely worth your time. Here, for your consideration, are thirteen to watch.

1. Two Cousins Navigate the Rap Scene in ‘Atlanta’

Multi-talented performer Donald Glover is coming to FX with his new comedy-drama Atlanta, which sees the former Community star (and current hip hop artist) blend his two talents into a story about dealing with stardom, jealousy and the black experience as a whole. While Glover has promised laughs aplenty, don’t expect the show to shy away from hot button racial issues. It’s also not outside the realm of possibility that we’ll see Childish Gambino put on a show or two.

2. Expect Some Trippy Time-Shifting in ‘Frequency’

In 2000, Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid starred in Frequency, in which a down on his luck cop discovers that he’s able to communicate through time with his long dead father. In the TV reboot, actress Peyton List is the cop and she’s talking to her father, a former undercover cop who was killed in 1996. Expect some trippy time-shifting action when the show premieres October 5.

3. Check Out Marvel’s Man Who Can’t Be Harmed, ‘Luke Cage’

On September 30, Netflix will release the entire first season of Luke Cage, the latest addition to its growing Marvel TV Universe. Mike Colter is in the lead as the towering man who can’t be harmed. Colter has already proven that he’s a charismatic actor in Netflix’s Jessica Jones, so it’ll be exciting to see him anchor a show in Netflix’s corner of the MCU.

4. See What Happens to an Ex Marine in ‘Quarry’

Cinemax is set to drop Quarry on September 9. The show follows a marine sniper who returns to Memphis after a tour of duty in Vietnam. He might be expecting a hero’s welcome, but that’s not what happens. As a former soldier, he finds himself demonized by the public and shunned by his former friends. The alienation causes him to take up with a group of contract killers who work up and down the Mississippi.

5. Expect Quirk in ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’

Anglophiles apply here. Welcome to Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, which sees Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood tackling the world’s oddest (and funniest) mysteries. Adapted from one of science fiction icon Douglas Adams’ most celebrated works, Dirk Gently promises plenty of quirk and lots of brains. Think of it as Sherlock meets Doctor Who. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency premieres on BBC America on October 22.

6. ‘The Exorcist’ Comes to TV

The folks at FOX are going to try and make a go of turning The Exorcist into a full-fledged series on September 23, when some ambitious priests attempt to track and expel a demon in this adaptation of William Blatty’s book. Geena Davis also stars as the matriarch of a family afflicted with some nefarious spirits.

7. Thrills Are Wilder in ‘Westworld’

HBO is set to mash up a good science fiction thinker and a fast-paced Western actioner into one delightful series. The reboot of the cult classic 1973 film of the same name, creators Jonathan Nolan (Chris’ screenwriting brother) and Lisa Joy are engineering some thrills and chills in a Wild West themed amusement park that caters to the desires of every patron, no matter how lascivious or violent.

8. A New Small Screen Spin on ‘Lethal Weapon’

The Lethal Weapon franchise is going to get a little light makeover on September 21 when Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans Sr. take over the legendary roles of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, two LA cops who just want to serve up some justice and get home at the end of the day … respectively.

9. Syfy Takes a Bite Out of ‘Van Helsing’

Syfy is resurrecting a legend in Van Helsing, which premieres September 23. The series sees the daughter of the legendary vampire hunter awakened five years into the future in order to lead the fight against a world run by the walking dead. Expect lots of good action (Syfy knows how to construct a fight scene) and some great pulpy stories.

10. Laugh At the Absurd Cartoon-Live Action Mashup of ‘Son of Zorn’

Fans of the Simpsons, Archer, or Bob’s Burgers just might find a lot to love in the cartoon-live action mashup premiering on September 25 on FOX. Zorn is the warrior king of a fictional cartoon land who returns to live action Orange County in order to try and raise his son to be a proper man. What defines a “proper man” is a point for serious debate. This one looks hilariously funny if you like a little absurdity with your TV.

11. ‘Conviction’ Is a Smart Legal Drama With a Twist

Okay, I know what you’re thinking; yet another legal drama. However, this one has an interesting twist and a great star, which might be a powerful enough combination to separate it from the heard. Conviction stars Hayley Atwell (aka, Peggy Carter) as a drug addict who takes a position with the Conviction Integrity Unit in order to avoid charges (and screwing up her mom’s Senate campaign). If the script is as strong as the lead, this could be something special.

12. ‘The Good Place’ Has a Great Cast

The Good Place is an NBC sitcom from Michael Schur, the same fella who brought us Parks and Rec (he also played Mose on The Office). In the show, Kristen Bell is a newly arrived ghost who’s mistaken for another spirit (who was way more charitable than she was). Along with her “afterlife mentor,” played by Ted Danson, Bell will set out to make things right. If the show’s pedigree is any indication, expect something that’s both funny and sweet in equal measure.

13. The ‘Designated Survivor’ Is the Only One Left to Be POTUS

Kiefer Sutherland is a low level bureaucrat who’s suddenly thrust into the top spot, President of the United States, when a terrorist attack at the Capitol eliminates everyone else in the line of succession. Premiering on ABC on September 21, Sutherland will be forced to deal with a brewing international crisis as well as serious lack of managerial talent. If anyone can make this concept work, it’s the stone-faced Sutherland, who can brood with the best of them.