As a television aficionado, late September and early October are especially exciting for me. Why? This is the time period is when almost every fall show either begins for the first time or returns. I have been anticipating these next few weeks for the last month and a half, since I first saw the previews for all of the new fall shows. My SideReel (a website with links to online episodes, and a tracker) is packed and I am going to give you a run down of the fiction shows that I am most excited for this season.
Returning:
Criminal Minds: After a tumultuous sixth season, all of the characters have returned for the seventh season of Criminal Minds. If you like crime shows like Law and Order, and NCIS, I would highly recommend that you watch Criminal Minds if you don’t already. Tracking serial killers with the BAU gives me my thrills for the week, and the writers of this incredible show somehow avoid repeating story lines or creepy murderers. Beyond the crime, the characters of Criminal Minds have an excellent dynamic, and their genuine concern for each other helps to interject humanity into what might otherwise be an incredibly dark show. (Premiered September 21)
Desperate Housewives: Like Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives has lost a lot of fans over the years, but this fall marks the beginning of the last season for Desperate Housewives. This season promises to answer all of the unanswered questions, and resolve all remaining mysteries from previous seasons. Unlike Grey’s, the cast ofDesperate Housewives is almost perfectly intact from the first season, and returning viewers will most definitely be treated to the classic drama, snide remarks, and hilarity that is Desperate Housewives. (Premiered September 25)
Glee: Do I really need to explain? A relatively new television darling, Glee is the perfect mix of music, pop culture, and high school drama. The fourth season of Glee promises to impress more than the lackluster (in my opinion anyway) third season. Like some of the other shows on this list, it is possible that this will be the last season for some of the original characters of Glee. With graduation in sight, I urge you to take what may be your final chance to watch Rachel, Kurt, Finn, and the other seniors, sing their hearts out. (Premiered September 20)
Grey’s Anatomy: ABC’s longtime crown jewel, Grey’s Anatomy is entering its eight season this year. Grey’s is my all-time favorite show, so leaving it off this list would have been blasphemous for me, but I understand that many people left it behind a long time ago. My argument for watching Grey’s this season? The original actors are signed on for eight seasons, meaning that this is possibly their last season. While contract negotiations take place the writers will surely give the original characters many storylines and a lot of tender loving care. This is the perfect time for previous fans of the show to return to see their favorite characters in what may be their swan song. (Premiered September 22)
The Good Wife: Back in its third season, this hard-hitting legal drama is not as popular as some of the other shows on this list, but has some of the best acting out of all of them. The Good Wife follows Alicia Florrick after her husband, State’s Attorney, Peter Florrick’s sex scandal. Alicia goes back to work as an attorney after her husband is stripped of his position and imprisoned. In the highly anticipated third season Alicia struggles to juggle her estranged husband, sexual tension with her boss, children, and cases. If you enjoy legal jargon and great clients mixed with very human drama, I would suggest The Good Wife. (Premiered September 25)
Modern Family: This award-winning comedy is one of my favorites. The mundane turns into thirty minutes of laughs in Modern Family’s mocumentary format. Modern Family demonstrates perfectly every character that could possibly be found in any family. Even if you can’t find one character who reminds you of someone in your family, you will most definitely still find that the dynamic of the out of the ordinary extended family in Modern Family will make you smile throughout the entire show, and laugh at loud at least once. (Premiered September 21)
New:
New Girl: Are you looking for a show that demonstrates how perfectly fine (and funny) it can be to totally be yourself? Then Fox’s New Girl is perfect for you. In the first episode of New Girl, Jess comes home to find her boyfriend having sex with another woman. She moves out, of course, and moves in with three men. The show will follow Jess through her dating disasters as her roommates attempt to help her find a man, and support her through her life crises. New Girl is sweet comedy featuring a girl who is not afraid to show her quirks, and her roommates who must learn to adapt to living with a woman who is not afraid to be herself. (Premiered September 20)
Pan Am: Pan Am is a fictional series based on the iconic Pan American World Airways Airline of the 1960’s. Pan American, also known as Pan Am was the largest airline in the Unites States from the 1920’s until 1991. This show follows the pilots and flight attendants (or stewardesses as they were referred to) of Pan Am in a realistic period drama. Pan Am allows its viewers to go back to a time when it was okay to weight flight attendants, part of the uniform was a girdle, and the only way women could see the world was through becoming a stewardess. The slight shock value, rich setting, and compelling plot should make this new series a home run. (Premiered September 25)
Prime Suspect: There are several new crime dramas this season but I chose to feature Prime Suspect because it features the reality of a woman working a male-dominated field, and the sexism that still prevails. Prime Suspect is a remake of a British series by the same name, and it follows homicide detective Jane Timoney. Jane is not the typical, likeable female lead; she is abrasive, and crude, and very rarely shows her soft side, but that is what makes her so compelling. Jane cannot show weakness, because the moment she does, the sexist men in her department, a suspect, or her informants refuse to take her seriously. Though the crime storyline in the first episode of Prime Suspect was nothing special, the strong lead of Jane Timoney makes this show more than worth your time. (Premiered September 22)
Revenge: Looking for tips on how to get the perfect revenge? Then you will most definitely enjoy Revenge, which features Emily Thorne as she works to punish every person who played a part in her father’s imprisonment, and the subsequent destruction of her family over a decade before the show is set. The Hamptons set the lush and perfect backdrop for this Gossip Girl esq show, which features the lives of the super rich, and the secrets that they harbor. In Revenge, Emily Thorne works to make sure that the secrets that the inner circle of the Hamptons elite keep are brought to light in the most public way possible. Revenge features heart-wrenching flashbacks, strong acting, compelling characters, delicious deceit, and genius planning. (Premiered September 21)
The Secret Circle: Sick of vampires? I am. The Secret Circle delves into the world of the supernatural that is so popular right now, but with a different perspective. This new show about teenage witches (but not Sabrina) follows six high school students in magical town. Cassie, one of the six, is sent to live with her grandmother after her mother dies in a suspicious fire. She soon finds that not everything is what is seems in her new home, and that she completes a circle of six witches. With Cassie the circle is stronger than it has ever been, but the show soon demonstrates that magic and teenage emotions can create a very dangerous combination. (Premiered September 15)
The shows features in this article represent only a small portion of the quality television this fall, and are only a small portion of the shows that I will be watching this fall. They are some of my personal favorites, but if you’re looking for something new to watch I would also suggest these other shows, which I will list by category below.
Crime Procedurals/Dramas:
Against the Wall
Body of Proof
Bones
Harry’s Law
Rizzoli and Isles
Unforgettable
Comedy
Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea
I Hate My Teenage Daughter
Suburgatory
Whitney
Drama
Charlie’s Angels
Good Christian Bells
Gossip Girl
Hart of Dixie
One Tree Hill
Parenthood
Person of Interest
Private Practice
The Playboy Club
Ringer
Scandal (mid-season premiere)
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Grimm
Once Upon a Time
Terra Nova
Image credit: Sidereel.com
What TV will you be watching this year? Are you looking forward to any of the same shows? Which shows are going to get renewed for sure, and which aren’t? Leave a comment below!