Photo Credit: NBC/Sony Pictures Television.
FX’s John Landgraf recently stated that there’s “too much TV.” Respectfully, we disagree.
Ten years ago, original programming on cable hadn’t reached its current heights. And streaming services like Netflix and Amazon didn’t even exist. That environment allowed the broadcast networks to continue to flourish… but things are different now. Viewers have a much greater selection of shows that they can watch, and there’s no going back. And why would anyone want to go back?! This is TV’s new golden age and we’re living in it.
While TV is now programmed year round, the Fall still has the largest number of new and returning shows. If you can’t find a television show to get excited about then you just aren’t trying hard enough. There are still plenty of standard TV cop dramas, medical dramas, legal dramas, and primetime soap operas…if that’s what you want. But for fans who want a little more horror in their TV, The Walking Dead will be back next month and Ash vs. Evil Dead is coming soon. Fox’s music drama Empire revitalized the network last spring, and new episodes will begin this week. For action, NBC has The Player and The CW has its superhero dramas lined up for new seasons. HBO and FX are also bringing out new seasons of The Leftovers and Fargo, respectively; both of which will be strong contenders for the best dramas of the year.
Ahead of the programming onslaught, CraveOnline has assembled a list of 15 Most Anticipated TV Shows of Fall 2015. Remember, these are just our picks and your taste may vary. But feel free to share your most anticipated Fall 2015 TV shows in the comment section below!
The 15 Most Anticipated TV Shows of Fall 2015
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Scream Queens
Network: Fox
Series Premiere: September 22
Imagine if Glee and American Horror Story were fused together as a single show. That’s pretty much what Scream Queens is, courtesy of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who co-created the previously mentioned shows. Along with Ian Brennan, Murphy and Falchuk have created a new horror comedy that brings one of the cinema’s best scream queens, Jamie Lee Curtis to television in a leading role.
The modern scream queens are also well represented, as Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, and several other star as sorority pledge girls who find themselves on the Dean’s (Curtis) s---list and facing a masked killer known as the Red Devil.
Scream Queens is a one season story. so anyone can die and anything can happen. And if it gets renewed, a new cast and a new storyline will be in place for season 2.
Photo Credit: Fox/20th Century Fox Television
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The Muppets
Network: ABC
Series Premiere: September 22
Disney has had a hard time figuring out what to do with The Muppets since the characters were purchased from the late Jim Henson. The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady and Bob Kushell have come up with a new take on The Muppets, which features a mockumentary style as the characters work behind-the-scenes of Miss Piggy’s new talk show.
The Muppets is also somewhat risky for Disney, as it features more “mature” themed comedy than the franchise has previously attempted. But since most of The Muppets fans are adults, it should be amusing to see them in their own “The Office” style TV series.
Photo Credit: ABC/Disney
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Empire
Network: Fox
Season Premiere: September 23
Empire has turned out to be one of the biggest television hits in years, and it may single handedly keep Fox in contention if its ratings hold in the second season. At the end of season 1, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) named his son, Jamal (Jussie Smollett) as his successor at Empire Entertainment before Lucious was arrested for killing Bunkie (Antoine McKay).
The second season of Empire finds Lucious still behind bars as Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) continues her power play to seize control of the company and shut out Lucious before he can return.
Photo Credit: Fox/Imagine Television
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The Player
Network: NBC
Series Premiere: September 24
On Strike Back, Philip Winchester headlined one of the best action series on television. But Winchester’s short TV break is over, as he’ll be the lead of NBC’s The Player alongside action icon Wesley Snipes.
Winchester is playing security expert Alex Kane, a man whose personal search for justice leads him into the orbit of Mr. Johnson (Snipes) and an organization that takes bets on whether Kane can stop the elaborate crimes that he comes across in his new role.
Photo Credit: NBC/Sony Pictures Television
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The Leftovers
Network: HBO
Season Premiere: October 4
The Leftovers is underappreciated by drama fans, but it was one of HBO’s best shows in 2014. The series is based on Tom Perrotta’s novel in which the Rapture occurred, but not in a way that anyone ever expected. The first season blew through the novel’s entire storyline, so the season 2 arc is completely original.
This season, Kevin Garvey, Jr. (Justin Theroux) has moved his family to Jarden, Texas, which is supposedly the only town to remain untouched by the Rapture. But there’s still plenty of trouble ahead for the Garveys, and Kevin’s sanity may not be as strong as he hoped it was.
Photo Credit: HBO/Warner Bros. Television
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The Flash
Network: The CW
Season Premiere: October 6
The Flash was one of the biggest surprises of 2014, as it managed to outdo the original ‘90s version of The Flash and capture the tone of the comics without getting campy.
For season 2, Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) a.k.a. The Flash will be joined by Jay Garrick (Teddy Sears), The Flash of another world who is sent to warn him about Zoom (who is voiced by horror icon, Tony Todd).
The mystery of Zoom’s secret identity will play out over the course of season 2, but think of him as a more dangerous version of the Reverse-Flash. Keiynan Lonsdale is also joining the series Wally West, the young man who eventually became Barry Allen’s successor as The Flash in the comics. Will comic book history repeat itself on The CW?
Photo Credit: The CW/DC Entertainment
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Arrow
Network: The CW
Season Premiere: October 7
The CW’s flagship superhero series has not “Failed this city!” Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Team Arrow will be back in action next month as new villain, Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) comes to the recently renamed Star City. And not far behind him will be Matt Ryan’s John Constantine, who is making a one-time-only appearance to help Team Arrow bring back a fan-favorite character.
Photo Credit: The CW/DC Entertainment
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The Walking Dead
Network: AMC
Season Premiere: October 11
One of TV’s biggest shows returns with new regular cast member, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, a role he originated in the pilot episode of The Walking Dead! But this year, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Morgan will be at odds over the future of the Alexandria safe zone. Frequent television villain Xander Berkeley is also joining the series in an undisclosed role.
Fans of The Walking Dead comic should have a Negan...sorry, a nagging suspicion that one of the series’ biggest villains is just around the corner...
Photo Credit: AMC
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Fargo
Network: FX
Season Premiere: October 12
Against all expectations, FX’s Fargo was an amazing TV miniseries that could have held its own with Breaking Bad and True Detective at the 2014 Emmy Awards...if FX had put Fargo in the drama category where it belonged.
For season 2, Fargo is telling a brand new story set in 1979 that was alluded to by Lou Solverson (Keith Carradine) in the first season.
Patrick Wilson will play the younger Lou Solverson, with Ted Danson as Sheriff Hank Larsson, Jean Smart as Floyd Gerhardt, Kirsten Dunst as Peggy Blomquist, Jesse Plemons as Ed Blomquist, and Bruce Campbell in a cameo role as Ronald Reagan.
Photo Credit: FX/MGM Television
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Supergirl
Network: CBS
Series Premiere: October 26
The superhero invasion of TV continues with Supergirl, the younger cousin of Superman. This is Supergirl’s first leading role in Hollywood since the disastrous Supergirl movie from 1984. Melissa Benoist is portraying Supergirl and the tone of the early footage is noticeably lighter than The CW’s Arrow or even The Flash.
Supergirl is also going head-to-head against Fox’s Batman prequel Gotham on Monday nights, potentially splitting the genre audience. Better program your DVRs now!
Photo Credit: CBS/DC Entertainment
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Ash vs. Evil Dead
Network: STARZ
Series Premiere: October 31
“Groovy.”
Bruce Campbell returns to TV in his most iconic role: Ash WIlliams from the Evil Dead trilogy. Ash may have become “the world’s oldest stock boy,” but he is once again forced to bring out his trusty “Boomstick” and chainsaw hand when the Deadites reappear. Campbell is also reuniting with Evil Dead director, Sam Raimi and his former Xena: Warrior Princess co-star, Lucy Lawless and the trailers for this show look insanely fun.
We can’t wait for this one!
Photo Credit: STARZ/Renaissance Pictures
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The Returned (Les Revenants)
Network: SundanceTVSeason Premiere: October 31
Forget about the lackluster U.S. remake of The Returned that A&E broadcast earlier this year. The original French version is much better. And unlike the remake, The Returned is getting second season that will continue to expand upon the storyline as another batch of resurrected men and women find themselves in a small mountain town.
The Returned wasn’t just one of the best horror series in 2012, it was absolutely one of the best series, period. We have high hopes for the long awaited continuation.
Photo Credit: CANAL+
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Into The Badlands
Network: AMC
Series Premiere: November 15
The martial arts TV show hasn’t really been around for the last few decades. But AMC is bringing it back in November with Smallville veterans Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
Into The Badlands is very loosely based upon the Chinese legend Journey to the West and it takes place in a world without guns.
Don’t bother trying to give Into The Badlands a deep analysis. Just sit back and enjoy the action!
Photo Credit: AMC/Entertainment One
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Jessica Jones
Network: Netflix
Series Premiere: November 20
Have you ever heard of Marvel’s Jessica Jones? Well, you’re about to. Former Breaking Bad co-star Krysten Ritter is playing Jessica Jones in the second Marvel original series on Netflix.
\The short history of Jessica Jones is that she used to be a superheroine before suffering a trauma that ended her career. Now a self-destructive private investigator, Jessica Jones finds herself once again drawn into the world of superheroes and villains.
And she’ll be joined by Mike Colter as Luke Cage and former Doctor Who star, David Tennant as Jessica’s nemesis, Kilgrave.
Photo Credit: Netflix/Marvel Studios
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The Man in The High Castle
Network: Amazon Prime
Series Premiere: November 20
The X-Files veteran Frank Spotnitz has adapted Philip K. Dick’s classic novel, The Man in The High Castle for television via Amazon Prime.
The pilot episode debuted on Amazon earlier this year and it was reportedly Amazon’s most watched original production to date. That’s why we’re getting a ten episode first season in November.
The Man in The High Castle takes place in a world where the U.S. and its allies lost World War II. America is now divided into three parts by the Japanese and German forces which are engaged in a Cold War with each other. But the seeds of rebellion are beginning to spread as a young woman named Juliana (Alexa Davalos) comes into possession of a newsreel that suggest an alternate world where the U.S. and its allies didn’t lose the war.
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios/Scott Free Productions
