What to watch this fall: a guide to the best TV shows of the season

Notable new items

"Startup" (StartUp)

Premiere: 6 September.
Platform: Crackle.
Genre: crime thriller.

Martin Freeman ("Sherlock", "The Hobbit", "Fargo") this time will appear as an FBI agent. His goal is a financial startup working on cryptocurrency technology that has gotten dirty with dirty money. Three unlikely characters are involved in the case. "What do a Brooklyn banker, Hialeah hacker, and Miami mobster have in common?" - asks the hero of Freeman in the trailer for the series. Apparently, this is what the agents have to find out.

Designated Survivor

Premiere: September 21.
Platform: ABC.
Genre: political thriller.

The series plays on one of the political traditions of the United States. According to her, during the annual presidential speech, the elected member of the administration does not participate in the event, but hides in a secret place. If the president and his entourage are killed in a terrorist attack, the remaining politician will lead the country. This is exactly what happens in the plot of the series. Inconspicuous government member Tim Kirkman, played by Kiefer Sutherland ("24 Hours"), suddenly becomes the new head of the United States. But the president's death is only the first link in a chain of terrible events.

The Exorcist

Premiere: September 23.
Platform: FOX.
Genre: horror, fantasy.

The authors of the series call him the spiritual heir of the cult film of the same name by William Friedkin, filmed in 1973. As you might guess from the name, in the center of the plot is the clash of clergy with dark forces. Events unfold around two exorcists, each of whom adheres to their own views on the fight against evil.

Luke Cage

Premiere: September 30.
Platform: Netflix.
Genre: Action, Science Fiction.

Following the release of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Luke Cage will be the third in a lineup of adult-oriented Marvel TV series. A more serious tone of narration is expected from him, characteristic of the two predecessors and atypical for other superhero projects of Marvel. The series will tell the story of Luke Cage, who acquired superpowers as a result of a medical experiment.

Crisis in Six Scenes

Premiere: September 30.
Platform: Amazon.
Genre: Comedy.

The first series directed by the Oscar-winning Woody Allen. The director also acts as a screenwriter and actor in it. In addition to him, the project includes Miley Cyrus (The Last Song, Big Fish), John Magaro (The Selling Game, Orange Is the New Black), Rachel Brosnahan (House of Cards) and others. The series will show the life of an ordinary American family in the 60s, sweetened with a portion of Allen's humor.

Westworld

Premiere: October 2.
Platform: HBO.
Genre: Western, Thriller, Fantastic.

Perhaps the most ambitious television project of the fall. Symbol of quality HBO, big names on the list of creators and cast members, along with intriguing trailers, hint at the birth of a new hit. The scriptwriters and main authors of the project are Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight, Remember) and Lisa Joy. Anthony Hopkins plays one of the roles. The series is being filmed based on the film of the same name by Michael Crichton. We will see an amusement park populated by robots, stylized as the era of cowboys. Created for themed games and carnal pleasures, androids peacefully serve people, but one day everything goes wrong.

Divorce

Premiere: October 9.
Platform: HBO.
Genre: comedy, melodrama.

Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) is back on TV. Backed by HBO again. In the new project, her heroine is going through a long history of divorce. Deciding to end her marriage, she realizes that starting life with a clean slate at her age is much more difficult than it seemed.

Chance

Premiere: October 19.
Platform: Hulu.
Genre: Thriller.

Hugh Laurie ("House Doctor") plays the doctor again, but this time - the forensic neuropsychiatrist Eldon Chance. The series is based on the novel of the same name by the American writer Kem Nunn. A tense plot with criminal events and psychic anomalies awaits us. Hulu is confident in the success of the project and has funded two seasons at once.

Dirk Gently Detective Agency

Premiere: October 22.
Platform: BBC America.
Genre: Comedy, Thriller, Science Fiction.

Television adaptation of the literary ideas of Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), a renowned master of ironic fiction. The script for the project was written by Max Landis ("Ultra-Americans", "Chronicle"). The main characters of the series will be the eccentric detective Dirk Gently and his grumpy partner Todd, who is forced to help the detective. The assistant is played by the notorious Elijah Wood. Despite the differences, the heroes will have to solve non-trivial puzzles together.

The Crown

Premiere: November 4.
Platform: Netflix.
Genre: historical drama.

The series will show the young years of Elizabeth II and the political intrigues of that time. Judging by the scenery, costumes and music in the trailer, the aesthetes will have something to listen to and what to see. Lovers of history and drama will certainly want to watch the young queen at such a turbulent time for the British Empire.

Fresh seasons of old TV series

Narcos

Season: 2.
Premiere: September 2.
Platform: Netflix.
Genre: crime drama.

A series about the life of the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The plot is based on the true history of the South American cartels. The series describes the unpredictable world of the drug business and the busy life of its participants.

Poldark

Season: 2.
Premiere: September 4.
Platform: BBC One.
Genre: historical drama.

The authors of Poldark use the ideas of the writer Winston Graham. North America, late 18th century. Ross Poldark returns home from the war and finds that life has changed dramatically over the years. Instead of peace in his native village, a lot of problems fall on the man: the father is dead, the inheritance is in ruins, and the bride lives with another. This is how the dramatic story of the protagonist begins.

American Horror Story

Season: 6.
Premiere: September 14.
Platform: FX.
Genre: horror, thriller, fantasy.

You can get acquainted with this project from any season. Each of them is an independent story with new characters, time and place of action. The only common elements that tie all the seasons into one series is the list of the main actors and the theme of the plots: madmen, ghosts, vampires and other evil spirits. The details of the plot of the sixth season are still unknown, but there are rumors that it may be a sequel to the first.

Lucifer

Season: 2.
Premiere: September 19.
Platform: FOX.
Genre: detective, drama, fantasy.

The series tells the story of the life of Lufitzer and other characters from the comics of Neil Gaiman and other authors of the publishing house DC. The bored lord of darkness is attracted by the beauty of Los Angeles, and he goes to the mortal world to have a good fun. Lucifer opens a nightclub, where he uses his charisma and attractiveness, not knowing worries. But the murder of a familiar pop star once pushes him on the path of a detective.

The Big Bang Theory

Season: 10.
Premiere: September 19.
Platform: CBS.
Genre: Comedy.

The Big Bang Theory is a collection of comedic situations from the lives of friends who are well versed in physics and other abstruse things, but do not always understand those around them. Their communication with friends and an attractive neighbor has amused viewers for many years in a row.

Once Upon a Time

Season: 6.
Premiere: September 25.
Platform: ABC.
Genre: fantasy.

An epic adventure that borrows motives and characters from popular fairy tales. The action takes place in two dimensions: real and fabulous, the main character is a young girl Emma living in Boston. She travels to a bizarre magical world to uncover the secrets of her past.

Ash vs Evil Dead

Season: 2.
Premiere: October 2.
Platform: Starz.
Genre: comedy, horror, fantasy.

The television series continues the events of the cult series of films "Evil Dead" written and directed by Sam Raimi. The main character of the feature films Ash Williams, played by the same Bruce Campbell in the series, continues to fight with the revived corpses. Another dose of devilry, feigned violence and dark humor for all fans of dark comedies.

Supernatural

Season: 12.
Premiere: October 13.
Platform: The WB, The CW.
Genre: detective, thriller, fantasy.

The main characters, brothers Dean and Sam Winchesters, drive around the United States in search of their missing father and investigate paranormal phenomena along the way. They rescue innocent people, fight evil spirits and collect clues about the location of their main target.

Black Mirror

Season: 3.
Premiere: October 21.
Platform: Channel 4, Netflix.
Genre: social fiction, drama.

Black Mirror is a satirical statement about technology in modern society. Each episode, being an independent story, ridicules the negative consequences of progress, such as intrusive advertising and defenselessness of a person in front of the media. The first two seasons aired on Channel 4. After a short break, the sequel to Black Mirror was ordered by Netflix, which will broadcast the third season.

The Vampire Diaries

Season: 8.
Premiere: October 21.
Platform: The CW.
Genre: romance, fantasy.

The television series is based on a book series of the same name, written by American writer Lisa Jane Smith. The events take place in Mystic Falls, a fictional town with a mysterious past. In the center of the plot is a love triangle between the girl Elena and the vampire brothers Stefan and Damon. The latter is played by the audience's favorite Ian Somerhalder (Lost, The Sweet Couple).

The Walking Dead

Season: 7.
Premiere: October 23.
Platform: AMC.
Genre: Action, Thriller, Science Fiction.

Television adaptation of the comic book of the same name, which earned a place in the list of the most popular TV series in the world. The viewer is offered to look at the zombie apocalypse in the classic form: the virus has turned millions of people into carnivorous half-dead, and groups of survivors are trying with all their might to postpone their death. But even those who don't like zombies have something to see. The beauty of The Walking Dead is in its vivid characters and intense conflicts between them.

Salem

Season: 3.
Premiere: November 2.
Platform: WGN America.
Genre: horror, historical fantasy.

An artistic rethinking of historical events that took place in the 17th century in the ill-fated American city of Salem. Only the witches in the series are much more dangerous than their real counterparts. Manipulating people with the help of dark magic, they become real masters of the local latitudes.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life

Season: 8.
Premiere: November 25.
Platform: The WB, The CW, Netflix.
Genre: Comedy, Drama.

The series focuses on the relationship between single mother Lorelai and her daughter Rory, who live together in a small American town. The plot touches upon the problems of fathers and children, friendship, love, career and other social phenomena. The series was stopped for the seventh season in 2007. But Netflix has funded the sequel, which will air in late fall.

Didn't find the series you are waiting for in the lists? Let us know in the comments.