With every fall comes a new season of television and Fall 2016 is no different. Old shows return and new shows are trotted out for our viewing pleasure. Some new shows fail almost immediately and others will hang on for the rest of the season. Returning shows have the job of keeping us engaged and entertained, and if it applies, avoiding the sophomore slump. The battle for your television viewership is growing tougher and tougher. With multitudes of television channels, streaming platforms, most of them with their own original content, watching television is now completely in the hands of the viewer.
The battle for my TV viewership is a fierce one this Fall. Luckily for me, my viewership is laser-focused, I like what I like and there isn’t much of what I like or particularly interested in this season. Let’s get to it.
Returning Shows:
Arrow – Arrow enters its fifth season this fall and with it mark its 100th episode. Arrow has increasingly taken a backseat to the many of other DCTVU shows, which used it as a launching pad, that now litters the CW (The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl) and it has shown in the lack of promotion that the show receives. Arrow had a shaky season four, with dreadful flashbacks, mishandled storylines (I’m looking at you Baby Mama Drama, launching Legends of Tomorrow, etc.), and an inability to focus on the core characters of the show (Felicity Smoak in particular and the trauma she is dealt throughout the season). I am hoping that season five acknowledges the events of season four and the problems that it created for Team Arrow & Co. and deals with them accordingly by not sweeping them under the rug to push forth new storylines and new vigilantes. Arrow became Arrow, not because of the exploits of masked vigilantes but the human beings beneath them. They have a lot to work with this season, Oliver Queen as Star City Mayor, reuniting Olicity, bringing back Team Arrow, Bratva flashbacks, and a whole host of newbies. I’m going into the season with hopeful trepidation and hopefully, I won’t become more apathetic than I already am.
Arrow premieres October 5th on CW & CTV2
Agents of SHIELD – Agents of SHIELD embarks on its fourth season this upcoming fall after an explosive third season. In my humble opinion, AoS has increasingly gotten better and better with each advancing season. They’ve found a groove that works for them and they’ve stuck to it. They’ve also mastered something that none of the other comic book based TV shows has and that is a balance. They’ve been able to balance multiple storylines, multiple characters and made them work almost seamlessly together in a pretty cohesive overarching storyline. A lot occurred in season three, from rescuing Simmons from an alien planet, to an ancient parasitic Inhuman (the first) bent on remaking the world after taking over Ward’s dead body, a couple of deaths, and some goodbyes, a lot of Inhumans, and FitzSimmons finally crossing the event horizon! Season four looks to pick off where season three ended off, the continuing hunt for Daisy Skye, a new Ghost Rider, the emergence of a new type of artificial intelligence (Hello AIDA), and a greater look into the lives of SHIELDs agents, especially now that a new director is in charge. AoS has also promised a darker and grittier season than we have seen before, which again opens up many different storylines and arcs for the show and its characters. Hopefully, Bobbi and Hunter will be able to drop in somewhere in the season, if only to say a hello and do a little ass kicking. I, for one, am looking forward to what season four of Agents of SHIELD has in store for us.
Agents of SHIELD premieres September 20th on ABC & CTV
Lucifer – Lucifer was my sleeper hit last season. I didn’t except to enjoy it or even become as engrossed with it as I did, but I did and what an incredible show it is. From the impressive cast to the writing, to the story it is telling, it really does encompass so many different genres from crime procedural to supernatural/fantasy to drama. The events of the season finale left Lucifer in a very different state than he was in at the beginning of the season and in a whole lot of trouble considering his mama has escaped the confines of her prison in Hell. Tricia Helfer joins season two of Lucifer as Lucifer and Amenadiel mum, who I think is perfect casting for the role, and I cannot wait to see what kinds of fun she stirs up for her sons. Lucifer takes you on a journey that you never thought you needed but one that you will not get off of if you have the choice.
Lucifer premieres September 19th on Fox & CTV
Poldark – Poldark, the brilliant and breathtaking BBC drama, has already returned to our screens and it has been amazing so far. For those who follow me on Twitter, you know how much of a Poldark spiral I went on when I initially began watching Poldark, and the spiral has only continued. From the epic backdrop that is Cornwall to the magnificent acting of its cast, and the brilliant adaptation of Winston Graham’s novels by Debbie Horsfield, Poldark has really captured the hearts and minds and most importantly eyes of millions of viewers around the world. Series two of the series promises more heartbreaks, more tears, more 18th-century family drama, and hopefully a few more shirtless scenes from Aidan Turner.
Poldark premiered on the BBC on September 4th & premieres on PBS on September 25th
Other returning shows I’ll be watching:
- Elementary which doesn’t premiere until October 10th on CBS & Global
- NCIS: LA which premieres September 25th on CBS & Global
- Gilmore Girls which premieres November 25th on Netflix
New Shows:
Designated Survivor – Designated Survivor marks the return of Kiefer Sutherland to primetime television in political drama about a US cabinet secretary who has been named the designated survivor and de facto President of the US after the former President and the rest of his entire Cabinet are killed in an attack. While the plot is a little farfetched it does tick a few of my political drama boxes that were left vacant after I dropped Madam Secretary. It’ll be interesting to see how Designated Survivor is different from other political dramas that have appeared on television over the last few years. It also stars a few of my favourite actor and actresses like Kal Penn, Maggie Q, and Italia Ricci in major roles, which makes me even more excited for the show.
Designated Survivor premieres September 21st on ABC and CTV
Pitch – Pitch is a sports drama about the first woman, Ginny Baker, to pitch professionally in the Major Baseball League in the US. I’m not a huge baseball fan, in truth, I watch zero baseball and it is not what is primarily drawing me into this show. What is, is what goes on behind the scenes of what it takes to be a professional athlete in one of the biggest sports leagues in the world and what it takes for not only a woman but a woman of colour, to do so in a sport that has been historically dominated by men. This show checks so many of my television viewing boxes that I could not say no to it. I have high hopes for the show and the reviews of the show so far have been quite good and many have named the breakout star of the show to be Kylie Bunbury who plays Ginny Baker.
Pitch premieres September 22nd Fox & Global
Luke Cage – We were introduced to Luke Cage in Jessica Jones and did he make an impression! I’m really excited to explore more of Luke’s world, a world different from the ones portrayed in Daredevil and Jessica Jones. He’s a man who is literally indestructible but a man, who has felt a tremendous loss, who has seen the damage the human beings can inflict upon one another, whose reluctance to being a hero may actually make him one of the best. If the Netflix trailer is anything to go by, this show is going to be explosive, action-packed, touting an amazing soundtrack, give us a unique look into Harlem, introduce more characters from the Marvel Universe, and a look into what it takes to be a hero. The domination of persons of colour in the cast of Luke Cage is also pretty damn exciting.
Luke Cage drops on Netflix on September 30th
Other new shows I’ll be checking out:
- Conviction starring Hayley Atwell (RIP Agent Carter) which premieres October 3rd on ABC & CTV
- Timeless which premieres October 3rd on NBC & Global
What shows will you be watching this fall? Any I haven’t mentioned and should check out? Leave your comments below or hit me up on Twitter!
A Work in Progress 