Streaming, traditional outlets set fall releases
LOS ANGELES — Intrigued by a drama set behind the scenes of a morning TV show, with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon? How about a supernatural series with Lin-Manuel Miranda or a comedy starring Paul Rudd as a man overshadowed by his clone?
The small screen is demanding a bigger bite of viewers’ entertainment budget, and there’s no end in sight as streaming services from Apple and Disney arrive this fall, squalling for attention with star-laden and high-concept programs while existing services crank out more shows to keep customers. Netflix, estimated to spend up to an astounding $15 billion this year on programming, will field some 30 contenders between now and November.
Here’s a selection of new shows coming your way, along with notable returns.
BROADCAST
■ mixed-ish, ABC, Sept. 24. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross’ character in black-ish, is a preteen fish-out-of-water in this prequel about growing up as the mixed-ethnicity child of hippies and a transplant to suburbia. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tika Sumpter are her parents. ■ Stumptown, ABC, Sept. 25. Based on a graphic novel series, the drama stars Cobie Smulders as a veteran with PTSD, a gambling problem and a brash approach to her private detective work. ■ Bob (Hearts) Abishola, CBS, Sept. 23. From hitmaker Chuck Lorre ( The Big Bang Theory), an odd-couple romantic comedy about a nurse (Folake Olowofoyeku) and the former cardiac patient who pursues
her (Billy Gardell).
■ Evil, CBS, Sept. 26. A crime drama from The Good Wife and The Good Fight creators Robert and Michelle King, with the roots of criminality sharing center stage with proving whodunit. Mike Colter plays a priest in training, Katja Herbers a pragmatic detective.
■ Batwoman, CW, Oct. 6. Ruby Rose plays a Caped Crusader on new ground: She is openly lesbian. Batwoman is put to the test in a crime wracked Gotham City, with her dad (Dougray Scott) maybe on her side.
■ Nancy Drew, CW, Oct. 9. The enduring sleuth of book and 1970s TV fame is back and grown up in the series that promises supernatural overtones, a hint of horror and a love life for Nancy, played by Kennedy McMann.
■ Almost Family, Fox, Oct. 2. A fertility doctor’s (Timothy Hutton) unethical actions upend three women’s lives in this drama produced by Jason Katims ( Friday Night Lights) and Annie Weisman ( About a Boy). Brittany Snow, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Emily Osment star.
■ Bless the Harts, Fox, Sept. 29. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell and Ike Barinholtz are the voice cast for this animated comedy about a Southern family that’s financially challenged but with a wealth of friends and good humor.
■ Bluff City Law, NBC, Sept. 23. Jimmy Smits ( L.A. Law) portrays Elijah Strait, head of a famed Memphis law firm that fights for social justice. Caitlin McGee co-stars as Strait’s estranged daughter and reluctant partner.
■ Perfect Harmony, NBC, Sept. 26. Bradley Whitford ( The Handmaid’s Tale) plays a former Ivy League college music professor who finds his new calling as director of a small-town church choir.
Returning: final seasons of Modern Family, ABC, Sept. 25; Ted Danson comedy The Good Place, NBC, Sept. 26; Viola Davis’ How to Get Away with Murder, ABC, Sept. 26; Madam Secretary, CBS, Oct. 6, with Tea Leoni; CW’s
long-running Supernatural, Oct. 10; and Poldark, Sept. 29, on PBS’ Masterpiece.
BASIC CABLE
■ Patsy & Loretta, Lifetime, Oct. 19. Broadway stars Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller play country music greats Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn in a TV movie about their friendship and challenges they helped each other face.
■ The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park, AMC and Sundance TV, Nov. 13-15. The docu-series revisits the 1986 killing of Jennifer Levin by prep school student Robert Chambers, promising new
scrutiny of evidence and how gender and status affected the crime’s perception.
Returning: The Walking Dead, AMC, Oct. 6
PREMIUM CABLE
■ Godfather of Harlem, Epix, Sept. 29. Forest Whitaker is a producer and lead of the drama series about New York crime boss Bumpy Johnson and his 1960s post-prison life.
■ His Dark Materials, HBO, date to be announced. James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson and Dafne Keen join Lin Manuel-Miranda ( Hamilton) in this series adapted from Philip Pullman’s trilogy of novels.
■ Watchmen, HBO, Oct. 20. Damon Lindelof ( Lost) is an executive producer for this drama series inspired by the graphic novel. Stars Regina King, Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Jr.
■ Back to Life, Showtime, Oct. 6. Miri is out of prison and back home in her small town after 18 years in this British comedy starring Daisy Haggard.
■ The L Word: Generation Q, Showtime, Dec. 8. Jennifer Beals is back for this sequel to The L Word in an updated look at LGBTQ lives and loves.
STREAMING
■ Taken Down, Acorn TV, Monday. A Nigerian girl from a Dublin center for asylum-seekers is murdered, with the investigation complicated
by refugees’ fears of deportation and trauma.
■ Modern Love, Amazon, Oct. 18. The New York Times newspaper column inspired this romantic comedy anthology, with Anne Hathaway, Dev Patel, Tina Fey and Catherine Keener.
■ The Morning Show, Apple TV Plus, date TBA. Steve Carell, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Billy Crudup join Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in a behind-the-scenes look at the competitive morning broadcast realm.
■ See, Apple TV Plus, date TBA. A futuristic drama about a world left sightless and with its population diminished by a virus. Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard star.
■ The Mandalorian, Disney Plus, Nov. 12. This Star Wars series takes place after the fall of the Empire. ■ High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Disney Plus, Nov. 12. There’s a new cast in this new take on the popular Disney Channel franchise.
■ Looking for Alaska, Hulu, Oct. 18. An eight-episode limited series based on John Green’s 2005 novel of the same name, with Kristine Froseth and Charlie Plummer.
■ The Politician, Netflix, Sept. 27. Producer Ryan Murphy turns his cynical eye on politics, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange and Bette Midler along for the ride.
■ Rhythm + Flow, Netflix, Oct. 9. A hip-hop competition led by Cardi B, Chance the Rapper and Tip “T.I.” Harris, with John Legend among its producers.
■ Living with Yourself, Netflix, Oct. 18. A comedy starring Paul Rudd as a man who’s beside himself when he’s duplicated in an unorthodox spa treatment, but made better, and sees the copy take over his life.
Returning: Netflix’s The Crown, Nov. 17, with Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth; the musical finale to Amazon’s groundbreaking transgender drama Transparent, Sept. 27; Doc Martin starring Martin Clunes on Acorn TV, date TBA.