What We Think Will Be Big
Unbelievable
(Netflix; 9/13)
This limited series, based on Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporting by ProPublica and the Marshall Project, focuses on a Lynnwood, Washington, rape case in which a young woman (Kaitlyn Dever of Booksmart) is accused of lying about her attack. Not long after, a pair of Colorado detectives (Merritt Wever and Toni Collette) attempt to solve rape cases that could be connected to what happened in Washington. There are many crime shows on TV, but only this one has Susannah Grant, writer of Erin
Brockovich, as showrunner, sharing directing duties with Lisa Cholodenko, director of The Kids Are All Right.
The Good Place
(NBC; 9/26)
The smartest, most thought-provoking comedy on network television returns for a fourth and final season, complete with one more attempt by Michael (Ted Danson), Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil), Jason (Manny Jacinto), and TV’s most endearing robot, Janet (D’Arcy Carden), to prove that humans are capable of self-improvement.
Evil
(CBS; 9/26)
This new crime-horror drama from Michelle and Robert King, creators of The
Good Wife and The Good Fight, has the potential to appeal to the usual CBS procedural crowd as well as those seeking TV that breaks from traditional molds. It focuses on a criminal psychologist, played by Katja Herbers of Westworld, who crosses career paths with a priest-in-training (Mike Colter of Luke Cage) and his colleague (Aasif Mandvi) who investigate possible supernatural occurrences on behalf of the Catholic Church.
The Politician
(Netflix; 9/27)
Prolific television producer Ryan Murphy’s first Netflix show is this darkly comedic portrait of a teen (Ben Platt of Dear
Evan Hansen) who wants to get to the White House someday and is convinced the first step is winning his high school’s presidency.
Living With Yourself
(Netflix; 10/18)
Paul Rudd has never starred in his own scripted series, but that changes with this mind scrambler about a guy named Miles who goes to an exclusive spa that promises to make him a better person. The effects of that visit are— spoiler alert—not what he expected. In the cafeteria of Peak TV, this one would sit at the same table as The Good
Place and Amazon’s Forever.
The Morning Show
(Apple; fall)
The launch of Apple’s new streaming service, Apple
TV+, is going to be a major headline grabber, and this new series will be a big part of those headlines. Inspired in part by Top of the Morning, the book by CNN’s Brian Stelter about the morning-TV wars, The Morning Show will follow the internal politics at a network daytime program and star some extremely high-profile actors—Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell—as the talent who smile when the camera is on and snipe at each other when it isn’t.
The Mandalorian
(Disney+; 11/12)
Disney+ is another major streaming service that’s launching this fall, and it’s kicking off with
The Mandalorian, the first-ever live-action Star
Wars television series.
Set in the years immediately after Return of the Jedi, the show will focus on a gunfighter in the mold of Boba Fett, portrayed by
Game of Thrones and Narcos star Pedro Pascal.
The Witcher
(Netflix; fall)
Another contender in the “next Game of Thrones” horse race, this fantasydrama (based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski that have spawned, among other things, a video-game franchise) stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, who hunts monsters on an ancient continent divided into two kingdoms.
His Dark Materials
(HBO; fall)
Or could this be the next
Game of Thrones? HBO’s next attempt at epic fantasy is this adaptation of the beloved
Philip Pullman books. It follows Lyra (Dafne Keen of
Logan), a girl with special gifts, who sets out to stop a plot to secretly abduct hordes of children. Keen stars alongside James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.