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If you’ve been following entertainment in 2020, it’s been hard to take many release dates seriously. The film industry is finding new ways to stay afloat, but with most blockbusters picking up their stakes and moving to plots in 2021, it’s been on television to pick up the entertainment slack. Shows like Fargo are already out and being great, but this year isn’t over yet. This fall, the many studios across the spectrum have their work cut out for them, but with some clever maneuvering and proper planning, the upcoming TV schedule has some serious heat baked in.
Certified, most-popular series out right now will be dropping (a little earlier, too!), while a couple of shows are migrating from streaming services to your basic cable line-up. [Ed. note: Is that a new trend? Stick a pin in that for now.] Those streamers aren’t chilling, though. Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and Peacock all make appearances here, with hopes of some of these anticipated series actually knocking it out of the park when it comes to the content.
You know the score: We’ve poured over the fall television schedule for 2020, and present to you, the hungry TV lover, our picks for the shows you should be giving your precious time to. Whether you like superhero series, drama, horror, or classic sitcoms, we’ve got something for everyone in Complex’s 2020 Fall TV preview.
'Soulmates'
Starring: Sarah Snook, Charlie Heaton, Betty Brandt
Genre: Anthology
Network: AMC
Premiere date: October 5
The dating landscape sucks. Things have gotten so bad, in fact, that scientists have cooked up a seemingly foolproof test that can predict who your one true love is. That’s the premise of Soulmates, AMC’s new anthology series from writers Will Bridges (Black Mirror, Stranger Things) and Brett Goldstein (Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso). Broken into six separate stories, the season explores what happens when someone chooses to sidestep all the ebbs and flows of courting a life partner just so they can fast forward to the happy ending. But having the answer to a question—especially one as complex as falling in love—without knowing the how or the why is likely to lead to more soul searching than soulmates. But we’ll have to ride out the full season to know for sure. —Anslem Samuel Rocque
'Swamp Thing'
Starring: Crystal Reed, Virginia Madsen, Andy Bean, Derek Mears, Henderson Wade, Maria Sten, Jeryl Prescott, Will Patton, Jennifer Beals, Kevin Durand
Genre: Superhero, Horror, Drama
Network: The CW
Premiere date: October 6
Swamp Thing is another series that’s had an interesting life. Originally produced for the DC Universe platform, which housed all of DC’s TV shows, movies, and comics in one unique space, Swamp Thing was crafted like an hour-long horror series based on one of DC’s most iconic characters. It was famously canceled by DC Universe days before its second episode aired, but was one of a number of series The CW picked up to air (similar to what they recently did with another DC Universe series, Stargirl). If you’re a fan of this series, and want to see how The CW run will fair, be forewarned: a decent chunk of Season 1 might not make it to air, primarily due to what can air on TV and time constraints. These will end up being ~47-minute episodes? Hopefully Swamp Thing can get a new lease on life after this run. —khal
'The Haunting of Bly Manor'
Starring: Victoria Pedretti, Henry Thomas, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, T'Nia Miller, Catherine Parker, Rahul Kohli, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Amelie Smith, Amelia Eve, Tahirah Sharif
Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Drama
Network: Netflix
Premiere date: October 9
In October of 2018, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House was a surprise spooky szn hit for the streamer. After doing justice to The Shining with his underrated sequel Doctor Sleep, Flanagan’s back with a number of Hill House folks for the next chapter in the anthology, The Haunting of Bly Manor. This series stars Hill House (and YOU Season 2) star Victoria Pedretti in a tale that transports Henry James’ 1898 horror novella The Turn of the Screw to England in the 1980s, although it doesn’t stay there. Again, if you rocked with Hill House, you know how insane Flanagan’s horror brain can get. This will be a must-watch for you freaks out there. —khal
'One Day at a Time' (Season 4)
Starring: Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Stephen Tobolowsky, Rita Moreno
Genre: Sitcom
Network: CBS
Premiere date: October 12
Norman Lear’s One Day at a Time, which received a critically acclaimed reboot on Netflix that was canceled after three solid seasons, is in a predicament. Its fourth season was picked up by Pop TV (with a deal in place for the series to be aired on CBS in the future), but then COVID-19 changed how the world worked. The six episodes of Season 4 (plus an animated episode that was done during quarantine) aired on Pop TV, and will now be showing on CBS; one hopes that, if time and luck align, maybe they could churn out the tail end of the series in time to air on CBS. Either way, this is an important moment: If you love this series—which has been a voice for the Latinx and the LGBTQ+ communities—you need to get those ratings numbers as high as can be. Season 5 may depend on it! —khal
'Helstrom'
Starring: Tom Austen, Sydney Lemmon, Elizabeth Marvel, Robert Wisdom, June Carryl, Ariana Guerra, Alain Uy
Genre: Superhero
Network: Hulu
Premiere date: October 16
In a year when a worldwide pandemic has created a Marvel drought, Helstrom serves as just the second drop of content from the entertainment juggernaut. Similar to series like Runaways and Cloak & Dagger, the show is set in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, but is a standalone story that delves into the world of horror. Based on Marvel’s Hellstrom comic book, Hulu’s Helstrom (spelled with one l) revolves around the complicated lives of tormented siblings Daimon and Ana Helstrom, who battle demons in their spare time. That might sound like an odd pastime to most, but when your mother is a powerful serial killer who’s spent the past 20 years in the psych ward, fighting the occult is more like a family tradition. This is definitely not the same blockbuster fare Marvel fans have become accustomed to over the past decade, but Helstrom might be a nice change of pace to whet your appetite. —Anslem Samuel Rocque
'This Is Us' (Season 5)
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Ron Cephas Jones, Jon Huertas, Alexandra Breckenridge, Niles Fitch
Genre: Drama
Network: NBC
Premiere date: October 27
Two years ago, in advance of the Season 3 premiere of This Is Us, I declared the series The Wire of family dramas. I stand by that statement. This Is Us plays out across multiple timelines, painting the current-day Pearson family as the product of a past colored by high highs and low lows, chiefly the death of father Jack (Milo Ventimiglia). Last season saw the show jump more abruptly between periods to illustrate matriarch Rebecca’s (Mandy Moore) sharp cognitive decline in the face of dementia and the erosion of the Big Three’s relationship—although, when we left off, future Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) had reconciled, while Kate (Chrissy Metz) was absent. The first episodes of Season 5 promise to address the pandemic that delayed them, alongside the protests for racial equality that took hold during the series’ break. At some point, presumably, we’ll check in with characters like Malik (Asante Blackk) and Cassidy (Jennifer Morrison), who broadened the show’s scope early last year. But This Is Us is a series moving steadily toward an end, and regardless of who resurfaces, this season’s success will hinge on how it carries us to that finish line. —Lucas Wisenthal
'The Mandalorian' (Season 2)
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Sasha Banks
Genre: Space Western
Network: Disney+
Premiere date: October 30
Disney+’s space Western The Mandalorian might help ease the fall-to-winter portion of the Great 2020 Quarantine. Pedro Pascal and company (which includes everyone from Giancarlo Espositio to Gina Carano) are inviting new members into the fold, including WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, who showed up in the trailer for Season 2 as a mysterious figure. It’ll be interesting to see how this season aligns with the larger Star Wars tales being told, or how much bigger The Child’s meme-ability will become, or if they’ve settled into their groove of periods of sweet chill paired with epic battles in galaxies far away. —khal
'Industry'
Starring: Myha’la Herrold, Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson, Nabhaan Rizwan, Freya Mavor, Will Tudor, Conor MacNeill, Ken Leung
Genre: Drama
Network: HBO
Premiere date: November 9
HBO has been killing it with its acquisitions from across the pond as of late (I May Destroy You is still on the tips of people’s tongues), and it may have struck gold again with Industry, an eight-episode import that focuses on a group of recent graduates all vying for a small number of positions at one of London’s top investment banks. The series (which will air on HBO in the States and on BBC Two in the United Kingdom) may feature a number of names you’re not familiar of, but Girls creator Lena Dunham directed the first episode, and stellar character actor Ken Leung (who you’ve seen in everything from the first Rush Hour and the first Saw film to Lost) is part of the cast. Those reasons alone should be motivation enough to check out the premiere, at least. —khal
'Animaniacs'
Starring: Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille
Genre: Animation
Network: Hulu
Premiere date: November 20
Ready to wreak havoc for an entirely new generation, the Animaniacs, comprised of Warner brothers Yakko and Wakko, with their cutie-patootie sister, Dot, have returned. Produced by Steven Spielberg, the family-friendly ’90s cartoon will air 13 new episodes on Hulu beginning November 20. Pullin’ up alongside the inseparable siblings are the homies Pinky and The Brain, who will continue their quest for world domination. Why? because quitters never prosper.
As the youth often says: It’s lit! —Shenequa Golding
'Saved by the Bell'
Starring: Elizabeth Berkley, Mario Lopez, John Michael Higgins, Josie Totah, Dexter Darden, Mitchell Hoog, Haskiri Velazquez, Alycia Pascual-Pena, Belmont Cameli
Genre: Sitcom
Network: Peacock
Premiere date: November 25
The fight for a Saved by the Bell reboot is over and the premiere date is right around the corner. For those who remember (and those who need to catch up), Zack Morris was the most popular guy at Bayside High; Kelly Kapowsi was the cheerleading captain; Jessie Spano was the know-it-all; Lisa Turtle was the shopaholic; AC Slater was the resident muscle man; and Screech was… Screech. But starting November 25, viewers will see things have changed while some things have remained exactly the same. Zack has somehow become the governor of California and Kelly is his first lady. Their son, Mac Morris, and Jessie’s son, Jamie Spano, are enrolled at their parents’ alma mater Bayside, while AC Slater walks the halls as the new PE teacher. This should be interesting. —Amber McKynzie
'The Kenan Show'
Starring: Kenan Thompson, Andy Garcia, Punam Patel
Genre: Sitcom
Network: NBC
Premiere date: TBA
Kenan Thompson is the actor who keeps on acting. And who are we to make it stop? In addition to his regularly scheduled spots on Saturday Night Live and Bring the Funny, Thompson has teamed with executive producer Chris Rock for his own self-titled show. Originally slated to air in May, the family comedy centers on Thompson, who plays a recently widowed father working to be Super Dad to his two daughters while juggling work and a father-in-law who “helps” with the house in the worst possible ways. So if you’ve been in need of some (mildly inappropriate) family fun, The Kenan Show is coming soon. —Amber McKynzie
'Rebel'
Starring: Katey Sagal, John Corbett, Andy Garcia, James Lesure, Tamala Jones, Sam Palladio, Kevin Zegers, Lex Scott Davis, Ariela Barer
Genre: Drama
Network: ABC
Premiere date: TBA
In order to fight for the small guy, sometimes you need a big woman. In the straight-to-series ABC drama Rebel, Annie “Rebel” Bello (Katey Sagal) plays a fun, brilliant, fearless blue-collar lawyer. What she lacks by not having a law degree, she makes up for with her whatever-it-takes attitude. Inspired by real-life activist Erin Brockovich, Rebel uses her will power is to propel her to victory, no matter what the cost. —Shenequa Golding
'WandaVision'
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings, Randall Park, Kathryn Hahn
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Sitcom
Network: Disney+
Premiere date: TBA
Honestly, the potential of Disney+’s WandaVision series almost makes it OK that we weren’t able to get a new Marvel film this year. All right, even if that’s a stretch, you can’t deny that the decade-hopping post-Endgame setting is as exciting as it is confusing. How is Vision even around? Who even knows. There have been theories about how this series could tie into the next Doctor Strange film since last summer, and we appear to be closer than ever before to unraveling this puzzle. It’ll surely showcase how powerful the Scarlet Witch is, and also feels ripe for homages to sitcoms and comics from years gone by. It’s also the first true look at how new MCU product will function on Disney+, so keep all eyes peeled. —khal