2023 Fall TV Season: 12 Shows to Watch That Aren't Reality Series
Don't worry, this thing is still on.
Four months after the Writers Guild of America officially went on strike following failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), and two months after SAG-AFTRA joined them on the picket line, there is still no deal in place, which means production is still halted on many series.
So, what does this mean for your fall TV viewing habits? Sure, there is a litany of reality shows to watch—including new seasons of Survivor, Dancing With the Stars and Bachelor in Paradise, along with the debut of The Golden Bachelor—but fret not, there are still scripted options for you to enjoy with some series wrapping up production pre-strike.
Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are back behind the news desk for The Morning Show's third season, while Sex Education is back for its fourth and final semester on Netflix and The Boys is sending its superheroes to college in its new spinoff, Gen V. And, should you be in the mood to kick off spooky season early, there's plenty of treats, including American Horror Story: Delicate, which stars Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian, the return of Goosebumps, and the latest horror show from The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan.
So break out the snacks and put on your sweatpants 'cause these are 12 shows worth checking out this fall:
When It Premieres: Sept. 13 on Apple TV+
Who Stars In It: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Nicole Beharie, Greta Lee, Julianna Margulies and Jon Hamm
Why You Should Tune In: Sources say this is the most dramatic season yet, thanks to Jon Hamm making his debut as a tech titan who expresses an interest in buying the network. Expect surprising alliances and newsroom chaos, along with secrets being exposed as a hacker targets UBA's top talent in a cyber-attack.
When it Premieres: Sept. 17 on Paramount+
Who Stars In It: Hugh Bonneville, Dominic Cooper, Tom Cullen, Charlotte Spencer, Jack Lowden, Sean Harris and Adam Nagaitis
Why You Should Tune In: Two words: Bank heist! Taking inspiration from the Brink's Mat robbery of 1983, the series centers on a gang that stages a record-setting theft, which leads to years of investigation, corruption and murder as they try to dispose of the $32 million worth of stolen gold.
When It Premieres: Sept. 20 on FX
Who Stars In It: Emma Roberts, Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne, Billie Lourd, Denis O'Hare, Leslie Grossman, Zachary Quinto and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Why You Should Tune In: The alternate title for season 12 of the horror anthology series, which is based on Danielle Valentine's novel Delicate Condition, could have easily been mother. In part one of the new installment, franchise veteran Roberts plays a woman desperately trying to have a baby, before slowly becoming convinced there is someone working against her efforts. While we always tune in for the thrills and chills, we're especially excited to see Kardashian flex her acting chops and are already obsessed with the SKIM mogul's delivery of "Do you want an Oscar? Do you want it as much as a baby?" in the trailer.
When It Premieres: Sept. 21 on Netflix
Who Stars In It: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Aimee Lou-Wood, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Mimi Keene, George Robinson, Chinenye Ezeudu, Dua Saleh, Alistair Petrie and Samantha Spiro
Why You Should Tune In: While we're sad to see the British dramedy graduate after its fourth and final season, we are excited for the Dan Levy's debut as Thomas Molloy, a famous author and a tutor at the Ivy League college Maeve (Mackey) is attending.
When It Premieres: Sept. 22 on Peacock
Who Stars In It: Colin Woodell, Mishel Prada, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Nhung Kate, Jessica Allain, Ayomide Adegun, Jeremy Bobb, Peter Greene and Katie McGrath. Mel Gibson is also set to appear.
Why You Should Tune In: Before Keanu Reeves kicked off the John Wick film franchise, Winston Scott (Ian McShane) was the architect behind The Continental—the hotel chain where assassins could cohabitate in peace. In this prequel series, Woodell plays a younger version of McShane's fan-favorite character as he attempt to seize control of the iconic boarding house, where the gun-wielding guests rarely get a security deposit back.
When It Premieres: Sept. 22 on Peacock
Who Stars In It: Jenna Coleman, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Benson and Eric Balfour
Why You Should Tune In: The first trailer was set to Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do," a fitting choice for this adaptation of B.E. Jones' 2017 novel about a woman who plans to exact revenge on her cheating husband on their trip around America's epic National Parks.
When It Premieres: Sept. 29 on Amazon Prime
Who Stars In It: Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Chance Perdomo, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas and Marco Pigossi
Why You Should Tune In: The Boys have gone wild. No, really, because this is the college-set spinoff of the streamer's superhero hit, which will follow a new generation of supes as Godolkin University. Irreverent, R-rated and featuring returning players from the OG show (including Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and P.J. Byrne, along with a guest appearance from Chace Crawford) this series is the perfect way to inject some Compound V into your queue.
When It Premieres: Oct. 6 on Disney+
Who Stars In It: Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Neil Ellice, Eugene Cordero, Tara Strong (voicing Miss Minutes), Ke Huy Quan, Rafael Casal, Kate Dickie and Liz Carr
Why You Should Tune In: The god of mischief is finally back and still in deep s--t after being transported to the TVA HQ of an alternate timeline in the season one finale.
When It Premieres: Oct. 5 on Netflix
Who Stars In It: Omar Sy, Soufiane Guerrab, Ludivine Sagnier, Etan Simon, Antoine Gouy, Vincent Londez and Shirine Boutella
Why You Should Tune In: Heists, heart and humor, that's what viewers will receive when the gentleman thief Assane Diop returns in the long-awaited third season that will reveal new layers of France's most wanted fugitive.
When It Premieres: Oct. 12 on Netflix
Who Stars In It: Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Mark Hamill, Carl Lumbly, Malcolm Goodwin, Paola Nuñez, Daniel Jun and Kyleigh Curran. Plus, appearances by Zach Gilford, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Carla Gugino and Annabeth Gish.
Why You Should Tune In: From The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass creator Mike Flanagan comes a—you guessed it—horror series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Yeah, prepare for the electric bill to be a little higher after this binge-watch because you will definitely be keeping the lights on.
When It Premieres: Oct. 13 on Hulu
Who Stars In It: Zack Morris, Isa Briones, Miles McKenna, Ana Yi Puig and Will Price
Why You Should Tune In: It's new Goosebumps. Dropping on Friday the 13th. In October. If the latest adaptation of R.L. Stine's classic book series—specfiically using elements from "Say Cheese and Die," "The Haunted Mask," "The Cuckoo Clock of Doom," "Go Eat Worms" and "Night of the Living Dummy"—isn't the perfect spooky season watch, we don't know what is, boo.
When It Premieres: Oct. 13 on Apple TV+
Who Stars In It: Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Stephanie Koenig and Kevin Sussman
Why You Should Tune In: In the 1950s-set series based on Bonnie Garmus' 2022 novel, Larson plays Elizabeth Zott, an aspiring scientist whose ambitions are put on hold in a society that insists women belong in the domestic sphere. After she finds herself pregnant, a desperate Elizabeth accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show, which she turns into an opportunity to inspire overlooked housewives to change the status quo. This revolution really will be televised.
(Peacock and E! are both part of the NBCUniversal family)
Peacock is live now! Check out NBCU's streaming service here.