Fall TV Preview: Comedies Bringing the Laughs

Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 14, at 9 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Rachael MacFarlane
What to expect: After Fox airs three episodes in the first two weeks (Kim Kardashian guests as a furry alien on Sept. 21!), American Dad will switch networks and reside permanently on TBS starting Oct. 20. And it sounds like this animated comedy will take advantage of its newfound freedoms on cable. ”We can say two s—s and a godd—it per episode, which is really refreshing,” quips Executive Producer Matt Weitzman. ”Our fans are going to be really inspired by the lewd new lines that have been drawn.” —Dan Snierson

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 9 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield
What to expect: The gang has spent the summer sleeping around at various weddings, though Jess (Deschanel) has yet to land her first fling since ending things with Nick (Johnson). Her attempts at hooking up at the last wedding of the season may be dashed by a sexy scientist (Jessica Biel), who vies for the attention of the same guy (Reid Scott). Meanwhile, Schmidt (Greenfield) will try and fail to curb his obsession with Cece (Hannah Simone), who is going to college this season. ”We get to have fun with Schmidt without Cece,” Executive Producer Liz Meriwether teases. ”He’s settled into this weird thing where he’s sleeping with everybody and not caring about anybody.” —Natalie Abrams

Debuts: Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 9:30 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Ike Barinholtz
What to expect: Yes, Mindy (Kaling) and Danny (Messina) are a real couple after last season’s swoon-worthy kiss atop the Empire State Building, but it’s not happily ever after. Morgan’s (Barinholtz) cousin Lou (played by It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Rob McElhenney) may come between them. ”Even though Mindy and Danny are clearly a couple now, Morgan really wants Mindy to hook up with Lou because that means he and Mindy will be related, which means Morgan can do Thanksgiving at her nice apartment,” says Barinholtz. ”Morgan loves Danny, but Morgan is kind of obsessed with Mindy becoming a Tookers in one way or another.” —Stephan Lee

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. on CBS
Stars: Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco
What to expect: Parsons may have won his third Emmy for playing Sheldon Cooper, and he, Cuoco, and Galecki may be making a whopping $1 million an episode now, but not much has changed for TV’s top-rated comedy. Says Parsons, ”Nobody’s had to adopt a child or have a full-time pet or monkey on the show—God, kill me!” —Stephan Lee

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Patricia Heaton, Neil Flynn, Charlie McDermott, Eden Sher, Atticus Shaffer
What to expect: The Hecks were last seen in Disney World—not Land—but they’re all back under one roof before school starts. About to enter her senior year, Sue (Sher) finally gets her braces off. As she applies for colleges, Mike (Flynn) and Frankie (Heaton) realize the upcoming costs and take on a few more jobs. —Dalene Rovenstine

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 9 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Ed O’Neill, Ty Burell, Julie Bowen, Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Sofia Vergara
What to expect: Mitch (Ferguson) and Cam’s (Stonestreet) season 5 nuptials seem to have spurred a few family members to amorous action—Haley (Sarah Hyland) starts examining her feelings for Andy (returning guest star Adam DeVine), while Manny (Rico Rodriguez) embarks upon his very first relationship. ”Manny’s had many girlfriends but none that existed outside of his imagination so far,” says Executive Producer Christopher Lloyd. ”So this one is actually three-dimensional.” —Amy Wilkinson

Debuts: Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 9:30 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne
What it’s about: The Johnsons are leading a lovely, upper middle class life, but Andre, or Dre (Anderson), worries that his privileged, worldly kids have lost something of their cultural heritage—especially when his son tells him he wants to play field hockey. Series creator Kenya Barris says, ”I think the moment for us that really kind of sums it up is when his son’s friend comes in and asks for grape soda, and he’s like ‘I don’t have grape soda,’ and he actually has it. That’s sort of the subtle epitome of what the show is.” —Lindsey Bahr

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central
Stars: Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele
What to expect: Certainly, the lion’s share of your favorite viral-video stars will be back: Luther, Obama, Meegan, and the rest of the gang. But there’ll be new topics and situations too, ranging from topics like the military to life as a gay African-American. ”Outrageous,” Key says of the new season. ”Just out-of-our-minds outrageous.” —Ray Rahman

Premieres: Saturday, Sept. 27, at 11:30 p.m. on NBC
Stars: Kate McKinnon, Taran Killam, Kenan Thompson
What to expect: Even more cast turnover, for one. At least four of last season’s players (Nasim Pedrad, John Milhiser, Noel Wells, and Brooks Whelan) won’t return when SNL debuts its 40th season this fall. New faces, too, are coming in all likelihood, though we probably won’t find out who they are until shortly before the premiere (hosted by Chris Pratt with musical guest Ariana Grande). One thing that is certain: A big, splashy, three-hour-long 40th anniversary special is coming to NBC on Feb. 15…which is actually a Sunday. Twist! —Hillary Busis

Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith
What to expect: Bring along a box of Kleenex when you tune in to the season 26 premiere: One character will bite the dust. A clue? The actor who voices this character has won an Emmy, and the character has appeared more than twice on the show. ”If you think you’ve figured it out, then you figured it out,” teases Executive Producer Al Jean, ”unless I’m misleading you now.” —Dan Snierson

Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 28, at 8:30 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti
What to expect: Some resolution on those three cliffhangers involving Jake (Samberg), Amy (Melissa Fumero), Charles (Lo Truglio) and Gina (Peretti) from last spring. Guest spots by Jenny Slate and Kyra Sedgwick. And no easy passes for Det. Peralta. ”We’ve only [filmed] five episodes, but I will say Jake’s taking a little bit of beating this year, which I like,” says Samberg. ”There’s a lot testing his resolve, physically and emotionally. We’ve been sore the last couple of weeks.” —Dan Snierson

Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 28, at 9 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green
What to expect: Expect your mind to melt as the Griffins journey to Springfield and hang out with the Simpsons. ”Because it is a Family Guy episode and not a Simpsons episode, I think it does have maybe a little more of a Family Guy feel to it,” says Executive Producer Steve Callaghan. ”But we also tried to respect what The Simpsons is all about.” —Dan Snierson

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 29, at 8:30 p.m. on CBS
Stars: Anna Faris, Allison Janney
What to expect: Recovering alcoholic Christy (Faris) and her formerly estranged mother Bonnie (Janney) reached a détente last season—but things immediately fall apart this year when the pair (and Christy’s kids) lose their home. The mother-daughter duo also courts trouble when they try to help another addict (guest star Jaime Pressly) get sober. Sure, it’s dark—but Faris is having a blast all the same. ”I love playing messes in general,” she says. ”That’s because I can relate so well.” —Hillary Busis

Debuts: Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Karen Gillan, John Cho
What it’s about: 2014’s buzzword is now its very own TV comedy, written by Suburgatory alum Emily Kapnek and based on the age-old My Fair Lady story. Gillan stars as Eliza Dooley, a self-obsessed social media maven who enlists a marketing whiz (Cho) to help her overturn her narcissistic image. To get the lingo down, Kapnek turned to her own tech-obsessed offspring. ”I pretty much studied my 14-year-old,” she tells EW. ”I felt like Jane Goodall, but with teenagers.” —Marc Snetiker

Debuts: Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Jake McDorman, Analeigh Tipton
What it’s about: Creator Jeff Lowell is hoping to create ”a little Woody Allen movie every week” with his intimate rom-com, which allows viewers to hear the inner monologues of unlucky-in-love twentysomethings Peter (McDorman) and Dana (Tipton). ”You get to actually see and play out the subtext,” McDorman explains. ”So in a lot of ways, the audience is going to know these two are a perfect match long before they do.” —Marc Snetiker

Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 2, at 9 p.m. on NBC
Stars: Kate Walsh, Ryan Hansen, Tone Bell
What it’s about: Walsh, a veteran of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, returns to television in this comedy about Rebecca Wright—a highly respected, if unorthodox, judge whose private life off the bench is a little wild. ”Rebecca gets to do everything,” says Walsh. ”She’s a judge! She parties! She’s sort of promiscuous!” —Sara Vilkomerson

Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 2, at 9 p.m. on The CW
Stars: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin, Troy Gentile, Sean Giambrone, Haley Orrantia
What to expect: The family comedy sitcom kicks off on a high note as Adam (Giambrone) and Barry (Gentile) form a Twisted Sister-inspired heavy metal garage band. ”I was obsessed with them as a kid?I remember running down the hallway screaming ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It,’ recalls series creator Adam F. Goldberg. ”It was really one of those childhood anthems that really stirred you up and made you want to rebel.” Other relics of the 1980s—including John Hughes films, old-school photo developing shops, Princess Diana’s larger-than-life wedding, and Back to the Future—have inspired other season 2 episodes. Teases McLendon-Covey, who plays smothering matriarch Beverly Goldberg: ”If you think that the stories from last year were a little bizarre, these keep getting more bizarre!” —Nina Terrero

Debuts: Thursday, Oct. 2, at 9:30 p.m. on NBC
Stars: Ben Feldman, Cristin Milioti, Henry Zebrowski, Lenora Crichlow
What it’s about: The crazy guy from Mad Men and the How I Met Your Mother mother!? It’s a match made in ”Hey, I know that actor!” heaven in NBC’s new rom-com about one couple’s relationship from A (for acquaintances) to Z (for?spoiler?). Each episode themes around a letter, and each season hopes to tell one complete alphabetical story. ”It’s like an old Penny Marshall movie on one hand, and it’s super-modern on the other,” says Feldman. Plus, expect some deep dives into favorite pop culture titles like Laverne & Shirley and Back to the Future. —Marc Snetiker

Premieres: Friday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Tim Allen, Nancy Travis, Hector Elizondo,
What to expect: Conservative Mike Baxter (Allen) doesn’t evolve much in season 4—and that’s just the way he likes it. ”He just keeps banging away at modern culture and politics and society,” says executive producer Tim Doyle. But change could still be in the cards for the Baxter family, with eldest daughter Kristin (Amanda Fuller) newly engaged. Just don’t pull out your bags of rice quite yet. ”We may or may not see a wedding,” hints Doyle. —Kat Ward

Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. on Fox
Stars: H. Jon Benjamin, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Dan Mintz
What to expect: Wait, where did Bob (Benjamin) even come from? This season’s Christmas episode intends to fill us in on the burger-slinging Belcher’s origin story. ”We’ll have flashbacks that go back to two moments that explain Bob’s history,” showrunner Loren Bouchard says, while adding, ”There’s a little bit of Christmas magic at the gay bar that’s next to Bob’s dad’s restaurant.” Bill Hader will guest star to voice Bob’s dad, although he was just one of the options they went for. ”I floated Alan Alda,” Benjamin says, half-joking. ”We didn’t get him.” —Ray Rahman

Debuts: Sunday, Oct. 5, at 9:30 p.m. on Fox
Stars: John Mulaney, Martin Short, Nasim Pedrad, Elliott Gould
What it’s about: Stand-up John Mulaney stars in a multi-cam sitcom as an up-and-coming comedian in the Big Apple who pals around with an eclectic bunch of friends and learns a strange side of showbiz by working for a game-show host (Short). ”My character has a weird, old-fashioned point of view about what adult life is going to be like,” says Mulaney, ”and it’s not that I’m disappointed by actual life but it’s constantly different.” —Dan Snierson

Debuts: Friday, Oct. 10, Netflix
Stars: Chelsea Handler
What it’s about: Based on her 2014 collection of funny essays of the same name, Handler’s first standup special will cover the comedian’s African safari mishaps, her inability to do everyday things like fill up the gas tank, and dolphin rape. ”My life is just an embarrassment of riches. I have no business being in the situation I’m in,” says Handler. ”I’m just a girl from New Jersey who’s giving America a really lousy name, so I’m just trying to do the responsible thing and share my humiliation with the world. I make fun of enough other people, so I may as well circle back to myself.” —Stephan Lee

Debuts: Friday, Oct. 10, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC
Stars: Cristela Alonzo, Maria Canals-Barrera, Carlos Ponce
What it’s about: Created by, written by, and starring the stand-up comedian Alonzo, the semi-autobiographical family laffer follows the titular working girl, an ambitious woman paying her way through her sixth year of law school. She lives at home with her Mexican-American family who can’t fathom why an unpaid internship at a prestigious law firm is cause for celebration. Alonzo calls the show a love letter to her deceased mother, who moved from a Mexican village without electricity to America to give her family a better life. ”Everything I’ve done in my career has always been to make my family proud and be true to myself,” she says. —Karen Valby

Debuts: Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 9 p.m. on Fox
Stars: Casey Wilson, Ken Marino, Sarah Wright Olsen, John Gemberling, Tymberlee Hill, Tim Meadows
What it’s about: Meet Jake (Eastbound & Down‘s Marino) and Annie (Happy Endings‘ Wilson). He’s grounded. She’s most certainly not. They’ve been dating for six years and are looking to take their relationship to the next level, which would include moving past a horribly messed-up marriage proposal. The goal of this show—which, like Happy Endings, was created by Wilson’s real-life husband, David Caspe—is to give you romantic-comedy laughs with a bit of an edge, rather than to make you wonder Will they or won’t they? ”I don’t think it’s going to be hinging on ‘Are they going to get married?”’ says Wilson. ”To invest in them, you should feel that they should get married, and they will. But the tension in it is that push-pull that is there in all couples that are meant to be together.” —Dan Snierson

Premieres: Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 p.m. on NBC
Stars: David Walton, Minnie Driver, Benjamin Stockham
What to expect: Although the season finale saw Will (Walton) run away to New York with Dr. Sam (Adrienne Palicki), he’ll obviously make his way back to San Francisco eventually—though not immediately. ”There are hints in the first episode of problems in New York, and the decision of what to do comes to a head,” says Walton, who also teases high school drama for Fiona (Driver) and Marcus (Stockham) and beefed-up roles for married duo Andy (Al Madrigal) and Laurie (new series regular Annie Mumolo). —Marc Snetiker

Premieres: Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 11 p.m. on Showtime
Stars: Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky
What to expect: Kudrow’s cult favorite late-night comedy features a whole new slew of stars seeking counseling from Skype-reliant therapist Fiona Wallice in season four. ”I think it’s our biggest season ever in terms of talent,” gushes co-creator Bucatinsky. ”We have Gwyneth Paltrow and Jon Hamm and Allison Janney and Billy Crystal and Matthew Perry—rounding out almost all six of the Friends cast. Only Jennifer’s left, and she’s interested!” —Marc Snetiker

Premieres: Monday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. on CBS
Stars: Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs
What to expect: Titular broke girls Max (Dennings) and Caroline (Behrs) are about to meet one decidedly un-broke woman: Kim Kardashian, who appears in season 4’s premiere. ”It shows she has a great sense of humor about herself,” says Executive Producer Michael Patrick King. A glitzy new location’s also on deck this season when the gals get side gigs at a schmancy Manhattan restaurant. And, yes (for those keeping count), this means they’ve got three jobs now. —Hillary Busis

Debuts: Monday, Oct. 27, at 10:30 p.m. on Adult Swim
Stars: Mike Tyson, Norm Macdonald, Jim Rash
What it’s about: Imagine a Scooby Doo-style Hanna-Barbera cartoon—but with a colorful former heavyweight-champion boxer instead of Shaggy. That’s more or less what’s going on in Iron Mike’s new animated comedy, in which he leads a gang of problem-solving sidekicks as he solves mysteries brought to him by a talking carrier pigeon (voiced by Macdonald). ”People will fall down and just laugh,” Tyson says of the show. ”It’s a cartoon for the high guys.” —Ray Rahman

Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 30, at 8:30 p.m. on CBS
Stars: Will Arnett, Beau Bridges, Margo Martindale, Sean Hayes
What to expect: Sean Hayes joins the second season of the CBS comedy as Kip Withers, a new friend for Carol (Martindale) and a source of friction for Nathan (Arnett). ”Carol is going to move out of Nathan’s apartment, and she’s going to start living her new, single lifestyle in a more upbeat way,” says series creator/Executive Producer Greg Garcia. ”We thought if she had Kip by her side to help her through this transition, get her to try new things, and be her new best friend, that it would be great.” —Breia Brissey

Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 30, at 9 p.m. on CBS
Stars: Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher, Holland Taylor
What to expect: For the final season of his hit CBS sitcom, creator Chuck Lorre decided to treat it more like a miniseries and focus on one big story line: Walden (Kutcher) and Alan (Cryer) getting married and adopting a baby. ”It won’t be a church wedding but yes, there will be a wedding,” he says. —Jake Perlman

Debuts: Thursday, Oct. 30, at 9:30 p.m. on CBS
Stars: Laurie Metcalf, Tyler Ritter, Jack McGee, Joey McIntyre
What it’s about: Another funny family joins CBS’s Thursday lineup when Metcalf returns to her Roseanne sitcom roots as Marjorie McCarthy, the passive-aggressive matriarch of a Boston clan learning to navigate life with their newly out gay son (Ritter). ”It’s people wanting to do the right thing but not quite having the lingo that goes with it yet,” Metcalf says of the multi-cam comedy penned by Brian Gallivan, former Happy Endings writer and creator of the web series Sassy Gay Friend. —Marc Snetiker

Premieres: October on Amazon
Stars: John Goodman, Mark Consuelos, Janel Moloney
What to expect: Fresh off the primaries, the senators will continue to battle politics and one another as the midterm elections are approaching. But a new foe comes in the form of a conservative Republican Senator from North Dakota (Moloney). Look for a cameo with Moloney’s former West Wing costar Bradley Whitford. —Dalene Rovenstine

Premieres: Sunday, Nov. 9, at 10 p.m. on HBO
Stars: Lisa Kudrow, Robert Michael Morris, Lance Barber, Dan Bucatinsky
What to expect: Nine years after being cancelled, desperate actress Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) is back for a second season of HBO’s cult comedy series. In the second chapter, set in 2014, Valerie finds herself cast in a limited HBO series written by her former nemesis, Paulie G (Barber), who has sold a dark comedy based on his experiences working with Valerie on 2005’s Room & Bored. ”Valerie agrees to play it even though she’s playing the worst version of herself because she thinks it will take her to the next level,” explains co-creator Michael Patrick King, adding that the cameras following Valerie this time around are for bonus social media/web content, rather than a reality show. ”The closer Valerie gets to this heat, the more her life starts to fall apart.” —Marc Snetiker