Fall TV 2018: Exclusive looks at 104 of this year's biggest shows

Candice Bergen reprises her iconic role as an investigative journalist, but this time she hosts an eponymous talk show with her old pals Corky (Faith Ford), Frank (Joe Regalbuto), and Miles (Grant Shaud). Her son Avery (Jake McDorman) is now a grown man working as the lone liberal voice on a Fox News-like network, much to his mom’s chagrin. “Unlike Murphy, he’s really interested in moving toward the middle and having a conversation with some of these people he met on the campaign trail who felt like they haven’t been represented.” Tyne Daly also joins the action as a less-than-tolerant barkeep named Phyllis. —Lynette Rice

NBC’s outstanding afterlife comedy The Good Place returns for season 3 with its feet planted firmly on Earth, where in-limbo souls Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) have been granted do-overs by Judge Jen (Maya Rudolph). “A lot of stuff happened in that year,” sums up Good Place creator Mike Schur. “They’re in wildly different places than we’ve ever seen them.” No spoilers here — okay, one spoiler: After questioning the nature of his existence, Jason decides to… focus even harder on his dance crew. —Dan Snierson

Enough with the lonliness already! Expect a far-more-adventurous Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) this season—at least when it comes to love. “Meredith is gonna date,” Pompeo explains. “People who lose their spouses do want to find love again.” A patient who’s also a matchmaker shows up in the first episode, which helps set the stage for a lighter, more romantic tone in the first part of the season, especially when it comes to Maggie (Kelly McCreary) and Jackson (Jesse Williams) “exploring love that they have finally claimed,” teases executive producer Krista Vernoff. The real drama comes with the return of Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) and how her presence affects Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone). “I don’t even know where that story goes yet, but boy is it fun trying to figure it out,” adds Vernoff.

Last season, Frank (Charlie Weber) recognized Gabriel Maddox (Rome Flynn) and immediately placed a call to a mysterious person. “Her kid is here,” Frank said on the phone. Fans immediately speculated the “her” in that sentence was Bonnie (Liza Weil), who revealed in season 4 that she gave birth to a stillborn after she was raped at 15. The new season will explore more of that backstory, while a far-less-tortured Annalise (Viola Davis) will figure out what’s next in her always complicated life. “Does she have room in her life for love?” teases executive producer Pete Nowalk. Timothy Hutton also joins the cast in a secret role. — Lynette Rice

For the squad’s milestone 20th season—tying it with the original Law & Order and Gunsmoke as the longest-running prime-time drama—SVU is going big with a two-hour opener that will leave fans “shocked,” showrunner Michael Chernuchin teases. Keeping with the show’s tradition of ripping plots from the headlines, expect to see episodes around immigration, incels, and the #MeToo movement. Meanwhile, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) will be facing her own mortality. As Chernuchin warns: “She’s been working very hard for 20 years, and she doesn’t run as fast as she used to.” — Jessica Dershowitz

After getting kicked off the team for lying and letting down Hondo (Shemar Moore) last season, Jim Street (Alex Russell) begins season 2 of this law enforcement drama in a bad place—and we’re not just talking about how he’s been downgraded to the patrol division. “He isn’t handling it well and is kinda spiraling a bit,” explains executive producer Shawn Ryan. S.W.A.T. team-mate Chris Alonso (Lina Esco) tries to mediate the situation so the old gang can get back together, but “that won’t be such a quick journey,” adds Ryan. Hondo also meets a love interest in the district attorney’s office played by Nikiva Dionne, but it’s not for keeps. “It’s more like two people in need of each other at this particular moment.” — Lynette Rice

In the new series star Vicki Lawrence is referring to as “Leisure World shenanigans,” an unlikely group of friends in a retirement home find themselves in a weekly series of misadventures. Lawrence, in her first leading role on television in years, stars alongside David Alan Grier, Martin Mull, and Leslie Jordan as the titular “Cool Kids.” When the death of a friend leaves an empty spot at their boys’ club lunch table, Margaret (Lawrence) seizes the moment to become one of the self-christened “Cool Kids.” It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Charlie Day created the show, which Lawrence bills as an
older version” of the FX sitcom. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Tim Allen’s sitcom has a new network, new night, and even a new daughter (Molly Cook replacing Molly Ephraim), but otherwise the family comedy is picking up right where it left off when ABC controversially axed the show after six seasons last year. Expect more of fishing store owner Mike Baxter’s (Allen) brand of middle America perspective as the revival tackles family and social issues (while perhaps picking up some of ABC’s discarded Roseanne audience). —James Hibberd

MacGyver (Lucas Till) has left the country. After quitting the Phoenix Foundation in the season 2 finale, September’s premiere finds the absurdly handy agent living in Nigeria. “We did an episode last year where there was a well fire, and he connected with a man in a village,” says executive producer Peter Lenkov. “He goes back to that village and ends up falling in love with a local girl there. He’s found a new purpose.” That new purpose, however, won’t last. The Phoenix Foundation will need MacGyver’s special set of skills as early as episode 1. After all, who else can start a car engine using only a set of dog tags? — Samantha Highfill

Gordon Ramsay has been be-rating inept cooks for undercooked scallops and burnt Wellingtons for more than a decade, so why check out the 18th edition of Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen? Coming off last season’s popular “All-Stars” edition, the series introduces a new twist with “Rookies vs. Veterans,” pitting returning favorites against hungry newcomers. “I wanted to give the all-stars a kick in the ass,” Ramsay says. “Our rookies are millennials who have been studying on YouTube. They’re hungry, raw talent and it’s incredibly competitive.” The result, Ramsay declares, is “by far” the show’s best season yet (and let’s face it: Chef is nothing if not judgy). — James Hibberd

If last season of Blue Bloods was about grief and acceptance — as Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) struggled to move on from his wife Linda’s shocking death — this one is all about new beginnings. A refresher for where we left off: After years of squad-car bickering, Jamie (Will Estes) and Eddie (Vanessa Ray) abruptly announced at a Reagan family dinner that they were engaged. And season 9 won’t waste any time unpeeling the lovebirds’ new dynamic, particularly as it relates to them figuring out how to still work together as partners. “Like anybody in a relationship, you think, ‘Nothing’s going to change, right?'” teases Ray. Yeah, we wouldn’t bet on that. —David Canfield

Trip into season 29 to see a frog jumping onto a freaked-out macho man, a turkey going postal on a mailman—plus, a boy trying on his first pair of glasses and noticing Mom’s wrinkles, “which could be wrong and fun at the same time,” says host Alfonso Ribeiro. Also, home-security cameras will capture painful spills. “That should be funny, especially in winter when we get a bunch of icy porches and sidewalks,” says Ribeiro. “As long as we don’t draw blood, we’re good.” — Dan Snierson

In the season 30(!!!) premiere, when an injured Bart (Nancy Cartwright) lies to Marge (Julie Kavner) and tells her he saw Jesus, “Homer [Dan Castellaneta] and Ned [Harry Shearer] are asked to write a Christian movie about it,” says showrunner Al Jean. Gal Gadot auditions as Lisa (Yeardley Smith), and, in the film, “she’s eating hamburgers and saying she can’t sing, and it makes the real Lisa very aggravated,” he adds. Also, “Treehouse of Horror XXIX” parodies Jurassic Park and features “an opening where Cthulhu gets into an eating contest with Homer,” says Jean. “I’ll leave you to guess who might win.” — Dan Snierson

Is Tina Belcher really boy crazy? Her family certainly thinks so. But the oldest Belcher kid (voiced by Dan Mintz) faces her biggest source of hormonal confusion head-on in the Bob’s Burgers season 9 premiere. She chases her crush to the open auditions for boy band Boyz4Now, where she ends up amid hundreds of teenage guys. The episode will feature multiple musical numbers with Broadway royalty—namely Hamilton alum Daveed Diggs and Book of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad, and Rory O’Malley—voicing the objects of Tina’s affection. —Piya Sinha-Roy

If you received a friend request from someone claiming to be the Almighty, you’d probably assume it was a fake account—until that account directed you to saving a stranger’s life. CBS’ new drama sees atheist and podcast host Miles (Brandon Micheal Hall) set on a life-changing course via Facebook. “He’s a modern-day prophet, but not by God—by social media,” says EP Bryan Wynbrandt. “People think these apps are divisive tools, but Miles uses them to bring people together, which is what they were designed for in the first place.” —Ruth Kinane

Season 16 begins with a two-part episode in which Brian (voiced by creator Seth MacFarlane) marries a terminally ill woman (Casey Wilson). “As is always the case with marriage,” says EP Rich Appel, “nothing is surprising after the vows.” In another two-parter, Donald Trump recruits Peter (also MacFarlane) to be his press secretary, but they duke it out after the president “crosses the line” with Meg (Mila Kunis). “We should be so lucky if he tweeted that he hated it,” EP Alec Sulkin notes of Trump. “Also, for the first time ever, we’re contemplating doing a Russian version of the show that we can release for his true fans.”

After the team’s car was hit by a rocket in the season 9 finale (dang that Mexican cartel!), the action picks up seconds later with the lives of G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell), Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen), and Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) hanging in the balance. “Let’s just say we have our fingers crossed!” teases showrunner R. Scott Gemmill about potential deaths or injuries. And for those who manage to survive, “there will be some long-term effects, physically and mentally, on our characters as well as their careers,” he adds. “The full fallout lasts for several episodes.” —Lynette Rice

Cedric the Entertainer returns to TV as Calvin Butler, a Los Angeles dad with a wife, Tina (Tichina Arnold), and two sons whose world is rocked when a chipper white guy named Dave Johnson (Max Greenfield) moves in next door with his lovely wife, Gemma (Beth Behrs), in the predominantly black neighborhood. The Johnsons seem unfazed by their new surroundings, but Calvin thinks “the sky is falling,” explains Cedric, who believes the country is ready for a sitcom like this. “We can have interesting conversations in funny ways about our country’s racial divide,” he says. “It also allows us to show we’re more the same than we are different.” —Lynette Rice

Damon Wayans Jr. is happy again. The Happy Endings alum stars as accountant Jake, half of a married couple whose “Netflix and chill—without the chill” life is thrown upside down when his firm’s client, a world-famous pop star (Felix Mallard), moves in with them to escape the spotlight. But the show’s central partnership between Jake and his wife, Claire (Amber Stevens West), is what appealed most to Wayans. “A lot of times on television [a couple is] just putting up with each other,” he says. “This couple actually enjoys each other.” But Wayans insists he’ll carry on the tradition of the sitcom husband: “There’s always a lesson to be learned!” —Derek Lawrence

The action picks up six months after Jason Hayes (David Boreanaz) returned home from Afghanistan with a noggin injury. He’s fully recovered and back to work, but the Bravo Team’s deployment to the Middle East continues to have a negative impact on their relationships, and Ray Perry (Neil Brown Jr.) is still in the doghouse after lying about his shoulder. “Season 2 is all about expanding the scope of the world and deepening our understanding of Tier One operators,” explains executive producer John Glenn. The SEAL Team will also travel to new regions of the world, including a special two-part episode this year that takes the show to Mumbai. —Lynette Rice

The season 14 premiere episode is the show’s 300th, so executive producer Erica Messer has a treat for the sentimental fans, starting with some footage from the drama’s 2005 pilot and flashbacks of how the current team was introduced. “For a second, you will see old characters across the screen, but it’s all about the present team and how most of them have been together for over a decade,” explains Messer. “It’s just a little reminder and a little shout-out to those who have watched the evolution of the show.” —Lynette Rice

The NBC workplace comedy’s third season ended with the moment fans had been waiting for: Amy (America Ferrera) and Jonah (Ben Feldman) finally hooked up — and every Cloud 9 store around the world watched them do it. You can expect that this will have an affect on everyone in season 4, which picks up four or five months after the finale. “We’re going to find out that Jonah and Amy have both been suspended for a number of months,” says Spitzer. “Everyone else knows there’s something there [between Amy and Jonah] and that changes the way they deal with each other and the way everybody deals with them.” Overall, Spitzer promises that change will be big a part of the season. “This season is going to be really exciting and a little bit of a departure from what we’ve seen in the past.” —Chancellor Agard

The premiere will pick up seconds after the season 1 finale, when just about everyone’s lives were in jeopardy while battling a skyscraper fire. The crisis will have a profound impact on Ben Warren (Jason George), who starts to question whether transitioning from Grey Sloan Memorial to a firehouse was really the best idea. “You go full steam ahead and then you evaluate, especially when you go through something like that fire,” explains executive producer Stacy McKee. “He’s left with a difficult decision to either save a victim or to save one of his fellow firefighters.” Does that mean his wife, Miranda Bailey (Grey’s Anatomy‘s Chandra Wilson), comes to his rescue? “We definitely have a lot of ways in which [the two series’] worlds will be crossing paths, for sure,” McKee promises.

The second season of the revival is jam-packed with guest stars: Matt Bomer and David Schwimmer as love interests for Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing), Chelsea Handler as a Grace Adler Designs client who falls for Grace’s sister Janet (Mary McCormack), Olympic medalist Adam Rippon in a cameo, and Minnie Driver reprising her role as Karen’s nemesis Lorraine Finster. Meanwhile, Jack (Sean Hayes) is navigating his new relationship with Estefan Gloria (Brian Jordan Alvarez). “They describe their relationship as monogam-ish,” teases executive producer Max Mutchnick.

“We all walk around feeling like we’re not good enough and apologizing for just existing,” says Sarayu Blue, the star of NBC’s new sitcom—from executive producer Amy Poehler—about Emet, an overwhelmed mother/wife/daughter/videogame designer with a persistent guilty conscience. “Emet is a delightful disaster making her way through life’s craziness, and this brings that female perspective to the forefront in a relatable way,” says Blue (No Tomorrow, Monday Mornings). Her costar and on-screen husband, Paul Adelstein, a Shonda Rhimes favorite who’s appeared in everything from Private Practice to Scandal as well as Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, agrees. “It really blows up the whole Instagram-perfect family we assume everyone else exists in,” he says. “Sometimes on TV there’s conflict, but it’s nice and neat with little bows, a lesson and hug at the end; that’s not this.” Prepare to feel good about feeling bad. —Ruth Kinane

Fresh off the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Constance Wu is back in suburban Orlando. In season 5 of the comedy, Wu’s character, Jessica, is getting her own taste of the spotlight as her crime thriller, A Case of a Knife to the Brain, is published. “You’re going to see her deal with the realities of publishing and putting her work out there and what it means to her and how it will affect her whole family,” says Wu. Plus, NBA superstar Scottie Pippen guest-stars as himself, Jessica and Louis’ (Randall Park) eldest son, Eddie (Hudson Yang), is learning to drive, and neighbors Honey (Chelsey Crisp) and Marvin (Ray Wise) bring home their baby. “It’s interesting to see the different parenting styles,” says Wu, who adds that, of course, “Jessica has her opinions.” —Patrick Gomez

Minnie Driver reunites with her Will & Grace dad, John Cleese, in the season 3 premiere of her family sitcom. The two are playing father and daughter again—and their relationship is just as complicated. “They had a huge fight 20 years ago, and they haven’t spoken,” says Driver. “And when we get evicted from our house in Los Angeles [in the season 2 finale], the only thing left to do is to go to London and ask my dad for money.” Oh, and there’s a musical number! “There is a musical aspect to the new season,” says Driver, who first sang on the show in the season 2 premiere. “I think there’s gonna be a lot more because I’m obsessed with it.” —Patrick Gomez

Ricky Gervais is taking part in a different kind of conference-room meeting. The Office co-creator trades paper salesmen for “scary smart” kids on Child Support—the sophomore quiz show hosted by Fred Savage where the lifeline for contestants is a group of youngsters gathered with Gervais at a separate location. “People say never work with animals or children, but I think I prefer both to actors,” jokes the comedian. “I come in and spend a couple of days with kids, and then leave and the grown-ups have to do all the work.” David Brent would be proud. —Derek Lawrence

Though they had to start writing season 2 before season 1 of the animated puberty comedy launched last September, co-creator and star Nick Kroll says the team was “pleasantly surprised” they bet on the right elements to go bigger with for season 2. (Read that as more musical numbers, including a female-body-empowerment song from Maya Rudolph as the Hormone Monstress.) Speaking of going bigger, Gina Rodriguez joins the cast as a classmate whose newly developed breasts have the boys staring and the girls feeling inadequate. “You see less of women’s and girls’ puberty expressed in popular culture, and we saw a lot of great stories to tell in that space,” says Kroll, who also teases a “coming-of-age moment” for his character Coach Steve and the addition of the Shame Wizard (voiced by Fargo‘s David Thewlis) as a nemesis for the hormone monsters. “We were watching Fargo season 3 as we were writing the Shame Wizard,” says Kroll. “David’s Fargo character is one of the most charming, disturbing, villainous characters that I can remember. We sort of used that as inspiration for the Shame Wizard, and we thought, ‘There’s just no way this fine actor will do this show, but we might as well ask him.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, I’d love to!'” —Patrick Gomez

The alternate-history drama—in which the Allies lost World War II—is finally going all-in on alternate realities after two seasons of glimpsing other timelines through Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). “We go far deeper into the sci-fi space than we have in previous seasons,” executive producer Isa Dick Hackett promises, adding that this season adapts chapters of Philip K. Dick’s planned, but never completed, sequel to the novel that serves as the series’ source material. “There is a grand plan at work.” That grand plan involves a black-market dealer named Wyatt (Jason O’Mara), a new man in Juliana’s (Alexa Davalos) life. “He’s inspired by Juliana,” EP Daniel Percival hints. “They develop a very meaningful partnership.” And in a fascist reality, the more allies, the better. —Shirley Li

The final season of Versailles begins with the unveiling of the title palace’s gleaming centerpiece: the Hall of Mirrors. So, now that Louis XIV has completed the magnificent château he set out to build in season 1, “we wanted to try to explore the idea of the man who has everything,” says George Blagden, who plays the young Sun King. “What next?” Taking on the church—not to mention a mysterious man in an iron mask, that’s what. Mon dieu! —Mary Sollosi

Twelve of the nation’s best under-14 ballroom dancers will pair up with well-known kiddie celebs in this why-did-it-take-so-long spin-off of ABC’s long-running competition series. DWTS season 25’s Jordan Fisher and Frankie Muniz host, while DWTS: Athletes champ Adam Rippon, pro Val Chmerkovskiy, and choreographer Mandy Moore serve as judges. Pros Lindsay Arnold, Cheryl Burke, and others will be mentors. “Casting was amazing!” says EP Andrew Llinares. “There were a lot of kids who were excited about being part of the show. I think they’ll surprise people.” —Lynette Rice

Leading man Andrew Lincoln will be departing the cable hit in the first half of season 9 to spend more time with his family in his native England. And one of the leading ladies, Lauren Cohan, is leaving to star alongside Scott Foley on ABC’s midseason drama Whiskey Cavalier. But new TWD showrunner Angela Kang points out that this is certainly not the first time the show has had to deal with saying goodbye to a beloved character. “Loss has always been part of the [show],” says Kang, who also notes the new possibilities such change can provide. “It gives characters an opportunity to step up in different ways that maybe we haven’t seen,” she says. “So beyond the responsibility that we feel towards servicing those stories of those that are leaving, it’s also really making sure that the stories of the wonderful cast that we have staying are engaging and rich and take us in different directions.” Whether those directions involve Rick dying remains to be seen. —Dalton Ross

Former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, and Madeleine Albright play themselves in the season 5 premiere, but sadly they’re not there to stump for Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni), who is considering a run for president. “Here’s the dilemma,” says creator Barbara Hall. “The minute she declares her run, she can’t be secretary of state anymore. And it’s not time for her to run. The president [Keith Carradine] is only on the second year of his term. We’ll try to fit this in real time and do a season when she announces. Maybe next season?” But the nation needs her now! —Lynette Rice

Season 10 boasts guests like Miami Dolphins executive Matt Higgins and “big surprises and shocking outcomes that leave the Sharks’ mouths agape,” says showrunner Clay Newbill. Plus, guest Shark/NBA legend Charles Barkley will slack jaws. “The most unforgettable moment is his take on a male grooming company for the nether regions,” teases Newbill. “The other Sharks about fell out of their chairs.” Brace also for true commitment from two more-than-business partners: “When the pitch was over, the male entrepreneur took a knee and proposed,” says Newbill. “They were pitching, oddly enough, engagement rings.” What percentage of their wedding gifts will Mr. Wonderful get? —Dan Snierson

Season 5 might be the show’s best one yet. “I think this could be very similar to season 1 in [terms of] the heart and humor and scope,” says star Grant Gustin. The revelation that Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) is Iris (Candace Patton) and Barry’s (Gustin) grown daughter from the future is a source of both lightheartedness and family drama. “They’re learning all the lessons parents learn when their kids grow up,” says EP Todd Helbing. Furthermore, Nora’s presence is connected to the villainous Cicada (Chris Klein), who can dampen other metahumans’ powers. Says Gustin, “He comes on really hard and fast the first time we meet him.” —Chancellor Agard

There’s no going back to the way things used to be for the Pierce family in season 2 of this superhero drama, which explores the consequences of the secrets that came out in season 1. “We quickly discover that a new normal is gonna have to be found,” says star Cress Williams. Picking up a week after the finale, the season tracks the effects of the Green Light drug on Freeland while also following Anissa (Nafessa Williams)—a.k.a. Thunder—as she cultivates a life outside of being a superhero, which opens the door for the return of her season 1 love interest, Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy).

Even simple fun in Riverdale turns deadly. Season 3’s major murder mystery revolves around some “ritualistic” killings connected to a popular role-playing game. “One of the things that the kids discover pretty early on is that the murder victims in the present were playing a Dungeons & Dragons-like game called Griffins & Gargoyles,” says executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. “And what our kids in the present discover is that their parents, when they were in high school, also were playing this game and there was a similar murder that happened in the past.” Maybe it’s best to stick to Scrabble. —Tim Stack