For the TV obsessed, the premiere season is the best time of the year. Not only do you get the return of all your favorites, there’s also the excitement of finding a new gem to add to your DVR. If you’re like us, every season you swear you can’t add anything new to your already overflowing schedule, but then you inevitably get hooked. In addition to all the guilty pleasure reality competitions, police procedurals, wacky family sitcoms and revived classics, we also get our superheroes, supernatural towns and mysteries that take the whole season, maybe longer to unravel. Sure we like all the nerdy stuff, but who doesn’t love figuring out who the perpetrator is before the cops on screen do? Pro-tip: It’s usually the unassuming guy they talked to in the first act.
Watching a new TV series is a little like a blind date -- there’s the nervous anticipation that is immediately followed by an instant connection or a massive letdown. With so much TV to choose from nowadays, no one has time for something they just kind of like. TV networks know this, so they’ve become increasingly aggressive in their marketing campaigns and have learned to stagger premieres so everything doesn’t drop all at once. This season, we’ve got popular shows spread out from October to December, so there’s never a week where you don’t have something new to watch. Just to make everyone’s life a little easier, we’ve compiled the 10 most anticipated upcoming TV premieres and 10 we’re not looking forward to.
20 ANTICIPATED: DOCTOR WHO - BBC AMERICA
You would think that after 12 Doctors we couldn't get this excited for a new season of Doctor Who. That's just it though, every regeneration makes everything old, new again. With Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, we get to see her discover the galaxy again, only this time there's one big difference from previous incarnations.
Trailers have introduced us to her new companions Ryan (Tosin Cole), Yasmin (Mandip Gill) and Graham (Bradley Walsh), and it's always fun when The Doctor has multiple companions as it makes the show feel more like a fun road trip. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it's been awhile since we've been in the TARDIS, so we can't wait to start travelling through time and space again.
19 NOT EXCITED: MIDNIGHT, TEXAS - NBC
Here's the thing, we like Midnight, Texas -- it's a fun supernatural show full of mystery and romance. It follows a quirky group of beings in the weird town of Midnight. Season one was a cool summer show that we didn't have to worry about fitting into our existing schedule or competing with other popular series.
For season two NBC has moved it to the fall lineup where it will get more exposure, but also heavier competition. It's set to air Fridays, where it goes up against CBS’ action block and ABC's revamped TGIF comedies. We're worried that our fun little show will get crushed and ultimately canceled.
18 ANTICIPATED: NIGHTFLYERS - SYFY
If we know one thing about George R. R. Martin, it's that he knows how to build worlds. The crazy success of Game of Thrones has led networks to mine the author’s collection for other possible epic series, and Syfy has chosen to adapt his 1980 novella Nightflyers. The show features the crew of a spaceship who become embroiled on the mysterious happenings onboard.
Full disclosure, it’s the idea of another Martin adaptation that gets us in the door. While he will not be directly involved in the show, we still think his ideas will translate in a fun way to another series. Plus, who doesn’t love a good space horror?
17 NOT EXCITED: THE FLASH - THE CW
We’re never going to say we hate The Flash -- it's impossible to not like Grant Gustin as Barry Allen. However, it would be hard to deny that the show has had some questionable storylines in the last couple seasons. Last year ended with Barry and Iris’ daughter from the future showing up and explaining she'd made a big mistake.
While we're curious about what that is, we've run out of patience with this show not paying off its cliffhangers. We’re mildly interested in season five's big bad Cicada, but history tells us not to get our hopes up. What we really want is a return to season one's perfect mix of action, comedy, drama and history.
16 ANTICIPATED: INTO THE DARK - HULU
The popularity of Black Mirror has led to an influx of unique sci-fi/horror anthologies. In a truly fascinating twist, Into the Dark is a 12-episode series that will air over the course of a year. Each episode is set in a different month, focusing on a certain holiday. It begins with Halloween in October.
The idea of having a new episode to look forward to every month for a year, is a big risk in the new binge heavy world. However, if the show is able to capture the same level of interest as Black Mirror, it could be worth the wait. The first episode, “The Body,” premiered Oct. 5 on Hulu, with Thanksgiving themed “Flesh and Blood,” streaming Nov. 2.
15 NOT EXCITED: THE BIG BANG THEORY - CBS
It's very rare for modern comedies to reach 12 seasons, so congrats to this nerdy little sitcom. Of course, like most shows that hit double digits The Big Bang Theory has become somewhat repetitive. Stop us if you've heard this one: Sheldon draws the boys into crazy scientific shenanigans, Penny makes fun of them, Raj can't keep a girlfriend and hilarity ensues.
The show began with a group of socially challenged nerds becoming friends with their new actress neighbor. Now 12 seasons later three of them are married, one couple has kids and Raj can talk to women without alcohol. We've reached a point where there's really no new stories to tell, so it's time for a graceful exit.
14 ANTICIPATED: ARROW - THE CW
After a banner season five, Arrow sort of rested on its laurels (pun intended) in season six. Despite Kirk Acevedo's fantastic work, we couldn't connect with Ricardo Diaz. However, everything changed in the finale when Oliver confessed to being the Green Arrow and was arrested.
Season seven will start with him in prison and the team struggling without their leader. We want to see where this new stop in Oliver's life takes him. We also hope we get time with Felicity and William, so we can see how it's affecting them. We can't wait to see if all these changes breathe new life into the series.
13 NOT EXCITED: GOD FRIENDED ME - CBS
Every couple years a network tries the God is talking to one special person concept. Generally the twist comes because the person is not seen as the best choice to be the voice of God. Unfortunately, the TV graveyard is littered with these shows, as regardless of quality, they never seem to last. This season, CBS has come up with God Friended Me.
Miles, an atheist podcaster is friended by God. Through this social media relationship, he is led to help others and starts to believe that maybe there is a higher power. The show may be charming and funny, but we thought the same thing about last season’s Kevin (Probably) Saves the World and like all the others, it was canceled.
12 ANTICIPATED: CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA - NETFLIX
It’s no surprise that The CW would want to capitalize on the Riverdale phenomenon with a spinoff. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was originally developed for the network, but was then picked up by Netflix with a two season order.
The series is based on the comics and follows high schooler and witch Sabrina Spellman as she tries to balance her two worlds. Early trailers for the show play up the horror and more adult themes present in this version. However, with a cast that includes Lucy Davis, Michelle Gomez, Miranda Otto and Bronson Pinchot, we expect there will also be some comedy to occasionally lighten things up. Set your bingeing to begin Friday, Oct. 26.
11 NOT EXCITED: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE - NETFLIX
Every October we are inundated with scary movies and TV series of varying quality. One of these is Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, based on the novel about the people living in an old haunted mansion. A fascinating cast that includes Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas and Timothy Hutton makes this an interesting possibility, but we also feel like we’ve seen this story before.
The haunted house inhabited by the person who may or may not be supernaturally inclined is a familiar plot. While The Haunting of Hill House may be a better version of this, it’s hard to get super excited about another on screen haunted house.
10 ANTICIPATED: MARVEL’S RUNAWAYS - HULU
In its first season, Marvel’s Runaways took its time building up all the characters, their family relationships and powers. It set up the origins of PRIDE and why they do what they do. We ended with the kids finally running away. It was a great balance of teen drama and comic book story.
Season two will feature the group living on their own, while they try to figure out a way to bring down their parents. The kids will also be learning to take care of themselves and discovering their powers. It’s a fantastic example of how Marvel has created a universe where there’s a corner of it for every type of fan. Season two begins streaming on Hulu Friday, Dec. 21.
9 NOT EXCITED: HOMECOMING - AMAZON
Julia Roberts is set to make her series regular television debut in the Amazon psychological thriller Homecoming. She plays Heidi, a woman who works at a secret government office. The trailer doesn’t really tell us much about the show, so we have to assume that she becomes embroiled in some kind of conspiracy.
We understand wanting to keep things close to the vest, but we can’t get interested in a show we don’t know anything about. The teaser was just a lot of shots of Heidi in deep thought or mid-conversation. Producers are clearly banking on Roberts’ star power being enough to get viewers interested, but with so much competition we’re going to need more.
8 ANTICIPATED: OUTLANDER - STARZ
Season three saw Outlander’s Jamie and Claire fight across time to be reunited. When we left them, their ship had crashed on the shores of the British colony of Georgia. Yes, they have landed in the Colonies right before the American Revolution.
There are many elements that contribute to the phenomenal popularity of Outlander. The historical action is certainly a big part of it, but most important is the enduring nature of the Fraser’s relationship. At this point there is literally nothing that can tear them apart. It’s them against the world and their story never fails to draw us in. The Droughtlander is set to officially end when the fourth season premieres Sunday, Nov. 4 on Starz.
7 NOT EXCITED: LORE - AMAZON
Nowadays everyone and their mother has a podcast, so it’s no surprise that some of the more unique ones have been made into TV series. Amazon has entered the fray with Lore, a horror anthology. Each episode examines a different lore such as werewolves, evil dolls, fairies and haunted houses.
It’s not that Lore isn’t interesting, it’s just hard to compare it to other series in the genre like, Black Mirror or the upcoming Into the Dark. It’s starting to feel like a very crowded area and we’re not sure Lore will make the cut on an already jam packed TV watching schedule.
6 ANTICIPATED: DAREDEVIL - NETFLIX
Considering how The Defenders ended, season three of Daredevil is working on an especially high wire. When we last saw Matt Murdock, he had sacrificed himself to save New York from The Hand. Of course, the last minute twist was that he had survived and was recuperating with some secretive nuns.
Early footage and pictures have teased that the Matt that comes back will be different. He seems resigned to not having a full life and is giving in to the darkness of being The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll and Vincent D'Onofrio are all set to return for what appears to be a fascinating chapter in Matt’s story.
5 NOT EXCITED: MANIFEST - NBC
Since the moment Lost captivated the country, networks have been trying to recreate that magic with another mythology driven mystery. Unfortunately, none have been able to once again capture lightning in a bottle and they’ve all failed. The latest attempt comes courtesy of NBC”s Manifest, which follows the passengers of a flight that was missing for five years. The thing is, for the passengers no time has passed.
Though it’s an interesting concept, there’s no way this one mystery is enough to sustain a long run. The show is focused on one family in particular, however, they’re probably the most boring people on that plane so it’s hard to stay invested. We’ll be surprised if Manifest sticks around long enough to unravel all of its mysteries.
4 ANTICIPATED: LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - THE CW
While everyone else was busy fixing timelines and dealing with doppelgangers, Legends of Tomorrow quietly became the best show in the Arrowverse. Beginning in season two it leaned into the ridiculous nature of its storylines and just had a lot of fun and each successive season cranked up the madness, which made it even more entertaining.
Last season John Constantine popped up to help the team with Mallus and is set to be a regular this year. On the Waverider, it's the chemistry among the team that makes all the nonsense seem perfectly normal. With magic becoming a main part of the plot, we can't wait to see how the Legends somehow get crazier.
3 NOT EXCITED: CHARMED - THE CW
From the moment The CW announced that it was rebooting popular series Charmed, there has been controversy. First fan reaction was less than enthusiastic, then the show's original stars were very critical of the new project. Once the trailer was released, it failed to ease concerns, as it didn't capture the same spirit as the original.
The show still follows three sisters who find out they're witches. They have a Whitelighter helping them find their way and we assume magic will complicate their relationships. It may not be fair to constantly compare the two, but that's the nature of reboots. Frankly, if we're in the mood to watch Charmed, the original is on TNT and Netflix.
2 ANTICIPATED: TITANS - DC UNIVERSE
When we first heard about a live action Titans series we were immediately intrigued. Through comics, animated series and movies, we've been fascinated with these characters. We did have a few questions about how they would adapt some of the more effects heavy characters into live action, however, trailers and early scenes have put those questions to rest.
The show is set to center around an adult Dick Grayson, who has left Batman and is now a cop. He, of course, ends up drawn into working with the others, and off we go. This is a big risk for DC Universe's first show out the gate, but it's a strong choice based on the online interest the show has already drummed up.
1 NOT EXCITED: LEGACIES - THE CW
As the third show in The Vampire Diaries franchise, Legacies features the next generation of Mystic Falls’ vampires, werewolves and witches. It follows Hope Mikaelson, daughter of original vampire and legendary big bad Klaus. Hope is a hybrid vampire/werewolf, who's also a witch.
Like the first series, Legacies is also a high school drama as the kids all attend the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. Basically, prep school for supernatural teenagers. Though the premise is familiar, after eight seasons of The Vampire Diaries and five seasons of The Originals, we're not sure what new stories could be left in Mystic Falls.