IndieWire: Fall TV Preview: The 25 Most Anticipated New Shows of 2017
Reboots, sci-fi, and murder mysteries will be easy to find this fall as the broadcast, cable and streaming services unveil these new dramas and comedies.
The idea of a “fall TV season” feels particularly antiquated in 2017, as two of the year’s buzziest series (“Game of Thrones” and “Twin Peaks”) have already wrapped for the year. Fall may even be a bit of an afterthought now compared to spring, as networks aim to catch Emmy voters with prestige TV premieres when campaign season gets underway.
And yet, there’s nearly 70 years of tradition with the fall TV season. It’s when Nielsen still resets the calendar for the new TV year; when blue chip advertisers like the automotive sector roll out their own new wares; football season returns (don’t discount that huge impact on TV schedules); and the weather gets chilly, which conceivably means more viewers watching TV indoors.
This year, they’ll find a lot of familiar titles on broadcast TV, including the return of NBC’s “Will & Grace”; a prequel to “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS’ “Young Sheldon”; The CW’s modern interpretation of “Dynasty” and CBS’ reinvention of “SWAT”; another Marvel show on ABC, “Inhumans.” (The new “Star Trek: Discovery” also gets a one-night-only debut on CBS before moving to CBS All Access.)
Things get a little more original in the cable and streaming world, as filmmakers Neil Jordan, David Fincher, Peter Farrelly, Steven Soderbergh, and Spike Lee all have new TV projects on tap.
Of course, there are plenty of returning series to get excited about, including the second seasons of “Stranger Things,” “This Is Us” and “The Girlfriend Experience.” IndieWire will focus on those shows later this week, but until then, here’s a round-up of our 25 most anticipated new shows of the fall, and when to expect them.
Alias Grace (Netflix, Nov. 3)
Executive Producers: Sarah Polley, Mary Harron
Stars: Sarah Gadon, Edward Holcroft, Zachary Levi, Paul Gross, Anna Paquin
The second high-profile Margaret Atwood adaptation this year looks quite different, in some respects, from the Emmy-nominated “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Instead, this period drama investigates the events surrounding a pair of notorious 1800s murders that rocked Canada. Appropriately enough, it’s being made by Canadian women, specifically indie favorites Sarah Polley (who wrote and produced) and Mary Harron (who directed). Selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival later this month, prior to its premiere on CBC, audiences outside Canada will have to wait a little longer to experience what could be some truly extraordinary drama.