The television schedule is already packed. There were dozens and dozens of premieres in September, and depending how you feel about having more options to choose from than you can possibly consume, there’s good and/or bad news: October is jam-packed, too.
From new series like HBO’s trio of Westworld, Divorce, and Insecure to returning ratings giants like The Walking Dead, your DVR is going to get quite a workout. And that’s before we even get to the new streaming network dropping hours of binge-worthy options. We’ve done our best to help you make sense of it all, laying out all the premiere dates below, with write-ups for the new shows. Good luck out there, gang.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1
Versailles (Ovation)
At a glance: Louis XIV (George Blagden), still a young man and the untested king of France, has to defy petty nobles, palace intrigues, and scandals to turn his father’s hunting lodge into a modern beacon for a new France.
Should you give it a shot?: For all the dozens of scripted shows on the air, there’s a surprising dearth of costume dramas, and fans of the genre will definitely enjoy the elaborate production design and sprawling cast, but with more modern touches like plenty of sex and nudity and a brutal spymaster (Tygh Runyan) weeding out an assassin’s plot.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: A lot will depend on your love of French costume and palace intrigue. Costume drama fans will eat it up, but there may not be enough here to bring in any other audiences.
Returning
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2
Westworld (HBO)
At a Glance: HBO’s big futuristic sci-fi Western is finally here after an extended delay. Developed by Jonathan Nolan, the creator of Person of Interest and a collaborator on brother Christopher’s Dark Knight trilogy, the series is based on a 1973 film directed by Michael Crichton and follows the human guests and robotic hosts at an immersive Wild West theme park. Stars include Evan Rachel Wood, James Mardsen, Anthony Hopkins, and Ed Harris.
Should you give it a shot?: Absolutely. Even if sci-fi isn’t your thing, it’s an enough interesting premise to warrant a glance. (Murderous robot cowboys in the future!) HBO needs a hit on a big swing after the failure of Vinyl, especially with Game of Thrones coming to an end soon.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Well, that’s the rub. The story quickly becomes layered and complicated as the various pieces start moving around the board, which can be successful and captivating when done right, but which can drive viewers mad if it drags. It’s earned a few weeks at least just on premise and pedigree, so let’s see if it can pull it off.
Returning
NCIS: LA (CBS)
Madam Secretary (CBS)
Elementary (CBS)
Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz)
Blunt Talk (Starz)
Shameless (Showtime)
MONDAY, OCT 3
Timeless (NBC)
At a glance: What do you do when a bad guy steals a top secret time machine to travel back in time and change the outcomes of huge world events in order to destroy modern America? You find two smart people and an ass-kicking soldier to use the other top secret time machine to go back and stop him. Duh! The bad guy in question is master criminal Garcia Flynn (great villain name), played by Goran Višnjić, and Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett, respectively, play the history professor, soldier, and scientist who will chase him across time. Sure, this could be a lot more fun with Carmen Sandiego as the main villain, but Višnjić is a good actor.
Should you give it a shot?: It can’t hurt, but don’t get too attached. This is an incredibly ambitious idea for the Peacock, and it’s a fun one, too. Who doesn’t love when chaos theory is used as a plot device to ask, “What if?!?!” The problem, though, is that this series will presumably depend on a lot of special effects, and sometimes science fiction doesn’t look that great on television. Even when it does look good, people just don’t seem interested. (You were gone too soon, Almost Human.) But we should at least hope that Timeless has the same creative execution of, say, the first season of Heroes and not, you know, everything after.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Coin flip. It’s so hard to commit to a network drama these days, especially one with this kind of premise. Timeless will have to wow viewers right out of the gates, but even then, will enough people watch to make NBC treat it like The Blacklist?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4glJzvUunOE
Conviction (ABC)
At a glance: Hayley Atwell plays a bad girl former First Daughter who gets busted with drugs and blackmailed by the district attorney — her “sexy nemesis,” in ABC’s own words — into using her brilliant legal mind to work on the most difficult of cases. That’s really what the show is about.
Should you give it a shot?: Only if you are the type of person who likes shows about lawyers who have bad attitudes and a sexy nemesis.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: There is a much greater chance that you will become livid that ABC canceled Agent Carter and put Atwell in this. Let’s just say the trailer does not look promising.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJqg6J4JeLg
Returning
Scorpion (CBS)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4
No Tomorrow (CW)
At a glance: The CW has found a lot of success with creative twists on romantic-comedy tropes with the telenovela-inspired Jane the Virgin and the subversive musical Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. No Tomorrow comes from the creators of both of those shows and takes a similarly subversive approach to romantic fantasy. Based on a Brazilian series, No Tomorrow sees Evie (Tori Anderson) fall in love with a free spirited Xavier (Joshua Sasse), who believes the world will end in eight months. He lives his life accordingly, and forces Evie to likewise “seize the day.”
Should you give it a shot?: Assuming you’re a fan of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and/or Jane the Virgin, then absolutely! Like those shows, it will live or die based on the characters, and while we can’t vouch for Canadian Tori Anderson, Joshua Sasse had charm to spare in the short-lived romantic fantasy Galavant. It looks tremendously cute, and this brand of show is right in The CW’s wheelhouse.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Pretty good, for at least one season. However, it may begin to lose some of its appeal if No Tomorrow chews through eight months and the apocalypse fails to materialize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gs3Dm8zO5Q
Returning
The Flash (CW)
The Mindy Project (Hulu)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5
Frequency (CW)
At a glance: Raimy Sullivan (Mad Men’s Peyton List) is a New York detective who finds she’s able to use a ham radio to talk to her father, also a New York cop. That doesn’t sound like a big deal but, here’s the twist: Her father died two decades ago. Together they attempt to work through their unresolved issues and possibly stop a serial killer. (If they can get both done, all the better.)
If Frequency sounds familiar, that’s because it’s based on a 2000 film starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. Some obvious changes aside, the preview suggests that it will share key elements with the film. Whether or not it can stretch its central mystery to the length of a full season (or, presumably, more) remains to be seen, but that should give it more room for more time-shifting twistiness.
Should you give it a chance?: Sure! Series creator Jeremy Carver is a veteran of both Supernatural and Being Human, so he knows how to mix personal drama with weirdness. Plus, even if the movie was just okay, it’s a neat idea that the show could take interesting places.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Unclear. But this seems like one of those shows where it should be clear by the end of the pilot if it will be headed anywhere interesting or just treading water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL8Rl2n2C6Y
Returning
Arrow (CW)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7
Returning
The Ranch (Netflix)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9
Divorce (HBO)
At a glance: Following a long hiatus interrupted by a few Glee guest spots, Sarah Jessica Parker returns to television in Divorce, a new dark comedy series that seemingly thrusts her into a loveless marriage lost in the suburbs. For everything Frances (Parker) and her husband Robert’s (Thomas Haden Church) relationship lacks, it makes up for in sheer animosity as the two duke it out over the course of the eight-episode series. Yet Divorce, which was created by Catastrophe‘s Sharon Horgan, appears to avoid the pitfalls that plague like-minded shows and films depicting marital squabbles. That is, it looks good.
Should you give it a shot?: Depends. If you’re a fan of Catastrophe or Horgan’s previous work in Pulling, chances are you’ll like Divorce. And if you grew up watching Sex and the City during HBO’s early days of original programming, then Parker’s presence here lends it extra resonance. Then again, since this darkly comic take on an otherwise emotionally vexing subject doesn’t pull any punches, softies may want to avoid this one.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Good. Horgan has a great eye and ear for adult comedy, and with HBO’s full support and Parker’s involvement, Divorce will probably do fine, even if it is about divorce.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–iP8RPaNvw
Insecure (HBO)
At a glance: HBO is starting a trend. After transforming the popular web series High Maintenance into a half-hour comedy series, it’s turned to the internet once more for Insecure, another comedy, this time one that follows a young black woman navigating friendships and romance in South Los Angeles. The series comes courtesy of Issa Rae, who launched her own YouTube series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl back in 2011. Insecure seems to be following the same vein as her online show — albeit with more pop culture references and more drama.
Should you give a shot?: Yes. There’s probably a temptation to view this as just another Girls, but that’s doing it a disservice. The show is an authentic look at what it means to be a black woman in today’s society and frankly, we don’t see that point of view enough on TV. It’s also funny, smart as hell and a bit of a love letter to South L.A. Don’t just take our word for it though. The first episode is already available to stream on HBO.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Good. Rae’s YouTube series was well-received and she seems to have only developed her material and her comedy more in the past few years. It also stands out amongst a crop of Fall TV shows focused on sci-fi, comic books, disaster theories and zombies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MubTJyWukp8
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10
Returning
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Supergirl (CW)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11
American Housewife (ABC)
At a glance: It’s a pretty good time to be launching a sitcom on ABC. The network’s had a good run of finding shows with one foot in the world of traditional family comedies and the other positioned a little closer to the edge. (See Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat, and Speechless for recent examples.) This one, created by novelist Sarah Dunn, seems like it wants to take on issues of class and body image, following a family — headed by Katy Mixon and Diedrich Bader — as it moves to the upscale town of Westport, Conn. There they find their working class roots and Mixon’s curviness make them stick out among their thinner and wealthier new neighbors. (The show was originally called The Second Fattest Housewife in Newport.)
Should you give it a shot?: It should be worth a look. It’s nice to see Mixon get a lead, Bader’s a sure hand at comedy, and stand-up comic/Fresh Off the Boat writer Ali Wong could be the show’s secret weapon.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Pretty good. See above, regarding ABC’s recent track record. And if it’s done right, it would be nice to see a mainstream comedy take on class differences in America. It’s been a while.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9JRoZsnINw
Channel Zero: Candle Cove (SyFy)
At a glance: SyFy’s new horror anthology series takes its cues from both American Horror Story and the new breed of campfire stories, creepypasta, that live on the internet in the form of disturbing forum posts and YouTube videos. (Think “Slenderman” but less well known.) This go-round focuses on Candle Cove, a local-area children’s show from the ‘70s that may or may not be a demonic force.
Should you give it a shot?: Despite how the phrase “show based on an internet meme” sounds, SyFy is putting some real talent behind it. Craig William Macneil, director of this year’s creepily understated horror flick The Boy, directs all six episodes, and Paul Schneider (Parks And Rec) and Fiona Shaw (True Blood) anchor the cast.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: High. It’s only six episodes, and more like a long miniseries than a full season commitment, so you might wind up binging the whole thing one weekend.
Returning
The Middle (ABC)
Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
Real O’Neals (ABC)
Chicago Fire (NBC)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
Falling Water (USA)
At a glance: USA Network continues its post-Mr. Robot foray into serialized drama, and like Sam Esmail’s show, Falling Water blurs the line between what’s real and what isn’t. Here, three characters see their worlds blend together in their dreams, and those dreams play into real-world conspiracies about a missing child, a sick parent, and a lost love. “What if dreams were like tiles and we were all dreaming together in a grand mosaic?” it asks. It’s part Inception and part Sense8, but showrunners Henry Bromell and Blake Masters have neither the storytelling deftness of Christopher Nolan nor the feel for characters that the Wachowskis have.
Should you give it a shot?: Maybe. The pilot previewed after the season finale of Mr. Robot, but it failed to generate much interest. The characters are too thin to carry the concept, and the writing lacks depth. Falling Water is like a show that wants to be take as seriously as Mr. Robot but it still tackles serialized drama with the same shallow approach of old-school USA Network series like Burn Notice or Covert Affairs.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Not great, based on that pilot. Watching Falling Water is a little like listening to someone tell you about their dreams. While a pilot can be forgiven for failing to execute on its premise if the characters are compelling enough, it doesn’t work the other way around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nI_fq0oKhE
Returning
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW)
Supernatural (CW)
Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ (Seeso)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14
Goliath (Amazon)
At a glance: David E. Kelly, who gave us Ally McBeal and The Practice, is taking his legal expertise to Amazon for this dark, gritty law drama. Goliath follows Billy Bob Thornton as Billy McBride, a washed up litigator with a serious drinking problem who decides to take on an aerospace company CEO accused of murder. The problem, other than the fact that Thornton’s character has spent more time at the bar than in the courtroom lately, is that the opposition has representation of his own — McBride’s former law firm.
Should you give a shot?: Yes. Besides seeing Thornton play a drunken, lone-wolf lawyer — which, admit it, has you sold already — the series boasts an impressive supporting cast in Maria Bello, Olivia Thirlby and William Hurt. That’s right. William. Hurt.
Chances it’ll be worth sticking with: Good. The trailer alone has all the ingredients of a hit drama (by today’s standards): dark lighting, ominous music, a conspiracy killer theory, an antihero who likes the juice. Plus, it’s just eight episodes long, perfect for binge-watching, and any opportunity to watch Thornton play the sarcastic, reluctant underdog is one we’ll take.
Haters Back Off (Netflix)
At a glance: Netflix gets into the YouTube game with this series from Colleen Ballinger, based on her hugely popular character, Miranda Sings. According to the streaming giant, the half-hour episodes will center around “an incredibly confident, totally untalented star on the rise who continues to fail upward by the power of her belief that she was born famous, it’s just no one knows it yet.”
Should you give it a shot?: If you’ve been a Miranda Sings fan for a while, definitely. If not, you know, there are worse ways to spend an hour or two.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: The character has had staying power online, and if the show can turn those short YouTube videos into a compelling series, it could be a fun little weekend binge.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16
Graves (Epix)
At a glance: Nick Nolte plays former President Richard Graves, who 25 years after wrapping up two terms in office, tries to go back and right a few wrongs as his wife (Sela Ward) decides she wants her time in office.
Should you give it a shot?: Maybe. Nolte is underrated as a comedian, and if Veep has proved anything, it’s that frustrated politicians can be hilarious.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Medium. Political comedy can be iffy since there’s always a side to take, and Graves seems, so far, to be splitting the difference with a very Bush-like candidate with very Clinton-like family problems. If, like the show that’s obviously inspired it, it can focus on what’s universal about government, namely pettiness and frustration, it’ll be a welcome addition.
Berlin Station (Epix)
At a glance: CIA analyst Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage) is packed off to the CIA’s Berlin office with a secret mission to find a mole who’s been leaking intelligence and will go up against an old-school Stasi agent (Bernhard Schutz) who’s somehow held down a job at Germany’s equivalent of the CIA.
Should you give it a shot?: It looks worth one episode to see where the plot twists and turns go, and casting journeyman actor Richard Jenkins as a Cold War relic might make it worth watching just on its own.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Relatively high, depending on how the show executes the spy drama. This looks to be more John Le Carré than Homeland, but it will have have to carefully balance the actual spycraft with some thrills to click.
Eyewitness (USA)
At a glance: Based on a Norwegian drama, Eyewitness follows two boys, Philip and Lukas (Tyler Young, James Paxton), who sneak off to a cabin for a quick fling only to end up witnessing a shooting. Julianne Nicholson plays the sheriff in charge of the investigation, which gets tricky for the boys as they try to conceal their relationship.
Should you give it a shot?: Tough to say. The premise is intriguing, but there are just so many shows right now.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: It feels like the kind of show that could hook viewers who give it a chance.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17
Returning
The Odd Couple (CBS)
Jane the Virgin (CW)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19
Chance (Hulu)
At a glance: Hugh Laurie is back starring in a TV show as a doctor whose last name is also the title of the series, but that’s about where the similarities to House end. Chance is more of a psychological thriller than a disease-of-the-week procedural, with Laurie starring as a neuropsychiatrist who gets sucked into a world of violence and corruption while trying to treat a patient (Gretchen Mol).
Should you give it a shot?: Hugh Laurie is great, and has always been great, even in the AMC limited series The Night Manager, which completely fell apart at the end. If you instituted a policy of “always give Hugh Laurie a shot,” you’d probably be pretty safe.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Hulu has already picked the series up for a second 10-episode season, so if nothing else, they appear to be confident the whole thing will be worth your time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIPRjWN8hcg
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Fox)
At a glance: Fox’s remake of the 1975 cult classic film version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been in the works for about 13 years, and on October 20, the world will finally get to see if it has been worth the hype and hubbub. This, of course, follows the success of Fox’s Grease: Live special, which was critically praised and nominated for 10 Primetime Emmys, scoring huge ratings. While some fans of the Rocky Horror film have questioned why this is even necessary, Tim Curry has not only endorsed this remake, but he’s also appearing in it as The Narrator, which should be worth the price of admission alone. Laverne Cox takes over his old role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, while Victoria Justice and Ryan McCartan play Janet and Brad. For some musical star power, Adam Lambert is Eddie, Christina Milian is Magenta, and Ben Vereen is Dr. Everett von Scott.
Should you give it a shot?: Hell yeah! Let’s definitely do the Time Warp again. You can cry about remakes all you want, but Rocky Horror Picture Show is remade all over the country by fun-loving theater kids, so why shouldn’t Fox breathe some new life into an old classic? People loved Grease: Live, which gives us confidence that Fox is well aware of just how special this title is. Have faith, fans.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Absolute (pleasure). The cast is great and the material is wonderful. It would take an unimaginable screw-up for this to be bad. The only way you’re not watching is if you’ve already written it off out of stubborn devotion to the film. If that’s the case, madness has definitely taken its toll.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outmDIi29Bo
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
Returning
Black Mirror (Netflix)
The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBC America)
At a glance: Almost anything involving an adaptation of, or reference to, the writings of Douglas Adams is worth a look on television — especially the late science fiction humorist’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency novel series. Created by Chronicle writer Max Landis, the new BBC America original production stars Samuel Barnett as the titular detective and Elijah Wood as the unassuming Todd, who at one point reminds Gently he’s not his “f*cking Watson.” Roughly put, the show’s hero investigates criminal activities with a supernatural aura without the use of the typical means of detection. You know, like evidence.
Should you give it a chance?: Sure. BBC America’s frequent attempts to stand out from its parent across the Atlantic are getting better and better (à la the Canadian Orphan Black). And with Wood’s involvement, Barnett’s eccentric acting, and the story’s Adamsesque take on The X-Files, it should be worth your time.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Probably. As is usually the case with detective shows, showrunners must balance “case of the week”-type entries with series-long story arcs in an accessible, yet intriguing manner. Landis has a wealth of material to work from and with luck this will live up to the source. Or at least that’s the hope of everyone with an X-Files-sized hole in their queue.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23
Returning
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Talking Dead (AMC)
Comic Book Men (AMC)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E!)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24
Man With a Plan (CBS)
At a glance: Joey Trib-… er, Adam Burns (Matt LeBlanc), a contractor, agrees to be a stay-at-home dad while his wife goes back to work, and quickly discovers, in the way of all sitcom dads, that he’s in over his head.
Should you give it a shot?: Considering how long the trailer feels, and that the level of humor boils down to “Dad forgets snacks,” you’re probably not missing much.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Slim, at least in the sense it’ll start any sort of conversation. Not that some people won’t be watching. One of the odd side effects of Peak TV is that inoffensive sitcoms are the last bastion of viewership for networks: Kevin Can Wait, a similar stablemate at CBS, delivered 11 million viewers for its premiere. The show looks like it coasts on LeBlanc’s charm, and that really might be enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJwPOAnvp7g
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26
Jon Glaser Loves Gear (TruTV)
At a glance: Jon Glaser, a prolific comedy writer (Inside Amy Schumer, Late Night With Conan O’Brien) and actor (Delocated), explores his love of technology even as it spirals out of control and ruins his life.
Should you give it a shot?: Yes. Glaser has a long, excellent track record, and the many tech-obsessed YouTube channels and podcasts that can’t see the forest for the trees are overdue for a send-up.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: High. There’s a lot in the tech world that’s overengineered and underconsidered, and in a world where Silicon Valley wants to sell you a “smart” water bottle, some cutting zingers are desperately needed.
Returning
Rectify (Sundance)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27
The Great Indoors (CBS)
At a glance: Joel McHale returns in a far more traditional-looking sitcom than the groundbreaking Community playing an adventure-loving travel writer who’s compelled to return home when the magazine for which he writes goes digital-only. Waiting for him there: A magazine founder played by Stephen Fry and, based on the trailer, a lot of worn-out jokes about Millennials and their crazy, screen-focused, no-practical-experience, short-attention-span ways.
Should you give it a shot?: Probably not. But mostly because as a reader at a hip website aimed at Millennials you’re probably too busy Snapchatting pictures of your lunch to MySpace. Ha! Kids these days!
Chances it will be worth sticking with: What’s on YouTube?
Pure Genius (CBS)
At a glance: Dr. Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney) is a brilliant surgeon who teams up with an eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire (Augustus Prew) to build a hospital that offers the cutting edge in medicine for free.
Should you give it a shot?: Have you ever thought Bones and House would be better as a hybrid show with more CGI? Because that’s more or less what the trailer makes it look like, right down to a glass tablet that also serves as an ultrasound/medical scanner. That said, the presence of creator Jason Katims of Friday Night Lights is definitely a plus.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: There’s an interesting premise here, where Silicon Valley’s boundless and sometimes unwarranted optimism slams into the brick wall of medical reality, and Prew should make for a pretty good casually arrogant tech billionaire. But this being CBS, whether it will pay that idea off at all is anyone’s guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx-5-t4Njlc
Returning
Life in Pieces (CBS)
Mom (CBS)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28
Good Girls Revolt (Amazon)
At a glance: Based on a book of the same name, this series follows the real-life rise of Nora Ephron (Grace Gummer) and a group of women in the late-1960s publishing world. Ephron and her cohorts butt up against a bullish male editor played by Jim Belushi as they struggle to make names for themselves in the male-dominated industry.
Should you give a shot?: Yup. The too-simple way to look at this is as a female Mad Men, but there’s plenty to like here beyond that. Nora Ephron was a fascinating personality and Grace Gummer was excellent in season two of Mr. Robot. If you can make the time, this all looks promising.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: There’s plenty of gold to be mined here. If the series can figure out how to get to it all, it could make for a keeper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R0DqIcUntc
Tracy Ullman’s Show (HBO)
At a glance: For many, if not most comics, sketch comedy serves as a stepping stone. There are a few, however, who put in the years to hone their craft. Tracey Ullman is one of them. She’s been at it since the late 1980s with The Tracey Ullman Show. (Sadly, that show has been lost to the sands of time save for the fact that it was the birthplace of The Simpsons.)
HBO specials, Tracey Takes On, and Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union followed and now we have Tracey Ullman’s Show, a BBC import-turned-HBO series that will feature Ullman delving deeper into British life by spending a day with a group of characters of her own creation. There will also be celebrity impressions like Ullman’s Dame Judi Dench.
Should you give a shot?: Yes. Ullman is a skilled actress who fully immerses herself in the characters she plays and never struggles to find the awkwardness and absurdity in small observations and character quirks.
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Pretty fair. HBO has a longstanding relationship with Ullman and a second season is already on order from the BBC, so if this catches any attention you can be sure HBO will port those episodes over as well.
Returning
Comedy Bang Bang (IFC)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31
People of Earth (TBS)
At a glance: Daily Show alum Wyatt Cenac plays Ozzie Graham, a reporter investigating a support group for alien abductees led by Gina Morrison (Ana Gasteyer) called “Star-Crossed.” With an ensemble cast filled out by an impressive array of character actors and stand-up comedians, and the producing power of Conan O’Brien and The Office/Parks and Recreation veteran Greg Daniels, newcomer David Jenkins’s TBS comedy about hapless aliens messing with helpless humans looks like fantastic TV.
Should you give it a chance: Absolutely. In addition to being a terrific stand-up, anyone who’s seen Medicine For Melancholy knows Cenac has serious acting chops. This leading role plants him firmly on a television stage that he deserves to inhabit. And with Jenkins’s absurdly delightful premise, O’Brien and Daniels’s guidance, and support from comic greats like Gasteyer, People of Earth feels like an extended version of the wonderful X-Files episode “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.”
Chances it will be worth sticking with: Pretty high, unless there’s a limit to jokes about alien sex and bias regarding between alien types.
Returning
American Dad (TBS)
Additional writing by Ashley Burns, Andrew Husband, Keith Phipps, and Jason Tabrys.
