With summer coming to an end, the days are getting shorter—as is the time spent mooching off your friend’s air conditioning. What’s only getting larger, though, is the amount of great TV headed your way. Just in time for a new semester of classes, networks and streaming services alike are bringing forward a new season of shows as the perfect distraction. I could write an entire novel about this year’s fall TV lineup, but I have narrowed it down to the six I’m most excited for:
“The Deuce” (HBO)
Following their incredibly successful summer season, HBO is coming strong into the fall with their brand new original series, “The Deuce.” The pilot, released a week ago on their streaming services, doesn’t stray far from HBO’s core values—sex and drama, almost to the point of cliché—as it follows sex workers in the ‘70s. James Franco pulls a Lindsay Lohan a la “The Parent Trap,” playing a set of twins and giving us twice the charm and, hopefully, twice the screen time. The real showstopper is Maggie Gyllenhaal as self-employed sex worker, Candy. Her performance in the pilot is incredibly nuanced and beautiful. I’ll more than likely continue watching for her alone—that and the incredible ‘70s wardrobe. “The Deuce” officially premieres Oct. 10 at 8 p.m.
“The Mindy Project” (Hulu)
“The Mindy Project” has always been TV’s hidden romantic comedy gem and, in its final season, the show has a lot on its plate. After last season’s divisive finale, Mindy now finds herself a married woman. She quickly learns that married life is not at all how rom-coms make it out to be. There have been a ton of little teasers released ahead of its final season (hello, a Reese Witherspoon guest spot!) which have had me counting down the days. I’m sure we can expect a season full of laughs and probably a few tears too. You can catch “The Mindy Project” every Tuesday on Hulu, starting Sept. 12.
“Broad City” (Comedy Central)
If there’s one thing to find solace in after scrolling through Twitter and seeing how sad and frustrating the world is, it’s “Broad City.” Abbi and Ilana are back and, judging by the trailer for the new season, crazier than ever. But they aren’t going to completely ignore the current political climate—in the new season, Trump’s name will be bleeped out. “We just didn't want to share air time. He's got enough and we also don't want to hear the word,” Ilana Glazer explained over the summer on a press tour for the new season. “Broad City” returns Sept. 13 at 9:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
“This Is Us” (NBC)
“This Is Us” was last year’s biggest hit, and the pressure is on to see if its sophomore season can live up to its first. NBC recently released a clip from this season and I already cried, so it seems they haven’t lost their magic—or maybe I just have a condition that makes me cry whenever Sterling K. Brown is on screen. We left the Big Three all pursuing new avenues in their lives: Kate going after a singing career, Kevin heading off to a meeting with Ron Howard and Randall deciding he wants to adopt a child. There are still many loose ends from the first season we’re trying to figure out, namely what happened with patriarch Jack’s mysterious death. “This Is Us” returns to NBC Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.
“Big Mouth” (Netflix)
Fans of adult animation rejoice! Nick Kroll is teaming up with Netflix to release a new animated series revolving around life’s greatest gift: puberty. The central characters are voiced by Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, and they have an incredibly stacked supporting cast with actors such as Maya Rudolph, Jenny Slate, Fred Armisen, Jason Mantzoukas, Jordan Peele and so many others. If you want to both laugh and simultaneously cringe until you cry, they’ve released two short clips already. The entire series will be on Netflix Sept. 29.
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
After the show’s insanely successful first season, “Stranger Things” will finally be back, right in time for Halloween. Netflix released the trailer for the new season earlier this summer, and if that’s any indication of the new season, we’re in for just as many thrills. I’m excited to see how things will play out now that Will is back with the gang, but his problems seem far from being over as we saw in last season’s finale. There are also going to be new kids moving into town to join the gang on their adventures, and Joe Keery, who plays Steve, the jock with the best redemption arc, is getting bumped up to series regular this season. You’ll be able to catch the kids back in action on Netflix, Oct. 27.
