If you’re a media or TV nerd, you know what last week was: Upfronts. The annual events are basically splashy presentations where the networks (and now, streaming services) all announce the new shows they have coming next season — all in an effort to woo advertisers into buying into the slate.
But for fans of TV? It’s also the week where we get a sneak peek at all the new shows that’ll be hitting the airwaves this fall and winter. As a media geek, I was following along with most of the Upfronts news anyway (and enjoyed getting to watch the live stream of NBC’s via the day job) — and here are the six new shows that caught my eye.
To be clear, this isn’t every new show announced (my focus here is just on the broadcast networks like ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox), and I didn’t go down the rabbit hole of all the streaming services. Just the shows I thought looked interesting.
I’m still a fan of network TV, and it’s easy to forget a lot of the shows folks watch on streaming are actually network TV shows. Hulu hits like High Potential are ABC shows, while Law & Order on Peacock air first on NBC. Yes, network TV might be a century old, but it’s still where a lot of the biggest, more popular shows originate.
So without further ado, here are the 6 brand new shows I plan to check out next season:
ABC’s second swing at creating a spinoff to hit Nathan Fillion cop series The Rookie is taking things back to basics. Where (the cancelled) The Rookie: Feds sought to tell the story of an older rookie in the FBI, The Rookie: North basically just takes the OG concept as the flagship series and changes the setting.
Jay Ellis stars as Alex Holland, who decided to join the Pierce County Police Department after a violent home invasion changes his perspective on life. Unlike the team on The Rookie, though, this series focuses more on a rural police force — where they’ll face different types of cases in territory where backup isn’t just a few minutes away at any time.
With David Boreanaz locked in, you can just about guarantee this revival of the hit detective series will run for the better part of a decade (I kid, but seriously, Boreanaz went from Buffy, to Angel, to Bones, then to SEAL Team in a career that has kept the man working on network TV for literally three decades straight).
This fresh take on The Rockford Files finds Boreanaz stepping into the role of a gumshoe private investigator framed for a crime he didn’t commit and trying to right some wrongs on the streets.
This one has all the trappings of an old school, twisty, conspiracy network drama. It stars Peter Krause (9-1-1) and focuses on a family across various levels of law enforcement as they all get embroiled in a conspiracy that reaches far deeper than any of them realizes. It blends family drama, action, political intrigue and mystery — all with a stacked cast.
It’s the kind of show that will almost certainly have an explosive, well-mapped first season as they dig into this twisty conspiracy.
No, it’s not The Pepperwood Chronicles from New Girl, but you could be forgiven for the confusion. Fan fave comedy star Jake Johnson (New Girl) and Jane Levy (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), join forces for this comedy about a “group of unorthodox private investigators in Los Angeles.” Even better? Veteran comedy actor Keith David is also in the ensemble.
This one comes from creators Dan Goor (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Killing It) and Luke Del Tredici (30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), so there’s plenty of comedy experience behind the camera.
Fox is going back to a fan favorite from the 1990’s to juice up its schedule this next season with a revival of classic beach rescue drama Baywatch. The new series looks to pick up the torch from the original show all these years later, with Arrow alum Stephen Amell at the core of its ensemble. Hey, he certainly still has the abs for it. Gymnast influencer Livvy Dunne is also in the cast, making the jump to acting.
Is it a bit of a cheesy swing? Sure, but the old show had a certain silly charm to it for those of us who grew up watching it. And if Fox can recapture that fun? This could easily fall into place as a show that fits the Fox vibe and makes for a cool night of television.
CBS has had a whole lot of success with the supernatural comedy Ghosts in recent years, so the network is trying out vampires this fall. The new series Eternally Yours comes from the same creative team as Ghosts, but focuses on a married vampire couple played by Ed Weeks (The Mindy Project) and Allegra Edwards (Upload). After 500 years together, they’re stuck in a rut and try to figure out how to get out of it.
It’s a cute concept, and with the Ghosts team putting it together, could be a charming good time.
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