Let FanSided staffers tell you what shows are must-watch and which you can skip with a clear conscience.
There’s quite a bit of TV out there. Like, a lot. You literally have hundreds of options any time you want to tune in for some serialized cinematic storytelling. Luckily, the friendly FanSided staffers are here to help you make sense of it all.
Below you’ll find staff picks for most anticipated shows (new and returning), must-watches (on network, premium and streaming) and some fun categories we made up just for the purposes of this post: pure pleasure (guilty fandom does not exist at FanSided), sunk cost (so much time we’ll never get back) and most skippable (just trust, don’t bother).
Most anticipated new show: The Witcher
In a post-Game of Thrones world, everyone is looking for that next big fantasy show, and I think there’s a chance that could be Netflix’s The Witcher. Starring Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan, The Witcher tells the story of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia before and after he crosses paths with Yennefer, a sorceress, and Princess Ciri.
I’m not saying it’s going to be as good as Game of Thrones, but I think it will be Netflix’s best fantasy show yet. Unfortunately, we still don’t know the release date. I’m hoping we see this show sooner rather than later. — Bryce Olin, Netflix Life
Co-sign: I’m looking forward to The Witcher on Netflix, because I am a fool for fantasy people running around with swords and firing magical whatever from their hands. Plus the production values look good, the show is based on a beloved series of novels, and I’m curious to watch as networks and streaming services desperately try to fill the fantasy hole left behind by Game of Thrones. — Dan Selcke, Winter is Coming
Honorary mention: Batwoman. After a brief introduction in the 2018 Arrowverse Elseworlds crossover, Kate Kane and her vigilante alter ego Batwoman will step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in the gritty new CW drama Batwoman. Greg Berlanti and company have quite the eye for casting and have hit another home run with the incomparable Ruby Rose in the title role. With Arrow set to close up shop, Batwoman seems primed to help carry on the torch taking a page from Arrow’s book with a darker, more gritty approach which will serve as the perfect balance to the lighter Arrowverse series. — Cody Schultz, FanSided Entertainment Division
Most anticipated returning show: The Good Place
The Good Place! This show has only gotten richer and funnier and weirder as it’s gone on, and the fact that they’re going to end it with season 4 tells me that they actually have a solid plan and don’t want to drag it out just because. God bless everyone involved with this show. — Dan
Co-sign: The Good Place returns to NBC for its fourth and final season on Sept. 26, 2019, and there’s no show I’m more excited to watch this fall. I don’t know what it is exactly that makes this show so good, but it’s a brilliant premise with an incredible cast and a writing team that continues to deliver twist after twist. All they have to do now is stick the landing. For fans of comedy, The Good Place season 4 is a must-watch. — Bryce
Honorary mention: Grey’s Anatomy. Say what you want about Shondaland, but there is no denying Shonda Rhimes is the reigning queen of cliffhangers. Season after season, Rhimes and company concoct unique and unexpected ways to surprise Grey’s Anatomy viewers through cliffhangers which leave them on the edge of their seats, craving answers. Season 15 was no different as the writers capped the season off with one doc behind bars, three others left unemployed, a long-awaited declaration of love and one shocking disappearing act which left fans in a fog (pun intended). It’s been another long summer and there’s no show I’m more excited to welcome back to my viewing schedule than Grey’s Anatomy. Let’s just hope Shonda and the writers don’t play with our emotions too much in resolving some of Season 15’s loose ends! — Cody
Must-watch show on network TV: This Is Us
Oh This Is Us, how I love thee! There is no show currently airing anywhere across any platform which manages to pull at my heartstrings week after week in the way This Is Us does. What’s so beautiful about the show is the stories it tells. Through grounded storytelling, This Is Us has a way of introducing stories reflective of the world around us which allows viewers to see their own strengths and insecurities reflected in the breathtaking performances from the cast. Heading into its fourth season, the show continues to wow critics and audiences alike; only seeming to get better as the seasons go by. — Cody
Must-watch show on premium cable: Watchmen
If there’s one new premium cable show fans should be excited for this fall it’s HBO’s Watchmen. After years in development, the series based on the DC Comics series of the same name will finally get the chance to make its mark and is sure to help fill the Game of Thrones shaped void in your life. Not only does the series feature an all-star cast including Emmy-winning powerhouse Regina King, but it’s clear HBO has spared no expense in adapting the series which promises stunning visual effects and a rich story sure to leave fans speechless. — Cody
Must-watch show on streaming: The Crown
By the time The Crown season 3 premieres on Netflix on Nov. 17, it will have been almost two years since fans got to see new episodes of the hit Netflix original series, and this show is going to look different!
The Crown has a whole new cast for season 3. Olivia Colman steps in for Claire Foy to play Queen Elizabeth II. Colman will be joined by Helena Bonham Carter, Tobias Menzies, and more new actors. The new season features a time jump to the late 1960s to start the season, which continues into the late 1970s. — Bryce
Pure pleasure show: Riverdale
I don’t think there’s a show on TV more enjoyable than Riverdale for those who like their teen drama and a little mystery. Riverdale is only three seasons into the lives of the craziest teens and adults in the craziest small town, and it’s only getting crazier.
No other show gives the audience high school football, serial killers, bear attacks, burgers and milkshakes, mob bosses, corrupt nuns, and organ harvesters with a slice of Americana on the side. It’s perfect! — Bryce
Honorary mention: Élite. I see your moody, mysterious Riverdale teens and raise you moody, mysterious Élite teens. It can be incredibly lazy to describe a show as combination of other shows but really this Netflix drama, whose second season dropped on Sept. 6, is best described as Gossip Girl meets Big Little Lies meets Riverdale. Yes, you should watch in the original Spanish with subtitles. Yes, it absolutely rules. Yes, I would murder someone with a scholarship trophy for dear, sweet puppy-dog-eyed sadboi Omar. I just want him to be happy!! — Shea Corrigan, FanSided.com
Sunk-cost show: Westworld
I guess I’m going to be watching Westworld when it opens up its new bag of BS for season 3. I can’t remember ever watching a show that resists me this much. It’s like it’s more interested in being a complicated puzzle box than it is in entertaining me, but the cast is stellar and the ideas are ambitious and there’s always the sense that it might just change your life if you watch one more episode, so here I am. — Dan
Honorary mention: This Is Us. I have lost the plot of my This Is Us feelings, but I think I might hate it. When it first premiered, I was a staunch defender of This Is Us as Actually Good. The second season I stood by that assertion even as detractors and cynics grew, but season 3 crept closer and closer into hate-watch/sunk-cost territory for me. Will I watch season 4? Eventually, after falling behind for a few weeks and then catching up all at once. Will I cry? Absolutely. Will I like it? Probably not, but so it goes. — Shea
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Skippable show: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
If you’re feeling pressure to catch up on Marvelous Mrs. MaiseI hereby absolve you of that obligation. At most, watch the first season. The first season was legitimately quite good. You do not need to watch season 2, especially if you are on the fence about season 1 because season 2 amplifies all the most obnoxious parts. Don’t let the awards fool you, it’s not as cute or funny or progressive or feel-good or clever or smart or escapist as it thinks it is. As such, I cannot wait to skip season 3. Sure, there’s a chance it strikes the right balance, but life is about choices and my choice is a big s k i p. — Shea
Honorary mention: Bob Hearts Abishola. Each year, there’s always that one new series which leaves me baffled and wondering how the show ever managed to make it onto the fall schedule. This year, that honor goes to the new CBS series Bob Hearts Abishola which focuses on a middle-age sock salesman who becomes infatuated with his nurse while on the mend following a heart attack. Chuck Lorre has churned out some stellar comedies over the years, but let’s be real in admitting the concept for the series reads more like that of a Lifetime movie than a CBS comedy. Bob may heart Abishola, but I have no love to spare for CBS’ new comedy. — Cody