While the question of what shows can even safely go into production right now remains a question mark for the foreseeable future, one thing we can say for sure about this fall is that there will be, at least, some new shows to look forward to. While most broadcast offerings are on hold, there are plenty of shiny new series set to come out before the end of the year, thanks to cable and streaming platforms, with premieres rolling out after the Emmys this Sunday.
To be clear, the shows on this list are shows that have scheduled airdates or we’re otherwise 99 percent sure will actually premiere before the end of 2020 — yes, we’re incredibly excited about whateverWandaVisionmight turn out to be, butit’ll take more than a Disney+ sizzle reelto make us believe it’s happening.
Check out the list below, and also check out what we think arethe Best Shows of 2020 so far. Because there’s a whole lot of television, it’s a very long list! As is (if you need something to watch now)the best original Netflix series of all time.
The Murders at White House Farm (HBO Max, 9/24)
Cast:Stephen Graham, Freddie Fox Mark Addy, Alfie Allen
Created by:Kris Mrksa, Giula Sandler
The upcoming true crime HBO Max miniseries is based on an infamous multiple homicide that took place in Essex, in which three generations of the Bamber-Caffell family were shot to death in the family farmhouse. After initially believing the massacre to be a murder-suicide committed by the Bambers' adopted daughter Sheila, who suffered from schizophrenia, the police eventually turned their attention towards the only surviving member of the family, 24-year-old Jeremy Bamber. The miniseries starsStephan GrahamandMark Addyas the two detectives assigned to the case, and the offer of watching those two gentlemen solve a mystery together is simply too much to ignore. It aired earlier this year in the UK on ITV Hub asWhite House Farm, but HBO Max gussied up the title a bit for American audiences who wouldn’t necessarily be familiar with the crime. -Tom Reimann
Utopia (Amazon, 9/25)
Created by:Gillian Flynn
Cast:Sasha Lane, Rainn Wilson, Desmin Borges, Javon Walton, Dan Byrd, Christopher Denham, Cory Michael Smith, John Cusack
To be perfectly honest, my interest in Amazon’s new drama seriesUtopialargely stems from the iteration of this show thatdidn’tget made. A few years ago,Utopia(which is a remake of a British series) was set up at HBO withDavid Fincherdirecting all the episodes, reteaming with hisGone GirlscreenwriterGillian Flynn. HBO ultimately passed on the show due to budget issues, but Flynn remained with the project and redeveloped it for Amazon, resulting in the version we’re getting now. And while the loss of Fincher is a bummer, the involvement of Flynn, a truly wild ensemble (John Cusack,Rainn Wilson, andJessica Rothein the same TV show!), and an intriguing premise are still rather exciting. The plot (which is kind of hard to explain) essentially follows a group of comic fans who meet online and begin to realize the comic book they adore is predicting very real threats to humanity that are starting to happen. Flynn has a knack for writing character-driven mysteries, and this eight-episode conspiracy thriller certainly sounds like a captivating fit. –Adam Chitwood
A Wilderness of Error (FX, 9/25)
Directed by:Marc Smerling, based on the book by Errol Morris
I’ve seen this FX series from the producers ofThe Jinx, and while I don’t think this mystery can compare with the sad, strange tale ofRobert Durst, there’s no doubt it chronicles a compelling crime. Based on the book of the same name by Morris, the true crime docuseries examines the case ofJeffrey MacDonald, an Army surgeon who was accused of murdering his wife and two daughters on July 25, 2025. He was convicted of the crime nearly a decade later and has been in prison since 1982, though Morris feels that the evidence (or lack thereof) suggests that MacDonald may be innocent. Now, why does Morris' opinion hold so much weight? Well, he’s an Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker who also directedThe Thin Blue Line, which led to a man being freed from death row. Morris felt that if he managed that incredible feat once, he could do it again, and after writing the book, teamed with Smerling (a one-time Oscar nominee himself for the extraordinary docCapturing the Friedmans) to dramatize it on television, where the true crime genre has thrived. As an avid reader of such books, I was familiar with the MacDonald case, but never to this extent, and the uninitiated will likely hang on every twist and turn. I have a feeling that if you loved FX’s my-father-was-the-Zodiac seriesThe Most Dangerous Animal of All, you’ll digA Wilderness of Error. Just keep your expectations in check, as it lacks the powerful personal hook of something like HBO’s recent crime docuseriesI’ll Be Gone in the Dark. -Jeff Sneider
The Comey Rule (Showtime, 9/27)
Created by:Billy Ray
Cast:Jeff Daniels, Brenden Gleeson, Michael Kelly,
To be quite honest, I was actually dreading Showtime’s limited seriesThe Comey Rule. It seems entirely too soon to be dramatizing events that were obsessively covered by every major news organization a scant four years ago, and I was anxious about the series going overboard in its hero-worship of James Comey. However, I was pleasantly surprised by The Comey Rule, in particular the performances ofJeff Danielsas Comey andBrenden Gleesonas Donald Trump. By focusing on the aspects of the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s e-mails and the opening few months of the Trump administration that the American people did not get to see play out on television, writer/directorBilly Raymanages to provide tragic and frightening new context to a period of time still fresh in our minds, and that’s a major accomplishment. Plus, the sheer amount of bullshit that’s happened in America since November 2016 has made it all too easy to forget how absolutely bonkers the first few months of 2017 were in Trump’s revolving door White House.The Comey Ruleis an effective drama that should be required viewing in the weeks before this year’s presidential election. -Tom Reimann
Gangs of London (AMC+, 10/1)
Created by: Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery
Cast: Joe Cole, Sope Dirisu, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley, Mark Lewis Jones, Narges Rashidi, Parth Thakerar, Asif Raza Mir, Valene Kane, Brian Vernel, Jing Lusi, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Orli Shuka, Richard Harrington, Jude Akuwudike, Emmett J. Scanlan
Gareth Evansis taking his bone-crunching action filmmaking chops to the small screen, and that’s about all I need to be stoked out of my mind forGangs of London. Co-created byThe Raidfilmmaker Evans andMatt Flannery, Evans’ regular DP, the British-produced series is a sprawling crime saga of familial betrayals, power grabs in wake of the death of an influential patriarch (Colm Meany), examinations into a very English Mafia-esque structure (from its upper-class to lower-cass renderings, and of course, some of the most wildly, viscerally lensed action you’ll see in any medium.Joe Coleplays our anchor, the brusque, underdog son of Meany who tries desperately to keep his family’s hold on London’s criminal underground, mostly via a series of intense martial arts choreography and gunplay.The trailer for this suckershows some truly gnarly stunt work and dynamic filmmaking, bolstered (unlike, say,The Raid) by an engaging, complicated, accessible story. I can’t wait forGangs of Londonto wreck me in the best way possible. -Gregory Lawrence
The Salisbury Poisonings (AMC+, 10/1)
Created by:Adam Patterson, Declan Lawn
Cast:Anne-Marie Duff, Rafe Spall, MyAnna Buring, Mark Addy, Annabel Scholey, Darren Boyd, Nigel Lindsay, Clare Burt, Ron Cook, Stella Gonet, Andrew Brooke, William Houston, Jonathan Slinger, Johnny Harris
It might be timelier than expected, but the three-part story of what happened in 2018 when a deadly nerve agent spread through the town of Salisbury, England also offers a potentially fascinating microcosmic look at how a local community might handle a major health crisis. While the cause of the crisis has less to do with a pandemic and more to do with Russian espionage, the fact remains that this quality British cast, many of whom are hidden behind PPE, have us curious enough to figure outwhat AMC+ is. -Liz Shannon Miller
Monsterland (Hulu, 10/2)
Creator:Mary Laws
Cast:Kaitlyn Dever, Kelly Marie Tran, Jonathan Tucker, Taylor Schilling, Mike Colter, Nicole Beharie, Adepero Oduye, Roberta Clindrez, Charlie Tahan, Hamish Linklater
A new horror anthology series just in time for Halloween? Yes, please! Created byThe Neon Demonscreenwriter andPreacherproducerMary Laws, Hulu’sMonsterlandis an 8-episode anthology inspired byNathan Ballingrud’s celebrated collection of short stories, ‘North American Lake Monsters: Stories’. That’s already an exciting combination, and Ballingrud’s collection offers a lot of timely material to work with, but when you take a look at the talent lineup on board, it’s pretty clear that this is a new series horror fans need to keep an eye on. The cast is packed with up-and-comers and scene-stealers, includingMike Colter,Kaitlyn Dever, andKelly Marie Tran, while behind the camera you’ll find folks likeUnder the ShadowsdirectorBabak Anvari,The Miseducation of Cameron PostdirectorDesiree Akhavan,Channel Zero: Candle CovedirectorCraig William McNeill, andThe Eyes of My MotherdirectorNicolas Pesce. That’s one heck of a lineup across the board, with a lot of exciting voices to help bring these stories to life. –Haleigh Foutch
Emily In Paris (Netflix, 10/2)
Creator:Darren Star
Cast:Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu, Lucas Bravo, Samuel Arnold, Camille Razat, Bruno Gouery
Sex and the CityandYoungercreatorDarren Starstrikes again with another sexy workplace comedy set in the big city – but this time, Star packs up and heads overseas to Paris.Lily Collinsstars as Emily, an ambitious young American who takes a joben Parisand goes through a bit of culture clash as she adjusts to local customs and attitudes while soaking in the enchanting sights of the City of Love. And oh, there will be love. Star is a master of making steamy comedies with decadent fashion and a light emotional touch. Collins has an effervescent quality that should make a nice fit with Star’s particular brand of buoyant leading ladies, and considering Netflix pickedEmily in Parisup from Paramount Network, where it was originally produced, so it’s a safe bet this one’s gonna be pretty binge-able. Which, honestly, anyone who’s ever been left reeling with no more episodes to watch after one ofYounger’s finale twists probably could have predicted anyway. –Haleigh Foutch
Created by:Scott M. Gimple, Matthew Negrete
Cast:Alexa Mansour, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston, Aliyah Royale, Annet Mahendru, Nico Tortorella, Julia Ormond
The Walking Dead: World Beyondis potentially the most exciting thing to happen toThe Walking Deadfranchise in years. While the firstTWDspinoffFear the Walking Deadpromised to tell the story of the early days of the zombie apocalypse, that show quickly devolved into more of the same as the flagship series was aging, uh, not super gracefully. ButWorld Beyondis a truly unique story in this same universe, as it shifts the focus to the first generation who has been raised in this post-apocalyptic world. That’s a radically different point of view than we’ve seen before, and at least holds the promise of something fresh and new. And on top of that,Jordan Vogt-Roberts– the filmmaker behind the vibrant blockbusterKong: Skull Island– directed the pilot and appears to have pulled in a more colorful and diverse palette for this universe. With AMC announcing thatWorld Beyondis a two-season limited event series, there’s also the promise of somethingThe Walking Deadfranchise as a whole has long avoided: closure. –Adam Chitwood
Deaf U (Netflix, 10/9)
Executive producers: Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista, Nyle DiMarco, and Brandon Panaligan.
College life is already a complicated time in a young person’s life, and you’d think being deaf or hard of hearing wouldn’t make things easier. But actually, what the unscripted seriesDeaf Ucaptures is that while the students of Gallaudet University communicate primarily via sign language, the things they’re talking about — sex, friendship, and life — aren’t at all different from what abled students are dealing with. Thanks to the fantastic casting, the series is able to offer a fascinating look into this community that makes these stories universal. -Liz Shannon Miller
