The 50 Most Exciting TV Show to Watch

I’m old enough to remember rolling my eyes at the dad joke about cable TV: “All these channels, and there’s still nothing on!”

I don’t even know how to translate that for 2024, when we’re still in an era when there’s more TV than ever before, splintered across so many networks, services, and streaming platforms that paying for them all would be triple what a cable bill used to cost. And yet…is there anything good to watch?

My first pass at a running list for this fall TV preview clocked in at about 80 shows—and that was with me being judicious. Yet I expect that, come mid-September, you’ll catch me complaining about how there’s nothing to watch. Before that cynicism sets in, however, there’s excitement: There’s a lot coming in the next few months to be hyped about!

Cate Blanchett, Billy Crystal, and…Travis Kelce (?) will headline new shows. Some of the best TV has to offer, like Somebody Somewhere and What We Do in the Shadows, will be airing final seasons. And there are great freshman series like The English Teacher and St. Denis Medical to look forward to.

So without further ado, here are 50 shows to look out for this summer, curated by buzz, star power, quality, and the very scientific method of “this sounds fun to me!”

The English Teacher

Sept. 2 on FX

The fall season kicks off with a gem, one of those new shows you watch the first episode and think to yourself, “Wow, that was special.” Brian Jordan Alvarez created and stars in the series, about a gay high school teacher in Texas attempting to find the humor and meaning in his life and career—as the world around him, somehow, changes rapidly while also remaining frustratingly unmoved.

Slow Horses Season 4

Sept. 4 on Apple TV+

An incessantly farting curmudgeon turns out to be one of the best roles of Gary Oldman’s career, and the spy thriller series is better than ever in Season 4.

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist

Sept. 5 on Peacock

This is based on the true story of a historic night in 1970 when Muhammad Ali made his return to the ring and an armed robbery took place at a party celebrating the fight. A starry cast—Taraji P. Henson, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson—is led by Kevin Hart, who plays Chicken Man, the prime suspect in the robbery who works to clear his name.

The Perfect Couple

Sept. 5 on Netflix

It is unclear to me just how many Nicole Kidmans there are working in the film and television industry, because it seems like every other week the Oscar- and Emmy-winner is starring in a new prestige TV drama. Case in point: The Perfect Couple, a new Netflix thriller series.

My Brilliant Friend Season 4

Sept. 9 on HBO

The series that had me drooling over Italy long before Jennifer Coolidge was partying with “high-end gays” is airing its final swoon-inducing season.

The Chicken Sisters

Sept. 10 on Hallmark+

An adaptation of the popular novel, this series is one of the projects launching the new Hallmark+ streaming service. Bonus, it gives you the opportunity to yell the phrase, “Honey, we’ve got a new Chicken Sisters to watch!”

How to Die Alone

Sept. 13 on Hulu

The wildly talented Natasha Rothwell is where she belongs: in the lead role of a TV series that she created. She plays a lonely airport employee whose brush with death convinces her she needs a change in her life, and the series is an exercise in how many times in any given episode you scream, “Aaah!” over how relatable it is.

Three Women

Sept. 13 on Starz

You will never guess how many women whose lives are followed in this profound new series. That trio is played by Shailene Woodley, Betty Gilpin, and DeWanda Wise, collectively taking part in an unofficial Acting Olympics.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez

Sept. 17 on FX

The Aaron Hernandez story is one that we all definitely followed when it was unfolding, but when you’re reminded of the outrageous details, as you are in this first installment of Ryan Murphy’s latest anthology series, your brain explodes all over again. It’s a tragic tale—and, therefore, juicy TV.

High Potential

Sept. 17 on ABC

Katilin Olson doing anything is never going to be anything but brilliant, hilarious television. The It’s Always Sunny… star and Hacks Emmy nominee plays a single-mom janitor whose unique mind lands her a position consulting police detectives. Friends, do not fail Kaitlin Olson! Watch!

Agatha All Along

Sept. 18 on Disney+

A spin-off of WandaVision centering on Kathryn Hahn’s scene-stealing character that cast Audrey Plaza and Patti LuPone in a coven of witches that is also a musical? Marvel heard that I said I can’t be bothered to watch any more of its content and totally called my bluff.

The Golden Bachelorette

Sept. 18 on ABC

ABC finally caught on that people over the age of 26 are also eager to fall in love. The Golden Bachelor experiment was alternately sweet and a giant mess—the way that reality TV should be—so you can bet that we’ll be tuning in for the first Golden Bachelorette season.

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Sept. 18 on Bravo

Receipts! Proof! Timelines! The return of Bravo’s hottest Housewives franchise, following its best season yet!

Frasier Season 2

Sept. 19 on Paramount+

Of the incessant reboots of classic TV shows, Frasier, while certainly not as brilliant as the original run, at least kept the spirit of the show and characters we loved. So I’ll be back at the buffet of tossed salad and scrambled eggs for Season 2.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Sept. 19 on Netflix

Was I confused and possibly disturbed by the preposterously homoerotic teaser for the new installment of Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology? Considering that it centers on murderous siblings Lyle and Erik Menendez…well, yes. Still, it’s hard to imagine this not becoming a major hit, like the Jeffrey Dahmer season was before it.

The Penguin

Sept. 19 on HBO

Any of my yelling and screaming about how I’ve had enough with all these spinoffs and the lack of original ideas is null and void when Colin Farrell is the star of the project.

A Very Royal Scandal

Sept. 19 on Prime VIdeo

Studios and streamers love nothing more than to tell the same story or dramatize the life of the same person in multiple projects that basically come out at the same time. So not even six months after Netflix put its spin on the infamous 2019 interview between journalist Emily Maitlis and Prince Andrew, Prime Video is doing its own version. This one with Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson!

Matlock

Sept. 22 on CBS

One of my biggest surprises of the fall season is how much fun I found this meta reboot of Matlock starring Kathy Bates to be.

Rescue Hi-Surf

Sept. 22 on FOX

It’s basically Baywatch, but 2024’s version. As someone who—and I’m not kidding—used to watch Baywatch as a kid for the plot, I’m very excited for this one.

Brilliant Minds

Sept. 23 on NBC

The latest in the tried-and-true “a doctor, but he solves tough cases weirdly” genre, Brilliant Minds is based on famed neurologist Oliver Sacks. If you can get past the scene where Zachary Quinto’s lead character goes for a swim in the Hudson River, there’s a lot to dig into here.

Grotesquerie

Sept. 25 on FX

Otherwise known as “the show that Ryan Murphy cast Travis Kelce in.” That we will all be watching and dissecting Kelce’s performance is inevitable. I mostly just want to know what he and co-star Lesley Manville talked about on set.

Colin From Accounts Season 2

Sept. 26 on Paramount+

If there’s any justice in the world—or, god forbid, taste—Australian import Colin From Accounts is going to get the Ted Lasso or Schitt’s Creek-esque surge it deserves. It’s that good.

Doctor Odyssey

Sept. 26 on ABC

*New Joshua Jackson TV series alert! I repeat: New Joshua Jackson TV series alert!*

Nobody Wants This

Sept. 26 on Netflix

A truly incredible title for a TV series that will be reviewed by critics, who will have a field day with puns if they don’t like it. In its favor: the story about the unlikely relationship between an agnostic woman and a rabbi stars the immensely likable Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.

The Summit

Sept. 29 on CBS

The Summit is for anyone who has watched all 473 seasons of The Amazing Race and thought, “Seems like a piece of cake.” In the new reality competition, strangers must hike across New Zealand and climb a literal mountain together, with no training or warning about the physical activity they’re about to embark on. Frankly, I would sue.

The Real Housewives of New York City

Oct. 1 on Bravo

Do I miss LuAnn, Sonja, and Dorinda—even Ramona? Every day. I cry myself to sleep thinking about my mothers, my angels, my reasons to live. Still, I was among those who was (mostly) entertained by the RHONY reboot, and I have faith in what the newbies can bring now that they have one season under their Gucci belts.

Heartstopper Season 3

Oct. 3 on Netflix

You have until Oct. 3 to hydrate and stock up on tissues before television’s sweetest, most moving teen romance returns.

House of Villains Season 2

Oct. 9 on E!

The first season of this show belongs in the Television Hall of Fame for its jaw-dropping, expletive-written face-off between Omarosa and Tiffany “New York” Pollard alone. If Season 2 produces drama that’s half as good, it’s worth it.

Abbott Elementary Season 4

Oct. 9 on ABC

Here’s a little-known show that no one ever talks about or gives awards to, now returning for its fourth underrated season.

Teacup

Oct. 10 on Peacock

This new thriller centers around a mystery so mysterious that there’s really nothing we can tell you about. OOOooooOOOoooo.

Disclaimer

Oct. 11 on Apple TV+

Disclaimer is otherwise known in my brunch/group text circle as the show that, written in all caps, “ALFONSO CUARÓN IS WRITING AND DIRECTING WITH CATE BLANCHETT STARRING!” Should a plot be needed to merit your viewing: Blanchett plays a journalist who learns that a novel is being written about her—and her secret.

NCIS: Origins

Oct. 14 on CBS

A prequel series to NCIS! Alert your parents!

Shrinking Season 2

Oct. 16 on Apple TV+

This was one of the most genuine surprises of last year’s TV season, with moving, prickly, funny performances from Jason Segel, Michael Urie, Jessica Williams, and, especially, Harrison Ford.

Ghosts Season 4

Oct. 17 on CBS

This is one of the most popular comedies of the last few years, and for good reason. My mission, however, is for awards bodies to start taking it seriously. We don’t need to nominate every single cast member from Ted Lasso or The Bear when Brandon Scott Jones and Rebecca Wisocky are right there!

Happy’s Place

Oct. 18 on NBC

If you’re cool like me and owned a box set of DVDs for the CW sitcom Reba that you watched constantly while in college, then the news that Reba McEntire is returning in a new comedy series and that the former Barbara Jean to her Reba, Melissa Peterman, is co-starring should be music to your ears.

Hysteria!

Oct. 18 on Peacock

An ’80s-set coming-of-age thriller series about Satanic panic sounds incredibly juicy, and the casting of Modern Family’s Julie Bowen sounds incredibly interesting.

What We Do in the Shadows Season 6

Oct. 21 on FX

This is the final season of what I maintain is the funniest, joke by joke, series currently on television, and has been for its entire run. That finale episode is going to be my Superb Owl.

Before

Oct. 25 on Apple TV+

In the age of Only Murders in the Building love, it tracks that Billy Crystal, a fellow beloved comedy icon, would be starring in a splashy new TV show. That it’s a psychological thriller, however…well that’s a twist.

Somebody Somewhere

Oct. 27 on HBO

This is the loveliest, most heartfelt and honest—and bawdily funny—series on television, and I will climb to every rooftop in the world to scream about how good it is that’s what it takes to get you all to watch.

The Diplomat Season 2

Oct. 31 on Netflix

Keri Russell and political intrigue. An irresistible combination.

Sweetpea

October TBD on Starz

Ella Purnell was one of the most captivating breakouts from the first season of Yellowjackets, so we’re very excited for this new star vehicle based on C.J. Skuse’s cult-favorite novel.

The Day of the Jackal

Nov. 7 on Peacock

Eddie Redmayne is cruising towards his EGOT like the Titanic heading for an iceberg. This adaptation of Fredrick Forsyth’s novel has the Oscar- and Tony-winner filling the assassin shoes worn by Edward Fox and Bruce Willis in previous films.

Yellowstone Season 5

Nov. 10 on Paramount

Alert your parents, part two!

St. Denis Medical

Nov. 12 on NBC

This is, essentially, The Office, but set in a hospital—which is a great formula! The pilot I saw was incredibly charming, and features a stacked cast including Wendi McLendon-Covey, David Alan Grier, and Allison Tolman.

Bad Sisters Season 2

Nov. 13 on Apple TV+

There is no hyperbole extreme enough for me to explain how much I loved the first season of this acerbic, biting, hilarious, thrilling show. I can’t wait for Season 2.

Landman

Nov. 17 on Paramount+

At this point, it must be embarrassing to be a Hollywood veteran who isn’t starring in a Taylor Sheridan show. This Yellowstone-adjacent series cast Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm, and Demi Moore.

Leonardo da Vinci

Nov. 18 on PBS

Ken Burns’ latest PBS documentary masterpiece that I am absolutely going to watch, I swear!

Based on a True Story Season 2

Nov. 21 on Peacock

Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina are irrefutably the two most charming, telegenic actors working. The combination of them together is almost too much to bear.

Outlander Season 7B

Nov. 22 on Starz

There are two groups of people: Those who have never seen an episode of Outlander, and those for whom this series is their entire personality. A religion, basically. Church is back in session this November.

Finding Mr. Christmas

Fall TBD on Hallmark

Hallmark is doing a reality show competition that searches for the next Hallmark Hunk to star in one of their iconic Christmas movies. It is, I have to say, a brilliant reality TV premise. I’ve also met the finalists, and they are, indeed, very hunky.