An exclusive look at 47 of fall 2021's new and returning shows

Chicago Party Aunt (Sept. 17, Netflix)

Sometimes all it takes to prepare for a role is a stiff swig of vodka. "Listen, I'm always immersing myself in bar culture just in case this kind of opportunity arises — and luckily it paid off," says Superstore alum Lauren Ash, the voice behind the titular hard-partying fortysomething dame (based on a satirical Twitter account created by Chris Witaske). Ash's Diane gets a brisk awakening when her Stanford-bound nephew, Daniel (Rory O'Malley), decides to spend a gap year in the Windy City, just as the salon she works at gets a corporate makeover from Manhattan transplant Gideon (RuPaul).

Ash admits she "gasped" at some of Diane's binge-drinking-fueled high jinks, but there's actually a unique love-soaked heart at the bottom of the outwardly brash series' glass. "This is the lady you're going to chat to in the bathroom, who will compliment you on your new Skechers Shape-ups and your Cubs fanny pack. You're best friends for the night, and you might not ever see that person again," Ash explains of Diane, who's all about lifting people up. "That's the vibe, whether it's in the short term with a Jäger shot or the long term with family!" —Joey Nolfi

NCIS: Hawai'i (Sept. 20, CBS)

Vanessa Lachey (BH90210) stars as Jane Tennant, the first female special agent in charge of NCIS Pearl Harbor. That means Lachey and her costars — including Alex Tarrant (Amazon Prime's upcoming Lord of the Rings series) — get to live and work in Oahu for this procedural about fighting crime in the military. "What a glamorous job!" says Lachey, whose character is a "badass" single mom of two kids.

"I literally say daily, 'I love my job.' This island truly has a magical spirit. It was pretty easy to sell [my husband Nick] and the kids on moving here." —Lynette Rice

The Big Leap (Sept. 20, Fox)

In this meta show, Fox channels its beloved So You Think You Can Dance brand (and choreographers) into a fictionalized series that seeks to unite amateur dancers to come together and stage a production of Swan Lake. Scott Foley chews the scenery as a reality TV producer yearning to play puppet-master with his contestants, while the dancers make it easy to root for them as a motley crew that boasts a single mom, a housewife with a porn-addicted husband, a heartbroken former factory worker, and even an NFL player trying to rehab his image. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Ordinary Joe (Sept. 20, NBC)

NBC didn't want James Wolk to have a starring role in one of its new fall dramas. They wanted him to have three! On Ordinary Joe, the Mad Men and Watchmen alum plays a cop, nurse, and rock star — distinct versions of Joe Kimbreau's life all playing out differently, based on a choice that he made on college graduation night. "We all have that moment where a decision just took our life in a totally different direction than we thought it was going to," says Wolk. "I think the show is going to be really pertinent and very poignant for people because everyone has that 'moment' — and this show explores what that would look like." Three what he means on Sept. 20. —Dan Snierson

The Voice (Sept. 20, NBC)

The red chairs aren't the only things that spin on The Voice — so does the revolving door of coaches. Out for season 21: Nick Jonas. In: Grammy winner Ariana Grande, who could prove to be a dangerous woman in this vocal competition. "Ariana is an artist that innately has that production and coaching sense," shares executive producer Audrey Morrissey. With the "Positions" singer seated next to eight-time Voice winner Blake Shelton, Morrissey promises some great banter: "There's a lot of poking and jabbing each other throughout." —Alamin Yohannes

Dear White People (Sept. 22, Netflix)

A dream of the '90s is alive at Winchester University, because Dear White People is transforming into a throwback jukebox musical for its fourth and final season. "I wanted to go out with a bang," says creator/co-showrunner Justin Simien, who found comfort in this ambitious twist at the start of the pandemic. "Frankly, I needed something really joyful to come to work and do." In the accompanying photo, Samantha White (Logan Browning) and her boyfriend Gabe (John Patrick Amedori) are performing Tevin Campbell's "Round and Round" as they head to job fair in the premiere. "There's something about the song that is so full of possibilities," says Simien. ""It just felt like the beginning of a musical. I really wanted to capture, at the start of this, their enthusiasm and passion for going out in the world, facing struggles, and doing it." —Chancellor Agard

The Wonder Years (Sept. 22, ABC)

This reimagining of the beloved coming-of-age series follows 12-year-old Dean Williams (Elisha "EJ" Williams) growing up in a middle-class Black family in 1968 Montgomery, Ala. (Don Cheadle narrates the show as Dean's future self.) To help give the new series a familiar flavor, showrunner Saladin K. Patterson brought on original Wonder Years star Fred Savage to direct the show's pilot and executive produce. "Fred helps me hold the line on the tone that we want this version to have," Patterson explains. Adds Savage, "We want to keep that same sense of nostalgia and warmth, and really toe that line between comedy and drama that I think the original did so well." —Tyler Aquilina

Survivor (Sept. 22, CBS)

Survivor has always been a unique show, and it had to contend with unique problems to get back on TV during the pandemic. While it's one thing to resume production in places like California, New York, or Atlanta with an all-local crew in the age of COVID, it's another thing altogether when you're filming in Fiji with an international crew of 400 traveling from all over the world.

"It was a daily battle of Whac-A-Mole," says host Jeff Probst, who reveals that the show considered filming domestically in Georgia and Hawaii before deciding to wait it out a full year and return to Fiji in 2021 for Survivor 41. "Every time we thought we had a potential spot, COVID would surge and we would be back to square one." The yearlong pause also meant the show had to recast this season (making sure to adhere to CBS' new goal of having unscripted casts be at least 50 percent BIPOC), which the host says was one silver lining of the delay: "It allowed us to continue our casting process, and in that time, we found some really amazing people." —Dalton Ross

Alter Ego (Sept. 22, Fox)

Alter Ego is kind of like Fox's other singing competition, The Masked Singer, but on steroids, according to judge Nick Lachey. The visual-effects- heavy series gives contestants the opportunity to be stars, but they're not singing as themselves. Instead, they create and perform as their dream avatar alter ego in front of judges Lachey, Alanis Morissette, will.i.am, and Grimes.

"It's incredible technology meets incredible talent, and to watch it unfold on stage in front of me was pretty radical," says Lachey of the avatars, one of which shoots lasers from its eyes, while others can fly. "It's really bizarre, but you're totally invested in the performances. I'm excited for everyone to see it and have their minds blown like mine was." —Lauren Huff

The Masked Singer (Sept. 22, Fox)

Big format changes are in store for season 6, which will feature the semifinalists duetting with an unmasked celebrity singer. Plus, panelists/professional guessers Robin Thicke and Nicole Scherzinger will each sing with two of the finalists separately — for the first time ever. —Lauren Huff

Doom Patrol (Sept. 23, HBO Max)

Doom Patrol does not lack for inspiration. The first two seasons were jam-packed with colorful characters, but with decades of DC comics about the world's strangest superheroes to pull from, there a re still plenty of fresh faces to fea- ture in season 3—such as the alien Garguax (Stephen Murphy).

"He was quite the fearful presence back in the '50s," show- runner Jeremy Carver says of Garguax, "but since then he's been living a very different existence. Will he continue to be loyal to an evil leader, or will he be loyal to himself ? It's not unlike the Doom Patrol questioning where they stand in the aftermath of their own tragedy." —Christian Holub

Foundation (Sept. 24, Apple TV+)

Isaac Animov's Foundation books, which have had such a profound impact on science-fiction, even going so far as to influence George Lucas' Star Wars galaxy, is finally getting a live-action adaptation, thanks to creator David S. Goyer and Apple TV+. Full disclosure, there's a lot to take in. Set in a universe ruled with an iron fist by the Genetic Dynasty, in which every generation's ruler is a clone of the original, one mathematician (Jared Harris) studies psycho-history (math that can predict the future based on humanity's behavior) and foretells an era of darkness for the human race. That doesn't sit well with the Empire. Thus begins a saga that spans thousands of years. —Nick Romano

BMF (Sept. 26, Starz)

Power Universe EP 50 Cent expands his empire with BMF (a.k.a. Black Mafia Family), the true story of two Detroit brothers and small-time dealers who founded one of the country's most powerful crime families. —Derek Lawrence

La Brea (Sept. 28, NBC)

When a giant sinkhole opens up in Los Angeles, hundreds of people fall through and travel to a primeval world and must figure out how to survive on NBC's new mystery drama. One of those survivors is Ty, played by Being Mary Jane's Chiké Okonkwo in his first American broadcast network starring role. "In the first episode, we don't quite understand why he's facing the things that he's facing," says Okonkwo. "I can say that he's a psychiatrist by trade. He's a man who is slightly confused with finding himself in this world, and he doesn't deal with it brilliantly at the beginning." Okonkwo is very impressed with the show's scale and things audiences will be, too. "I just the ambition of the show. I loved how big it was," he says. —Chancellor Agard

Grey's Anatomy (Sept. 30, ABC)

Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) is back! After season 17 saw Meredith endure a long battle with COVID-19, she ended things back on her feet, which is where we'll seemingly find her in the upcoming 18th season. But Meredith isn't the only one who's back. ABC has announced a number of returning faces for season 18, including Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery, Abigail Spencer's Megan Hunt, and perhaps most confusingly, Kate Burton's Ellis Grey. Potentially playing into the Ellis story is new addition to the cast, Dr. Alan Hamilton, an old friend of Ellis played by none other than Peter Gallagher. Let the fan theories begin! —Samantha Highfill

Big Sky (Sept. 30, ABC)

ABC's twisty drama returns with Elwood Reid (The Chi, Barkskins) stepping in as showrunner. Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) and Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) face new mysteries as they reunite to investigate a car wreck outside Helena, Montana and discover the case is more complicated than it looks. With a host of new faces, including Janina Gavankar (Sleepy Hollow) and Logan Marshall-Green (Spider-man: Homecoming), Jenny and Cassie encounter unsuspecting teens, a flirtatious figure from Jenny's past, and a vicious outsider who will stop at nothing to get answers. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Unidentified With Demi Lovato (Sept. 30, Peacock)

Demi Lovato is getting extra... terrestrial, that is. The singer/actor/activist's latest adventures take them to UFO hot spots and mind-blowing realizations in Peacock's new unscripted series. The show follows Lovato, their sister Dallas, and skeptical best friend Matthew as they attempt to reveal the truth about the UFO phenomena — meeting alien abductees, investigating recent eyewitness encounters, and uncovering secret government reports along the way. "There were some pretty out-there stories that it's still pretty hard to wrap my brain around," the singer and true UFO believer tells EW of making the docuseries but adds: "I want people to have an open mind and heart and to realize that these beings are looking out for our best interest. There's nothing to fear." —Ruth Kinane

Maid (Oct. 1, Netflix)

Real-life mother-daughter duo Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley star in this adaption of Stephanie Land's memoir about a single mother who turns to housekeeping to survive. —Sydney Bucksbaum

CSI: Vegas (Oct. 6, CBS)

One year after CSI's 20th anniversary, Gil Grissom (William Petersen) and Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) are back. "It's Groundhog Day," says Fox, who teases "a crazy twist" involving Capt. Jim Brass (show vet Paul Guilfoyle). Brass' connection to a crime prompts the pair to team up with the CSI lab's new boss (Paula Newsome), new investigators (including Kingdom's Matt Lauria), and old pals, such as lab tech David Hodges (Wallace Langham). It's like old times for Sara and Gil — but, adds Fox, "We do see them stay in a swanky hotel they [previously] couldn't afford!" —Lynette Rice

Ghosts (Oct. 7, CBS)

Think The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, sans the supernatural love affair, but with way more charming spirits. This single-camera sitcom stars Rose McIver (iZombie) and Utkarsh Ambudkar (Pitch Perfect) as Sam and Jay, a young couple who inherit a haunted mansion of ghostly misfits — like Brandon Scott Jones as a three-centuries-old militiaman, Rebecca Wisocky as an 1800s woman of society, and Danielle Pinnock as a sassy, Prohibition-era lounge singer — who couldn't scare a mouse. A freak accident enables Sam to see her otherworldly roommates, who aren't inclined to make room for two humans. "It's a family comedy, but the weirdest family you can see," says Ambudkar. —Lynette Rice

The Equalizer (Oct. 10, CBS)

As if saving the day wasn't hard enough, Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah) now must contend with her angry daughter Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes), who is still reeling from the news that her mom is a vigilante. But that won't stop Robyn, especially when Detective Dante (Tory Kittles) needs her help on a case that hits close to home. —Lynette Rice

We're Here (Oct. 11, HBO)

You might be "alive," but you haven't really lived until you've been dragged up and made over by a jury of your queer peers, and RuPaul's Drag Race icons Shangela, Bob the Drag Queen, and Eureka are back to spread more gay glory and enliven America's small-town population on season 2 of We're Here. The trio bops from town to town giving people from all walks (and struts) of life a new wardrobe, attitude, and outlook on life after getting them up in drags, and new locations (buckle up, Texas), outfits (yes, "Drag Queen Football Eleganza" is now a thing), and, uh, faces (Bob looks quite different in that blue getup!) prove this docuseries is even sweeter with a second lease on life. —Joey Nolfi

Dopesick (Oct. 13, Hulu)

In the 1990s, a new drug was introduced to the medical community, one that guaranteed to alleviate pain without the risk of addiction. It was called OxyContin. Created by Purdue Pharma, which was run by members of the Sackler family, OxyContin became increasingly popular. Only, it was addictive. And it helped launch the Opioid epidemic in America. Dopesick tells the story of OxyContin's creation and its impact through various lenses: The members of the Sackler family who created it, the medical sales reps who helped sell it, the DEA agents and lawyers who tried to stop it, the doctors who prescribed it, and the citizens whose lives were ruined by it. —Samantha Highfill

You (Oct. 15, Netflix)

Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is in hell. Or worse, he's in suburbia. When You's third season premieres, Joe and Love (Victoria Pedretti) are giving domestication a try as they become first-time parents. But with domestication comes neighbors, such as Matthew (Scott Speedman), the super successful (and super mysterious) CEO next door. Matthew quickly finds himself mixed up in Joe and Love's business and, well, those two don't have a great track record when it comes to friends. —Samantha Highfill

Succession (Oct. 17, HBO)

Succession may be a must-watch for many but Sanaa Lathan had never even seen the lauded comedy-drama when the Now You See Me 2 actress was approached about playing a high-powered lawyer named Lisa Arthur on season 3 of the show. "It was in the fall of 2020," she says. "It was still that scary pandemic time and I hadn't traveled. I had to leave from L.A. to New York and I said to myself, I don't know if I'm going to do this. Then I watched the first season and the second season in three days because I was so obsessed and I said, I have to be a part of this." —Clark Collis

Queens (Oct. 19, ABC)

ABC's latest musical drama, created by Scandal alum Zahir McGhee, and featuring original music overseen by Verzuz don Swizz Beatz, sees the multitalented Eve, Brandy, Naturi Naughton, and Nadine Velasquez play a 90s rap group known as Nasty Bitches that are keen on making a comeback. While the quartet does not feel the need to return to that moniker, they do want to tap back into the unbridled confidence they had as hitmakers, and not be defined by the present day labels "mom," "church lady," "disgraced TV host," or "has-been singer." They're all Queens now. —Marcus Jones

Invasion (Oct. 22, Apple TV+)

Invasion isn't really about an alien invasion, nor are the aliens the most interesting element of this addicting new Apple TV+ drama. Yes, there are aliens. Yes, they invade earth. But the show is about how humanity deals with catastrophe, how a global crisis brings out the best and worst in all of us. Come for the return of Jurassic Park all-star Sam Neill, but stay for the standout performance of Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, who delivers a compelling performance as a mother forced to fight through the titular invasion with her cheating, cowardly husband in order to keep her children safe. —Nick Romano

Locke & Key (Oct. 22, Netflix)

The first season of Locke & Key, a supernatural horror/adventure series about magical keys based on the comic of the same name by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, ended on one hell of a cliffhanger. At first it seemed like the Locke children — Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) — had finally vanquished the demonic spirit known as Dodge (Laysla De Oliveira) by pushing her through the black door. But in reality, Dodge had used the Identity Key to pose as a boy named Gabe...who Kinsey is now officially dating. A snake is in the garden in season 2, and who knows what darkness awaits the Locke children — especially once Dodge inspires them to start forging new keys? —Christian Holub

Insecure (Oct. 24, HBO)

What's the state of Issa (Issa Rae) and Molly's (Yvonne Orji) friendship? That's the question on everyone mind going into Insecure's final season because the last one ended with the feuding friends finally sitting down to talk through their drama. "Viewers will find out soon-ish where their relationship stands," Orji teases. For Molly, season 5 is truly about growth. "I think Molly is really looking to find [herself]," she says. "This season is really a time for our characters to figure it out and find it before you get left behind — because there are no other season left to find it." —Chancellor Agard

4400 (Oct. 25, The CW)

The 4400 is getting a modern — and meaningful — update. The CW's reimagining of the USA Network sci-fi series (2004–07) begins when 4,400 marginalized people who vanished without a trace throughout the past hundred years return in an instant in 2021, with no memory of what happened. As some begin to develop powers, the government races to analyze the potential threat, while "the 4400," as they're called, must grapple with the mystery of what happened to them — and why they've reappeared now.

Co-showrunner Ariana Jackson says updating the series for 2021 meant exploring "the history and legacy of white supremacy in our country and how it hasn't been fixed, and how that has led to where we are now." —Sydney Bucksbaum

Colin in Black & White (Oct. 29, Netflix)

Jaden Michael, 17, is looking to score a powerful touchdown with his performance as teenage Colin Kaepernick in Ava DuVernay's limited series about the high school years of the NFL quarterback-turned-activist. "There's this video that hit me like a ton of bricks," Michael recalls of his research. "One of the first interviews Colin did — at that time he had only sat [during the anthem] — and a reporter asked, 'Do you think you're going to lose your job?' Colin's face dropped a bit, he thought, and he goes, 'I don't know, but if I do, I did the right thing and I know it'll be worth it.' That's something anyone can find admirable." —Derek Lawrence

Narcos: Mexico (Nov. 5, Netflix)

Prepare to meet a real bad Kitty. Narcos superfan and global-music superstar Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, a.k.a. Bad Bunny, makes his acting debut in the third and final season of Narcos: Mexico, starring as rich-kid-turned-hitman Arturo "Kitty" Paez. "Everybody under 30 in the office lost their s---," showrunner Carlo Bernard says of the moment the casting team revealed that Bad Bunny wanted to be on the show. "I was like, 'Oh, I should probably pay more attention to this!'" Martínez Ocasio's wish came true, and so did Bernard's in getting to tell the true story of the Narco Juniors, a group of upper-society kids who fell in love with the violent and flashy cartel life. "Kitty is a charismatic guy who loved looking fresh," shares the Grammy-winning artist. "He likes nice things, and I can really relate to that!"

Set in the '90s, in the aftermath of Félix Gallardo's (Diego Luna) imprisonment, the final season turns to the "more violent and chaotic world" that still exists in Mexico, says Bernard. "We tried to design something that captured the sprawling, ongoing nature of the phenomenon and tragedy of the drug business," he explains, "but also told a satisfying and complete story." —Derek Lawrence

Dexter: New Blood (Nov. 7, Showtime)

Like father, like daughter: Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) will take the place of her dead dad Harry Morgan (played during the original run of the Showtime drama by the great James Remar) by serving as the id to her brother's superego in New Blood. "I wanted to come back and haunt him, comfort him, console him, encourage him, love him, hate him, and ruin him," she tells EW. "One hundred percent of the regret she held was that she should have put bracelets on him. She should have put him in prison and he should have suffered in prison. Not that he would have suffered because I feel like shame and guilt are and will remain strangers to him. But that would have been the right justifiable thing to do that would honor her truth." —Lynette Rice

Yellowstone (Nov. 7, Paramount Network)

Piper Perabo (The Big Leap, Covert Affairs) would love
to share details about her character's season 4 story line...but if she did, she'd have to kill you. That's because her character, an environmental activist named Summer Higgins, who protests industrialized farm- ing in Montana, interacts with someone from the Dutton clan — patriarch John (Kevin Costner), daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly), and son Kayce (Luke Grimes) — whose fate was in question after that explosive season 3 cliffhanger. "When John Dutton or Rip [Cole Hauser] want to get rid of people, they talk about taking them to the train station," says Perabo. "I don't want to be taken to the train station!" —Lynette Rice

Best Shape of My Life (Nov. 8, YouTube)

On Dec. 26, 2020, Will Smith called producer Lukas Kaiser and told him to come to his house on Jan. 1 with a camera crew. "We show up and he's ready to take off his shirt and weigh in," reveals Kaiser of the origins of this six-part series, which finds the 53-year-old action hero attempting to get back into, you guessed it, the best shape of his life. Smith seeks to improve his mind and body through everything from traditional exercise to conversations with athletes and psychologists. "Some of these techniques either don't bring him the success he's looking for, or he achieved the goal but the feeling isn't what you expect," says Kaiser. "It's layered but also incredibly relatable." —Derek Lawrence

Ragdoll (Nov. 11, AMC+)

There's nothing pretty or little about what's haunting Lucy Hale in Ragdoll. The six-episode thriller stars
the Pretty Little Liars alum as a "fish-out-of-water" American detective constable, Lake Edmunds, working a gruesome case in London where six murder victims have been dismembered and sewn into one grotesque body nicknamed the Ragdoll.

"I feel like I've been preparing my whole life for this role because I love true crime," Hale says of taking on the "disturbing" project that combines dry British humor with dark drama. "If I'm being honest, I didn't think I had a shot at it because this is really different for me. But I knew that I could do it. I had to fight for it." If "A" could see her now. —Sydney Bucksbaum

The Shrink Next Door (Nov. 12, Apple TV+)

Brace for one strange couch trip: This dark comedy based on the Wondery podcast explores the real-life, line-crossing, codependent relationship between eccentric textile-company owner Marty Markowitz (Will Ferrell) and his charismatic psychiatrist, Ike Herschkopf (Paul Rudd), who controls Marty's life/bank account. "It's a friendship and a patient-and-doctor relationship that just got out of control," says Rudd. "When, how, and why — those answers are up for debate." Quips Ferrell: "It's a combination of Thelma and Louise meet Butch and Sundance meet Turner and Hooch." —Dan Snierson

Yellowjackets (Nov. 14, Showtime)

Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, and Tawny Cypress have a group Marco Polo chat. No, this isn't the start of a bad joke, but rather one way in which the Yellowjackets costars bonded. On the new drama, they play four members of a high school girls' soccer team who, 25 years earlier, were stranded together after a plane crash. "We figured if you're stuck for years with people in the wilderness, you'd know everything," Lynskey says, referencing their video-app chat chain. "We just decided that the best thing to do was to tell each other every single thing about our lives." It's not quite the same as relying on one another to survive, but it'll do. As for their characters, the series will follow them in the immediate aftermath of the crash — played by other actresses — and then as adults. "They're kind of forced to reconnect to help each other figure out something creepy that's going on," teases Lynskey. —Samantha Highfill

Mayor of Kingstown (Nov. 14, Paramount+)

The next Taylor Sheridan joint to hit the Paramount family is Mayor of Kingstown, a drama that follows the powerful McLusky family of Michigan. The action takes place in the town of Kingstown, where putting criminals behind bars is the only business. Systemic racism and corruption take center stage in the series that stars Dianne Wiest, Jeremy Renner, and Kyle Chandler and is executive produced by Sheridan, the mastermind behind Yellowstone on Paramount Network and the upcoming prequel 1883 for Paramount+. —Lynette Rice

Hit Monkey (Nov. 17, Hulu)

Revenge can be sweet — and sometimes fuzzy. Based on the Marvel comic and cre­ated by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, this darkly comedic se­ries follows a Japanese snow macaque whose clan meets a stranded hitman, Bryce (Jason Sudeikis), and nurses him back to health. But when Bryce bites the dust, it's up to the titular simian (guided by Bryce's ghost) to follow in his assassin footsteps and seek vengeance. "He's a character who is violent and temper­ amental but also deeply wounded and innocent," says Gordon. —Devan Coggan

Cowboy Bebop (Nov. 19, Netflix)

Cowboy Bebop is one of the most formative anime of all time. Some might call the original '90s series about a trio of space bounty hunters roaming the galaxy for their next payday as the anime. Suffice it to say, there's a lot of pressure on Netflix's live-action adaptation, but there's also a lot to pique your interest: John Cho sporting sexy locks and suave suits, a driving soundtrack by the anime's original composer Yoko Kanno, and live-action Ein, the "data dog" (a.k.a. the super-smart corgi). Add in a grand production that was shot in New Zealand on the same stages as Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, and you can imagine the scale of this deranged space opera. —Nick Romano

Power Book II: Ghost (Nov. 21, Starz)

Has Monet (Mary J. Blige) finally met her match? Season 2 of Power's sequel series introduces Daniel Sunjata as the manipulative Mecca, who is interested in a lot more than just the Tejada-family drug business. —Derek Lawrence

The Wheel of Time (Nov. 19, Amazon Prime Video)

Robert Jordan's best-selling 15-book fantasy series finally comes to the screen with this Amazon adaptation. Rosamund Pike stars as Moiraine, a member of the female-only mystic order called the Aes Sedai who must save three young village men — Rand (Josha Stradowski), Mat (Barney Harris), and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) — from dark forces. She knows one of them is the long-prophesied messiah known as the Dragon; she's just not sure which one. —Christian Holub

Hawkeye (Nov. 24, Disney+)

One of the founding Avengers is finally getting his moment in the spotlight — though Disney's next live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe series is actually a tale of two Hawkeyes. We already know Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), who we've seen face down alien conquerors and Yakuza gangsters during his yearslong career as a superhero. But now we meet Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), the young female Hawkeye whose MCU entrance fans have been eagerly awaiting for years. She brings out a different side of Clint.

"There's the family man that we've portrayed," executive producer Trinh Tran says of Renner's archer, "a more serious character who is no-nonsense and gets through what he needs to do to accomplish the mission. But here he's pit against Kate, who is super energetic — and at times annoying. It's putting the two of them together and seeing what comes out of that." —Christian Holub

True Story (Nov. 24, Netflix)

Welcome to the world of drama, Kevin Hart. For former Narcos boss Eric Newman's new limited series, the comedy rock star is mixing reality with fiction for his turn as Kid, a famous comedian who returns to his hometown of Philadelphia, only to face the consequences of a lost evening with his older brother Carlton (Wesley Snipes). "It's like you've never seen me before," promises Hart. "We wanted to raise the level of curiosity, like, 'What is Kevin trying to say? Is he playing himself?' We never refer to the character by name, just Kid. Ultimately it's a question of How far would you go to protect the things you've worked hardest for?" —Derek Lawrence

The Hot Zone: Anthrax (Nov. 28, Nat Geo)

This Canada-shot limited series re-creates the investigation into who sent anthrax bacterium to politicians and media outlets in the weeks after 9/11, resulting in five deaths. Lost and Hawaii Five-0 alum Daniel Dae Kim plays a fictional FBI special agent, while Tony Goldwyn is Dr. Bruce Ivins, a real-life micro-biologist who helped analyze the mailed material. "The Toronto winter, combined with
a strict lockdown, made it one of the most challenging on-location experiences I've ever had," says Kim. "It certainly wasn't Hawaii!" Goldwyn describes making a show about anthrax during a pandemic as "surreal," adding, "It gave me some pretty crazy dreams." —Clark Collis

The Witcher (Dec. 17, Netflix)

Just call Geralt of Rivia "Daddy Witcher" — and not because sex symbol Henry Cavill plays him. As the British actor explains, it's because of how The Witcher season 2 (loosely based on Andrzej Sapkowski's Blood of Elves book) sees its titular warrior embracing his "paternal side" as he trains his Child of Surprise, Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan), to master the power within her. "While he hasn't necessarily been someone who craved children, he does take quite naturally to being a protector," Cavill says.

"What I'm trying to do is bring [out] more of that intellectual, philosophical, wise Geralt." But that doesn't preclude classic, grumpy Geralt — he's still in there. —Nick Romano

For more from our Fall TV Preview, order the October issue of Entertainment Weekly or find it on newsstands now. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.