The 33 Most Anticipated TV Shows of Fall 2021

With the rise of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the fate of movies remains uncertain—will studios continue to release new films in theaters? On streaming services? Both? But while you may not have immediate access to some of the most talked-about superhero films and Oscar hopefuls this year, there’s plenty of TV to keep you busy this fall.

Fan-favorite shows like Succession, The Morning Show and Dear White People are set to return after long, pandemic-induced breaks. Meanwhile, this autumn’s TV lineup of new series is particularly star-studded: Clive Owen is taking a turn as Bill Clinton in Impeachment: American Crime Story, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain are duking it out as an unhappily married couple in Scenes From a Marriage and Michael Keaton and Rosario Dawson are leading an A-list adaptation of Dopesick, the story of how one pharma company jumpstarted the opioid crisis in America.

And while neither the long-planned Game of Thrones spinoffs nor the much-anticipated Lord of the Rings TV show will debut on the small screen this year, the race for the next hit sci-fi or fantasy series has begun with adaptations of Foundation and The Wheel of Time set to premiere in the next few months, along with a live-action version of the anime series Cowboy Bebop and a reinterpretation of War of the Worlds called Invasion. Those new series will compete with the next two Marvel shows, Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel, the Mandalorian spinoff, The Book of Boba Fett and the second season of the Witcher for genre television supremacy as the holidays approach.

Here are the biggest series you can look forward to for the rest of the year.

What We Do in the Shadows

Sept. 2 on FX

The critically beloved vampire comedy based on Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s film of the same name returns for a third season of bloody fun.

Money Heist

Sept. 3 on Netflix

One of Netflix’s biggest international hits, Spain’s Money Heist promises plenty more twists and turns as the drama about a group of robbers comes to a close in its fifth and final season.

Impeachment: American Crime Story

Sept. 7 on FX

Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-winning anthology will tackle Bill Clinton’s impeachment. The story, produced by Monica Lewinsky, centers largely on her experience. Beanie Feldestein plays Lewinsky alongside an all-star cast that includes Murphy regular Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton and Clive Owen as the former president.

Scenes From a Marriage

Sept. 12 on HBO

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain star as a couple struggling to keep their marriage afloat over the course of a decade in a remake of the 1973 miniseries from legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.

American Rust

Sept. 12 on Showtime

The drama starring Jeff Daniels as a surly Pennsylvania police chief whose infidelity interferes with a murder investigation exudes Mare of Easttown vibes.

Y: The Last Man

Sept. 13 on FX on Hulu

This graphic novel adaptation asks what would happen if all but one man on earth died: Would we live in a dystopia or utopia?

The Lost Symbol

Sept. 16 on Peacock

Robert Langdon, the symbologist hero of Dan Brown’s novels, gets his own origin story. In it, the young academic must solve a series of puzzles to save his mentor.

The Premise

Sept. 16 on FX on Hulu

The Office writer and star B.J. Novak’s anthology series of modern morality tales will explore thorny premises like what one man does when he discovers that the blurry background in his sex tape might provide evidence in a police abuse case. The cast includes Tracee Ellis Ross, Daniel Dae Kim and Jon Bernthal.

The Morning Show

Sept. 17 on Apple TV+

Julianna Margulies and Hasan Minhaj join Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudrup for a second season of the series about a morning show reckoning with a #MeToo scandal.

Read More: How Bombshell and The Morning Show Reckon With #MeToo

Sex Education

Sept. 17 on Netflix

In Sex Education’s third season, Girls star Jemima Kirke joins the cast as the high school’s new headmistress trying to rein in rebellious students.

Muhammad Ali

Sept. 19 on PBS

Famed documentarian Ken Burns endeavors to capture the complex life of the iconic boxer and inspirational activist.

Our Kind of People

Sept. 21 on Fox

Lee Daniels’ new drama centers on a rich enclave of Black families in Martha’s Vineyard and recalls the soapy pleasures of Empire.

Dear White People

Sept. 22 on Netflix

In its fourth and final season, Justin Simien’s campus dramedy will still tackle questions of race relations on campus—especially in a moment of continued upheaval. But it will also take the form of a ’90s-inspired musical.

The Wonder Years

Sept. 22 on ABC

Daniels is also producing a reboot of the classic coming-of-age story, this time centered on a Black 12-year-old growing up in 1960s Alabama. Dulé Hill plays the dad, and Don Cheadle narrates.

Foundation

Sept. 24 on Apple TV+

Isaac Asimov’s epic sci-fi trilogy has inspired space stories ranging from Star Trek to Dune. Now it’s finally getting its own adaptation. Lee Pace and Jared Harris star in the show, which centers on a rebellion within the ranks of a galactic empire.

Midnight Mass

Sept. 24 on Netflix

Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan conjures up another creepy tale, this time about an isolated island beset by supernatural events. Friday Night Lights’ Zach Gilford stars in the series.

BMF

Sept. 26 on Starz

The 50 Cent-produced drama chronicles a tale inspired by the true story of the rise of a criminal empire in Detroit dubbed the Black Mafia Family.

Succession

October TBA on HBO

The beloved HBO dramedy about a Murdoch-esque family and their squabbles over who will rule their media empire finally returns for a third season.

Maid

Oct. 1 on Netflix

Based on Stephanie Land’s popular memoir about poverty in America, Maid stars mother and
daughter Andie McDowell and Margaret Qualley.

Dopesick

Oct. 3 on Hulu

Michael Keaton and Rosario Dawson star in the familiar tale of a pharma company starting a drug epidemic by misrepresenting how addictive OxyContin is.

Queens

Oct. 19 on ABC

The nostalgia for ’90s girls groups that inspired Girls5Eva still has a hold over Hollywood. Queens centers on a girls group that reunites in their 40s to make music again. Real-life ’90s icons Eve and Brandy star.

The Next Thing You Eat

Oct. 21 on Hulu

Ugly Delicious star and chef David Chang explores the next wave of the food world, from lab-grown fish to insect farms.

Invasion

Oct. 22 on Apple TV+

Inspired by H.G. Wells’ seminal story War of the Worlds, Invasion follows an alien attack on earth, as told from the viewpoints of many characters across several continents.

Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition

Nov. 4 on Hulu

Padma Lakshmi’s wonderful food series, Taste the Nation, which spotlights how various immigrant communities shape American food culture, is getting a holiday-centric season this fall. Each episode in the four-part series will highlight a different holiday celebration and all the traditional sustenance that accompanies it, from a Korean New Year’s celebration to a Cuban Christmas party in Miami.

Read More: Cooking in Quarantine With Top Chef Host Padma Lakshmi Means Tasting Many Nations

Dexter: New Blood

Nov. 7 on Showtime

Michael C. Hall returns as the incongruously virtuous serial killer in a 10-episode arc set a decade after the events of the original show. The creators have promised a satisfying coda to the much-maligned series finale.

The Shrink Next Door

Nov. 12 on Apple TV+

Based on a true story and hit podcast, Paul Rudd plays a doctor who takes over all decision-making powers for his meek patient (Will Ferrell).

Cowboy Bebop

Nov. 19 on Netflix

John Cho stars in the live-action adaptation of the celebrated Japanese anime series about a ragtag group of bounty hunters chasing criminals across space.

The Wheel of Time

Nov. 19 on Amazon

In an adaptation of Robert Jordan’s popular fantasy series, Rosamund Pike plays a magician in search of a prophesied chosen one.

Hawkeye

Nov. 24 on Disney+

The next Marvel Studios show gives center stage to Jeremy Renner’s arrow-slinging superhero and his new protege, played by Hailee Steinfeld.

Read More: How the Black Widow End Credits Scene Sets Up Hawkeye

The Beatles: Get Back

Nov. 25 on Disney+

Peter Jackson is no stranger to spending countless hours in the editing room: his 2018 WW1 documentary They Shall Not Grow Old restored dozens of hours of century-old footage. Now, he helms a three-part documentary culled from 60 hours of never-before-seen footage and 150 hours of unheard audio from the Beatles’ 1969 recording sessions for the album Let It Be.

The Witcher

Dec. 17 on Netflix

The hit fantasy series starring Henry Cavill as monster hunter Geralt returns for the holidays.

The Book of Boba Fett

December on Disney+

The first of several planned Mandalorian spinoffs centers on the fan-favorite Star Wars antihero and bounty hunter, Boba Fett.

Read More: The Book of Boba Fett Is The Mandalorian’s First Spinoff Show

Ms. Marvel

TBA on Disney+

Marvel’s first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan, gets her own TV show about surviving high school before she goes on to star in the next Captain Marvel movie, The Marvels.

More fall culture recommendations: