Even in the era of Peak TV, fall has largely remained broadcast televisions time to shine. Cable and streaming outfits typically save their best material for the dead of summer or early winter, when the traditional networks have hit the snooze bar, and their big awards plays for March and April, which is to Emmy season what December is to Oscar season. But if theres one principle that defines the TV landscape these days, it may be more is more. Meaning that over the next few months, the HBOs and Netflixes of the world are unloading a ton of new content, almost all of it hugely ambitious evidence that they intend to cede no ground in their quest to run the prestige TV game.
That said, old-school networks arent lying down just yet. From headline-making spin-offs (ABCs The Conners) to nostalgia-tapping revivals (CBS Murphy Brown) and feverishly anticipated returns (NBCs The Good Place), the big three areputting up a healthy fight for our eyeballs. In the opposite corner: glamorous movie stars doing their first TV work in years (Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner), embattled auteurs returning with high-concept gambles (Matthew Weiner) and new installments of our most recent favorites (welcome back, Big Mouth). Theres so much small-screen entertainment coming down the pike this fall, a single day could feasibly deliver 24 hours of brand-new episodes. See: the Streamageddon that isSeptember 14th, which will offerthe return of Netflix darlings BoJack Horseman and American Vandal plus the debuts of Amazons quirky comedy Forever and Hulus space-set drama The First.
All of which is to say: Don a chunky knit, grab a hot toddy and embrace those early sunsets. You are hereby mercifully freed from the obligation to be active andinsteadreleased into the great indoors to explore the wilds of TV.