10 returning TV shows we can’t wait for this fall

Fall is back, which only further proves that time is meaningless, but we still have television to keep us company as we slide deeper into the void.

TV has changed a lot in 2020, with viewers scrambling to combat boredom indoors and the TV industry itself adding new streaming services and ways of creating content during a pandemic. 

Returning fall shows won’t reflect production delays due to coronavirus, but they will continue to couch us in normalcy — something that television uniquely has done for the majority of a very abnormal year.

Here are 10 returning shows we can’t wait for this fall, in order of premiere date. 

1. A.P. Bio Season 3 (Sept. 3)

NBC’s snarky comedy about a Harvard professor reduced (in his eyes) to teaching high schoolers is now a proud Peacock original. Season 3 sees Jack (Glenn Howerton) as morally grey as ever as an educator, which means guaranteed laughs as he tries to impart acceptable knowledge to his students. As always, we’re here for Patton Oswalt as Principal Durbin, who apparently has to tackle Sex Ed this season…

Where to watch: Peacock

2. The Boys Season 2 (Sept 5)

Season 2 picks up with the titular Boys hiding from the Supes and separated from a seemingly vanished Butcher. Vought and the Supes remain at large, with a new Supe in the mix (Aya Cash) who could make life very difficult for Homelander while Starlight tries to figure out The Seven.

Where to watch: Amazon

3. PEN15 Season 2 (Sept. 18)

Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman’s middle school comedy returns with even more highly-relatable and masterfully cringey storylines, including a crush (maybe even a kiss??), a school play, sleepovers, and even magical powers. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, and it continues to be nonstop entertainment.

Where to watch: Hulu

4. Fargo Season 4 (Sept. 27)

The latest installment of Noah Hawley’s dark comedy anthology takes us to Kansas City in the ’50s, where dueling criminal empires face mounting tension. On one side is the local mafia, and on the other is a group of Black migrants (led by Chris Rock’s Loy Cannon) hoping for freedom from Jim Crow and those who perpetuate racist law.

Where to watch: FX

5. Bob’s Burgers Season 11 (Sept. 27)

No matter how many new shows make their way into this world, we can’t be without our mainstays and comfort TV. As Bob’s Burgers enters its 11th season, the Belcher family’s life as as bizarre and welcoming as ever. Whether it’s Tina’s dry despondence, Louise’s madness, or new original songs, we know we need Season 11 as badly as ever.

Where to watch: Fox

6. Supernatural Season 15 (Oct. 8)

The ballad of Sam and Dean Winchester draws to a close as Supernatural wraps up its 15th (!) and final season. With the losses of Jack and Mary weighing heavily, the boys and Castiel find themselves up against God himself.

Where to watch: The CW

7. Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 (Oct. 11)

Fear the Walking Dead returns with the characters split up in Virginia’s settlements and trying to simply survive — without the support they’re used to. The Pioneers’ lifestyle might be unfamiliar, but it’s a fascinating new world for the characters we already knew, and one in which some of them might actually fit in.

Where to watch: AMC

8. Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 (Oct. 15)

Star Trek: Discovery returns to CBS All Access on Thursdays, picking up after the U.S.S. Discovery went through a wormhole. Burnham and the rest of the crew must find their way home — through space and time — as they face allies, enemies, and everything in between on this side of the wormhole.

Where to watch: CBS All Access

9. Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 (Oct. 19)

Netflix’s paranormal true-crime docuseries returns with six more episodes about people who disappeared, died, or experienced other mysterious circumstances. We’re probably not going out for Halloween this year, so consider this binge confirmed. 

Where to watch: Netflix

10. The Haunting of Bly Manor (TBD)

From The Haunting of Hill House creator Mike Flanagan comes yet another haunting, but with all new characters and story. Hill House was based on a novel by Shirley Jackson, while Bly draws on The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. A brand-new cast will star, with Hill House‘s Victoria Pedretti returning in a different role. James’ novella deals with ghosts and abduction, among other things, but Flanagan completely overhauled Hill House for his screen adaptation, so expect more than a few changes if you’re familiar with the text. 

Where to watch: Netflix