It’s September! And, for those of us who watch far too much television, that can only mean one thing: the return of most of your favorite shows (And the disappearance of some, too; I’ll miss you, Leverage. Come back soon, okay?). But if you’re not sure when you’ll be able to catch up with Fringe‘s Parallel Earth Olivias or meet Chuck‘s new mom Linda Hamilton – or, if you’re looking to find out when potential new Lost replacement is beginning – here’s a quick guide to what to expect from September’s genre TV.
SEPTEMBER 9
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
The show that asks “Wouldn’t Twilight be better if it was crossed with 90210?” returns for a second season filled with undead soap opera antics like dual roles, feuding brothers and lots and lots of brooding.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzj0g1IlwhM]
Nikita (The CW)
Time for another reboot of the “They trained her to be the world’s greatest assassin – until she turned on them!” franchise (The original La Femme Nikita movie has already spawned a television series and American remake), but this one looks to be the best version since the original, in large part due to the charm of leading lady, Maggie Q.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoTz17GWxjs]
SEPTEMBER 12
The Venture Bros (Cartoon Network)
Oh thank God it’s back finally its back oh thank you merciful cartoon gods. Which is to say, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer’s almost perfect television series returns for the second half of its fourth season after an insanely long wait (Almost a year). And yet, it’ll still be worth the wait.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co7Kf7qEJjs]
SEPTEMBER 17
Batman: The Brave And The Bold (Cartoon Network)
The best Batman cartoon in the history of the world returns for a third season filled with more unexpected guest-stars (Scooby-Doo!) as well as the old familiar faces. As long as there’s a lot of Aquaman, I’ll be happy.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgyyaLp_4-c]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon Network)
War continues to be hell in the third year of this beautifully-animated, continually-maturing spin-off that may end up being better than its source material.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbtoovO_eCw]
SEPTEMBER 20
Chuck (NBC)
Now that he’s a competent spy and his family knows all about it, where else can the show take Charles Bartowski? Well, there’s that whole matter of his missing mother (Linda Hamilton) to deal with, of course…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5q1zl84oRE]
The Event (NBC)
What is The Event? NBC are keeping a tight lid on the precise details, but it may involve a science fictional event that might be related to aliens in some way, if rumors are to be believed. The pilot has made a lot of people very excited, so here’s hoping that the series lives up to those “The New Lost” compliments.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATlVIei9WNA]
Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
They’ve ditched the techno version of the theme tune, but I’m still not on the bus… uh, boat, I guess, about the need for this remake, Battlestar Galactica‘s Grace Park and Lost‘s Daniel Dae Kim or not. Still, it inspired Matt Fraction’s AquaCop tweets, so it has something going for it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKdYXyQa90]
SEPTEMBER 22
Undercovers (NBC)
JJ Abrams sets out to take over television once again with this new spy series showing that there is espionage life after marriage. Or something.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIDRG1edDpg]
SEPTEMBER 23
Bones (Fox)
Last season ended with the two characters going their separate ways after Bones stupidly, stupidly told Booth that she didn’t think of him romantically. Will she learn the error of her ways as we time-jump and catch up with their reunion? The Magic Plot 8-Ball points to “Of course, but expect love triangles and more disputable science along the way.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc25wMOVraw]
Fringe (Fox)
It’s “Crisis On Infinite Olivias” as “our” Olivia is trapped on the wrong Earth with Walternate and “their” Olivia has infiltrated our Earth with plans to… Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Will she try and destroy the world, or be won over by Peter’s sideways smiling charms and the bumbling incoherence of Walter? And if we’re going to switch worlds every other week, does that mean that Charlie is back on a regular basis?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91shsr-t5GU]
S#*! My Dad Says (CBS)
The first series based on a Twitter account comes to television, and despite the presence of William Shatner, it’s very, very likely that it won’t only be things the dad says that will be, as the title says, “s#*!”.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAlxF3g0Yr0]
SEPTEMBER 24
Smallville (The CW)
The final year of Clark Kent’s apprenticeship has finally arrived, and it’ll be filled with guest-stars galore (Hawkman, Aquaman and Supergirl are all slated for early appearances) and at least one resurrection of someone long dead, as well as the villain all comic nerds have been waiting for: Darkseid. Please, Smallville producers: Don’t screw this one up.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAlxF3g0Yr0]
Supernatural (The CW)
It’s a brand new world for the Brothers Winchester in the sixth season of the series, but one in which the family business doesn’t let either Sam or Dean know any kind of peaceful rest for too long. Now that angels and demons have been (kind of) dealt with, expect plenty of other things to go bump in the night this year.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUl2dVrnsBU]
SEPTEMBER 28
SGU: Stargate Universe (Syfy)
Yes, it may feel like Lost crossed with Battlestar Galactica, but if that doesn’t seem like a great idea to you, then I heartily suggest you re-read that sentence and try again. Okay, I’m joking, but only slightly: For my money, SGU ended up a happy surprise in its first season, fulfilling its promise and not wearing out its welcome by taking the easy route out in terms of storyline or characters. I’m hoping for more of the same, but moreso, this time out.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J53aw7SteoY]
No Ordinary Family (ABC)
Michael Chiklis heads up this drama about an all-American family that just so happens to have superpowers. The Incredibles or Fantastic Four, anyone…? Still, maybe we should keep the snark in check and watch – It’s co-created by Greg Berlanti, co-writer of next year’s much-anticipated Green Lantern movie.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbBplfoXBbY]
In case you’re wondering… The much-beleaguered Caprica returns in January, and The Walking Dead is October. Just in case you were thinking there were a couple of shows missing in that line-up…