15 fall TV shows to watch: 'Real Housewives,' 'Succession,' more

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The fall TV season isn’t what it used to be — the other three seasons have long since caught up — but the months between now and year’s end still bring an embarrassment of riches. And we’re not just talking about the Roys.

From the long-awaited second season of “The Morning Show” to another “Real Housewives” scandal to a new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the saga of a media magnate’s hangers-on knifing each other in the back, you won’t be without stories to discuss at the proverbial watercooler. Oh, and did we mention the dramatization of a little thing called the Clinton impeachment?

All that and much more awaits you in The Times’ guide to the 15 TV shows we’re most excited about this fall.

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“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu, Aug. 31)

A young woman and two older men looking shocked as they enter an apartment.

Steve Martin co-created this citizen-sleuth comedy in which he stars along with Martin Short and Selena Gomez as residents of an upper Manhattan apartment building who come together over their love of a true-crime podcast. Soon enough, they’re investigating a mystery of their own — and maybe making a podcast about it. The humor is human, not wacky — if you get a little sad now and again, that’s part of the plan — and the jokes don’t rely on our regarding the Martins as codgers who are funny just by virtue of walking and talking. (This isn’t “Grumpy Old Men and the Secret of the Old Clock.”) They’re lively in roles that play to their strengths, Martin as a standoffish former TV detective now auditioning to play extras who look like him, Short as a flamboyant theatrical producer with nothing going on. In her first regular TV role since she was a Disney Channel kid, Gomez brings a kind of solemnity that anchors the trio well. — Robert Lloyd

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“American Crime Story: Impeachment” (FX, Sept. 7)

Clive Owen in costume as Bill Clinton on an Oval Office set

He’s done O.J. Simpson. He’s done Gianni Versace. Now it’s time for uber-producer Ryan Murphy to reconsider yet another scandal from the ’90s with the long-awaited “American Crime Story: Impeachment.” After several delays and false starts, the series will finally arrive boasting an all-star cast including Beanie Feldstein as White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Clive Owen as President Clinton and Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, the Pentagon employee who surreptitiously recorded her phone calls with Lewinsky. With playwright Sarah Burgess as showrunner, the 10-episode series is one of several recent projects to revisit this sordid saga in the post-#MeToo age, and it treats Lewinsky, who was involved as a producer, as a sympathetic protagonist rather than a punchline. — Meredith Blake

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“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” (Bravo, Sept. 12)

A collage of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

When it made its debut in November as the 10th addition to an aging franchise, “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” felt like a snow-capped wonderland of good ol’ petty drama that brought a refreshing jolt of joy to our pandemic nights and introduced us to the culinary wonder that is a “chicken lollipop.” Even Rihanna was watching. And the show’s cast wasted little time in bringing high drama to its high-altitude locale. Filming on the second season coincided with hot-tempered Jen Shah getting arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering in an alleged telemarketing scheme. Her legal crisis will no doubt make for some slick flashback editing and “to be continued...” moments on the series, just as the tale of Erika Girardi (a.k.a. Erika Jayne) and her estranged husband, former L.A. legal powerhouse Tom Girardi, have on the current season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” The scandal has already delivered some of this season’s most real reality moments. — Yvonne Villarreal

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“Back to Life” (Showtime, Sept. 13)

A man and a woman sitting on a bench on the beach

This quirky British series has a darkly comic vibe that may at first glance seem similar to “Fleabag,” but it’s quite distinct. Daisy Haggard, who created the show, stars as Miri Matteson, who is awkwardly trying to rebuild her life after spending almost two decades in prison for committing a horrific crime. She meets endless obstacles — from dealing with her loving but cautious parents to the people in town who hate her. The series is a showcase for Haggard, whose performance is both hilarious and poignant. Miri’s life is likely not going to get easier in the second season. — Greg Braxton

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“Y: The Last Man” (FX on Hulu, Sept. 13)

A woman Secret Service agent stares at the camera before a wall of flags.

Based on Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Eisner Award-winning comic book series, “Y: The Last Man” is set in a world where every single mammal with a Y chromosome suddenly and pretty horrifically dies one day — except for a cisgender man named Yorick and his pet monkey Ampersand. Besides the mystery around the tragedy and Yorick and Ampersand’s immunity, the survivors also have to figure out how to rebuild a functional society and maybe avoid human extinction. It’s a comic book series with a special place in my heart, and because this show has been a long time coming (it was initially announced in 2015, after a years-long attempt at a film adaptation did not pan out), a part of me refused to get my hopes up that it was really happening until I saw the trailer. I’m especially looking forward to seeing how the show updates the source material to reflect a more nuanced understanding of gender. — Tracy Brown

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“The Morning Show” (Apple TV+, Sept. 17)

Two women greet each other as a man looks on

Season 2 of the newsroom drama, which laid bare the cutthroat culture of chatty news programs in its freshman run, returns nearly two years after its debut on the then-fledgling Apple TV+, now an Emmy favorite for “Ted Lasso.” Host Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) has quit the morning show, her relationship with co-anchor Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) is hanging by a thread and a shamed Matt Lauer-esque Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) is poised to make a comeback. New additions to the cast include Hasan Minhaj and Julianna Margulies. Watch the bloodletting behind the smiles as they continue to stray from script, on and off camera. — Lorraine Ali

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“The Big Leap” (Fox, Sept. 20)

A woman and a man smile widely as they line up for an audition

In 2014, a British docuseries recruited a group of average-size amateur dancers and trained them for a performance of “Swan Lake.” This hour-long show fictionalizes the endeavor with earnest emotionality about life’s second chances and follows, among others, an unemployed man hoping to win back a spouse, a single mom trying to overcome depression and a famous athlete working to fix his reputation. Scott Foley adds humor and conflict as the producer of the show within a show. — Ashley Lee

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“La Brea” (NBC, Sept. 28)

A woman looks on in horror during a disaster

Just the title may be a reason to tune in for guilty pleasure-seekers like me. After all, how many dramas are named after a Los Angeles street that really has nothing distinctive about it? The mysterious promos that aired repeatedly during the Tokyo Olympics didn’t reveal much, except that a giant sinkhole has opened up in the middle of the city and plunged a lot of unfortunate residents (and presumably lots of commuters stuck in traffic on La Brea) deep, deep, deep underground — into what the program notes describe as a “mysterious and primeval” world. Natalie Zea, who has played supporting roles in “Justified,” “The Shield” and several other series, is the star. — Greg Braxton

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“The Way Down” (HBO Max, Sept. 30)

The Remnant Fellowship founder Gwen Shamblin

If you like documentaries about self-proclaimed wellness gurus, sketchy religious groups and women with gravity-defying hair, then mark your calendars for Sept. 30, when the first three episodes of “The Way Down” premiere on HBO Max. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the series takes a probing look at Gwen Shamblin Lara, leader of the Remnant Fellowship Church in Tennessee and founder of a controversial faith-based weight-loss program called the Weigh Down Workshop. Lara, who died in a plane crash in May, became a bestselling author and media personality whose program was adopted in thousands of churches worldwide, but she was accused of promoting dangerous ideas and abusive practices. Two additional episodes, which will explore the crash and its aftermath, will be released next year. — Meredith Blake

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“Dopesick” (Hulu, Oct. 13)

A doctor in a checkered shirt and wool vest leans against a counter

It’s easy to get lost in the murder mystery thrillers that spring up on television every few months. But this limited series is sure to be a sobering reminder of a brutal and unrelenting killer that has taken the lives of thousands of people in the U.S. without as much attention for TV — opioids. Based on Beth Macy’s nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” the eight-episode series centers on a pharmaceutical company that set off the worst drug epidemic in American history, as well as the people caught in its grip. Michael Keaton, in his first TV role since the late ’70s, stars as a doctor who finds himself embroiled in Big Pharma’s deadly secret. — Yvonne Villarreal

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“Queens” (ABC, Oct. 19)

This prime-time soap from “Scandal” writer and executive producer Zahir McGhee centers on the members of an all-female ’90s hip-hop group who attempt to mount a comeback in their 40s. Though the premise sounds similar to “Girls5Eva” — a comedy I didn’t enjoy as much as others did — the tone and approach is decidedly different and boasts real-life hitmakers Eve and Brandy in its cast. I have a feeling “Queens” will fill the “Nashville”-, “Empire”- and “Star”-shaped hole in my heart. — Ashley Lee

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“Dexter: New Blood” (Showtime, Nov. 7)

Television’s favorite serial killer returns for a 10-part revival of “Dexter,” with Michael C. Hall reprising his role as the awkwardly charming forensics expert by day, deadly avenger by night. Making things more interesting: Jennifer Carpenter will reportedly return as his sister Deb, even though she was famously killed off in the 2013 finale of the eight-season drama. Will she return as his conscience, or are we talking prequel? The only sure bet is that Dexter Morgan is still investing in yards of plastic tarps and Saran Wrap. — Lorraine Ali

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“Hawkeye” (Disney+, Nov. 24)

A woman and a man practicing archery in a basement

Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, is admittedly not the most exciting member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers. But “Hawkeye” is set to introduce Kate Bishop, who in the comics is a teen who takes on the Hawkeye mantle when she joins the next generation superhero team the Young Avengers, and that’s plenty exciting. In typical MCU fashion, not a lot of details are known about the show, but the cast also includes “Black Widow” standout Florence Pugh reprising her role as Yelena, the trained assassin who — spoiler alert — was told that Clint is responsible for her beloved sister Natasha’s death at the end of the movie. I can’t wait to see how that first meeting is going to go. — Tracy Brown

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“The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+, Nov. 25)

The Beatles in 1970 playing before a multicolored screen

“Get Back” is Peter Jackson’s hyper-extended happy cut of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s downbeat 1970 film documenting the birth of the album that would be called “Let It Be,” seemingly along with the death of the band that was making it. (It ended up being the last Beatles album released, though “Abbey Road” was made after it.) Lindsay-Hogg’s movie, long offered as evidence that something was rotten in Pepperland, has been out of circulation for years; Jackson’s version, which restores the album’s original title, argues that the Fab Four were having fun and working like a band in between the scenes of passive-aggression. Once intended for theaters, it comes to television as six hours spread over three nights. Kind of like Jackson’s “Hobbit” trilogy, but worth the added stuff: The restored footage, as seen in trailers, looks beautiful. Will it end with a rooftop concert? It had better. — Robert Lloyd

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“Insecure” / “Succession” (HBO, October TBA)

Issa Rae in Season 5 of "Insecure" and Brian Cox in Season 3 of "Succession."

I couldn’t decide which acclaimed series’ undated return I was more excited for, so I cheated: I’m champing at the bit for both. “Insecure,” Issa Rae’s comedy about a Black woman trying to find her romantic and professional footing in contemporary L.A., has been a Sunday-night mainstay of mine throughout its run, which comes to an end with this fifth and final season. But I’m particularly looking forward to its farewell arc after the series turned in a masterpiece of miscommunication last year — capturing the series of unplanned moments that add up to a frayed friendship with remarkable precision. As for “Succession,” you need only have seen Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) spit in a notebook or Logan Roy (Brian Cox) threaten to grind his son’s bones in the Season 3 trailer to understand the fuss over TV’s first family. Just hearing a few bars of Nicholas Britell’s instantly recognizable score was enough to raise the hairs on my neck. — Matt Brennan

The 15 TV shows we’re most excited to watch this fall

“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu, Aug. 31)

“American Crime Story: Impeachment” (FX, Sept. 7)