Remote controls gathering dust. Browser tabs permanently open to Netflix. Reruns of “Dance Moms” and “Extreme Couponing.”
It’s been another long and grueling summer for television fans.
Some huddled to their screens with new episodes of “True Blood” and “Teen Wolf.” Others got their weekly hit from “Breaking Bad.” The Olympics held us over for a few glorious weeks, but even washboard abs and Ryan Lochte’s grill weren’t enough.
Questions still hung in the air. How will Rachel Berry fare in the Big Apple? Are Barney and Robin really getting hitched? Will Elena Gilbert become a vampire after all? Won’t somebody tell Alicia Florrick to ditch her husband for good and run off to the Poconos with Will?
Thankfully, ’tis the season for fall premieres. Both returns and new shows have been generating talk. Here’s a look at a few of the hottest shows to catch this fall to keep up with the conversation.
Returners
New Girl” (Fox, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.)
Last year’s Golden Globe-nominated breakout hit returns this fall with another season of Zooey Deschanel being, well, Zooey Deschanel. Though it could have easily descended into a manic pixie-dream-girl nightmare, “New Girl” has proven to be fresh and self-aware. The highly anticipated sophomore season promises to shake up the formula again as Jess loses her job, but as long as Schmidt keeps happening, the comedy will bring the laughs.
“Parks & Recreation” (NBC, Sept. 20 at 8:30 p.m.)
With rave reviews and a dedicated following, the underdog of the NBC Thursday night comedy block has stirred buzz over recent seasons. Leslie Knope ended last season by winning the city council election and sending her beau off to Washington, D.C., and this season will see our Pawnee Goddess trying to handle her new position.
“Castle” (ABC, Sept. 24 at 10/9c)
After four seasons of will-they-won’t-they unresolved sexual tension between Castle and Beckett, last May’s finale finally gave viewers an answer, when the two ended up in bed together. Now new episodes must deal with the aftermath. Though letting the leads get together too early can often mean a death sentence for a television show, the “Castle” team seems determined to break the curse.
“American Horror Story” (FX, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m.)
One of the most talked-about arrivals of the last year, Ryan Murphy’s serial thriller returns with a new story but some familiar faces. First season veterans like Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto and Evan Peters join newcomers like Adam Levine (Yes, the guy from Maroon 5.) in a 1960s asylum for the new season.
“Dexter” (Showtime, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m.)
The sixth season of “Dexter” ended with Debra finally catching Dexter red-handed — a cliffhanger that has kept fans on the edge of their tarp-covered seats all summer. Promos for the new season show Debra in a rage, but they also hint at a reconciliation between the cop and the sociopath adoptive brother she had started falling for last season.
New Shows
“Revolution” (NBC, Sept. 17 at 9 p.m.)
A new show with JJ Abrams’ name on the title card is bound to get people tuning in, but after last fall’s “Alcatraz” fizzled, Abrams has something to prove. “Revolution” takes place in an apocalyptic future after a worldwide blackout. A large-scale, sci-fi drama about a gang of intrepid survivors wandering through trees with guns in search of answers to a conspiracy? Sounds a bit like “Lost,” but hey, Abrams knows what works.
“The New Normal” (NBC, Sept. 11 at 8:30 p.m.)
NBC’s answer to the ABC megahit “Modern Family” premieres this fall, starring Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells as a young couple in search of a surrogate for their baby. Ellen Barkin brings a Lucille Bluth spin to the show as the surrogate’s brash mother, but creator Ryan Murphy may be spreading himself too thin with yet another project — his abilities as a showrunner are iffy even at the best of times.
“The Mindy Project” (Fox, Sept. 25 at 8:30 p.m.)
Following the success of her book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns),” Mindy Kaling breaks out of “The Office” with her own sitcom. “The Mindy Project” stars — you guessed it — Mindy Kaling as a single OBGYN on a journey to find love, herself and everything else a typical romantic comedy leading lady wants. If anyone can make old tropes seem new, though, Kaling is it.
“Elementary” (CBS, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m.)
Few franchises have been hotter than Sherlock Holmes in the past few years, and some skeptics see CBS’s upcoming modern, NYC-based adaptation as just another network trying to cash in on the trend. However, the controversial casting of Lucy Liu as Joan Watson has flipped the story on its head. One fewer frumpy white guy might prove to be the edge “Elementary” needs to stand on its own.
