Remember when new TV all premiered in the Fall? That’s not the case anymore, but we still thought this was the best time to launch our new running article about upcoming new and returning TV series that we’re excited about. If you’ve searched for upcoming TV as much as I have, you might be similarly frustrated by the way that the lists offered can have a way of feeling either too comprehensive (some lists of new 2022 TV even include movies on streaming services for some reason!) or too limited in scope.
Ours is a fuzzy standard, trying to offer the article we kind of wish already existed. These are the shows on our radar; things we intend to watch and perhaps write on in-depth, or which we would write on if we had infinite time.
In compiling this list, I’ve told the writers at TV Obsessive that their desire to write a blurb is sufficient to meet the criteria for a show’s inclusion. You’ll find the name of the writer at the end of each entry, which will usually include a short description of the series to get at why it looks intriguing (though some returning TV is bound to be included because we think it should be, even if we don’t quite have much to say about it).
Upcoming TV release dates, notes, networks, and links are what you can expect in this list, which will be updated over the course of time as more things are announced and we move into the future.
So without further ado, here is the new TV that we’re excited about for the remainder of 2022. – Caemeron
September 19, Quantum Leap (NBC)
The most surprising thing about the fact there is a new Quantum Leap series this year is that there haven’t already been a hundred takes on this particular intellectual property. The format of the original, Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) leaps into historical figures (both the world-renowned and the ordinary) and spends the plot trying to fix some critical issue in their lives, is imminently replicable. Adding on the scientific elements and philosophical musings made the show a beloved one among the audiences of the 80s. It also seems easy to see the appeal of this reboot.
With Raymond Lee’s Dr. Ben Seong taking on the basics of the Beckett role, it seems that the premise is more of a continuation than a full reboot. (Though that will take actually seeing the show to know for sure.) Hopefully, this installment can add to the universe and build out the world-building a bit better than the original, which never spent time outside of whatever story they were actually telling, while still staying true to the beats of the individual stories. The universe is grand and history is long, so Quantum Leap has a long runway to work with as they try to figure it all out. – Clay
Quantum Leap premieres on September 19 on NBC
September 20, Reboot (Hulu)
Reboot looks like it might be weird. Not quite as weird as The Rehearsal, mind you, but maybe up a similar sort of street. The press release says “Hulu reboots an early 2000s family sitcom” and that blurs the line of reality a little bit, insofar as Reboot itself would appear to be a completely original program, if one that is sure to be full of allusions and meta humor.
Steven Levitan, who is credited as the creator of Reboot, has worked on a number of sitcoms over the years, and notably The Larry Sanders Show and The Critic. I’m really curious to see what he has in store for us here.
Then there’s the cast: Keegan Michael-Key, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville…
For a show set to play with the form of the sitcom, Reboot features some people with some serious chops. Mark your calendars for this one. – Caemeron
Reboot premieres on September 20 on Hulu
September 21, Abbott Elementary Season 2 (ABC)
The best new comedy of last year gets a well-deserved second season. Creator and main character Quinta Brunson was one of the breakout TV stars of the year, and she is ready deliver another season to close out 2022. The educational staff of Abbott Elementary is full of over-the-top yet relatable and lovable characters, including the legendary Sheryl Lee Ralph. The cast and writing for the show is exceptional, and provides a realistic look at the fundamental issues facing public education. The unbreakable spirit of the teachers, especially Brunson’s character, is admirable and extremely watchable. Another in a long line of work-place comedies with family friendly humor full of wholesome moments, Abbott Elementary provides a place for everyone.- Joel
Abbott Elementary returns September 21 on ABC
September 29, Ghosts (CBS)
Like so many classic American sitcoms, Ghosts is a remake of a beloved British show with the same name and concept. Unexpectedly though, the new version has been able to break through and win both some (limited) critical acclaim and a devoted following. The high concept of the show is great, with the Ghosts themselves embodying familiar tropes without getting trapped in them. (Seriously watch the show and marvel at how they eventually even make you care about pantsless “finance bro” Trevor, I dare you.) Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambukar are also amazingly funny and moving as the human couple at the center of everything. Season 1 took some time to get the tone down, but once it did, the show really started to click and Season 2 should be able to pick up right from where it left off. – Clay
Ghosts Season 2 premieres on September 29 on CBS
October 2, Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
In our modern era of television, it was an inevitability that Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles be turned into a series. The movies based on Rice’s books have been hit or miss but the story contains a lot of the hallmarks that could really draw an audience. After a lot of bidding wars, AMC was the network that was finally able to secure the rights and now they are set to launch an entire set of shows based in the “Immortal Universe” starting, as seems right, with Interview with the Vampire.
The trailer for Interview with the Vampire looks good, though the actors playing Lestat and Louis in the show, Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson respectively, have a lot of work to do to make people forget Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. With Rice’s death in December of 2021, it seems unlikely she had a lot of say over the production, though she and her son Christopher were executive producers, so it will be a test to see how faithful the showrunners decide to be with the material. But all of that certainly makes the show one to be sure to check out! – Clay
Interview with the Vampire premieres on October 2 on AMC
October 5, Reginald the Vampire (Syfy)
Reginald the Vampire looks absolutely delightful. I’m not familiar with the source material, but it looks fun, and with Harley Peyton serving as the showrunner (credited on IMDb as the Creator), I’ve been excited about this show for some time. There is obviously no dearth of vampire related TV out there, but with the promise to subvert the genre and the humor evident in the trailer, Reginald the Vampire looks like it will be something distinctive and worth checking out. – Caemeron
Reginald the Vampire premieres on October 5 on Syfy
October 6, Alaska Daily (ABC)
It may be the Northern Exposure vibes I get from the premise, or it may be that it’s created by Tom McCarthy (who wrote and directed The Station Agent, amongst other things), but Alaska Daily sounds like it could be a joy to watch. Hilary Swank stars as a New York journalist who moves to Alaska in search of redemption, according to the press release, and I’m sure we’re in store for some good old edification through those she meets in her new setting. I hope they are quirky. Also I guess there’s been a murder or something.
I’m not expecting Twin Peaks or Northern Exposure here, but maybe Alaska Daily will offer something new that scratches that kind of itch. – Caemeron
Alaska Daily premieres on October 6 on ABC
October 7, The Midnight Club (Netflix)
When one thinks of recent masters of the horror genre a name that comes to mind is Mike Flanagan. He’s brought us The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, and Midnight Mass among others. This October is about to be ruled over by his adaptation of Christopher Pike’s The Midnight Club and I for one can not wait. The series follows a group of teenagers living in a hospice who meet every night to tell scary stories. If you know Flanagan’s work, this won’t be a straight up adaptation. Just as he did with Bly Manor and Henry James’s works, The Midnight Club will pull from a wide range of Pike’s young adult novels including Remember Me, Weekend, Die Softly, and The Return. Good, because it doesn’t feel like Spooky Season until there’s some Mike Flanagan thrown into the mix. – Katie
The Midnight Club premieres on October 7 on Netflix
October 11, Chainsaw Man (Crunchyroll and Hulu)
I truthfully don’t know a ton about the plot of this anime, as I have not read the manga or many details about the show in hopes of keeping it as a surprise. I do know that the protagonist has several chainsaws protruding from his body, and he uses them for glorious violence. The show is being adapted by MAPPA, perhaps the foremost anime production company in the world. The images I have seen of this show include cool character designs and plenty of violence. This anime is one to watch. – Joel
Chainsaw Man premieres October 11th on Crunchyroll and Hulu
October 11, The Winchesters (CW)
Hey did you know that the CW is putting out a Supernatural spin-off/prequel called The Winchesters? I thought the ending of Supernatural was pretty bad, and basically agree with everything Natalie had to say in their article about it, but once upon a time Supernatural was good and I enjoyed it a lot. Jensen Ackles is involved in this! So…maybe? – Caemeron
The Winchesters premieres on October 11 on the CW
October 13, The Watcher (Netflix)
Ryan Murphy loves to create unsettling television shows and to touch on true crime topics, which he has done to great success with both American Horror Story and American Crime Story. Now Netflix is ready to get into the business with The Watcher, which seems to be a bit of both.
As someone who doesn’t like feeling creeped out, or true crime at all, I definitely shouldn’t have read the weird (though thankfully not tragic) story on which this series is based. It does seem ripe for an interesting series though, especially since Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale are on board to play the couple at the center of the drama. The Watcher may not be great—and if my experience with Murphy shows holds, it won’t be—but it should be a fun way to be creeped out for awhile. If you are into that sort of thing. – Clay
The full seven episode season of The Watcher premieres on October 13 on Netflix
October 25, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (Netflix)
Formerly called 10 After Midnight, Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix horror anthology has been on my radar for some time. I’m not sure exactly what to expect, as the series will assemble a number of contemporary directors to produce entries, though indications are that del Toro will introduce each episode. Cabinet of Curiosities might be more of a collection of relatively short films than a TV series, but I’m curious to see if there are throughlines or other ways in which the totality hangs together.
I’m a big fan of anthology shows, and the best have a certain coherence in terms of theme. We’ll see if Cabinet of Curiosities fits that bill, but either way it’s worth checking out this Halloween season when it drops on Netflix. – Caemeron
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinets of Curiosities premieres on October 25 on Netflix, which is releasing two episodes a day through October 28
October 28, Big Mouth Season 6 (Netflix)
Big Mouth debuted amid a flurry of “adult” animated series but it has stood the test of time better than most of its contemporaries due to deftly weaving in emotional storytelling to the main thrust of low-brow humor and horniness. The series was created by Nick Kroll, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin, and Andrew Goldberg and always allows itself to go as far as it can in mining humor out of any subject.
As the show enters Season 6, there are some really long-lasting and impactful storylines that almost cross the line into a parody of itself, but it still retains the heart that keeps it alive. – Clay
Big Mouth Season 6 premieres on October 28 on Netflix
October 30, The White Lotus Season 2 (HBO)
The White Lotus Season 2 premieres on October 30 on HBO
November 10, The Missing (Peacock)
Shows from David E. Kelley can be something of a mixed bag in my estimation, yet I keep coming back for more. With The Missing, we’ve got another crime drama on our hands. It looks like this one has something of a religious bent to it, which is intriguing. But more than anything it’s the fact that Barry Levinson is directing that makes me feel like The Missing is a series to check out.
The Missing premieres November 10 on Peacock
November 13, Yellowstone Season 5 (Peacock)
Season 5 of Yellowstone premieres November 13 on Peacock
November 13, Tulsa King (Paramount+)
Sylvester Stallone is in this show!
Tulsa King premieres November 13 on Paramount+
November 17, Dead to Me Season 3 (Netflix)
Grief, loyalty, and murder are the main themes of Netflix’s excellent dark comedy. Headlined by the dynamic duo of sad ladies Linda Cardenelli and Christina Applegate, the show is brilliantly acted. Dead to Me is funny and sad, much like life. The creative team behind the show boasts heavy hitters such as Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, giving the show a Succession vibe, and creator Liz Feldman. One of Netflix’s underrated hits, among a sizable pile of misses, the two available seasons of Dead to Me are worth a binge. – Joel
Dead to Me Season 3 premieres November 17 on Netflix.
November 17, 1899 (Netflix)
After their success with Dark, creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar are returning to Netflix for another mind-bending horror series. 1899 also gets the genre benefits, and detriments, of being a period piece since it is set in… well, 1899.
The focus of the series is a bit mysterious but it has been revealed that the main plot will revolve around a steamship traveling from London to New York with the focus being on the immigrant families onboard. Beyond that, Friese and bo Odar are only hinting it will be epic, and different than Dark. Leaving 1899 in a perfect place to gather anticipation until we can finally watch it and find out. – Clay
1899 Premieres on November 17 on Netflix
November 17, The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 2 (HBO Max)
The Sex Lives of College Girls Season 2 will premiere on November 17 on HBO Max
November 30, Willow (Disney+)
As Disney+ continues to grow and establish itself as premiere steaming content provider, the parent company continues to mine their vaults for IP to showcase. For this series they have landed on a property that hits that 80s nostalgic sweetspot while not having had much content created previously. Whether anyone is really interested in a Willow tv show is yet to be seen, but Disney+ is pulling out all the stops to turn the series into their own fantasy juggernaut.
Thankfully there is a lot to make it worth checking out the series. Warwick Davis is back as Willow and the series is an actual sequel to the original film, with the new characters like Ryby Cruz’s Kit all being introduced organically into the story. Perhaps this show won’t work, or perhaps the world and characters are interesting and perhaps this series is exactly what was needed to turn Willow into a more household name. Either way, it promises to be a fun show to watch. – Clay
Willow premieres on November 30 Disney+
December 1, Gossip Girl Season 2 (HBO Max)
Gossip Girl Season 2 premieres on December 1 on HBO Max
December 2, Slow Horses Season 2 (Apple TV+)
Slow Horses Season 2 premieres on December 2 on Apple TV+
December 5, His Dark Materials Season 3 (HBO)
His Dark Materials Season 3 premieres on December 5 on HBO
December 8, Doom Patrol Season 4 (HBO Max)
Doom Patrol Season 4 premieres on December 8 on HBO Max
December 13, Kindred (FX/Hulu)
Kindred, based on the novel by Octavia Butler, premieres on Hulu on December 13
Also On Our Radar (Release Date in 2022 Unknown)
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2
The White House Plumbers (HBO)
The Idol (HBO)
Love and Death (HBO Max)
Daisy Jones and the Six (Amazon Prime)
Florida Man (Netflix)
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (HBO Max)
Previously in 2022 Premieres…
August 21, House of the Dragon (HBO)
As bad as the ending of Game of Thrones was, I have to admit I am getting excited for House of the Dragon. Remember when Game of Thrones was good? Maybe it will be like that, or at least a romping good time. Ian McShane was probably right in how he characterized GoT, and I hope his description is even more right with HotD.
Plus, the cast is great! Matt Smith, sure, but Sonoya Mizuno and Olivia Cooke? Sign me up. – Caemeron
August 22, Kevin Can F**k Himself Season 2 (AMC/AMC+)
If you didn’t watch Kevin Can F**k Himself when it aired in 2021, I recommend catching up and watching along for its second and final season, which kicks off on August 22. The premise of the show basically involves a sitcom wife plotting against her oafish husband, but what’s particularly striking about the series is how it plays with its own form by switching between a multi-cam sitcom style and the style of a single-cam drama. Through Season 1, this really served the themes of the show rather than seeming like just a gimmick. I hope that continues in Season 2, and I can’t wait to see how this story wraps up! – Caemeron
August 24, Welcome to Wrexham (FXX)
If you ever wondered what would happen if two American celebrities bought a low-level soccer team in the United Kingdom, you’re in luck with this docuseries. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney actually bought the Wrexham Football Club, based in a small town in North Wales. That’s right Deadpool and Mac now own and operate their own professional soccer team. The show will focus on the pair’s purchase of the Red Dragons of Wrexham, who could possibly make it to the Premier League with a miraculous level of success. It’s a kind of real-life Ted Lasso story, and I can’t wait to see how it will turn out. – Joel
August 25, Mike (Hulu)
Sports biopics are my jam, and few athletes have as interesting of a story as Mike Tyson. The unpredictable boxer is infamous for his hard-hitting style in the ring and his controversial personal life. Trevante Rhodes of Moonlight fame will play the boxer, in a very solid casting decision. Director and executive producer Craig Gillespie continues his run of biopics following I, Tonya and Pam & Tommy. I, Tonya follows the career and life of another infamous athlete Tonya Harding, and is one of my favorite films in recent memory. The series will provide an interesting look at Tyson and the historic events that surrounded his complicated and captivating life. – Joel
August 25, Little Demon (FXX)
Little Demon is billed as an animated horror-comedy centering around a mother and daughter, with the twist being that the father is Satan. I guess puberty brings demonic powers along with it in this one (and I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere), but the real reason it’s on my list is the cast. Little Demon features Aubrey Plaza (who I love, particularly for her demon-related work, though I guess she’s the mother here), Danny DeVito (as Satan), and Lucy DeVito as the titular little demon. So that sounds like a good time. – Caemeron
August 25, Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 (Paramount+)
The Star Trek animated series from the mind of Mike McMahan is returning for its third season at the top of its game. Suddenly, sometime in the middle of the second season, Lower Decks stopped seeming like a fun little afterthought and started to feel essential to the experiment of modern Trek. McMahan brings his love for the lore and minutia of all things Trek to the style and humor he perfected on Rick and Morty, leading the show to areas previously unexplorable in the Star Trek universe. The show’s rich and diverse cast, led by Tawny Newsome’s Becket Mariner, also keeps getting deeper as the series progresses. Season 3 promises to be a must-watch before the cast makes the jump to live action in Strange New Worlds Season 2. – Clay
August 30, The Patient (Hulu)
Featuring the ever-evolving Steve Carell, The Patient is about a psychotherapist who is held captive by a serial killer. Carell is the hostage, while rising star Domhnall Gleeson plays the captor and killer. The thriller promises an interesting look at the mind of a killer, and the troubles that plague not only his mind, but his therapists as well. Carell has show a talent for dramatic roles, and it will be interesting to see what this very serious tale will bring out of him. – Joel
September 1, Pantheon (AMC+)
Pantheon is an animated sci-fi series with a premise related to the idea of uploading human consciousness to the Cloud. That’s not the most novel premise in the world if you’ve seen Black Mirror, but I’m intrigued to see if Pantheon might just do something novel with it. Also, the voice cast is amazing on this one. It’s really too many names to list, so just look it up.
I can’t guarantee that Pantheon will be good, but there’s a lot of potential here. I plan to check it out. And if you do too maybe we can talk about it. – Caemeron
September 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)
When the LotR movies first came out they pulled me in entirely. I bought the books and the extended editions and there were years where I would marathon them all and then marathon the commentaries. Then it slipped away and I didn’t watch a minute for years. And that was before the Hobbit films came and made the entire series actively antithetical to my tastes.
But the trailer for The Rings of Power brought back all those old feelings. The show looks gorgeous, and engaging. It also promises to tell a different kind of story than the films. If the series can live up to the sumptuous high fantasy trappings of the trailer and build something special out of one of the fundamental stories of our times, we could be in for something special. And I’m excited to see if the new production team can pull it off. – Clay
September 4, Rick and Morty Season 6 (Adult Swim)
Do you really need to read a blurb about Rick and Morty? It seems likely that everyone reading this either knows the show is returning and can’t wait or has no interest in ever interacting with it or its schezwan sauce hoarding fans. But the show is returning for Season 6 and promises to be just as mind bending and tonally dissonant as ever.
Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon’s animated exploration and deconstruction of science fiction tropes through lens of the most flawed and anti-heroic of the televised “men behaving badly” Rick Sanchez (voiced by Roiland) has always mixed incredibly high brow intellectual concepts with the lowest brow humor possible and done it in visually and narratively interesting ways. The show continues to double down on all the things that make it fascinating and thought-provoking, and I am ready for it to take it on another fascinating, psychotic, journey. – Clay
September 8, The Good Fight Season 6 (Paramount+)
I have a confession to make: I have yet to watch The Good Fight. I did, however, watch The Good Wife, so it’s been on my list of shows to check out for some time. It looks like Season 6 will be the last, so perhaps it would be a good time to catch up. – Caemeron
September 8, Last Light (Peacock)
Television shows have been leaning even more heavily into post-apocalyptic scenarios the past few years with some, like my beloved Station Eleven, succeeding and others, such as Y: The Last Man, definitely not living up to expectations. Last Light has some great benefits going for it, the novel by Alex Scarrow is well regarded and it is (at least for now) a limited series with only five episodes. Also, Matthew Fox is back at the center of it all and it seems right to see Dr. Jack Shephard back at the center of a high-concept tv show. I’m planning to tune in, if for nothing else then just to see if the premise holds up. – Clay
September 8, Wedding Season (Hulu)
I’ll admit, I almost glanced right by this one based on the name, but get this: The premise is that on her wedding day, someone murders Katie’s husband and his entire family. The prime suspect is a guy named Stefan she hooked up with a couple of months prior, and he thinks she did it, or so says the plot synopsis, but it’s not so much the mystery as the murder of an entire family at a wedding that has my imagination firing off here. I suppose this does add a layer to the mystery, but mostly I just hope we see this happen, or at least the bloody aftermath.
Wedding Season features Rosa Salazar in the lead role, and given how blown away I was by her performance in Undone, that’s another big reason to check this one out. – Caemeron
September 9, Cobra Kai Season 5 (Netflix)
One of my absolute favorite shows is coming back and I can’t wait. Making the rare YouTube to Netflix transition, Cobra Kai started hot and built on its own momentum to become a major hit. Funny, heart-warming, smart and full of sweet karate action, Cobra Kai has something for everyone. The show is masterful at using the past Karate Kid films to inform its future, and build off the complicated relationships that span generations. Season four saw new (to the show) characters enter the All-Valley karate scene, and the battle of good karate education versus evil karate education will rage on. I have no mercy for you if you don’t binge the entire show before the season five release. – Joel
September 11, The Serpent Queen (Starz)
The Serpent Queen will probably be another of the sensationalized, sexualized, “historical” dramas like previous Starz shows The White Queen, The White Princess, and The Spanish Princess (with all of those shows, and more, paying homage to the path laid down by The Tudors.) It could always take some surprising turns and show us all something new about the genre, but even if it doesn’t, it should still be a fun example of it.
The series focuses on Catherine de Medici (Samantha Morton), the ruthless queen of France, and her exploits. It is a prime historical era and the de Medici family—as in the previous series Medici— is always a great source for action and scandal, so the stories should be quite entertaining, even if the salacious aspects are put on biggest display. – Clay
September 14, The Handmaid’s Tale Season 5 (Hulu)
Bruce Miller’s series based on Margaret Atwood’s classic novel is still chugging along, now heading into Season 5 as relevant to our times as it has ever been—unfortunately. The series has run out of plot from the book and has already been steamrolling through unprecedented story waters, and Season 5 promises to take those threads even further. No matter how terrible things get in Gilead—or in our own reality—it is great to have the opportunity to see Elisabeth Moss perform. So, even if the harsh dystopian reality of The Handmaid’s Tale seems to hit a little too close to home, we at least can look forward to that. – Clay
September 15, Atlanta (FX)
The final season of Atlanta is sure to be full of interesting adventures for Earnest, Van, Alfred and Darius. Atlanta has been one of the more unique shows on television during its run, an I will be sad to see it go. Backed by a fantastic soundtrack, Atlanta is a sharp look at one of South’s most important cities, and American culture as a whole. Last season focused on some of the absolute most chaotic and heartbreaking realities of living in the USA, and it will be interesting to see where Glover takes the show during its final run. Relying on his singularly unique perspective, Glover is able to masterfully show the horror, beauty and absurdity of life in general, especially when one exists in the music business.- Joel
September 16, Los Espookys (HBO)
Los Espookys Season 2 premieres on September 16 on HBO
I’m so excited for all the new TV premieres for Fall 2022! I can’t wait to see what’s coming up!