Happy Friday!
It’s Quartz entertainment reporter Adam Epstein, here with a bounty of great fall TV.
The sheer quantity of old shows coming back and new shows premiering in the next few months can feel overwhelming. Add to that the imminent launches of several new streaming services, and there’s just way too much content to navigate. The simple act of sifting through all this stuff can be exhausting.
So we’re here to help. The Quartz TV Brain Trust assembled to recommend some fall TV shows that we’re really excited about. You can’t feasibly watch everything, but we think these series are worth your time and energy. Have a nice binge. See you next fall!
The Politician (on Netflix now). If you are a fan of Glee, Wes Anderson movies, Cruel Intentions, or Gwyneth Paltrow, then you’re likely to find something to love in The Politician. I am just two episodes in and honestly would probably keep watching for Gwyneth’s Millicent Rogers-meets-Anjelika Huston wardrobe alone. But I’m also drawn in by the “teenage” stars (they’re not actual teenagers)—especially the aspiring high school class president and songbird Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) and his team of political strategists. —Jenni Avins, lifestyle reporter
Watchmen (Oct. 20, HBO). From the very first teaser released in January, I’ve been anticipating HBO’s take on Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel. When I learned that the show runner from my beloved The Leftovers (also HBO), Damon Lindelof, was behind the series, that anticipation only heightened. I’m particularly fascinated by the decision to create a new story that takes place 30 years after the events of the original comic. It’s a whole new world that I can’t wait to visit. —Max Lockie, platform editor
(Note from Adam: I’ve seen the first six episodes of Watchmen, and it’s fantastic. I definitely second Max’s recommendation.)
Catherine the Great (Oct. 21, HBO). Everything about this big, opulent miniseries screams old-school. The lavish production, stuffed with hoop skirts and powdered wigs, stars Helen Mirren (who knows how to play a queen) as the 18th century Russian monarch and Jason Clarke as her paramour. Don’t expect a an ironic twist on the costume drama à la The Favourite, but do be prepared for lots of withering stares from Mirren. The producers’ decision to leave behind the British Isles and the queens who have soaked up so much air time—Elizabeth, Mary, Anne, Victoria and Elizabeth II—is welcome, since Russian history is a rich and vast tapestry unknown to most Americans. Still unclear is the role Ukraine will be playing. — Oliver Staley, culture and lifestyle editor
Bojack Horseman (Oct. 25, Netflix). Prepare for emotional gut punches sprinkled with animal puns and zany shenanigans. A former 90’s sitcom star—a washed-up, self-loathing humanoid horse voiced by Will Arnett—struggles to find happiness, connection, and meaning in an animated black comedy about the human condition. Bojack Horseman tackles insecurity, narcissism, sexism, depression, fame, and addiction through the over-the-top antics of a melancholy horse, an ambitious pink cat, a carefree dog, and a handful of humans. It’s often devastatingly real—again-and-again, it exposes the pain of existence in achingly authentic prose. —Amanda Shendruk, things reporter
The Morning Show (Nov. 1, Apple TV +). A TV series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell can’t possibly be bad, right? Right?! The crown jewel of Apple’s upcoming streaming service, Apple TV+, is The Morning Show, a dramedy that takes us behind the scenes of an American morning TV talk show. It’s reportedly one of the most expensive TV series ever (those stars aren’t going to pay themselves). While I’m certainly curious about the show itself, I’m more interested in it as a litmus test for Apple’s grand TV ambitions. Can the tech company really be an entertainment company too? The Morning Show will give us a good idea. —Adam Epstein
The Mandalorian (Nov. 12, Disney+) . Featuring a truly bonkers cast (Carl Weathers, Bill Burr, and Werner Herzog?) the highly anticipated Disney+ Star Wars streaming show is a dark and violent tour through the world of bounty hunters and galactic outlaws in the aftermath of the fall of the Galactic Empire (as seen in Return of the Jedi). This is a big expansion of the franchise that features no main characters from the previous films. More than the blaster shoot-outs, I’m interested to see how creator Jon Favreau will conceive a world of lawless disorder after the second Death Star was destroyed. —Johnny Simon, photo editor
The Crown (Nov. 17, Netflix). The first two seasons of The Crown were audacious TV, helped by Claire Foy’s intense, blue-eyed stare and strange but apparently realistic accent. That said, I truly cannot wait for what Academy-Award winning actor Olivia Colman will bring to the portrayal of the middle-aged Queen Elizabeth. But the blue eyes will be gone! —Hanna Kozlowska, reporter
The Witcher (TBD, Netflix). Okay, sure, while the main draw of The Witcher is seeing Henry Cavill in a long gray mane reminiscent of a young Gandalf (or more accurately Raiden from Mortal Kombat, but with an impossibly angled jawline), there’s plenty else to get excited about. The show, based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, is Netflix’s answer to Game of Thrones: a sweeping, deeply R-rated fantasy adventure story about good-looking people murdering things. Perhaps fans will be more pleased with this one’s ending. —Adam Epstein
Reply and let us know what else you’re looking forward to this fall—and have a great weekend!
Or, let Netflix take you to the movies. We’ve focused on TV this week, but now is also the time when Hollywood starts churning out its biggest awards contenders. I loved South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s dark comedy Parasite, and I hope that breaks into the best picture category at the Oscars—not just best foreign film. But it’s going to have stiff competition from none other than Netflix, which has at least four major contenders this year: Marriage Story, The Two Popes, Dolemite Is My Name, and, of course, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. I attended the premiere of The Irishman last month and I’ve got to say—3.5 hours or not—it’s a towering achievement. The epic mob drama might finally be the film that convinces the Hollywood gatekeepers to let Netflix into the best picture club. If that happens, it could usher in a new era of the Oscars, dominated by streamers.