TAGGED AS: AMC, Binge Guide, CBS, Fall TV, HBO, Netflix, Starz, streaming, TBS, The CW, TV, USA Network
Some of our favorite shows are finally returning this month after a pandemic-delayed rollout, and we couldn’t be more excited! Mark your calendars for the 11 shows below — all of which have Certified Fresh seasons — and get to binging.
93%
On My Block
(Netflix)
What it is: This hit dramedy with critics and audiences alike from creators Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez, and Jeremy Haft follows a teen quartet played by relative newcomers Sierra Capri, Jason Genao, Brett Gray, and Diego Tinoco as they navigate high school hallways set in a very real inner-city world.
Why you should watch it: What’s groundbreaking about On My Block is its articulation of everyday coming-of-age hiccups (first loves, first heartbreaks, shifting friendships, growing parental pains, party culture, and more) through the lens of a world not often depicted on screen. With a talented and diverse young cast and set in the heart of inner-city Los Angeles, the series’ transports its audience to the confined intimacy of a single American block and all that entails. Its fourth and final season premieres March 11 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 15 hours (for the first three seasons)
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Young Sheldon
(CBS)
What it is: Fans know The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon (as played by Emmy winner Jim Parsons) has a one-of-a-kind genius mind, but did you ever wonder how he got that way? Young Sheldon introduces the boy-genius and charts his life.
Why you should watch it: The series provides something we haven’t seen before: a reinterpretation of a beloved multi-camera sitcom character as a heartwarming, single-camera, family-friendly dramedy. Better yet, because this is a prologue series to Parson’s Sheldon, our protagonist’s mother, Mary, is played by Zoe Perry, the real-life daughter of Laurie Metcalf, who, in a small-screen first, stars as the same character on The Big Bang Theory. Season 5 premieres Oct. 7 on CBS.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, HBO Max, Microsoft, Paramount+, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 30 hours (for the first four seasons)
100%
The Baby-Sitters Club
(Netflix)
What it is: Based on the beloved book series by Anne M. Martin, The Baby-Sitter’s Club centers on middle schoolers and best friends Kristy Thomas, Mary-Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer as they start their own babysitting business in a fictional Connecticut town.
Why you should watch it: This modern adaptation offers fresh perspectives and contemporary themes for an all-new generation without sacrificing any of the warmth and optimism that made it so popular to begin with. Season 2 premieres Oct. 11 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours (for the first season)
83%
Batwoman
(The CW)
What it is: Like Batman before her, Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) is an ultra-wealthy heiress who decides to take justice into her own hands on season 1 of Caroline Dries’ DC Comics series. Rose exited after those first 20 episodes, though, and season 2 handed the reins to Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, our titular heroine.
Why you should watch it: As DC’s first-ever black Batwoman, Leslie makes history while kicking some butt in only the way the franchise’s famed caped crusaders can. Season 3 premieres Oct. 13 on the CW.
Where to watch it: Amazon, Google Play, HBO Max, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 28 hours (for the first two seasons)
92%
The Sinner
(USA Network)
What it is: This anthological crime thriller from creator and showrunner Derek Simonds (and executive producer Jessica Biel, who starred on season 1 and earned her first Emmy nomination for the performance) takes the traditional whodunit thriller and turns it on its head into a whydunit. We know the titular culprit from the get, but there are unknown layers as to why they committed the central crime. The series has been a huge hit for USA Network and follows different crimes each season. Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is the thread that holds them all together.
Why you should watch it: The series offers a unique spin on a classic trope, and it’s executed with top-notch acting, production, and nail-biting scripts. What’s not to love? Season 4 premieres Oct. 13 on USA Network.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 18 hours (for the first three seasons)
73%
Fear the Walking Dead
(AMC)
What it is: An extension of the zombie apocalypse world of AMC mega-hit The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead takes place in Los Angeles before the events of its mothership series and shows how city dwellers deal with the virus outbreak.
Why you should watch it: It comes as little surprise that if you love The Walking Dead, you’ll love Fear. Its engrossing backdrop and cast of memorable characters is enough to tune in week to week, even through some of its more languid, slow-boiled pacing. Season 7 premieres Oct. 17 on AMC.
Where to watch: Amazon, AMC+, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 62 hours (for the first six seasons)
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Hightown
(Starz)
What it is: From creator Rebecca Cutter, this Starz crime drama is pay cable’s latest murder-mystery hit led by a troubled antihero. Monica Raymund stars as Jackie Quiñones, a National Marine Fisheries Service Agent who finds a body while patrolling the quaint beachside town of Provincetown, Massachusetts, launching an ongoing investigation and derailing her efforts in sobriety.
Why you should watch it: Raymund is simply stellar as a hero in over her head, helping elevate this rather typical crime drama to grade-A entertainment. Season 2 premieres Oct. 17 on Starz.
Where to watch: Amazon, Roku, Starz.com, Starz app, Starz on demand,
Commitment: Approx. 8 hours (for the first season)
95%
Succession
(HBO)
What it is: Charting one media mogul family’s changing of the guard (with back-stabbing, side-dealing, and bribing a-plenty), the series, from creator Jesse Armstrong, stars Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Brian Cox as the central Roy family patriarch.
Why you should watch it: HBO viewers love watching a strong ensemble cast battle for a throne (Game of Thrones) and extreme, dramatic family discord (Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Big Love…need we go on?). Fortunately, the power-hungry media family of Succession has both in spades, and it boasts industry-best performances. Season 3 premieres Oct. 17 on HBO.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, HBO Max, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 20 hours (for the first two seasons)
97%
Insecure
(HBO)
What it is: Inspired by creator Issa Rae’s hit web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Insecure follows the day-to-day happenings of Issa Dee, her best friend Molly, and her love-on-the-rocks boyfriend, Lawrence, with notes as often comedic as they are heart-wrenching and true-to-life.
Why you should watch it: Rae is a fearless leader, and Insecure is all the better for it. The Emmy and Golden Globe nominee weaves hot-button issues like gentrification, race, gender, and class into solid storytelling and character development. If you want to see what tough love and hard truths look like both in friendship and romance, Insecure serves those down-deep, human universals in spades. Season 5, its last, premieres Oct. 24 on HBO.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, HBO Max, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 17 hours (for the first four seasons)
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All American
(The CW)
What it is: Inspired by the true story of former NFL pro Spencer Paysinger, this drama series from creator April Blair follows a talented high school football player from South L.A. who’s drafted to play for Beverly Hills — and the social and professional tensions that build when two worlds collide.
Why you should watch it: All American bears ingredients from some of our favorite teen and sports dramas while standing out from the pack thanks to its central performances: newcomer Daniel Ezra as the recruited football star Spencer James and Taye Diggs as the NFL star-turned-Beverly Hills coach who sees a future in him. Season 4 premieres on Oct. 25 on The CW.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 38 hours (for the first three seasons)
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The Last O.G.
(TBS)
What it is: The Last O.G. is a laugh-out-loud comedy series with something to say. Following ex-con Tray (Tracy Morgan) as he readjusts to life in a gentrified Brooklyn after 15 years behind bars, the half-hour series is ripe for fish-out-of-water gags while also portraying social matters of the day.
Why you should watch it: Co-created by Jordan Peele and starring a never-better Morgan and Tiffany Haddish as his estranged ex, there’s no reason why the very funny Last O.G. shouldn’t make your binge list this month. Season 4 premieres Oct. 26 on TBS.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 15 hours (for the first three seasons)
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Thumbnail image: TK
