Not all that long ago, September brought with it a year's worth of small-screen novelty. Broadcast networks would refresh their lineups, the vast majority of which would run out their various shows' 22-episode orders, and then the reruns would begin. Other than a few midseason replacements come January, that was it; that's how TV worked. Change came in small ways, of course—HBO shrugged off the mantle of traditional months, more cable networks sought to emulate its success, and show orders became smaller—but September was still the coming-out party for a new TV season.
Not anymore. You know the drill: streaming; algorithms, and creator-focused programming turned TV, like tentpole movies, into a year-round prospect. We're just as likely to look forward to a new show in April (Dear White People in 2017) as in July (Stranger Things in 2016) as in November (Homecoming this year). There's still a little extra anticipation in fall, though—especially this fall, when new series (and anthology seasons) from the medium's best are abundant. We did what we could to narrow things down, but as with any new season, there's often a gap between premise and promise, so prepare for some trial and error. See you at the watercooler.
Jack Ryan (Amazon Prime, 8/31)
[#video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1KsyZF590NM
Carlton Cuse has been one of TV's steadiest and most prolific genre showrunners—Lost, Bates Motel, The Strain, and Colony, with a Locke & Key adaptation still to come next year—so you figure the tap's gotta run dry at some point. (Not, uh, counting the end of Lost.) Thankfully, that's not the case with Amazon Prime's splashy, smashy new take on Tom Clancy's uberspy. This time, Ryan (John Krasinski) is a CIA analyst finds himself in the field, racing to take down a man he suspects could be the next Bin Laden. The rare fall show to hit before Labor Day means you may have already devoured it; if not, and if you like your tech-espionage to have better-written villains than good guys, consider it your September homework. —Peter Rubin