The Fall television season is almost upon us and I am counting the two late August premieres (Amazon’s Carnival Row and Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) as the shows kicking things off. At current count, there just under 40 sci fi and fantasy shows premiering or returning during Fall 2019 which gives genre fans plenty to choose from. That is down from the over 40 shows that were on the Fall 2018 schedule, but I expect the number to increase as more premiere announcements are made over the next couple of months (Netflix in particular likes to drop shows with little or no notice).
We have a rundown below of the current slate which includes a short description of each show, when it will be premiering / returning, and what its status / prospects are this Fall. You can see the current schedule for the Fall sci fi and fantasy shows at this link, and you can follow the weekly listings at this link. Be sure to follow our Cancellation Watch column and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site throughout the week to keep up with the ratings results and to monitor the status of your favorite shows.
Note that shows such as The Orville, Star Trek: Discovery, and Agents of SHIELD have been held to mid-season or later starts and are not included in this preview (but check back in December for our Mid-Season rundown). You can see a list of those shows at this link.
(Links below are to the show pages on this site with more information, status updates, and ratings results where available.)
American Horror Story (FX, Wednesday 10-11 PM) Season 9 Premieres Sep 18
About: This venerable season-long horror anthology returns for its ninth year–subtitled 1984–and will head to Summer camp for its own unique take on the slasher genre.
Status: AHS has already been renewed through a tenth season, so expect at least one more year of horror from the show if not more.
Arrow (CW, Tuesday 9-10 PM) Season 8 Premieres Oct 15
About: The flagship of The CW’s Arrow-verse shows is back for its eighth season and this will be its last. The series will play an integral part in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event (see entry below) which will forever change the Arrow-verse and result in the deaths of several major characters.
Status: Arrow has had a nice run and will wrap up with a bang as its final season ends right after the conclusion of the Crisis cross-over.
Batwoman (CW, Sunday 8-9 PM) NEW SERIES Premieres Oct 6
About: Kate Kane reluctantly takes over as Gotham’s new vigilante several years after the disappearance of Batman and after the criminal element of the city has gained the upper hand. This show will also cross-over with the other Arrow-verse entries in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths event (more on that below).
Status: This is a highly anticipated addition to the Arrow-verse shows and could revitalize the franchise after several years of declining viewership. All indications currently point toward this one sticking around for several years.
Black Lightning (CW, Monday 9-10 PM) Season 3 Premieres Oct 21
About: Jefferson Pierce continues his crusade against crime as Black Lightning along with his two super-powered daughters. This series will cross-over with the Arrow-verse shows in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths event (more on that below) and could be brought into that fold this year.
Status: The ratings have not been great for this show, but it might make up some of the slack with digital viewing and its encore runs on Netflix. Once a CW show has made it past its second season, the network usually keeps it around for at least 70 episodes, so I expect another season and possibly more from Black Lightning.
Carnival Row (Amazon, Streaming) NEW SERIES Premieres Aug 30
About: This new fantasy series takes place in an alternative-history Victorian London where fairy tail and fantasy characters co-exist with humans, and it offers some parallels to the current political climate.
Status: This is one of several fantasy series that is looking to fill the void now that Game of Thrones is gone. Amazon has already renewed it through its second season.
Charmed (CW, Friday 8-9 PM) Season 2 Premieres Oct 11
About: As the second season of this supernatural drama begins, the Elders are dead and the magical community looks to the three sisters to take charge. But can they prove to be the leaders others expect them to be when they can barely manage their own lives?
Status: The same day ratings for this show were not great in its first season, but it was one of The CW’s top shows in digital viewing (this network has adapted better to the 21st century than the other broadcasters) and it also did well in its encore run on Netflix. I would expect it to stick around for a third season and more.
Creepshow (Sudder, Streaming ) NEW SERIES Premieres Sep 26
About: This horror anthology (updating the 1982 film of the same name from George Romero and Stephen King) kicks off with an adaptation of Kings’s “Gray Matter” and Josh Malerman’s “House of the Head”. Expect plenty more horror stories to follow those two.
Status: This fits with the current anthology trend and with the horror theme of the Shudder streaming service. As with any of the streaming shows lately, this one has a chance of sticking around for a second season and perhaps longer.
Crisis on Infinite Earth (CW, Multiple Nights) EVENT SERIES Premieres Dec 8
About: This year’s big event for the Arrow-verse shows was announced at the end of last year’s Elseworlds cross-over. It will bring together all of those shows (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow) and even have and appearance from Black Lightning characters. Also, expect to see other characters from DC movies and TV shows stopping by for an appearance. The event promises big changes to the Arrow-verse and several major heroes could fall while trying to avert the crisis.
Status: This event series kicks of in December with episodes crossing over Supergirl, Batwoman, and The Flash and then it concludes in January with episodes of Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix, Streaming ) NEW SERIES Premieres Aug 30
About: This prequel to the classic 1982 Jim Henson film follows three Gelflings who lead a rebellion against the Skeksis when they discover a threat to their world of Thra.
Status: As with any of the streaming service offerings, this has a chance of sticking around for more than one season, but Netflix has a tendency of capping off its shows around the three-season mark.
Disenchantment (Netflix, Streaming ) Season 2 Premieres Sep 20
About: This animated comedy from Matt Groening returns following the adventures of the wayward Princess Bean, her Elfin companion Elfo, and her personal demon Luci.
Status: This show has already been renewed through its fourth season (or its second and this is considered the second half of its first season? It’s a bit confusing). So expect it to be around a few years.
Emergence (ABC, Tuesday 10-11 PM) NEW SERIES Premieres Sep 24
About: After a mysterious accident, a police chief takes in a young child–who is suffering from amnesia–and learns that she is at the center of a conspiracy that hinges on the identity of the child.
Status: This series is heading into one of ABC’s regular season death slots at the Tuesday 10 PM EST hour. I don’t like its chances at this point, but maybe it surprises and becomes a sleeper hit.
Evil (CBS, Thursday 10-11 PM) NEW SERIES Premieres Sep 26
About: A skeptical female psychologist and a priest-in-training investigate unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings as this series promises to examine the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion.
Status: This is another new broadcast network genre entry that is heading into a questionable timeslot, and CBS usually does not have much patience with shows that veer from its routine of procedurals and sitcoms. It will be a struggle for this one to find enough of an audience to survive on Thursday nights.
The Expanse (Amazon, Streaming ) Season 4 Premieres Dec 13
About: After an extended wait, The Expanse will be returning later this year on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service and the story is just getting started as the crew of the Rocinante and the rest of humanity travel through the newly opened gateway to the many systems beyond.
Status: I’m not concerned about Amazon cancelling this show right after they just saved it, so expect at least a few more years from this one.
The Flash (CW, Tuesday 8-9 PM) Season 6 Premieres Oct 8
About: This one will become the flagship of The CW’s superhero shows with the Arrow wrapping up this season (will it now become known as the Flash-verse?) and it will play an integral part in the Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which will have huge (and in some cases devastating) consequences for all of the heroes.
Status: The Flash remained The CW’s top-rated show this past season and I expect it to stick around for at least a few more seasons.
For All Mankind (Apple, Streaming ) NEW SERIES Premieres in Fall
About: This series explores what would have happened if Russia beat the United States to the Moon and the global space race had never ended.
Status: This will be one of several shows kicking off Apple’s big move into scripted programming and it is a pretty high-profile series. I would say it has a good chance of sticking around for a second season if not more.
The Good Place (NBC, Thursday 9-9:30 PM) Season 4 Premieres Sep 26
About: This afterlife comedy returns for its fourth season and it goes back to the beginning as we see a repeat the grand experiment of Michael’s neighborhood revisited with new people (and with the show’s regulars in tow as well).
Status: This show’s fourth season has been announced as its last and creator Michael Schur claims that was his intention and he feels like this is the right time to wrap up the story.
His Dark Materials (HBO, Not Scheduled Yet ) NEW SERIES Premieres in Fall
About: Based on the fantasy novels by Philip Pullman, this series follows the young Lyra who goes on a quest to find her kidnapped friends and uncovers a sinister plot by a secret organization that threatens the world.
Status: This high-profile series is a co-production with BBC and HBO is certainly hoping it will attract some of the Game of Thrones audience looking for the next big fantasy epic on television. It has already been renewed through a second season.
The I-Land (Netflix, Streaming ) NEW SERIES Premieres Sep 12
About: Ten people wake up on a mysterious island with no memory of who they are or how they got there, and now they must find a way to survive in a dangerous land.
Status: This show is being billed as an “event series”, but as with any of the streaming service offerings there is usually a chance it could return for at least a second season.
Impulse (YouTube, Streaming ) Season 2 Premieres in Fall
About: A teenage girl discovers that she has the power to move objects with her mind and also to teleport and must learn to cope with her new-found powers. In the second season of the show, others become interested in her powers which could have an impact on her life and those she loves.
Status: This YouTube original flew mostly under the radar during its first season and it got renewed before YouTube decided to back away from scripted programming. As that streamer has cancelled most of its other originals, consider it likely this one will be ending with its second season.
Legacies (CW, Thursday 9-10 PM) Season 2 Premieres Oct 10
About: The second year of this series starts off by addressing the mystery of what happened to Hope at the end of last season as the show carries on the legacy of the Mikaelson clan.
Status: As with Charmed, this series did not draw high ratings based on the same day numbers during its first season, but it performed very well in digital viewing and the younger-skewing CW pays close attention to those stats. Expect this one to have a good chance of carrying on the Vampire Diaries franchise for a few more years.
The Man in the High Castle (Amazon, Streaming ) Season 4 Premieres Nov 15
About: This alternate history series based on the Phillip K. Dick novel of the same name continues the story of an America divided between the Nazis and Japanese after the Axis powers won World War II. But the existence of other alternate realities has been discovered and they will come clashing together in the upcoming season.
Status: Amazon has announced the fourth season of this show as its last, continuing a trend of the streaming services ending their original shows after two to four seasons.
The Mandolorian (Disney+, Streaming ) NEW SERIES Premieres Nov 12
About: Taking place between the events of the sixth and seventh Star Wars films, this series follows the adventures of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
Status: This will be the flagship series for the new Disney+ streaming service and the first live-action Star Wars TV show, so expect it to stick around for at least a few seasons.
Mr. Robot (USA, Not Scheduled Yet ) Season 4 Premieres in Fall
About: This hacker series returns for its fourth year and creator Sam Esmail has said it will be like an extended Christmas special with the entire season taking place across the span of a single week in December of 2015.
Status: The show’s fourth season was announced as its last which gives the creative team the opportunity to wrap up its storylines.
Nancy Drew (CW, Wednesday 9-10 PM) NEW SERIES Premieres Oct 9
About: The famous female super-sleuth gets a modern update with a supernatural twist as Nancy Drew returns to television and once again finds herself solving mysteries.
Status: The CW has high hopes for this one as perhaps the next big hit for the network and it should appeal to the same audience tuning into Riverdale in the lead-in hour on Wednesdays. As with any show on the fifth place network–especially a high-profile entry–expect it to have a decent chance of sticking around for a second season and beyond.
Primal (ADSW, Not Scheduled Yet ) NEW SERIES Premieres in Fall
About: This animated series comes from Samurai Jack‘s Genndy Tartakovsky and follows a caveman at the dawn of evolution who bonds with a dinosaur on the brink of extinction.
Status: Adult Swim continues to pump out alternative animated entries and Tartakovsky’s name should definitely help draw some attention to this show. I like its chances of not going extinct too soon.
The Purge (USA, Tuesday 9-10 PM) Season 2 Premieres Oct 15
About: This series, based on the feature film franchise of the same name, returns for its second year and follows four characters who survived the Purge night from the first season. The story focuses on how the previous events have impacted their lives as it sets up the next Purge to occur one year later.
Status: This series performed well for USA in its first season, but we have seen a tendency of late for shows to experience notable declines in viewership in their second season. Whether that occurs with The Purge remains to be seen.
Riverdale (CW, Wednesday 8-9 PM) Season 4 Premieres Oct 9
About: Archie and the gang return for a fourth season in this dark take on the comic book series and they continue to explore the mysteries of their odd little town known as Riverdale.
Status: While never a huge hit based on the same day ratings numbers, this show has continued to draw high digital viewership for The CW and has done quite well in encore runs on Netflix.
Runaways (Hulu, Streaming) Season 3 Premieres Dec 13
About: In the third season of this show based on the Marvel comic of the same name, the Runaways search for their friends Karolina, Janet, and Chase who were captured at the end of the second season and they will also face off against a dangerous villain. In addition, a cross-over with Cloak & Dagger is planned for the upcoming season.
Status: This show will be reaching the dreaded three-season mark which is about where the streaming services have been capping off their shows lately. Since it is part of the Marvel Universe, though, perhaps it will get a longer lease on life.
Star Wars Resistance (Disney, Sunday 10-10:30 PM ) Season 2 Premieres October 6th
About: The second season of this show finds Kaz and team deep in space after having escaped from the First Order. The heroes face many dangers including bounty hunters, a suspicious Hutt, General Hux, and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren as they try to spark hope across the galaxy.
Status: This Star Wars Anime series did not prove to be a huge hit in its first year and perhaps that influenced the decision to announce its second season as its last. But at least it will get the opportunity to wrap up its storylines.
Supergirl (CW, Sunday 9-10 PM) Season 5 Premieres Oct 6
About: Supergirl and her team return for a fifth season and they will play an integral part in the Crisis on Infinite Earths cross-over event which could see several major heroes fall and which will forever change the Arrow-verse.
Status: The CW execs have said that Arrow is the only Arrow-verse entry ending with the upcoming season, but as the network’s superhero shows fade in popularity it’s possible a few more could be gone by season end. However, that network typically announces a show’s final season in advance, so perhaps this one will power its way to a sixth year.
Supernatural (CW, Thursday 8-9 PM) Season 15 Premieres Oct 10
About: This show heads into it record-busting fifteenth season with Sam and Dean having already faced the supernatural terrors that Heaven and Hell and everything in between can throw at them. But now they will face off against God himself.
Status: After a long and successful run, this show will be wrapping up with its fifteenth season. But don’t be surprised if The CW has a Supernatural spin-off on its schedule next season, and perhaps Sam and Dean will make appearances on that show.
Titans (DCU, Streaming ) Season 2 Premieres Sep 6
About: Following the aftermath of their encounter with Trigon, Dick Grayson brings the Titans back together with some new faces joining and they take up residence in the Titans Tower. But will old enemies tear this newly reformed team apart?
Status: Word is that viewership was strong for this show in its first season (the streaming services usually do not share the actual numbers), and even if the future of DC Universe is unclear in WarnerMedia’s long-term plans, I would expect this one to shift to HBO Max if its current platform closes down.
Undone (Amazon, Streaming) NEW SERIES Premieres Sep 13
About: After a near fatal car accident, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time and uses this ability to find out the truth about her father’s death.
Status: This genre-bending series received some good buzz from its preview at Comic-Con. As with any of the shows on the streaming services, it has a decent chance of lasting to second season.
>Keep up with the sci fi and fantasy shows airing each week with our Weekly Listings
Van Helsing (Syfy, Friday 10-11 PM) Returning for 4th Season
About: This vampire-pocalypse series returns for its fourth season and showrunner Jonathan Walker has promised that it will further explore the lore of the vampires as well as their ultimate plans for the world.
Status: This has been a perennially low-rated show for Syfy, but it is relatively inexpensive to produce and has managed to survive this far. The network tends to cap off its shows around the fourth or fifth season mark, though, so this one might be nearing its end.
The Walking Dead (AMC, Sunday 9-10 PM) Season 10 Premieres Oct 6
About: AMC’s zombie drama returns for its tenth season and finds Alexandria, Hilltop, and the other communities preparing for the inevitable confrontation with the Whisperers. But there may be yet another enemy out there that poses an even greater danger.
Status: The Walking Dexit continues for this series as it slipped to series-low ratings levels in its ninth season. But it is still one of the most-watched shows on television and AMC will not be cancelling its flagship series anytime soon. I’m expecting at least two more seasons from this one if not more.
Watchmen (HBO, Not Scheduled Yet ) NEW SERIES Premieres in Oct
About: Based on the classic Alan Moore comic book series of the same name, this show about less-than-heroic superheroes will not directly adapt its source material but will instead expand on the world introduced there.
Status: This high-profile series should draw plenty of attention to the premium cable service, but will it divide fans like the 2009 movie did? In any case, I would expect this one to stick around for a few years at least unless it completely tanks in its first season.
The Witcher (Netflix, Streaming) NEW SERIES Premieres Late Fall
About: Based on the books by by Andrzej Sapkowski, this fantasy series follows the loner monster hunter who finds himself caught up in larger events that affect the fate of his world.
Status: Consider this a Fall alternate, because it could get shifted to early 2020. This is yet another show looking to fill the Game of Thrones void and it is high-profile enough that it has a very good chance of surviving to a second season and beyond.
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I’ll add this here, even though it could also go into the older ~ “SyFy becoming extinct” thread. 😉
I just read the Fall Preview from TV Guide. And then the list here. I think it’s funny/pathetic/tragic that SyFy has absolutely zero, zip, zilch new science fiction shows premiering this fall.
Yep. We will be looking at that in an upcoming post.
You forgot to mention Impulse season 2 (YouTube originals). Will also return this fall. (First look trailer says so.)
Added now. YouTube has done a very poor job of promoting its originals and it got missed.