Today's column notes the last arrivals in the new fall lineup for The CW, traditionally the last network showing up fashionably late.
Thanks to NFL Thursday Night Football, there are still three shows waiting on the bench for CBS. On Nov. 2, Young Sheldon (debuted Sept. 25) will return and settle in to its regular time slot. Also that night, Mom, Life in Pieces and S.W.A.T. will finally join the game.
Blindspot is set to return at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 on NBC.
Still in limbo is NBC's Chicago Med, which is scheduled for a third season, but is not yet in the lineup. The rumor is the series will get the 9 p.m. Tuesday slot of Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders after that show finishes its eight episodes, but nothing is official.
The broadcast networks may be set until midseason, but the cable outfits and streaming services still have some of their best stuff just around the corner.
On the horizon are The Walking Dead (Oct. 22, AMC); Stranger Things (Oct. 27, Netflix); Major Crimes (Oct. 31, TNT); Shameless (Nov. 5, Showtime); Future Man (Nov. 14, Hulu); Search Party (Nov. 19, TBS); Marvel's Runaways (Nov. 21, Hulu); and Vikings (Nov. 29, History).
Until then, let's take a brief look at the last of The CW's returnees.
The CW began life in 2006 designed to appeal to young women with such shows as America's Next Top Model, Gilmore Girls and Hidden Palms. The two comedies that return Friday may appeal to women, but guys can enjoy the feminine fun as well. Both shows have earned critical praise.
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, 7 p.m. Friday. It's Season 3 for the show starring the multi-talented Rachel Bloom, who also co-created the series and writes it.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a quadruple threat -- a comedy, drama, romance and musical. Each hour is also rated TV-14 for adult dialogue, language and sexual situations.
Bloom plays Rebecca Bunch, who gave up her posh lawyer life in New York to follow (and stalk) Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III) to California in hopes of finding love. At the end of last season, Josh dumped Rebecca at the altar and decided to enter the priesthood. Now, Rebecca wants sweet, sweet revenge.
Look for more of Nathaniel, Rebecca's new boss, this season. He's played by Scott Michael Foster, who has been upgraded to a regular cast member.
Rebecca and Nathaniel shared a passionate elevator smooch last season. I won't spoil what happens next.
Musical? You bet. Each episode contains two or three original songs, and the new season opens with a full-cast Broadway-esque extravaganza you won't want to miss.
• Jane the Virgin, 8 p.m. Friday. Fans of the series already know that Jane Villanueva's (Gina Rodriguez) virginal status didn't last long. She was strongly committed to celibacy at the beginning of the series, but was accidentally artificially inseminated at the doctor's office from a donation that just happened to be from her boss, Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni).
It's TV. It could happen. Go with it.
In Season 4, Jane is reunited with her former boyfriend, Adam (Tyler Posey), but her mom, Xo (Andrea Navedo), and grandmother, Alba (Ivonne Coll), are not thrilled to see him again. Meanwhile, Rafael finds himself broke and homeless at Jane's house.
Telenovela-ish comedy/drama ensues.
• Supernatural, 7 p.m. today on The CW. If you've been a fan of this long-running series since the beginning (it started out on the WB), here's some trivia to make you feel old.
Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester, was 23 when the show debuted in 2005. He's 35 today.
Jensen Ackles, who plays brother Dean Winchester, was 27. He's 39 now and getting a bit long in the tooth for hunting all those demons, supernatural critters and other paranormal stuff.
The series seems to go on forever and is so convoluted that you won't be able to follow along unless you have been with it for a while. Just know that in Season 13, not everyone we thought was dead in last season's finale actually is. There is, after all, that convenient alternate universe.
• Arrow, 8 p.m. today. It's Season 6 in the further adventures of billionaire (former) playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and his double life as the vigilante hero, the Arrow.
The action picks up five months after last season's cliffhanger, when Adrian Chase (Josh Segarra) killed himself and set off hundreds of explosions on the island, leaving us to wonder who lived and who died. The show is going to string us along for a bit, with flashbacks revealing what happened.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 10/12/2017