The TV Column

FX, USA Network start fall TV season Tuesday

The Big Bang Theory begins its 12th and final season on Sept. 24. The venerable CBS sitcom stars (from left) Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki, shown here in a scene from 2010.
The Big Bang Theory begins its 12th and final season on Sept. 24. The venerable CBS sitcom stars (from left) Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki, shown here in a scene from 2010.

Here we are barely into September and school is already back in session, so it's time to begin seriously thinking about the return of our favorite TV shows and the arrival of all the exciting new series.

First of all, it's still hard for me to accept school starting as early as it does these days. Little Rock public schools have been in session since Aug. 13 and eStem elementary kids since July 24!

Back in the day, boys and girls, we had the entire summer to enjoy because classes didn't start until after Labor Day. I realize that they finish up early in the last week of May now, but somehow it just doesn't seem right.

Back in my youth, we would get settled into the new school year and then the new fall TV season would begin a couple of weeks later. Of course, I also still remember when there were only three networks, the remote control was an actual "clicker," and the TV antenna was an odd contraption poking up on top of the house.

(As we speak, there's an old dead antenna from a previous owner rusting away under our house.)

These days, "Premiere Week" drags on for more than a month, with early birds slipping in ahead of that. For example, the highly anticipated Mayans MC debuts at 9 p.m. Tuesday on FX -- the same time The Purge premieres on USA Network. But those are cable offerings.

As far as the broadcast networks are concerned, Fox will sneak peek its new comedy, Rel, at 7 p.m. Sept. 9, but the second episode won't show up until Sept. 30.

The Big 4 -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC -- will roll out the majority of their programming in what amounts to a big premiere week beginning Monday, Sept. 24, but the new and returning shows will continue to premiere almost nightly through Oct. 16.

Again this fall, The CW will wait until the dust settles from the other networks to unveil its new lineup. It begins Oct. 9 with The Flash.

Midnight, Texas will be the last fall season broadcast series to return at 8 p.m. Oct. 26. That's almost Halloween.

The networks always wait until after The Emmys are handed out to get a new season started. This year, NBC will air the 70th annual awards ceremony on Sept. 17. The Emmys rotate among the Big 4 networks and usually air on Sundays. Since NBC has the honors this year, they have been moved to a Monday so as not to interfere with the network's lucrative Sunday Night Football.

The late Emmys show pushes the official start of the new season to the 24th, when we'll see new episodes of The Big Bang Theory (the final season), Young Sheldon, The Voice, The Resident and Bull, along with the debuts of the mystery drama Manifest on NBC and the reboot of Magnum P.I. on CBS.

Don't worry, Tom Selleck, you're magnificent 'stache status is unchallenged with the new cast.

Of course, complicating TV viewing these days are all the new shows coming from the streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, along with many worthwhile programs from the cable outlets.

Here's how we're going to handle all of that.

In the Sept. 16 TV Column, we'll have a preview of the next day's Emmy awards and one last hurrah celebrating the best of last season. Most of the nominations are from cable and streaming anyway.

On the Sept. 23 Sunday Style front, I'll have a general overview of what's ahead for the fall, giving special attention to those new shows getting preseason buzz.

In the ensuing days and weeks, The TV Column, which runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, will highlight the shows that are returning or premiering that day or the day following so that you'll get a heads-up to mark your calendar.

Trust me. One can never get enough advance warning. It's difficult to follow so many shows. I know. It's my job and sometimes they even sneak up on me.

STREAMING STUFF

Here are a few reminders on new programming available from Amazon and Netflix.

• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Amazon. John Krasinski (The Office) portrays CIA analyst Jack Ryan on a field assignment for the first time where he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that puts him in danger.

• Ozark, Season 2, Netflix. Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Trevor Long are back for more high-stakes drama involving the Mexican drug cartel in the Missouri Ozarks.

• Paradise, P.D., Netflix. This is a new 10-episode, 30-minute adult animated comedy about goofy, inept cops. You know what I mean by adult. Don't go there if you're easily offended by the puerile and prurient.

• Ultimate Beastmaster, Season 3, Netflix. The 10 episodes feature new hosts Tiki Barber and Chris DiStefano covering more than 100 competitors trying to master The Beast, one of the "most physically demanding obstacle courses ever devised."

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 09/02/2018

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