'Frasier,' 'The Crown,' 'Goosebumps' and 53 other great shows to watch

As the writers and actors' strikes grind on, production on scripted TV has been largely shut down since May. There are plenty of shows from overseas that will find their way onto a screen near you. (Read on.) But the domestic output is now limited to unscripted series and game shows. (Read on for a sampling of those too.)

So yes, you are about to enter one of the oddest, most disorienting, fall seasons in memory.

The fall "linear" schedules are hodgepodges of repeats, supersized competition series, and whatever else the networks could find in Canada or the U.K. With the exception of Apple TV+ and Paramount+, the streamers are standing down as well, to stockpile and save money. The surprise, in fact, is that there will be so much to see. Netflix's "The Crown" arrives sometime in November after a long delay (filming took place last fall). That "Frasier" reboot is around the corner too. Meanwhile, HBO's "The Gilded Age" and FX's "Fargo" are back after long breathers. 

A strange fall, but far from a quiet one. 

ALREADY ON

THE CHANGELING (Apple TV+)

Apple's eight-episode adaptation of the 2017 novel by Victor LaValle (a Woodmere Academy grad) has been widely described as "an adult fairy tale" — whatever that means — although the pilot, starring LaKeith Stanfield as new father Apollo, and Clark Backo ("Letterkenny") as Emmy, his wife and new mother, begins firmly in the real world — of New York City, as a matter of fact. After Emmy disappears, that fairy tale turns into a horror story.

DREAMING WHILST BLACK (Showtime, Sundays, 10 p.m.)

By title alone, you can guess where this amusing newcomer has arrived from ("whilst?" The U.K., of course). It's about a reluctant, or rather hopelessly bored, job recruiter who really wants to become a filmmaker, but keeps getting pulled back into the purgatory of his office job. Until one day, Kwabena (Adjani Salmon) has finally had enough.

THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON (AMC, Sundays, 9)

The great survivor of them all, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), has landed on a beach in France, and also landed his own series, a good indication he'll keep on surviving, at least over these six episodes. Daryl had earlier explained that he arrived here because of a handful of "bad decisions," but — hey Daryl, don't be too hard on yourself. At least the food and wine will be better than back in the Commonwealth. There are in fact four "Dead" spinoffs, each in reasonably good shape because they wrapped production before the WGA strike started in May. Nevertheless, by filming in France, "Daryl" might be in the best position of all — and a second season is coming.

THE SWARM (CW/11, Tuesdays, 9)

Maybe the best example of the linear networks' attempt to sidestep the strike is "The Swarm," based on 20024's "Der Schwarm," by German novelist Frank Schätzing. Correct: This horror film — think "The Birds" meets "Sharknado" — is not your typical CW show, nor your typical network one, with international locales (Scotland, Germany, Canada in the pilot alone) and many different accents. But here's the thing: The show looks good. The plot: The world's ocean creatures unite to wreak vengeance on humanity, which is destroying the planet (and depleting fishing stocks in the process).!

THE MORNING SHOW (Apple TV+)

This third season opens with an episode titled "The Kármán Line,'' which does require a bit of explanation: It's that part of Earth's orbit where the bonds of gravitation start to slip. Or something like that. Point is, someone is going into space this season, and will that be Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston) or Bradley Jackson (Reese Witherspoon) and what will UBA president Cory Ellison (Billy Crudup) have to say about this? Forget all that: what really matters is that Jon Hamm joins the series as an Elon Musk-type who plans to use one of the anchors to promote his interstellar ventures. 

THE OTHER BLACK GIRL (Hulu) 

Wagner Books is an almost all-white publishing firm that seems to have either fired or sidelined its diversity-equity-inclusion executive. It's a strange place, and particularly strange for its only Black employee, Nella Rogers (Sinclair Daniel), who is happy to learn that the publisher, Richard Wagner (Eric McCormack) — yes, his real name — has hired another Black employee: Hazel-May McCall (Ashleigh Murray, "Riverdale"). But like Wagner, there's something a little off about her too. This 10-parter based on Zakiya Dalila Harris' debut novel of the same name could be a comedy or it could be a horror series — guess we'll all find out together which. 

SEPTEMBER

SEPT.14

BUDDY GAMES (CBS/2, Thursdays, 9)

 "Buddy Games" pits four teams of old friends against each other, in a series of mental and physical competitions — and if you haven't fallen asleep reading this description, then please explain WHY. "Games," hosted by Josh Duhamel, has "strike filler programming" written all over it. But let's not prejudge. This could be fun. Maybe. Or not. Meanwhile, CBS has two other game shows coming up in the fall: "Lotería Loca" (Oct. 2, 9), a Bingo-inspired remake of a Mexican hit; and "Raid the Cage" (Oct. 13, 9), co-hosted by Damon Wayans Jr., with contestants who grab a lot of stuff from "cages" in an allotted time.

SEPT. 17

THE GOLD (Paramount+) 

The Brink's-Mat robbery of 1983 was considered England's "Crime of the Century" at the time, and for a reason — £26 million worth of (mostly) gold was stolen. Now comes the six-episode BBC historical drama starring Hugh Bonneville, Dominic Cooper, Jack Lowden and Charlotte Spencer. 

YELLOWSTONE (CBS/2, 8:30) 

Yes, this is the hit show, and no, it's not an original. To fill up a depleted schedule, CBS has borrowed the series from sister service Paramount Network this season. Really borrowed — the series will air as a double-header on Sundays following "60 Minutes." Sunday opens with its June 20, 2018 premiere. 

SEPT. 18 

NEIGHBOURS (Amazon Freevee)

This long-running Australian soap was set to wrap forever last September, and then the WGA strike happened. Short story short: Freevee, desperately in need of content, has restarted it. The show, which launched in 1985, about a group of neighbors in a fictional Melbourne neighborhood, was a huge hit in the U.K. during its early years, so who knows. "Neighbours'' launched some considerable careers, including Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie. (Repeats are already streaming on Freevee.) 

SUPERPOWER (Paramount+)

Sean Penn gifted one of his Oscars to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last fall and — according to several unkind reviews — followed up with this other gift, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February. While events have long since surpassed "Superpower," Penn does at least offer a view from the ground.

SEPT. 20

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: DELICATE (FX, 10)

For this 12th season of "AHS" we get something, and someone, a little different: This is an adaptation of a real novel, Danielle Valentine's "Delicate Condition," which was published in August,, and stars a genuine reality star, Kim Kardashian, who has very rarely appeared in a TV series, other than as herself. "AHS" stalwart Emma Roberts stars as young actor Anna Alcott, who has finally gotten pregnant through in vitro only to be told that she has suffered a miscarriage — even though she can still feel the baby. Cara Delevingne, Matt Czuchry and Denis O'Hare also star. The show filmed in Huntington last May, just after the WGA strike had begun, but had to shut down production not long after. For that reason, the season that will start streaming on FX (and Hulu the next day) is called "Part 1." "Part 2" arrives who-knows-when, but assuming the strike doesn't end anytime soon, you might want to read the book to find out what happens to poor Anna and her pal Siobhan (Kardashian). 

THE SUPERMODELS (Apple TV+)

Just four are featured in this fluffy four-parter, all super. They are Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. 

SEPT. 22

THE CONTINENTAL: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK (Peacock) 

Keanu Reeves has had a long run as John Wick, but there's no Keanu here — almost certainly why this first TV series set in the Wickverse is a prequel origin story from 1970s New York. In fact, the origin story here is Winston Scott's (Colin Woodell), played by Ian McShane in the movies. He's the proprietor of the notorious hotel, the Continental, where you can check out but you can never leave … It's a rest stop for the world's most notorious killers, assassins and all-around bad guys. Beyond this, there's not a whole lot more that we can tell you about this three-parter (90-minute episodes each) except that the trailer promises enough violence to shatter your teeth. And almost forgot to mention: Mel Gibson also stars. 

STILL UP (Apple TV+)

Yes, another Britcom — get used to them — starring Antonia Thomas of "The Good Doctor" and U.K. TV's "Misfits." This one's about a pair of friends, Lisa (Thomas) and Danny (Craig Roberts, "Red Oaks"), insomniacs who keep each other company through the night via phone or text. (From what I've seen, it's quite good.)    

SEPT. 24

KRAPOPOLIS (Fox/5, 8, or following football) 

Animation appears to have an interesting conflict because animators are not on strike — they're bound by another contract and belong to their own union.. Nevertheless, actors are also on strike alongside the writers, which (theoretically) means they can't voice shows like this one — from Dan Harmon, about a "dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters" in an ancient Greek city named Krapopolis. But Fox, which has already ordered additional seasons, possibly got around this by hiring British actors, including "Ted Lasso's" Hannah Waddingham. 

SEPT. 25

THE IRRATIONAL (NBC/4, 10)

Behavioral scientist Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin, "The Flash") is often brought in by the FBI to help on impossible cases because he is so darned good at understanding irrational human nature. But as he likes to point out, people may be irrational but they are highly predictable. Sure, "The Irrational '' sounds familiar but what makes this procedural so special is that it's one of the few new series on any schedule this fall. 

SEPT. 27

SURVIVOR (CBS/2, 8); THE AMAZING RACE (CBS/2, 9:30)

What's so special about these trusty warhorses? For the first time in their long histories, each will have 90-minute episodes — just one more stark example of how the networks are trying to fill a dwindling pipeline of content. By the way, you'll see lots of supersizing going on this fall: "The Voice" opens with a two-hour edition Sept. 25 (NBC/4, 8), and continues with two-hour episodes starting in early October.   

SNAKE OIL (Fox, 9)

David Spade — who's been having a moment thanks to the success of "Fly on the Wall," the podcast he hosts with Dana Carvey — will host this game show about snake oil salespeople. The idea behind this one actually sounds amusing, if dumb: Some real entrepreneurs and some snake oil peddlers will attempt to sell their products to contestants, who will then have to figure out which products are real and which ones are fake.

LOVE IN FAIRHOPE (Hulu)

This nine-episode unscripted series follows (per program notes) "five generations of women navigating life and love in the picturesque small town of Fairhope, Alabama." (Fairhope? Jimmy Buffett once lived here.)

SEPT. 28 

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR (ABC/7, 8)

This senior spinoff of the "Bachelor" franchise could be either a huge hit or a huge something-else-altogether, although the promos indicate ABC is on the right track. By "senior," of course, I mean "old" — and these contestants are old enough to be the grandparents of their "The Bachelor/Bachelorette" counterparts. The first "Golden Bachelor" is retired restaurateur Gerry (pronounced Gary) Turner, 71. Most of the 22 contestants are pushing late 60s, and in some instances are in their early 70s. They all seem nice, intelligent, accomplished and even sincere. Reasons for doing this show? Many say they're "lonely." So here's looking at you kids: Let's hope you find "true love," even if this notoriously love-free zone is where you'll be doing the searching.  Watch the trailer here.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE COUNTRY AWARDS (NBC/4, 8) 

To fill up the endless hours, enterprising executives have spun the trusty old "People's Choice Awards" into a country-music themed show. This inaugural broadcast originates from the Grand Ole Opry.

SEPT. 29

  GEN V (Prime Video) 

 The first — and most assuredly not the last — spinoff of Prime's hit, "The Boys" is set in Godolkin University, a school of higher learning for superheroes-in-training. Which proto-supe will be a Big Man (or Woman) on campus? What kind of courses does one study when one is a supe-in-training? Explosives 101? Defeating Evil — the Basics? Lots of potential storylines (and nothing to see yet — Prime did not provide review screeners). 

BLUE BLOODS CLASSICS (CBS/2, 10) 

In late summer, fans were asked to vote for their favorite episodes (they were given a choice of 10) and now — drum roll — the results. Ten episodes will air this fall, in ascending order of votes. The episode with the most votes lands in November. 

REBUILDING BLACK WALL STREET (OWN, 9) 

 On May 31, 1921, a white mob destroyed one of the most prosperous Black communities in the nation, Tulsa, Oklahoma's Greenwood district, known as the Black Wall Street. This six-parter hosted by Morris Chestnut will look at various reconstruction projects in the area, and vows to "celebrate the promise of Greenwood's future."

OCTOBER

OCT. 3

FBI TRUE (CBS/2, 9) 

This real-life companion to CBS' not-real-life "FBI" launched on Paramount+ in early February, and has since gone through three "seasons," generating a total of 35 episodes. That's a lot of content, which will now air on content-desperate CBS. The series recounts agents' investigations of major crimes. 

FOUND (NBC/4, 10) 

The strike forced this midseason filler to the front of the line.  Shanola Hampton ("Shameless") stars as Gabi Mosely, a crisis management specialist who helps find missing people, specifically "people of color that the country seems to forget about …" Also stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

OCT. 4

SULLIVAN'S CROSSING; THE SPENCER SISTERS (CW/11, 8,9) 

Yet two more imports (both from Canada): The first is based on the Robyn Carr novel series, about a Boston neurosurgeon who heads home to Nova Scotia; the second one stars Lea Thompson and Stacey Farber ("DeGrassi; The Next Generation'') as a mother/daughter team who solve mysteries in their small town. Both recently debuted on Canadian TV. 

QUANTUM LEAP, MAGNUM P.I. (NBC/4, 8; 9) 

Both are returning as originals which merits their inclusion on this fall list — because originals are so rare. But don't expect to see originals for too long. "Quantum Leap" wrapped only eight episodes before the strike hit, which means that if they air consecutively (unlikely, by the way) the show will be done by late November.   

NOVA: ANCIENT EARTH (WNET/13, 9) 

For those TV travelers weary of game shows, repeats and whatever other flotsam is out there, this new "Nova" multiparter should be a salve. It's an extended look at how earth evolved, beginning with the creation of the solar system and ending — uh oh — with humans and the fraught "anthropocene" we've all created (Nov. 1). 

OCT. 5

BARGAIN (Paramount+)

Korean dramas have made a big impact on Netflix and now Paramount+ hopes to join the party with this dystopian thriller about a group of people bargaining for human organs -- when they're trapped in a hotel by an earthquake. Sounds wild, no doubt is.    

OCT. 6

LOKI (Disney+) 

This six-part second season of the Disney+/Marvel Cinematic Universe hit has — and I quote from the news release — "Loki [Tom Hiddleston] working with Mobius M. Mobius [Owen Wilson], Hunter B-15 [Wunmi Mosaku], and other members of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to navigate the multiverse in order to find Sylvie [Sophia Di Martino], Ravonna Renslayer [Gugu Mbatha-Raw], and Miss Minutes [Tara Strong]."

OCT. 12

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Netflix) 

Other than voice work, Mark Hamill of "Star Wars" renown hasn't done all that much TV, which makes "Usher" —from "The Haunting of Hill House's" Mike Flanagan — more than of passing interest. A lot of big names have signed up for this anthology based on various Edgar Allan Poe tales, including Carla Gugino, Mary McDonnell and Carl Lumbly. 

FRASIER (Paramount+)

Kelsey Grammer won four Emmys for lead in a comedy in the original series (1993-2004), so a reboot seemed inevitable, if the stars aligned. And for this one, they almost did, with some notable exceptions. Chief among those: David Hyde Pierce declined to join, which makes this something of a quasi-reboot, or half-reboot (no Jane Leeves either.) Nevertheless, James Burrows did agree to direct the first two episodes, so you can be certain those will be good (Burrows, 82, who launched "Cheers" and countless other sitcoms, is the most influential director in TV history.) Dr. Crane has returned to Boston from Seattle to be with his son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott, "Deception") Watch the trailer here.

LITTLE BIRD (WNET/13, 9) 

Bezhig Little Bird (Daria Contois) was born and raised on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan when she was caught up in what was called "The Sixties Scoop" — indigenous kids "scooped up" from reservations and placed in foster homes. Little Bird was adopted by a Jewish family in Montreal, and renamed Esther Rosenblum. She later decides to discover her roots — and does. Six episodes. 

OCT. 13

LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY (Apple TV +)

 Alison Brie stars in this adaptation of Bonnie Garmus'

 novel about a (first-time) cooking show host, Elizabeth Zott (Brie) who had been fired as a chemist. The cooking show is her revenge served cold.

GOOSEBUMPS (Disney +) 

Children's author R.L.Stine's horror franchiseran to an astonishing 62 books, followed by a half-dozen other series, all of which fed into video games, comics, feature films and a long-running TV series. So … it's baaack. This new 10-parter from Rob Letterman, who also directed the 2015 movie, and Nicolas Stoller, director of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," is about a group of teens investigating the death of another teen decades earlier.Watch the trailer here. 

OCT. 14

MURDAUGH MURDERS: THE MOVIE (Lifetime, 8) 

Yes, the true-life quickie movie is here, and right on schedule — to become Lifetime's 500th original movie. Bill Pullman stars as Alex Murdaugh who … you already know the sordid story. Now the rehash, over four hours (Part II wraps Oct. 15). 

OCT. 16

EVERYBODY ELSE BURNS (CW/11, 9:30)

 From across the pond comes this six-episode Britcom about a man who joins an apocalyptic religious cult. 

THE AMERICAN BUFFALO (WNET/13, 8) 

What's a fall season without a Ken Burns opus on some aspect of American history or culture? This four-hour series, says PBS, "takes viewers on a journey through more than 10,000 years of both, tracing the buffalo's centrality to Plains Indian life to its near-eradication in the 19th century." As always, it's excellent. 

OCT. 29

FELLOW TRAVELERS (Showtime, 9, also streaming on Paramount+) 

This eight-episode drama is adapted from Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel  set in Washington, D.C. in the 1950s.

 It's a gay love story — also unusually graphic, even for pay cable — about two lovers, D.C. political operator Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) and new-to-D.C. naif Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey, "Bridgerton"). If the first episode is any guide, Showtime has a winner.

THE GILDED AGE (HBO, 9) 

Here's hoping Julian Fellowes' sumptuous sophomore season makes a bigger splash than Season 1 — it deserves to. (Filming largely took place on a huge soundstage behind the Museum of American Armor in Bethpage.) The second opens Easter, 1883, as George Russell (Morgan Spector) is battling with his Pittsburgh steel plant unionizers. Laura Benanti and Robert Sean Leonard are joining this season. 

NOVEMBER

THE CROWN (Netflix, TBA)

 Just to clear your biggest question up right away, Netflix had not announced a startdate for the sixth season by deadline. Logic would seem to suggest November because four (of five) seasons launched that month (the second season arrived in December.) But we're just guessing here. What's not guesswork is this — the sixth should be the most dramatic season to date because it will revolve around the 1997 death of Princess Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki. Dominic West returns as Prince Charles, and Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth. 

NOV. 1

BLACK CAKE (Hulu)

Charmaine Wilkerson's 2022 novel was about a pair of brothers who mend some broken fences after their mother's death. But this adaptation appears to be a whole lot more, and sprawls across a couple of continents and countries, opening in Jamaica. Both brothers explore mom's deep past, and how traditional Caribbean black cake was part of that past. Stars Mia Isaac, Ashley Thomas ("Them"), Adrienne Warren ("Women of the Movement'') and Chipo Chung ("Into the Badlands"). 

FARAWAY DOWNS (Hulu, TBA)

Hulu had still not settled on a launch date for this six-parter other than to confirm sometime in November. But it should be a big draw for the streamer, based on the lead alone — Nicole Kidman, who plays an English noble who goes to Australia to find her husband and sell their million-acre ranch in the Outback.

NOV. 2

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE (Netflix) 

From Anthony Doerr's 2014 bestseller of the same name —which also won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction — comes this four-parter about a blind girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc (Aria Mia Loberti) in wartime France. Other than "The Crown '' this is Netflix's big series of the fall, easily, and from what I've seen (admittedly not much) it does look good. It's not just about Marie-Laure, but also a German soldier (Louis Hofmann) who hears her secret radio broadcasts. Mark Ruffalo plays her missing father and Hugh Laurie, her great uncle. 

NOV. 5

LAWMEN: BASS REEVES (Paramount+)

The Taylor Sheridan ("Yellowstone") factory rolls on, with this drama focusing on Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, born into slavery in 1838, later to become one of the most celebrated (and feared) peace officers west of the Mississippi.  (One historian says he was the inspiration for the Lone Ranger.) This stars David Oyelowo ("Selma") in the title role, with some impressive support (including Dennis Quaid, Lauren E. Banks, Shea Whigham,  Donald Sutherland). Two episodes drop Sunday.

NOV. 8 

THE BUCCANEERS (Apple TV+) 

If "The Gilded Age" doesn't satisfy your Victorian costume drama itch, there's always this, based on Edith Wharton's last novel. The logline for this eight-parter: "The Buccaneers are the daughters of America’s new rich — beautiful and untameable, despite the best efforts of England’s finest governesses, they are on their way to London to snare themselves an aristocrat …")

NOV. 13

NCIS: SYDNEY (CBS/2, 10) 

CBS ordered this first-ever foreign spinoff of "NCIS" just last year, and the timing was spot-on — it means there will be an original "NCIS" on the fall schedule after all, albeit one with kangaroos and Aussie accents. By the way, mate, is there even such a thing as an NCIS. Down Under? Well, kinda. The longline: "The brilliant and eclectic team of U.S. NCIS Agents and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are grafted into a multinational task force, to keep naval crimes in check …"

NOV. 14

A MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD (FX on Hulu)

Gen Z amateur detective Darby Hart (Emma Corrin, "The Crown") is invited to a remote and cold place — actually, this was filmed in Iceland — by a tech billionaire bro (Clive Owen.) Other guests arrive and soon, there's a murder — and yes, this does sound like "Glass Onion," no? 

NOV. 16 

GHOSTS UK (CBS/2, 9)

As strike filler, CBS decided to air the British rootstock of its own (funny) series of the same name. Same premise: Guy inherits a beat-up mansion filled with bickering ghosts. Don't be shocked if this is also funny.

NOV. 21

 FARGO (FX, 10) 

The fifth season of Noah Hawley's terrific "brand extension" — "reboot" doesn't seem quite right — of the Coen Brothers classic stars Jon Hamm as a sheriff searching for a criminal (Juno Temple). She happens to be masquerading as a nice-as-pie housewife who wouldn't hurt a fly. With this fifth, "Fargo" heads back to the cold country from whence it originally came: Minnesota and North Dakota.