As summer draws to a close, we’ve made it to my favorite time of the year: new fall programming is upon us. But before we dive into the Big Network’s schedules (that’s coming later this week), let’s take a quick look at some of cable’s anticipated offerings premiering this September. Jump after the break for the rundown.
The League kicks off its seventh and final season on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10pm on FXX. This final stretch of 13 episodes in the long-running fantasy football sitcom plans to pack more funny than ever as fans prepare to say goodbye to Kevin, Jenny, Pete, Taco, Ruxin, and Andre. Of course you can expect celebrity cameos galore, including the return of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch who shows up in the season premiere. Co-creators Jeff and Jackie Schaffer teased at the TCAs that there will indeed be a “Deflategate” episode (the jokes are spinning around in my head already), and Jon Lajoie (he plays Taco) spilled that his character “will retire from sex because of a concussion.” Oh, and there will be one more installment in the adventures of Rafi and Dirty Randy.
I’m glad that the show has the guts to bow out while it’s still going strong. The terrific cast and the topical storylines are still entertaining after all these years, and I can’t wait to see how it all comes to a close. And who knows, perhaps this won’t necessarily be the last we see of the Shiva-obsessed fantasy sports players. At the same TCA panel, Jeff Schaffer remarked, “I think there’s still ways to play with this group, just in different forms.” Let the movie rumors begin to swirl…
Click here to watch teasers for the final season.
You’re the Worst is a returning sitcom that I’m anticipating the most, and its second season debuts Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10:30pm on FXX, immediately following The League. The Stephen Falk-created series is described as “a modern look at love and happiness told through the eyes of two people who haven’t been very successful with either.” Rather quickly in its first season, the show managed to click into a creative groove: when it wanted to be uproariously funny, it made tears of laughter stream down my face; and when it wanted me to actually care about its three-dimensional characters, I had no trouble doing so. You’re the Worst so articulately tells a love story about a modern-day couple who says they don’t believe in falling in love and yet, deep down, they know they’re perfectly meant for each other. Stars Chris Greer and Aya Cash have major chemistry, consistently knowing how to make viewers crack up and empathize with their heartfelt actions. They’re truly a pleasure to watch. Supporting players Desmin Borges and Kether Donohue are outrageously sublime.
Jimmy and Gretchen are moving in together this season, and Falk teases dark storyline that will follow. “It just surrounds an issue that Jimmy [or] Gretchen has in their personal life that threatens to really derail the relationship, and it’s something that’s very common among a lot of people I know and creative people. So we tackle it head-on in all its messy horror,” he tells TVLine. Also coming soon: another installment of Sunday Funday, Halloween edition!
Be sure to watch these mini-teasers for season 2; I’ve caught a few of them while watching FX’s Married this summer and they always landed.
The Bastard Executioner is Kurt Sutter’s followup to his hugely successful motorcycle club drama Sons of Anarchy, and it begins Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10pm on FX. This time around he’s imagined an historical fiction drama that takes place in the early 14th century. It goes like this:
The Bastard Executioner is a blood-soaked, medieval epic that tells the story of Wilkin Brattle, a 14th century warrior, whose life is forever changed when a divine messenger beseeches him to lay down his sword and lead the life of another man: a journeyman executioner. Set in northern Wales during a time rife with rebellion and political upheaval, Wilkin must walk a tight rope between protecting his true identity while also serving a mysterious destiny.
Guided by Annora, a mystical healer whose seeming omniscience keeps Wilkin under her sway; manipulated by Milus Corbett, a devious Chamberlain with grand political aspirations; and driven by a deepening connection with the Baroness Lady Love, Wilkin struggles to navigate political, emotional and supernal pitfalls in his quest to understand his greater purpose.
Newcomer Lee Jones stars as Wilkin Brattle, and he’s joined by True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer, Sutter’s wife Katey Sagel (Sons of Anarchy), and Sutter himself is set to play a mysterious character called The Dark Mute–he’ll hardly be recognizable in the role. Somebody you might recognize, however, is musician Ed Sheeran who’s guest-starring in the series.
Solid reviews are already rolling in. Get a taste of the medieval drama with these tantalizing teasers.
After three endearing seasons of Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project, Fox cancelled the series due to undeserved declining ratings. Fortunately, rising streaming service Hulu swooped in to save the day and now Mindy has a new home. Hulu ordered a fourth season consisting of a whopping 26 episodes, and the show is eager to start right where it left off. Mindy is pregnant and she’s ready to tackle whatever life throws at her next with loyal boyfriend Danny Castellano (the excellent Chris Messina) at her side. And yes, I am just as excited as you are to be reunited with the hysterically competent team at Shulman Woman’s Health Associates.
The season 4 premiere, which lands on Hulu on Tuesday, Sept. 15, takes its inspiration from 1998 romcom Sliding Doors; in it, viewers will experience an alternate reality in which Mindy isn’t dating Danny–she’s married to guest star Joseph Gordon-Levitt! Also guest starring this season are Ajay Mehta (Royal Pains) and Sakina Jaffrey (House of Cards), who are playing Mindy’s parents, and Garrett Dillahunt (Raising Hope).
Unlike Netflix Originals, Hulu is rolling out new episodes of Mindy on a weekly basis–it’ll feel as if you’re still watching it on broadcast TV! Of course, you can switch things up by paying Hulu a little extra to zap away those pesky ads.
Hulu hasn’t released a trailer yet, but you’ll make due with these fantastically colorful promotional posters.
Update (9/10): The Mindy Project season 4 trailer has arrived! Enjoy.
Last, but certainly not least, there’s the return of South Park, the Comedy Central staple that’s now entering its 19th season. A string of 10 new episodes starts Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 10:30pm. Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s South Park Studios doesn’t have an episode name or logline to mull over, only this 15-second clip of Cartman overlooking the wacky Colorado town. Still, so many seasons in, the show remains in the zeitgeist for its irreverence and spot-on recreations of current events. Plus a couple’a Butters standalones never hurt.
Update (9/14): South Park Studios has released the episode’s title, logline, and a clip a day ahead of the season premiere. It’s called “Stunning and Brave” and all signs point to a Caitlyn Jenner theme with a splash of Tom Brady Deflategate tomfoolery. (Following Caitlyn Jenner’s acceptance speech at the ESPYs, Kris Jenner praised it for being “amazing and very brave.” Click here to watch the 15-second preview, and the logline follows:
There is a new principal at the helm of South Park Elementary. He forces the boys to confront the damage they’ve done through their history of racism and unconscious bias. It is the most stunning and brave South Park ever.