Ten must-see TV shows coming to the streamers this fall
Including an ode to the workplace sitcom, familiar faces renewed for new seasons and hotly anticipated pilots
Work It
Workplace comedies have held a plum spot in TV viewers’ hearts since the days of Cheers and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The key to the formula’s success? A found family of misfits seeking solace in one another’s company while surviving the myriad indignities of the daily grind. Two new horses are entering the race this fall. Let’s see how they stack up on the spreadsheet.
Related: Best of Fall—A sneak peek at the season’s buzziest debuts on stage, screen and page
The Paper (StackTV)
It’s been 20 years since The Office premiered, and those nine seasons of meme-worthy gold have been living in our memories rent free ever since. Now, Greg Daniels, who ran the American version of the show, is teaming up with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the co-creators of the OG British incarnation, on a spin-off set in a small-town newspaper office. Domhnall Gleeson stars as the publisher, The White Lotus’s late-in-life lesbian Sabrina Impacciatore plays the managing editor (and a wannabe influencer), and Oscar Nuñez reprises his role as Oscar Martinez. The buzz is so strong it’s already been renewed for a second season. Out now
DMV (StackTV)
Mean Girls and Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows, Australian actor Harriet Dyer (Colin From Accounts), and another SNL expat, standup comedian Molly Kearney, headline this latest contender for the workplace crown. (It’s shot in Montreal, so expect to see some familiar Canadian faces like Gerry Dee popping in for guest appearances.) The show is set in the dreaded DMV office, following quirky minimum-wage employees who find themselves toiling away in the place where joy goes to die. The teaser is giving Parks and Recreation meets Superstore, so it could be a hit. Out October 13
Back in Action
Slow Horses (Apple TV Plus)
Jackson Lamb and his ragtag group of loser spies take their fifth whirl around the Deep State dance floor. Out September 24
Stranger Things (Netflix)
The gang is back for their final crack at the Big Bad of the Upside Down. Guys, have you ever considered moving out of Hawkins? Just sayin’. Out November 26
Fallout (Prime Video)
The second season of this retro-futuristic dystopia follows Lucy and the Ghoul as they travel to New Vegas to find Lucy’s father. Justin Theroux joins the cast as billionaire casino owner Robert House. December 17
All the Best New Shows
The streaming era has splintered the traditional TV launch schedule, but fall is still a big back-to-school season for new scripted shows. Here are some of the first-year students we have our eyes on.
The Lowdown (Disney Plus)
After accumulating buckets of acclaim for Reservation Dogs, showrunner Sterlin Harjo is returning to Oklahoma with this rollicking noir inspired by the true story of citizen journalist Lee Roy Chapman. Ethan Hawke stars as a Tulsa “truthstorian” whose obsession with exposing the institutional rot of his town gets him into deep trouble with all the wrong people. Out September 23
Wayward (Netflix)
Canadian comic Mae Martin created and stars in this psychological thriller about a woodland facility for troubled teens. Shot in Toronto with a mostly Canadian cast, the series stars Martin as a crusading cop who knows something isn’t quite right. Toni Collette will send shivers down your spine as the camp’s creepy headmistress. Out September 25
Related: North Stars: An unfettered roundtable with CanCon’s queer mafia
I Love LA (Crave)
The latest outing from comedy star Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby, Bottoms) follows a group of Gen Z-ers as they navigate life, love and careers in La La Land. Sennott is both the creator and the headliner of this hotly anticipated Girls-esque series that also stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) and IYKYK up-and-comers like Odessa A’zion and Jordan Firstman. Out November 2
Pluribus (Apple TV Plus)
Other than a titillating teaser that tells us it will be a science-fiction show about the most miserable person on earth saving the world from happiness, information is being kept under wraps so far about Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan’s new series. But, with Gilligan at the helm and a star in Rhea Seehorn, we will be seated. Out November 7
The Beast in Me (Netflix)
Claire Danes brings her best Homeland investigative game to this story about a grieving author who has retreated from public life after the death of her young son. An obsession with the shady past of her new neighbour (Matthew Rhys, The Americans) breaks her writer’s block but—surprise!—brings everyone’s demons out to play. Out November 13
Leah Rumack has worked as the deputy editor of Today’s Parent and the features director of Fashion and has contributed as a writer to a long list of Canadian brands including Toronto Life, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Elle Canada, Zoomer, the National Post, EnRoute and Re:porter. Her work focuses on travel, food, pop culture, beauty and fashion.
