There’s not much to celebrate about the end of summer, but at least we can look forward to the end of re-runs and a new crop of fall TV shows. While they don’t all look like winners, and several will surely be canceled within the first few weeks of the season, quite a few series have caught our eye. Now that The TV Addict has put together a helpful calendar of premiere dates, this seems like a good time to count down our top 10 most anticipated shows debuting in September and October. Check them out and tell us what you’ll be watching after the jump.
10. New Girl, Fox Premieres: September 20, 9pm
The story sounds kind of gimmicky: Vaguely annoying but supposedly adorable (hey, she’s Zooey Deschanel) girl suffers bad break-up, moves in with a trio of bros. Also, she’s friends with models, which the network probably hopes will get dudes to watch a show with a female protagonist. This isn’t at the top of our to-watch list, but we’ll at least give the first episode a chance to impress us.
9. Allen Gregory, Fox Premieres: October 30
A wildly precocious, sophisticated, and absurdly accomplished seven-year-old with two daddies embarks upon a brand-new adventure: elementary school. We have fairly high hopes, considering the show is co-created by the very funny Jonah Hill (who also voices the title character), but we also realize that Fox cartoons tend to be hit-or-miss these days.
8. Revenge, ABC Premieres: September 21, 10pm
If you’re fond of Gossip Girl-style TV dramas set in among the highest echelon of society, and you’d ready to watch adults instead of college kids, Revenge may turn out to be your new guilty pleasure. Based on improbably highbrow source material — The Count of Monte Cristo — it promises plenty of great clothes and Hamptons intrigue.
7. Up All Night, NBC Premieres: September 14, 9pm
Up All Night boasts one of the fall season’s most promising comedy casts: Will Arnett and Christina Applegate play Chris and Reagan, a couple struggling to raise a new baby after Reagan returns to her high-powered job. The wonderful Maya Rudolph co-stars. The subject matter is nothing new, and even the generous, five-minute preview above doesn’t fully convince us that the show will be laugh-out-loud hilarious — but we really want to love this one, so we’re being optimistic.
5. Enlightened, HBO Premieres: October 10
We don’t know as much about Enlightened as we do about most of the new fall shows, but we like the premise: Amy, an executive, tries to make a comeback after having a nervous breakdown that lands her in rehab. We’re even more excited that it stars Laura Dern, with Diane Ladd and Luke Wilson in supporting roles. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that the series is on HBO, whose original programming gets better and better with each passing year.
5. Free Agents, NBC Premieres: September 14, 9:30pm
The dialog is snappy and sexy in this American version of a popular British show, which stars Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn as a pair of newly single PR professionals who discover they have feelings for each other. From what we’ve seen so far, the writing is promising (if a little silly), and we’ve always enjoyed Azaria. Plus, with The Office running on paper fumes, we could use a new workplace comedy in our lives.
4. 2 Broke Girls, CBS Premieres: September 19, 9:30pm
2 Broke Girls follows a pair of mismatched buddies, Kat Dennings’ working-class waitress and Beth Behrs’ down-on-her-luck heiress, who become roommates and work together in a Brooklyn restaurant. Like New Girl, we worried that 2 Broke Girls would try to hard to radiate hipster, 20-something cool. But we love its star, Kat Dennings, and we were surprised by her funny ferocity in the preview above.
3. Person of Interest, CBS Premieres: September 22, 9pm
Okay, so we’re still unhappy with the way Lost ended. But that doesn’t mean we’re not ready to see its creator, J.J. Abrams, and most fascinating actor, Michael Emerson (who played the morally complicated Ben), reunited. In this apparently fast-paced drama, Emerson plays a computer-genius billionaire who joins forces with a former CIA agent (Jim Caviezel) to predict and prevent crimes.
2. Pan Am, ABC Premieres: September 25, 10pm
If early buzz is to be trusted, of the two apparently Mad Men-inspired, ’60s-set series that will debut this fall, Pan Am is the one to watch. (NBC’s The Playboy Club sounds pretty stupid.) Christina Ricci — who we’ve seen far too rarely in the past several years — helms an ensemble cast in a show about the airline’s staff. Set at a time when flying was still glamorous, Pan Am has the potential to tide us over until Don Draper and co. return in March.
1. Ringer, CW Premieres: September 13, 9pm
Not only is Buffy back, but she’s starring in a show that promises a boatload of addictive intrigue. Ringer finds Sarah Michelle Gellar playing a pair estranged of twins — Bridget is a recovering alcoholic on the run from the mob, while Siobhan seems to live the perfect life of luxury. But when Siobhan disappears during a boating trip and her sister assumes her identity, Bridget begins to realize that she’s not the only twin who’s in trouble. If anyone can carry a dual role that seems to entail equal parts pathos and ass-kicking, it’s Gellar. We can’t wait.