The latest list from the NYTimes. Crime dramas are making a comeback in 2025 with no westerns on the horizon. Looks like there is something for everyone.
40 Shows to Watch This FallSeptember‘TASK’ Brad Ingelsby, who gave us “Mare of Easttown,” returns to the Philadelphia area for another downbeat crime drama. Mark Ruffalo plays the grieving cop, this time an F.B.I. agent who used to be a priest. (HBO, Sept. 7)
‘IN THE NAME OF LOVE’ The narrator of this Norwegian family drama — based on the life of the series’s writer and director, Bard Breien — discovers in the second grade that the family business is pornography. (Viaplay, Sept.
‘BECOMING THURGOOD: AMERICA’S SOCIAL ARCHITECT’ A documentary from Maryland Public Television profiles Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights lawyer and Supreme Court justice whose prodigious accomplishments in pursuit of racial equality — and the legal system within which he achieved them — are currently under attack. (PBS, Sept. 9)
‘THE DEAD GIRLS’ To the small but distinctive genre of shows about Latin American female crime bosses — “La Reina del Sur,” “Griselda”— add this Mexican mini-series based on Jorge Ibargüengoitia’s satirical, fact-based novel “Las Muertas.” Paulina Gaitán and Arcelia Ramirez play sisters in 1960s Guanajuato who progress from brothel keepers to human traffickers to serial killers. (Netflix, Sept. 10)
‘THE GIRLFRIEND’ Robin Wright, rarely seen on TV outside of “House of Cards,” stars in this London-set thriller as a mom who has serious doubts about her son’s new girlfriend (Olivia Cooke). (Amazon Prime Video, Sept. 10)
‘MUSSOLINI: SON OF THE CENTURY’ The British director Joe Wright (“Atonement”) and the Italian actor Luca Marinelli (“Martin Eden”) collaborate on a portrait of the young, charismatic Benito Mussolini in this Italian mini-series. “If I hadn’t shown that charm,” Wright told Italian Elle, “then people might have thought that all Italians were idiots.” (Mubi, Sept. 10)
‘HUMAN’ Produced by PBS’s “Nova” and the BBC, this five-part series promises to examine the history of our species — and the other human species we beat out — from a strictly scientific perspective. (PBS, Sept. 17)
‘BLACK RABBIT’ Two brothers and a restaurant. Sounds like “The Bear,” but this is a crime thriller, and the brothers are played by Jason Bateman and Jude Law. (Netflix, Sept. 18)
‘THE LOWDOWN’ For his next act after “Reservation Dogs,” the writer and director Sterlin Harjo turns to Oklahoma noir. Ethan Hawke plays a Tulsa rare-book dealer and guerrilla journalist — he calls himself a truthstorian — investigating the apparent suicide of a local notable. Hawke’s character, Lee Raybon, was inspired by the Tulsa writer and activist Lee Roy Chapman; the cast includes Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tracy Letts and Tim Blake Nelson — all Tulsa natives. (FX, Sept. 23)
Ethan Hawke plays a rare-book dealer in Sterlin Harjo’s Oklahoma noir, “The Lowdown.” A handful of Tulsa natives are also featured in the cast, including, at left, Jeanne Tripplehorn.Credit...Shane Brown/FX
‘LAW & ORDER TORONTO: CRIMINAL INTENT’ Toronto’s worst offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Specialized Criminal Investigations Unit, and these are their stories. “Law & Order” gets its first Canadian spinoff, developed by Tassie Cameron, a showrunner for top Canadian series like “Rookie Blue” and “Mary Kills People.” (CW, Sept. 24)
‘SLOW HORSES’ In Season 5 of the very dark spy comedy based on Mick Herron’s Slough House novels, the reprehensibly smarmy agent Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) has a girlfriend, which means something is very wrong. (Apple TV+, Sept. 24)
‘ENGLISH TEACHER’ Brian Jordan Alvarez’s lightly acidic high school comedy returns for a second season, with climate change and cellphones on the list of subjects that will turn into unteachable moments for its cast of problematic teachers. (FX, Sept. 25)
Brian Jordan Alvarez, front, returns for Season 2 of the FX comedy “English Teacher.” Enrico Colantoni (left), Stephanie Koenig and Sean Patton also star.Credit...Steve Swisher/FX
‘HOUSE OF GUINNESS’ The flash-bang style that Steven Knight brought to historical crime drama in “Peaky Blinders” is now applied to the history of the Irish brewing dynasty. (Netflix, Sept. 25)
‘WAYWARD’ The Canadian comic and writer Mae Martin (“Feel Good”) created and stars in a series billed as a thriller about the “troubled-teen industry.” Toni Collette plays the headmistress of a school for troubled teens. (Netflix, Sept. 25)
‘THE SAVANT’ Jessica Chastain plays the title character, whose expertise is in infiltrating and foiling online hate groups. (Apple TV+, Sept. 26)
‘THE SIMPSONS’ Still hitting more sweet notes than sour, America’s longest running scripted series in prime time embarks on its 37th season. (Fox, Sept. 28)
‘MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG’ Another crime-solving cleric joins the ranks of Father Brown, Sister Boniface and Vicar Alphy (of “Grantchester”). Matthew Lewis, best known as Harry Potter’s heroic classmate Neville Longbottom, plays a rector named Daniel in a series based on novels by the multitalented Rev. Richard Coles: mystery writer, musician (half of the synth-pop band the Communards), quiz-show guest, university chancellor and Anglican priest. (Acorn TV, Sept. 29)
‘CHAD POWERS’ The alt-heartthrob Glen Powell is a creator of and stars in this comedy about a disgraced football player who disguises himself to revive his career. It’s based on a comedy sketch done by the former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning for his web series “Eli’s Places.” (Hulu, Sept. 30)
Glen Powell in a scene from “Chad Powers.”Credit...Disney/Daniel Delgado
‘ON BRAND WITH JIMMY FALLON’ “I love branding, I love marketing, I love the world of advertising, and I think there are a lot of people out there who do as well.” That’s how Fallon, whose other job is hosting the “Tonight Show,” is promoting his new reality series in which he founds a branding company and creates campaigns for companies like Captain Morgan and Dunkin’. It should be a safe space for those allergic to irony. (NBC, Sept. 30)
October‘MAIGRET’ The British actor Benjamin Wainwright joins a very long line of actors, including Jean Gabin, Michael Gambon, Rowan Atkinson and Gérard Depardieu, who have portrayed Georges Simenon’s Detective Jules Maigret. This British series, being shown as part of “Masterpiece,” is set in present-day Paris. (PBS, Oct. 5)
‘BOOTS’ Miles Heizer, who played the moody teenager Drew Holt in “Parenthood” a decade ago, plays an unhappy gay teenager who decides to change his life by joining the Marines. Vera Farmiga is the self-absorbed mother and Liam Oh the supportive best friend in a coming-of-age story that tilts toward comedy. (Netflix, Oct. 9)
Liam Oh, left, and Miles Heizer in a scene from the coming-of-age series “Boots,” set during a time when being gay in the Marines was illegal. Credit...Alfonso Pompo Bresciani/Netflix
‘9-1-1: NASHVILLE’ Did anyone predict that there would be a “9-1-1” universe? Were Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear already thinking of crossovers when they created “9-1-1” back in 2018? The third series in the first-responder franchise, after the original and “9-1-1: Lone Star,” stars Chris O’Donnell as the captain of a Nashville firehouse. (ABC, Oct. 9)
‘THE LAST FRONTIER’ “Con Air” meets “Northern Exposure.” Jon Bokenkamp, creator of “The Blacklist,” loves a high concept; in his new series, a jet carrying prison inmates crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, and somehow dozens of them emerge into the snow relatively unscathed. Jason Clarke plays the local marshal and Alfre Woodard plays a C.I.A. bigwig, because of course the C.I.A. is involved. (Apple TV+, Oct. 10)
‘SHERIFF COUNTRY’ and ‘BOSTON BLUE’ CBS plays in its own sandboxes: In “Sheriff Country,” Morena Baccarin is a small-town California sheriff and the stepsister of a character in “Fire Country”; in “Boston Blue,” Donnie Wahlberg is still Danny Reagan from the recently canceled “Blue Bloods,” now a police detective up the road in Boston. (CBS, Oct. 17)
‘MR. SCORSESE’ Rebecca Miller, daughter of an iconic American artist (the playwright Arthur Miller), profiles another, the filmmaker Martin Scorsese, in a five-part documentary. (Apple TV+, Oct. 17)
Martin Scorsese is the subject of a five-part documentary by Rebecca Miller. Credit...Apple TV+
‘RIOT WOMEN’ The British TV auteur Sally Wainwright, bard of West Yorkshire and creator of “Last Tango in Halifax,” “Happy Valley” and “Gentleman Jack,” has a new series about five women who form a punk band. The cast includes Amelia Bullmore, Joanna Scanlan and Tamsin Greig. (BritBox, Oct. 22)
‘ANNE RICE’S TALAMASCA’ Among the proliferating franchises of interrelated series, the AMC shows based on Anne Rice’s novels have had the advantage of being unapologetically goofy. The latest focuses on the secret society that tries to maintain order among Rice’s vampires, witches and other supernatural beings. (AMC, Oct. 26)
‘IT: WELCOME TO DERRY’ Here to answer your questions, if you had any, about the origins of Pennywise the killer clown is a prequel series to the films based on Stephen King’s novel “It.” Bill Skarsgard returns as the white-faced predator of small-town children. (HBO, Oct. 26)
‘ROBIN HOOD’ The Australian soccer player turned actor Jack Patten moves fast: His first screen credit was in an episode of “NCIS: Sydney” in March, and it looks as if his second will be as the title outlaw in this new costume drama. The much better known Sean Bean plays Robin’s nemesis, the sheriff of Nottingham. (MGM+, Oct. 26)
‘KISSINGER’ Barak Goodman, a prolific director of American history documentaries — including more than a dozen for PBS’s “American Experience” — takes on the legacy of Henry Kissinger in a two-part film. For now, it is the last new documentary on the “American Experience” roster. (PBS, Oct. 27-28)
‘DOWN CEMETERY ROAD’ Before he wrote the books on which “Slow Horses” is based, the British novelist Mick Herron broke in with a series about an Oxford private eye named Zoë Boehm; “Down Cemetery Road” was the first installment. Emma Thompson plays Boehm, and Ruth Wilson plays the woman who hires her in the aftermath of an explosion and the disappearance of a young girl. (Apple TV+, Oct. 29)
Emma Thompson, left, and Ruth Wilson in “Down Cemetery Road,” adapted from a series of Mick Herron novels. Credit...Apple TV+
November‘ALL HER FAULT’ Sarah Snook of “Succession” plays a woman who tries to pick up her son from a play date only to discover that no one knows about the play date or, worse, her son. The cast of this suburban thriller (that’s the official category: “suburban-thriller-series”) includes Dakota Fanning and Jake Lacy. (Peacock, Nov. 6)
‘DEATH BY LIGHTNING’ Having played the viciously insecure Tom Wambsgans in “Succession,” Matthew Macfadyen should be in his comfort zone as Charles Guiteau, the delusional failed lawyer and all-around screw-up who assassinated President James A. Garfield in 1881. The interesting cast includes Michael Shannon as Garfield; Betty Gilpin as his wife, Lucretia; and Nick Offerman as his vice president, Chester Arthur. (Netflix, Nov. 6)
‘PLURIBUS’ Vince Gilligan, creator of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” returns to Albuquerque for his new series and has cast the “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn in the lead. Other than that, all we know is that it’s science fiction and the teaser clip shows a woman in a headband licking doughnuts. (Apple TV+, Nov. 7)
The “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn takes the lead in “Pluribus,” from Vince Gilligan.Credit...Apple TV+
‘THE BEAST IN ME’ Claire Danes of “Homeland” and Matthew Rhys of “The Americans” team up, neither one playing a spy (as far as we know). She is a bereaved writer and he is a rich guy who might be a murderer; the showrunner is Howard Gordon of “Homeland” and “24.” (Netflix, Nov. 13)
‘THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION’ As the 250th anniversary of American independence approaches, Ken Burns’s new 12-hour documentary is likely to draw flak — whatever its approach — whether for being too celebratory or not celebratory enough. (PBS, Nov. 16)
‘LANDMAN’ Of the three Taylor Sheridan celebrations of sensitive-but-brutal competence that return this fall, “Landman,” with Billy Bob Thornton as the major-domo of a Texas oil company, will probably be the one to watch. Also on the schedule are “Mayor of Kingstown,” with Jeremy Renner as mayor of a Midwestern town dominated by its prison; and “Tulsa King,” with Sylvester Stallone as a New York mobster reinventing himself in Oklahoma. (Paramount+, Nov. 16)
‘THE GREAT ESCAPER’ This British film based on a true story did not receive American distribution, even though it features the final performances of Michael Caine, who has announced his retirement, and Glenda Jackson, who died less than a year after the film wrapped. Caine plays a 90-year-old navy veteran who gains fame when he leaves his nursing home in England to attend a D-Day ceremony in France; Jackson plays his wife, who abets his “escape.” (PBS, Nov. 23)
‘STRANGER THINGS’ Once more into the Rifts. More than nine years after its debut, Netflix’s ponderous but endlessly marketable mélange of horror, science fiction and Midwestern bildungsroman reaches its fifth and final season. (Netflix, Nov. 26)
The “Stranger Things” gang (from left, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton and Gaten Matarazzo) is back for its final descent into the Upside Down.Credit...Netflix
OTHER RETURNING SHOWS:Only Murders in the Building - Hulu - Sept. 9
Saturday Night Live” Oct. 4
The Diplomat - Netflix - Oct. 16
Tulsa King - Paramount - Sept. 21
Secrets of the Dead - PBS - Oct. 8
List edited by Mike Hale, NYTimes
