Fall '14 TV Shows: A Preview Of The Most Promising Newcomers

By Elana Goodwin on August 11, 2014

After the slim pickings that make up summer television, fall is the highly anticipated season for TV-lovers as new shows start to debut on various networks.

While not all of this year’s new fall TV shows look like they’ll make it past the first season (if they’re lucky), there are a number of promising newcomers that people will want to add to their watch lists.

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“Gotham” (Fox). Those who have seen the “Batman” movies or read the comics will recognize Gotham as the city the winged superhero resides in.

Fox’s series stars Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon, the future police commissioner of Gotham (brilliantly played by Gary Oldman in the “Batman” movies).

Described as the origin story of Gordon, “Gotham” takes place when Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) is a young boy and Gordon and his partner (Donal Logue) investigate the murder of his parents.

Besides telling the story of Gordon’s rise to commissioner of Gotham’s PD, the show is also set to undertake the origin stories of other DC comics characters, including Catwoman, the Riddler and more.

“Gotham” premieres Monday, September 22 at 8/7 Central.

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“How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC). Shonda Rhimes, the creator of hit shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice” and “Scandal,” has worked her magic yet again with “Murder,” a legal thriller starring Viola Davis.

Davis plays a law school professor whose students compete for a job at her illustrious law firm, as well as her approval and a good grade.

The students (attractive, of course) soon learn that what they study in class is just the beginning; to succeed outside the classroom and as lawyers, they’ll have to go further than they ever imagined as they find themselves in the midst of a murder plot.

The show’s title then foreshadows what the students will have to learn how to do: get away with murder.

Also starring Billy Brown, Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Katie Findlay and Aja Naomi King, “How to Get Away with Murder” premieres Thursday, September 25 at 10/9 Central.

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“Madam Secretary” (CBS). Tea Leoni stars as former CIA agent Elizabeth McCord who becomes the Secretary of State when her former boss — who’s now the U.S. president — asks her to step in after a plane crash kills the current Secretary.

Leoni’s character is said to think so outside the box that she doesn’t even know there is a box and her attitude towards her job and politics makes waves as she settles into her new position while juggling being a wife and mother as well.

Also starring Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth, “Madam Secretary” premieres Sunday, September 21 at 8/7 Central.

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“The Flash” (CW). This “Arrow” spin-off show premieres Tuesday, October 7 at 8/7 Central and is based on the comic book superhero of the same name from the DC Comics universe.

Grant Gustin stars as forensic investigator Barry Allen who becomes the fastest man alive (aka “The Flash”), when he’s left with superhuman speed courtesy of an explosion at a lab’s particle accelerator.

Allen uses his newfound superpower to fight crime along with his sidekick cop surrogate father figure Detective Joe West, played by Jesse L. Martin.

The show also stars Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Rick Cosnett, and Tom Cavanagh. The CW posted the trailer for “The Flash” on YouTube in May and it has since garnered over 15.4 million views.

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“State of Affairs” (NBC). Katherine Heigl makes her big return to TV (since leaving “Grey’s Anatomy” back in 2010) in this political drama as a high-ranking CIA advisor to the president.

She’s assigned to brief the head of state, played by Alfre Woodward, on the greatest national security threats so they can be assessed.

Additionally, Heigl’s character has a personal vendetta: to hunt down the terrorists who killed her fiancé, who was also the president’s son.

“State of Affairs” premieres Monday, November 17 at 10/9 Central. The tagline for this show? “All the President’s men are nothing compared to her.”

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“Stalker” (CBS). This psychological thriller from Kevin Williamson (creator of “The Following”) stars Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott as law enforcement officers of the LAPD.

They specialize in cases that deal with stalking, cyber harassment, and other similar crimes whose perpetrators typically prey on women, sometimes to fatal conclusions.

Williamson has said that “Stalker” is “a scary, eerie show because of the nature of the storylines” and it definitely isn’t for those who shy away from violence.

Also starring Victor Rasuk, Mariana Klaveno, and Elizabeth Rohm, “Stalker” premieres Wednesday, October 1 at 10/9 Central.

So when you’re deciding what new fall TV shows to watch, consider adding some or all of these promising newcomers to your watchlist.

Plus, check out some other new shows that may be worth watching, including “Black-ish,” “Mulaney,” “A to Z” and “Red Band Society.”

Here’s to a fall full of great shows and new obsessions in the making.

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