It has been a slow week for sci fi TV news, so I will use this opportunity to take a look at the genre entries on the Fall 2023 schedule for the linear networks. And spoiler alert; there are not many shows on the sched. All of the broadcast networks have announced their Fall lineup with the exception of FOX, and as you might expect, it is heavy on reality and competition shows.  With the writers’ strike currently going on (more on that at this link), production has halted on many of the scripted shows that would have made up the Fall schedule, so the networks have to pad out the lineup.  But the fact is that the linear nets will likely be leaning more and more on non-scripted programming going forward anyway because it is cheaper for them to go that direction as their viewership continues to decline.

The only two genre entries currently set for Fall on the broadcast networks are NBC’s Quantum Leap and the CBS supernatural comedy Ghosts.  The former got an early renewal announcement and started work on its second season before the strike began, but it may have only completed a handful of episodes before production halted.  And the network did that one no favors by moving it to Tuesdays at 10 PM EST.  As for Ghosts, it is unclear if that show started work on its third season before the strike, so it’s possible it could get shifted to mid-season.

Syfy has not announced its Fall schedule yet, but Chucky was supposed to be returning for its third season and Reginald the Vampire should be back for its second season.  If work was completed on those before the strike, they should still be on track for a Fall premiere.  Resident Alien should be back for its third season at some point, but that may arrive sooner in Summer.

AMC’s TWD spin-off series Daryl Dixon was scheduled to hit somewhere around Fall and that one is likely still on track.  The second season of Interview with the Vampire was eying a Fall premiere and should still be on target if it got enough filming completed before the strike.  And FX’s American Horror Story Season 12 could still be on track for Fall, though don’t be surprised if either that or Interview only have half a season’s worth of episodes available. The fourth and final season of Snowpiercer was in the works and it is possible that could arrive in Fall if not sooner (though a network has not been established since it was booted from TNT).

The CW cancelled The Winchesters and Kung Fu, and Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights are still awaiting word on their fates.  It is looking like the former could fly over to Max (previously HBO Max) with the latter getting a second season at The CW.  But since production has not started on either, it will almost certainly be 2024 before we see either of those.

The third season of NBC’s La Brea has been pushed to mid-year which suggests filming was not completed before the strike.  Only six episodes were ordered for that, and it will likely be the final season for the show.

Apart from that, there is little else to look forward to on the linear channels this Fall.  None of the broadcast networks ordered genre pilots, and neither FOX nor ABC have anything to carry over from the current season.  (FOX cancelled Fantasy Island after two seasons.)  And I expect this to be pretty much the norm from these networks going forward.  Non-scripted programming will likely continue to dominate, even after the strike.  And I also expect the linear networks will start airing encore runs of originals from digital networks they are linked to like CBS did with Star Trek: Discovery a couple of years ago to fill out the schedule.  Good or bad, streaming is where you will find most of the genre shows these days, especially if you are looking for true science fiction shows.

Below is the list of shows expected to be airing on the linear networks in Fall 2023:

AMC

Daryl Dixon (Sundays 9 PM EST)
Interview with the Vampire Season 2 (Sundays 9 PM EST, Tentative)

CBS

Ghosts Season 3 (Thursdays 8:30 PM EST)

FX

American Horror Story Season 12 (Wednesdays 10 PM EST)

NBC

Quantum Leap Season 2 (Tuesdays 10 PM EST)

Syfy

Chucky Season 3 (Wednesdays 9 PM EST, Tentative)
Reginald the Vampire Season 2 (Wednesdays 10 PM EST, Tentative)
Resident Alien Season 3 (Timeslot TBA)

TBA

Snowpiercer Season 4 (Timeslot and Network TBA)

This coming week, Nancy Drew returns on Wednesday to kick off its fourth and final season, and that will be the last genre premier for the month. To kick off June, Manifest Season 4B premieres on Netflix on Friday and The Lazarus Project premieres on TNT on Sunday.  You can see all of the premieres for June and beyond at this link and you can keep up with the current schedule at this link.

Be sure to keep up with the news during the week at r/SciFiTV.

SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates on all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

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Streaming Sci Fi TV: Fall 2022 Premieres for the Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows on the Streaming Services (and What It Will Cost You in Subscription Fees) Read

Premieres: Sci Fi and Fantasy TV premieres for September and beyond. Full Listings

Prime Time Schedule: Fall 2022 Schedule of Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows on the Broadcast Networks and Cable Channels Read

Network Scorecards: Ranking the Networks and Streaming serivces based on how well they have supported sci fi and fantasy shows. Full Rankings

SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

The post Fall 2022 Sci Fi TV Primer appeared first on Sci Fi TV Site.

See all the premieres for September 2022 and beyond at this link

Let’s start off with one of the biggest shows to arrive this Fall which is Amazon’s LOTR prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (could that title be any longer?).  You know you are going to be watching that, so it’s time to start shelling out the subscription fees to Mr. Bezos.  If you are not going to go for the full Amazon Prime Service ($139.99 a year, and yes it’s a shameless plug from a small blog trying to make a buck or two to cover costs), then you can do the monthly Prime Video plan at $8.99 a month.  And Amazon even offers a free month trial, so you can get by with only paying for one month if you start watching from the beginning (the show releases one episode a week).  But wait!  Prime Video also has The Peripheral on the way (based on the William Gibson Novel), and it does not premiere until October 21st.  Assuming it follows the one-episode-per-week release schedule, that keeps you on the hook until December (but at least you are covered if Carnival Row finally returns for its second season).

Money spent so far (assuming you did the free month): 3 x $8.99 = $26.97. Cha-ching!

Next up is the new AMC+ animated sci fi entry Pantheon which actually looks rather interesting (it premieres September 1st).  That service only offers one week free and the show will release one episode a week, so you are in for a couple of months at $8.99 each (though you might find it as cheap at $6.99 through Amazon, Apple, or Roku).  But as a bonus, you can go back and watch this Summer’s sleeper sci fi entry Moonhaven which is worth a look.

Keep up with the latest news and updates with Johnny Jay’s Sci Fi TV Week in Review posts

But you’re not done with AMC+ just yet!  October 2nd brings the premiere of the epic vampire series Interview with the Vampire based on the books by Anne Rice (which will be on AMC as well, but I am not sure which venue gets it first and AMC+ is ad free).  That is not to be confused with Peacock’s epic vampire series Vampire Academy which also arrives this Fall and is based on a series of books.  Nor is it to be confused with Syfy’s upcoming vampire dramedy Reginald the Vampire which is based on the book by the same name.  Nor is it to be confused with the recent Netflix vampire series First Kill based on the short story of the same name.  This is the other vampire series with literary origins, and it will keep you on the hook with AMC+ for at least a couple more months.  Bonus for The Walking Dead fans (assuming any are left): you get to stream episodes of the final season a week early.

Money spent so far: $26.97 + 3 x $8.99 = $53.94. Cha-ching!

On September 12th, we get the premiere of the third season of War of the Worlds on EPIX.  That is actually a premium cable channel, but does not seem to be carried by many providers and they are pushing their streaming service so I am including them here.  Good news is that it only costs $5.99 per month.  Bad news is that the show releases one episode per week and I don’t see a free month promotion, so you will need to sign up for at least two months.  Bonus is that the third season of the epic fantasy Britannia is streaming there and that is worth checking out.

Money spent so far: $53.94 + 2 * $5.99 = $65.93.

What are this season’s best shows? See how others have rated the current sci fi TV entries and cast your votes

Next on the list is the fifth season of Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale (September 14th), and you know you are going to want to see the fallout from that fourth season finale.  You can sign up for Hulu for as little as $6.99 per month with ads or $12.99 per month without.  But you’re going to want to go ahead and get the Disney+ bundle because we have more from that streamer on the way.  That is $13.99 per month for Disney+, Hulu with ads, and ESPN+ (if you want Hulu without ads it is $19.99 per month).  You’re going to need it through at least December, so let’s add four months to the tally.  As a bonus, with Hulu you can go back and catch up on Season 3 of The Orville and that is definitely worth watching.

Money spent so far: $65.93 + 4 x $13.99 = $121.89. Cha-ching!

Next up is Peacock’s epic vampire series Vampire Academy.  That is not to be confused with . . . well . . . see the paragraph above on Interview with the Vampire.  You can sign up for Peacock for free, but that gets you access to only limited content and I don’t think they let you watch the originals all the way through on that plan (you get an episode or two as a teaser).  You can sign up for $4.99 for the ad-supported plan and $9.99 per month for no ads.  We are trying to keep costs down here, so we will go with two months of the former.

Follow the Cancellation Watch at CancelledSciFi.com posts for the status of your favorite shows plus updates and breaking news

Money spent so far: $121.89 + 2 x $4.99 = $131.87. Cha-ching!

Next up is Fate: The Winx Saga on Netflix (September 16th).  Sure, that fantasy entry is more of a Young Adult show, but it sure pairs up well with Vampire Academy.  The cheapest Netflix plan is $9.99 per month which lets you watch the service on one screen (and don’t be sharing no passwords), but that is only SD.  So we will go with the $15.49 plan which gives you two screens and a few other “perks” (still no password sharing lest they blame their own people and start laying them off).  And even though Netflix shows release their episodes all at once, there are more genre entries from that service on the way, so open up that wallet for four months worth of sub fees for the Fall.  And the streamer just announced a September 8th premiere date for The Imperfects, so you are covered for that one.

Money spent so far: $131.87 + 4 x $15.49 = $193.83. Cha-ching!

We signed up for Disney+ above and now is when that pays off doubly so.  On September 21st, the Star Wars series Andor has its premiere which is a prequel to the prequel film Rogue One.  That is not to be confused with the Star Wars sequel/prequel series Obi-Wan Kenobi which premiered this past Summer and which takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.  Nor is it to be confused with the prequel/sequel/spin-off series The Mandalorian which takes place between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.  Nor is it to be confused with the spin-off from that prequel/sequel/spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett.  Nor is it to be confused with . . . well . . . I’m confused at this point.

Nevertheless, you get two for one on Star Wars from Disney+ in September as The Bad Batch has its second season premiere on September 28th.  That animated series is a spin-off/sequel to the sequel/prequel/spin-off series Star Wars: The Clone Wars which takes place between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith and it is not to be confused with the animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars which was produced by Genndy Tartakovsky and is a sequel/prequel/spin-off series which takes place between the events of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. But I digress . . .

Good news is that you are already covered above on subscription fees at Disney+ through December.  The bad news is that we are only through the beginning of October and we are not quite done with paying yet!

October only has two more streaming premieres on the schedule at the moment, and both of those are on Netflix so you are already covered with that above.  October 7th brings the premiere of the supernatural drama The Midnight Club which is based on the young adult novel by Christopher Pike.  (No relation to the future captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise that we know of at this time.)   Then on October 25th, the horror anthology Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities has its highly anticipated debut.  Also, at some point this Fall we will get the sci fi mystery 1899 on Netflix which comes from the creators of Dark.

On November 4th, Manifest kicks off the first half of its fourth and final season on Netflix, but we are still covered for that plus the fourth season of the animated fantasy series The Dragon Prince.

And speaking of fantasy entries, the long-awaited sequel series to the George Lucus 1988 film Willow arrives on Disney+ On November 30th.  That one will carry over into the new year with its weekly release schedule, though, so that is one more month for the Disney+ bundle.  Plus, the Star Wars sequel/prequel/spin-offs The Acolyte and Tales of the Jedi will be landing later in Fall as well (no premiere dates have been set at this point).

Money spent so far: $193.83 + $13.99 = $207.82. Cha-ching!

So in order to catch all of the Fall sci fi and fantasy entries from the streaming services that are scheduled at this point, you’ll be spending somewhere around $200.  Sure, you can wait and catch up on some of those weekly release schedules to cut a month or two off and maybe also manipulate the free trials periods just right, but it is still going to cost you a chunk of change, and the Mid-Season shows are already lining up for that January start.  But then some people are still shelling out a hundred bucks a month for cable, so a couple of hundred for four months of streaming is not too bad.

You can see all of the upcoming premieres for September and beyond at this link, and be sure to check back at that page on a regular basis because the streaming services have a tendency to add shows to their schedule with little notice.  That could end up costing you more if you don’t have that particular streamer covered in the tally above, so be sure that you have some money stashed away just in case!

Which sci fi and fantasy shows will you be watching on the streaming services this Fall? Chime in with your comments below.

SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

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Who watches the linear networks these days?  Not nearly as many as used to based on the dwindling ratings results each year.  But the broadcast networks and cable channels are still out there and still putting out programming to justify their existence.  They just offer less and less in the way of sci fi and fantasy because it is more expensive to produce and doesn’t perform as well (nor has it ever) in the same-day ratings metrics.  But they still have a few shows to offer this Fall.  Below I take a look at the upcoming schedule, paltry as it is, and go to this link for my look at the premieres on the streaming services (and how much those will cost you in subscription fees).

The Fall season is already upon us, getting off to an early start this week with the premieres of Stargirl Season 3 on The CW and Rick & Morty Season 6 on Adult Swim.  But not too many more are on the way as I only count fourteen total on the schedule for the next few months vs. over twenty from last Fall.  That doesn’t mean that scripted output over all is slowing, just more and more shows are going to the streaming services.  Also, The CW is in the process of changing ownership, and it only has three shows scheduled of interest to sci fi and fantasy shows for Fall whereas it used to be heavy on Arrow-verse shows and other genre entries.  And I am expecting even less from that network in the years to come as the genre does not fit into its new “wholesome” image.

Stargirl gets things kicked off on August 31st with its third season premiere, acting as bridge between the Summer and Fall seasons.  That show is tangential to the Arrow-verse and it is the only entry from that franchise on the Fall schedule for the first time in a non-COVID impacted season since the second year that Arrow aired.  (The third season of Superman & Lois and the ninth and final season of The Flash will arrive at Mid-Season.)  Also getting off to an early start is the sixth season of Rick & Morty which has its sixth season premiere on September 4th.

The Fall season for the Big Four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC) kicks off later in September and NBC’s Quantum Leap revival will lead off the genre entries on September 19th.  The next week will see La Brea return for its second season on September 27th, and the supernatural comedy Ghosts will be back for its second year on CBS on September 29th.  Neither ABC nor FOX have any genre shows to offer for Fall as they are far too busy with their procedurals, sitcoms, and reality shows.

The CW has a second round of genre premieres set for the first two weeks of August, but that only includes two shows.  The fantasy drama Kung Fu will be back for its third season on October 5th.  The Supernatural prequel series The Winchesters has its bow on October 11th.  Last year, the network had seven genre shows on the schedule for Fall, this year’s “new and improved” CW has only three.

Syfy has two shows to offer in Fall, though neither of them are sci fi.  The Chucky TV series proved a hit last year (by basic cable standards) and will be returning for a second season on October 5th.  That will be joined the same night by the supernatural dramedy Reginald the Vampire.  The latter show looks like another acquisition for Syfy, and those tend to not last long on the network, so don’t get too attached to it.

FX’s American Horror Story will be back at some point in Fall for its eleventh season.  And the final eight episodes of AMC’s The Walking Dead will start airing on October 2nd (assuming anybody cares by that point).  HBO’s sci fi comedy Avenue 5 is supposed to be back for its second season this Fall (consider its timeslot on the schedule tentative at this point), and it is possible that the second half of the first season of The Nevers could hit at some point in the next few months as well (but that latter show seems to have slipped into Never-never land so I didn’t add it to the schedule).  And Showtime has announced an October 9th premiere date for its vampire series Let the Right One In.

Mid-Season will bring a few shows of interest including The Ark on Syfy (which comes from Stargate‘s Dean Devlin) and the return of the fan-favorite supernatural dramedy SurrealEstate which was uncancelled by the same network.  You can see the full schedule as it currently stands below, and be sure to check back regularly to our Sci Fi TV Premieres Page for new additions to the line-up. And watch for my preview of the genre entries on the streaming services coming later this week.

Fall 2021 Schedule of Sci Fi and Fantasy Shows

SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

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In past seasons, The CW had been the leader in genre programming among the broadcast networks, but it is going through a potential sale, and a large number of its shows were cancelled this season.  Going into Fall 2022, there are only three–count ’em, three–sci fi/fantasy shows on the schedule.  Stargirl has been shifted from Summer to a Fall start, Kung Fu will return for its third season, and Supernatural prequel The Winchesters will have its premiere.  Held until mid-season are The Flash, Superman & Lois, Riverdale, Nancy Drew, and new series Gotham Knights (which is a DC Comics show but not part of the Arrow-verse).

NBC has the second-most genre entries for Fall among the broadcast nets which totals up to just two.  Prehistoric adventure La Brea returns to the Tuesday night timeslot for its second season.  And the Quantum Leap reboot/sequel series will air after The Voice on Mondays.  Also returning in Fall is the CBS supernatural comedy Ghosts which will pair up with Young Sheldon on Thursdays (a half hour earlier than it aired in its first season).  The reboot of ’90s series Early Edition that CBS was considering adding to the schedule was scrapped.

FOX has two shows of interest to genre fans coming up, though one was shifted over to Summer.  The Fantasy Island reboot that premiered last year and that had been set to return for its second season at the end of this month will get moved to the Fall schedule (the timeslot shown below is just an assumption based on when it previously aired).  Also arriving at some point (FOX has not announced timeslots or premiere windows yet) is the animated series Krapopolis which comes from Rick & Morty creators.  The network chose to pass on the pre-apocalyptic series The Last Police.  ABC has no genre entries on its schedule once again and it had no pilots in the works either.

As for the cable networks, Syfy actually has several shows set for the coming season, though I am not quite sure when they will arrive.  The horror series Chucky will return in Fall for its second season (timeslot below is tentative), and the supernatural dramedy SurrealEstate was uncancelled and will be back for a second year.  But that along with new sci fi entry The Ark and vampire dramedy Reginald the Vampire may not hit the schedule until Mid-Season.

AMC should have a TWD entry airing on Sunday nights, but I’m not sure if the final eight episodes of The Walking Dead will hit in the Summer or if they will hold those to Fall.  If those arrive earlier, then I assume that the new anthology show Tales of the Walking Dead will take over the Sunday night slot in Fall.  The Vampire Chronicles, based on the Anne Rice books, is also in the works, but may not hit the schedule until Mid-Season.

FX has the eleventh season of American Horror Story arriving in Fall, but beyond that I don’t know of any other genre entries set for that network (spin-off series American Horror Stories streams on Hulu) or any of the other cable channels at this point.  That will make for a lean slate on the linear networks for Fall, but I expect the streaming services to pick up the slack.  Below is the preliminary schedule for Fall 2022 along with descriptions for the upcoming new shows (where available).  Be sure to stay tuned to this site for schedule updates and premiere dates.

Preliminary Schedule for Fall 2022:

The Ark (Syfy): The Ark takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive. Cast: Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie, Stacey Read, Ryan Adams.

Gotham Knights (CW): This series picks up in the aftermath of Bruce Wayne’s murder, with his rebellious adopted son forging an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they are all framed for killing the Caped Crusader. As the city’s most wanted criminals, this renegade band of misfits must fight to clear their names. But in a Gotham with no Dark Knight to protect it, the city descends into the most dangerous it’s ever been. However, hope comes from the most unexpected of places as this team of mismatched fugitives will become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights. Cast: TBD

Krapopolis (FOX): Set in ancient Greece and follows a family of humans, gods and monsters trying to run one of the world’s first cities. Written and executive produced by Rick & Morty‘s Dan Harmon. Cast: Hannah Waddingham, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Pam Murphy, Duncan Trussell

Quantum Leap: It’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it. Cast: Raymond Lee, Caitlin Bassett, Ernie Hudson, Mason Alexander Park, Nanrisa Lee.

Reginald the Vampire (Syfy): Imagine a world populated by beautiful, fit and vain vampires. Reginald Andres tumbles headlong into it as an unlikely hero who will have to navigate every kind of obstacle – the girl he loves but can’t be with, a bully manager at work and the vampire chieftain who wants him dead. Fortunately, Reginald discovers he has a few unrecognized powers of his own. Cast: Jacob Batalon, Mandela Van Peebles, Em Haine.

The Winchesters (CW): Before Sam and Dean, there was John and Mary. Told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester, The Winchesters is the epic, untold love story of how John met Mary and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world. Cast: Drake Rodger, Meg Donnelly, Jensen Ackles

SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Sci Fi TV Update posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

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