In the stone age of television—when Barney Rubble was still alive—networks would air their premiere episodes in the fall. Now streaming platforms dump a show's entire season online regardless of the time of year.
Here are the original shows from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, AOL and Crackle coming up in the new fall un-season. Binge, baby, binge!
The Awesomes
What season? 3.
What's the big deal? SyFy and MTV originally passed on this animated superhero spoof series created by Saturday Night Live veteran and Late Night host Seth Meyers and writer Mike Shoemaker. Boy, did they miss out on the Sea Man jokes coming up in the new season. Get ready to save the world and kick some butt with lots of butt jokes (the series is flush with toilet humor).
Who's in it? Featuring the voices of Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, Jack McBrayer, Billy Eichner, Cecily Strong, Taran Killam, Paula Pell, Ike Barinholtz, Rashida Jones, Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, Bobby Lee, Emily Spivey and Josh Meyers.
When can I start streaming? September 8.
On what? Hulu.
Making a Scene With James Franco
What season? 2.
What's the big deal? In the first season, James Franco recreated scenes from movies, but in alternate genres and with himself as the star. Here, he'll be doing the same but with television (imagine Game of Thrones as a family sitcom and Gossip Girl as a Western). He chooses TV scenes by spinning a Wheel of Fortune-style contraption labeled with programs nominated by fans—Breaking Bad, Golden Girls, Seinfeld, Dexter, Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, Friends, Saved by the Bell. A clip of a Sex and the City remix is shown in a trailer—surprisingly, Franco is a Carrie, not a Samantha. If you ever dreamed of him in an eyesore of a '90s polo shirt cruising the halls of Saved by the Bell's Bayside High, this is the show for you.
Who's in it? James Franco, James Franco and James Franco.
When can I start streaming? September 9.
On what? AOL.
Longmire
What season? 4, technically, but the first to premiere on Netflix. (Longmire used to be an A&E show.)
What's the big deal? This gritty Western drama picks up right where season 3 left off—with tortured Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) setting out to get revenge after having saved buddy Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) from prison and discovering the identity of his wife's killer. The tagline for the new season: "It's not that you come back, it's how you come back that matters." Does this refer to the plotline or the switch from A&E to Netflix?
Who's in it? Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff and Lou Diamond Phillips.
When can I start streaming? September 10.
On what? Netflix.
The Mindy Project
What season? 4, but again, this is the first streaming-only season—the first three were on Fox.
What's the big deal? Mindy Kaling (The Office) plays Dr. Mindy Lahiri, a successful, charismatic, completely self-centered New York City OB-GYN. In season 3, Mindy got knocked up "accidentally," contemplated marriage and met the family of her Staten Island saint of a boyfriend Danny Castellano (the show-stealing Chris Messina). Season 4 promises to introduce the audience to Mindy's Indian parents, who don't know that Danny exists, says Mindy in the new season's trailer. Culture clashes and hilarity will ensue. The tagline: "Up, up, up and her way."
Who's in it? Series regulars Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Ike Barinholtz, Ed Weeks, Mark Duplass and Anna Camp. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Freida Pinto will make cameos.
When can I start streaming? September 15.
On what? Hulu.
Sports Jeopardy!
What season? 2.
What's the big deal? It's a sports quiz show—like Jeopardy! but about sports. Thirty-thousand contestants registered online for auditions. Each one had to pass a qualifying test with 30 clues in 30 different sports categories. The show is 30 minutes long. Sportscaster Dan Patrick (The Dan Patrick Show) hosts.
Who's in it? Dan Patrick.
When can I start streaming? September 23.
On what? Crackle.
Casual
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? A dark comedy about a divorced mom, her brother and teen daughter, and some awkward first dates. If you haven't already guessed from "dark comedy" paired with that dysfunctional family premise, it's exec-produced by Jason Reitman (Young Adult, Juno). There will be 10 episodes in the first season. Not much else is publicly known.
Who's in it? Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey and Tara Lynne Barr.
When can I start streaming? October 6.
On what? Hulu.
SuperMansion
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? Animated stop-motion series about superheroes by the creators of Robot Chicken. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) is the voice of Titanium Rex, the aging gang leader. Judging from the trailer, the show has lots of fresh jokes (aren't they all?) about balls and boner pills. Characters have names like Coochi and Jew-Bot.
Who's in it?Voices of Bryan Cranston, Seth Green, Keegan-Michael Key, Jillian Bell, Tom Root, Tucker Gilmore, Heidi Lynn Gardner and Zeb Wells, Chris Pine, Ron Perlman, Donald Faison, Jordan Peele, Nick Kroll, Anton Yelchin, Famke Janssen and Breckin Meyer.
When can I start streaming? October 8, first three episodes.
On what? Crackle.
Red Oaks
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Eastbound and Down) directed the pilot about a college-age tennis player who works at a New Jersey country club in the 1980s.
Who's in it? Craig Roberts, Jennifer Grey and Ennis Esmer.
When can I start streaming? October 9.
On what? Amazon.
Hemlock Grove
What season? 3, the final season.
What's the big deal? Executive-producer Eli Roth (Hostel) brings us one of the goriest and most bizarre teen vampire shows ever, based on the eponymous horror-thriller novel by Brian McGreevy. Gypsies, rich folk, megalomaniac scientists, Frankenstein creations, werewolves and vampires clash in a fictional Pennsylvania town. Last time around, guest star Madeline Brewer's nipples leaked blood instead of breast milk. Hopefully unrelated, the tagline for season 3 is, "Savor every last drop."
Who's in it? Landon Liboiron, Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgard, Madeleine Martin, Dougray Scott.
When can I start streaming? October 23.
On what? Netflix.
Master Of None
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? Aziz Ansari (Parks and Recreation) stars in this comedy series about the life of a struggling actor in New York City. It's based on Ansari's stand-up performances and book Modern Romance. Netflix let Ansari cast his real mother and father as his fictional mom and dad.
Who's in it? Aziz Ansari, H Jon Benjamin, Fatima Ansari and Shoukath Ansari.
When can I start streaming? November 6.
On what? Netflix.
The Art of More
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? A drama starring Dennis Quaid and Kate Bosworth set in the ruthlessly competitive world of auction houses. The trailer come-on: "At New York's biggest auction house, there are some who have it all, some who want it all and some who will do anything to get it."
Who's in it? Dennis Quaid, Christian Cooke, Kate Bosworth.
When can I start streaming? November 19.
On what? Crackle.
The Man in the High Castle
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? Ridley Scott executive produced this series based on Philip K. Dick's alt-history novel. The premise: What if Japan and Germany had won WWII? Sci-fi fans and history buffs are drooling in anticipation.
Who's in it? Luke Kleintank, Alexa Davalos, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and DJ Qualls.
When can I start streaming? November 20.
On what? Amazon.
RocketJump: The Show
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? RocketJump is a production company from YouTube star Freddie Wong (Video Game High School). Each episode will feature an original action-comedy short, then go behind-the-scenes to show how it was made.
Who's in it? Freddie Wong.
When can I start streaming? December 2.
On what? Hulu.
Transparent
What season? 2.
What's the big deal? Golden Globe award-winning season 1 was about a dad (Jeffrey Tambor) coming out to his family about being transgender and wanting to identify as a woman named Maura. Producer Jill Soloway says season 2 will show that Maura is "as fallible as her children." Soloway also hired trans director Silas Howard and a trans writer (Our Lady J) for the upcoming episodes.
Who's in it? Jeffrey Tambor, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, Melora Hardin, Judith Light, Carrie Brownstein and Kathryn Hahn.
When can I start streaming? December 2.
On what? Amazon.
Jessica Jones
What season? 1.
What's the big deal? Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23) will star as a former superhero who opens her own private detective agency. Based on the Marvel comic book character Jessica Jones.
Who's in it? Krysten Ritter, David Tennant, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty and Wil Traval.
When can I start streaming? Possibly December, but the official date has not yet been announced.
On what? Netflix.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Gogo Lidz was 19 when her first feature story was published in the Los Angeles Times in 2004. She wrote freelance for ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
