WE'RE WATCHING...
Empire
Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s charged hip-hip soap is always in danger of running off a cliff. But, three episodes into its anticipated second season, the show has scaled back the twists and turns mildly, allowing the original music and terrific cast to take center-stage. It’s a good thing, too: so far, Empire’s still got a bounce in its step. Wednesdays at 9, FOX
The Leftovers
Damon Lindelof’s uncompromising meditation on grief was met with equal levels of adoration and vitriol last year, but both Andrew and I rested somewhere in the middle – aware of its potential for greatness, but frustrated by its inconsistencies. The show has rebooted this year with new focuses and new characters played by the likes of Regina King and Kevin Carroll. The first two episodes are tremendous. Sundays at 9, HBO
The Good Wife
Network TV’s uncommonly ambitious legal drama, The Good Wife made several unfortunate missteps last season, including a botched exit arc for fan-favorite Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) and a central political storyline for Alicia (Julianna Margulies) that never took off. But creators Robert and Michelle King are working to correct course, with season 7 thus far recalling the series’ early days. Things haven’t totally clicked into place yet, but there’s good reason to be optimistic. Sundays at 9, CBS
Project Greenlight + Survivor
A couple of unusually exciting reality TV programs. After a decade-long hiatus, Project Greenlight is back on HBO, set to wrap up its new season in early November (you can catch up on HBOGo). With a finicky artist at its center and a pragmatic producer behind him, the Hollywood docu-series has uniquely delved into issues concerning diversity, budgeting and artistry in contemporary moviemaking. And on Survivor, meanwhile, contestants from decades earlier have returned right alongside newbies, making for an interesting case study of differing strategies and perspectives. Project Greenlight airs Sundays at 10, HBO; Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8, CBS
The Last Man on Earth
The Fox sitcom threw me back and forth on the favorability spectrum last year, but by the end I came to admire it more than, well, like it. Early episodes of season two have reminded of just how special Will Forte’s creation can be – taking it back to its first few episodes, with Kristen Schaal and Will Forte killing it in a strange survivor-comedy duet – but with the ensemble now back in the mix, Last Man seems destined to revert to its old, maddening, sometimes-hilarious ways. Wednesdays at 10, Fox
The Affair
Sarah Treem’s rigorous dissection of memory, infidelity and discontent is one of television’s most fascinating projects. Though consistently flawed and always a step away from truly great, the show presents juicy stories, cutting dialogue, evocative direction and four of the small-screen’s very best performances. It still has some kinks to work out, but the second season is expanding in exciting ways, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a show of deeper, more complex thought. Sundays at 10, Showtime
Fargo
It looks like Fargo won’t be pulling a #TrueDetectiveSeason2. Noah Hawley’s menacingly folksy FX anthology is back and better than ever (starting tonight!). This incarnation takes the action to 1979, and the ridiculously good cast includes Jean Smart, Ted Danson, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst. Don’t put this one off. Mondays at 10, FX
Jane the Virgin
The CW’s boisterous sophomore comedy sharply draws from telenovela conventions to tell the story of Jane (Gina Rodriguez), a proud virgin whose religious, familial and romantic commitments are tested when she’s accidentally artificially inseminated and made pregnant. It’s an out-there premise, like much of Jane the Virgin – but within the hysterics is a poignant exploration of culture, faith and coming-of-age. Mondays at 9, The CW
The Knick
Like The Affair, The Knick is a series of prodigious ambition with a long road to perfection. But as my review of the first season made clear, it never ceases to amaze visually, or to intrigue narratively. Clive Owen ably anchors this vibrant period piece, with Andre Holland stealing scene after scene right behind him and Steven Soderbergh flawlessly pulling off TV’s boldest directorial experiment behind-the-scenes. Let’s just hope the writing gets a little tighter. Fridays at 10, Cinemax
WE’LL BE BINGE-WATCHING…
Red Oaks, the freshman ‘80s country club dramedy starring Richard Kind, Paul Reiser, Jennifer Grey and others. The whole season is now available on Amazon.
Transparent, the best new show of 2014 with a lot to live up to. The new season launches in December on Amazon.
Casual, Jason Reitman’s pared-down foray into series television, with a better-than-ever Michaela Watkins in the lead. Hulu is releasing episodes weekly, but we’ll be binge-watching when it’s all available in December.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO WATCH...
Homeland. Showtime's once-great (in)security thriller devolved into a lesser version of itself in years 2 and 3, by which time Andrew and I had lost interest. But the show reportedly came back to life last year, and this time around is going (very) topical: if you're interested in watching Claire Danes combat ISIS, the NSA and a whole lot else, make a Sunday night date with Homeland.
The Walking Dead. The zombie drama has never reached the greatness of its abbreviated, Frank Darabont-helmed first season, but it remains a commercial juggernaut with a fair share of strengths. Plus, it keeps stellar-but-low-rated AMC shows like Halt and Catch Fire going, so we shouldn't complain too much, anyway.
The Grinder. It's a sad state when this is hailed as the premiere new comedy of the season. Rob Lowe is amusing and the supporting cast is strong, but The Grinder is a seriously drawn-out sitcom getting by on charm (and a perhaps unintentionally eye-popping title) and little else. Still, if you're looking for something new, it's probably the best you can do.
American Horror Story: Hotel and Scream Queens: We've sampled both, and they together represent Ryan Murphy at his campiest, his most incoherent and his very worst. On the right kind of night, that might make for an ideal combination. (But don't take that as an endorsement.)