With summer winding down and fall rolling in to take its place, it brings with it the changing of leaves, lower temperatures and a new set of television shows to keep us busy.
With October quickly approaching, we’ll take a look at not only shows coming up but a few programs who took a head start at the tail end of the summer.
One of these early starters is Amazon Prime’s “The Boys,” which returned for season two on Sept. 4, cranking up the insanity to another notch. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, “The Boys” continues its unique approach to superhero stories while infusing modern themes of capitalistic-corruption, social media buzz and moral ambiguity.
“The Boys” sees Karl Urban (“Thor: Ragnarok”) and Jack Quaid (“Plus One”) return to their season one roles while welcoming intriguing performances from both Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad”) and Aya Cash (“You’re the Worst”). The extreme violence may be offsetting for some, but beneath the blood and guts is a show unafraid to critique society.
HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” (executive produced by Jordan Peele and J.J Abrams) launched on Aug. 16 to rave reviews and will keep audiences eagerly awaiting Sunday evenings well into October. The show, based on the Matt Ruff novel of the same name, draws an eccentric parallel between the weird and horrifying vision of H.P Lovecraft’s writings and the racism of Jim Crow America.

Powered by incredible up-and-comers Jonathan Majors (“Da 5 Bloods’) and Jurnee Smollett-Bell (“Birds of Prey”), “Lovecraft Country” is the new horror drama to fall in love with right before Halloween, and catapults show creator and writer Misha Green (“Sons of Anarchy”) to the elite tier of television writers.
If you’re looking for a bit more levity, Hulu’s awkwardly funny “PEN15” returned for its second season on Sept. 18 to scratch the itch. Created by and starring Maya Erskine (“Plus One”) and Anna Konkle (“Rosewood”), “PEN15” hilariously showcases middle-school life and all of its puberty ridden ups and downs.
The show has Erskine and Konkle, both 33-years-old, playing 7th-grade versions of themselves, braces and gel pens included. The ingenious, yet simple execution of the story’s themes are as smart as they are funny, and the chemistry between Erskine and Konkle is as good as any buddy-comedy before it.
The internet’s favorite alien infant and bounty hunter combo will return to Disney+ on Oct. 30 with “The Mandalorian”. Baby Yoda and the titular Mandolorian will excite “Star Wars” fans alongside a list of exciting newcomers, including Rosario Dawson (“Daredevil”) and Timothy Olyphant (“Justified”). Also joining the cast will be veteran “Star Wars” actor Temuera Morrison, taking on the reins of the OG bounty hunter Boba Fett, having previously provided the voice of the character outside of the films.
The Emmy winning series is a welcome addition to the “Star Wars” universe and is powerful enough to bring joy even to those growing weary by the steady amount of “Star Wars” content Disney produces.
Fans of animation also have something to look forward to with the return of Genndy Tartakovsky’s (“Dexter’s Laboratory”) “Primal” to Adult Swim on Oct. 4. Having originally aired the first half of the first season in October of 2019, the second half will consist of the final five episodes.
The series features some of Tartakovsky’s best work, following the travels of a caveman and dinosaur duo. While the premise may sound like it comes from an old pulp novel, the reality of the world of “Primal” is a harsh and brutal one.
Having no dialogue, a concept Tartakovsky has played within his previous work “Samurai Jack”, the series is the embodiment of the term “show, don’t tell”. Despite the main characters not speaking, the show still manages to connect the audience to its protagonists.
In addition to the release of the second half of season one, it has also confirmed the show has been renewed for a second season in the future.
These are just some of the standouts among the many shows premiering and returning throughout the fall season. With all this great content and more, the majority of watchers will be able to find something to catch their interest.