Television doesn’t sleep. The sheer amount of content—almost 500 scripted programs aired in the year 2019!—can prove overwhelming for even the most dedicated TV buffs. Television Academy voters make Emmy selections in August, and SAG-AFTRA members vote on SAG Awards in January, but their job requires tuning in all year long. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit awards attention in the ever-growing landscape of the small screen. Mark your calendar and become a couch potato along with us!
The weather is getting chilly for some, and more time indoors means more TV. And that’s a good thing, as November is chock-full of new series and seasons.
This month really belongs to the classic networks’ fall lineups, with ABC, CBS, and NBC delivering buzzy debuts. Though a bit delayed due to coronavirus-related stalls in production, the networks are taking a “better late than never” approach to their fall premieres. Comedy fans are also eager to see what fan-favorite “Mom” will look like without its lead Anna Faris, who declined to return for the show’s eighth season. NBC will launch new seasons of its trifecta, “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med,” and “Chicago P.D.,” while on ABC the 17th season of “Grey’s Anatomy” will begin with a two-hour special. Meanwhile, Olivia Colman will return as Queen Elizabeh II for her final season of “The Crown,” and streaming service Peacock will reboot 1990s teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell” with original cast members Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez.
READ: Your Updated 2020–21 Awards Season Calendar
Curious what to watch this November? Check out the premieres and performances below.
ABC
ABC will kick off a full month of premieres with Season 4 of medical drama “The Good Doctor” Nov. 2, followed by a two-hour special premiere of long-running “Grey’s Anatomy” Nov. 12. Also on the 12th, the fourth season of “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff “Station 19” premieres. On the 17th, the only new series joining ABC this fall—thriller “Big Sky”—begins its first season. Based on the novel “The Highway,” the series comes from David E. Kelley of “The Practice,” “Big Little Lies,” and “Ally McBeal,” and stars Ryan Phillippe, Kylie Bunbury, Katheryn Winnick, John Carroll Lynch, Jade Pettyjohn, Brian Geraghty, and Dedee Pfeiffer. Closing out the big month for the classic network is Season 2 of legal drama “For Life” on the 18th, and Season 3 of family drama “A Million Little Things” on the 19th.
Acorn TV
On Nov. 9, new drama “The South Westerlies” will debut on Acorn TV, the streaming service dedicated to primarily Anglophone imports. The series stars Orla Brady, best known for her work on “American Horror Story,” “Into the Badlands,” and “Mistresses,” as a single mom climbing the corporate ladder at an energy company who goes undercover in a rural town to squash unrest over a lucrative wind farm deal.
Amazon Prime Video
Co-produced between Amazon and the BBC, Steve McQueen-directed “Small Axe” debuts on the 20th. McQueen, known for “Widows” and his Oscar-winning film “12 Years a Slave,” directed and co-wrote the five episodes of the anthology series, each episode of which focuses on London’s West Indian community ranging from the 1960s to the ’90s. Various actors appear, including Letitia Wright and John Boyega.
CBS
Kicking off CBS’ month of premieres on the 5th is the only new series in the channel’s fall lineup: “B Positive” stars Thomas Middleditch, Annaleigh Ashford, Kether Donohue, Izzy G, Sara Rue, Linda Lavin, Briga Heelan, and Bernie Kopell on a sitcom about a divorced dad who finds out a woman from his past may be his key to survival. That same evening, the fourth season of “Young Sheldon” will debut, as well as Season 8 of “Mom,” without Faris but still starring Emmy winner Allison Janney. Season 2 of sitcom “The Unicorn,” starring Walton Goggins, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Omar Miller, and Maya Lynne Robinson, premieres Nov. 12.
On the 8th, two programs of the “NCIS” franchise launch their new seasons, “NCIS: Los Angeles” followed by “NCIS: New Orleans.” Season 4 of “S.W.A.T.” returns on the 11th, while legal dramas “All Rise” and “Bull” return Nov. 16, alongside Season 2 of “Bob Hearts Abishola” and Season 3 of “The Neighborhood” starring Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield. The following night, “FBI: Most Wanted” and the great progenitor “NCIS” make their season debuts. CBS’ final launch of the month is “SEAL Team,” which will begin airing on the 25th.
FX
On the 23rd, FX continues its partnership with Hulu with their newest miniseries “Black Narcissus,” which will air on the 23rd and be available to stream the following day. Adapted from the 1939 novel by Rumer Godden, the series stars Gemma Arterton, Jim Broadbent, Alessandro Nivola, and the late Diana Rigg in a period piece taking place in the Himalayas when India was under British rule.
HBO
The premium channel will welcome new British series “Industry,” created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, on the 9th. Lena Dunham will direct the first episode of this drama based in the competitive world of London finance and starring Myha’la Herrold, Marisa Abela, and more. On the 16th, the second installment of “His Dark Materials” will begin, adapted from “The Subtle Knife,” the second book of the Philip Pullman trilogy source material. The fantasy drama is led by Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
HBO Max
HBO Max welcomes “Big Bang Theory” alum Kaley Cuoco on “The Flight Attendant,” debuting on the 26th. Cuoco will be joined by Zosia Mamet, Michiel Huisman, Rosie Perez, and T.R. Knight in the dark dramedy adapted from Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 novel about a flight attendant who wakes up next to a corpse in a hotel with no memory of the previous night’s events.
Hulu
Hulu offers up two new series this month, furthering their ties to FX. “A Teacher” stars Kate Mara and Nick Robinson as a Texas teacher and student involved in an affair, adapted by Hannah Fidell from her own 2013 feature film. On the 18th, “No Man’s Land” premieres, starring Félix Moati, Mélanie Thierry, and James Purefoy, the story of a French man searching for his sister with the assistance of a group of female Kurdish soldiers amid the Syrian civil war.
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On Nov. 11, the Chicago-based trio “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med,” and “Chicago P.D.” begin their new seasons. Mariska Hargitay’s “Law & Order: SVU” will launch its newest season on the 12th, followed the next day by James Spader’s “The Blacklist.”
Netflix
The Nov. 15 return of “The Crown” is a highlight of Netflix’s relatively limited list of series debuting this month. Colman reprises her Golden Globe-winning role as Queen Elizabeh II for her final season of the series, alongside new faces Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, plus returning stars Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O’Connor, and Tobias Menzies, as the storyline moves into 1980s England. “Virgin River,” based on the Virgin River novels by Robyn Carr, starts its second season on the 27th. New series “Dash & Lily,” based on the young adult novels of the same names, appears on Netflix Nov. 10.
PBS
PBS will bring the Golden Globe-winning, veteran actor Hugh Laurie back to the small screen with “Roadkill,” a political thriller debuting Nov. 1.
Peacock
Season 2 of the British series “Save Me”—altered to “Save Me Too”—will move to Peacock from Starz on the 5th. The crime thriller stars Lennie James, Suranne Jones, and more. Then, a major reboot for millennials: “Saved by the Bell” returns on the 25th co-starring original cast members from the 1990s teen sitcom.
Showtime
On the 8th, Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker, and John C. Reilly star on “Moonbase 8,” a comedy they co-created with Jonathan Krisel of “Portlandia” and “Baskets.” The comedy series will feature six episodes and is focused on the trio as astronauts preparing for their first lunar mission.
Sundance Now
On the 5th, international thriller “Riviera,” starring the talented Julia Stiles, Dimitri Leonidas, and Lena Olin, will begin its third season.
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