Photo: REX USA/Erik Pendzich.
Mulaney
The dashing former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney is poised for a coming out party when his self-titled, multi-camera sitcom debuts on Fox this fall. After being stuck in development hell for what felt like forever, the New York-based comedy also featuring Nasim Pedrad and Martin Short is a leading contender for the breakout show of the year. (Fox, Sunday)
Gotham
Fox is the latest network to hop on the superhero bandwagon with their buzzy Batman prequel named after the gothic metropolis Bruce Wayne calls home. The thing is, here Bruce Wayne is still a kid, and it's up to a young Commissioner Gordon (played by ex OC'er Ben McKenzie) to thwart the city's emerging villains. Based on the action-packed first trailer, it looks like he's got his work cut out for him. (Fox, Monday)
Gracepoint
Okay, so we're going really heavy on the Fox shows, we know, but it's impossible to ignore their upcoming 10 episode catch-a-killer event series based on the beloved British mystery Broadchurch. It's also Anna Gunn's first post-Breaking Bad role, and well, we've missed you, Skyler. (Fox, Thursday)
Extant
We may be cheating a little bit by including a show that debuts this summer, but we just couldn't leave out this Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi rhapsody in good conscience. Why? Because Halle Berry stars as an astronaut who returns home from space to a startling new reality. If it sounds like everything, that's because it will be. (CBS, Wednesday)
Bad Judge
Any title with the word "bad" in front of it makes us skeptical, especially after Ari Graynor's CBS show Bad Teacher totally bombed. Still, we're willing to give NBC's new comedy the benefit of the doubt thanks to its star Kate Walsh, an actress we'd watch in just about anything. (NBC, Thursday)