It’s never too soon to look ahead to the new TV season, so here’s an early roundup of the fall premiere dates. The big change this year? Seems like about half the network shows are debuting in the same week. That should help fill up your DVR quickly. New series are in ALL CAPS. (And click here for the remaining summer premieres.)
Tuesday, Sept. 7
10 p.m., “Sons of Anarchy” (FX). Charming’s favorite outlaw biker gang are back for a third season. And they’ll have their sights set on the rogue IRA guys who kidnapped Jax’s son. Part of the season was shot in Belfast, so get ready for a little road trip. This is probably the fall series I’m looking forward to the most.
Wednesday, Sept. 8
8 p.m. , “America’s Next Top Model” (The CW). Tyra & Co. are back for the 15th “cycle.”
9 p.m., “HELLCATS” (The CW). Ashley Tisdale (“High School Musical”) stars in a college cheerleading melodrama. It looks awful.
10 p.m., “TERRIERS” (FX). Donal Logue stars in this new dramedy about a couple of unlicensed private eyes. They’re scrappy, get it? The executive producers are Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) and Ted Griffin (“Ocean’s 11”), which bodes well.
Thursday, Sept. 9
8 p.m., “The Vampire Diaries” (The CW). Because America can’t get enough of vampires. Sigh. Creator Kevin Williamson promises “people are going to die” this season, which could mean any of a number of things.
9 p.m., “NIKITA” (The CW). Hong Kong action star Maggie Q stars in this version of “Le Femme Nikita.” It’ll apparently be closer to the French original than the old USA series. And it looks better than the Bridget Fonda version, at least.
Monday, Sept. 13
8 p.m., “90210” (The CW). There’s supposedly a shocking death in the premiere. Gasp.
9 p.m., “Gossip Girl” (The CW). Back for a (mostly) Jenny-free fourth season. Blair and Serena are living it up on vacation in Paris while Chuck recovers from his gunshot wound. They actually shot some scenes in Paris, so the locations should be cool at least.
Tuesday, Sept. 14
8 p.m., “One Tree Hill” (The CW). I’ve still never seen a single episode, and I’m fine with that.
9 p.m., “Life Unexpected” (The CW). Cate married Ryan, but Baze is still in the picture. And they’ll both (err, all three?) raise Lux. Sounds complicated. Cue wistful indie rock ballad.
10 p.m., “Parenthood” (NBC). More well-done but kinda depressing family drama.
Wednesday, Sept. 15
8 p.m., “Survivor: Nicaragua” (CBS). Now with 100 percent more Jimmy Johnson! And back on Wednesday night for the first time in 10 years. There’ll also be a yet-to-be-revealed change to the hidden immunity idols, since Russell was able to find them so easily and manipulate the past two seasons.
“OUTLAW” (NBC). Jimmy Smits is a lawyer who plays by his own rules. Zzzzzzzz.
11 p.m., “Top Chef Just Desserts” (Bravo). Another spinoff of the Emmy-winning competition series, this time focusing on dessert chefs. Gail Simmons hosts. This’ll move to 10 p.m., next week, once “Top Chef” is done.
Thursday, Sept. 16
9 p.m., “The Apprentice” (NBC). Just ordinary people, no celebrities this time.
10 p.m., “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (FX). Season 6, bitches!
10:30 p.m., “The League” (FX). Love this. Just in time for fantasy football season.
Sunday, Sept. 19
9 p.m., “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO). The highly anticipated (by me, at least) new drama set in Prohibition-era New Jersey. Martin Scorsese directed the pilot and Steve Buscemi stars. Oh, and it co-stars Michael K. Williams (Omar from “The Wire.”) How can this not be jaw-droppingly awesome?
Monday, Sept. 20
8 p.m., “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC). No word on which B-list celebs yet.
“How I Met Your Mother” (CBS). Is it baby time for Marshall and Lily?
“Chuck” (NBC). With The Ring destroyed, Chuck has a new mission, new villains and a new mom. Linda Hamilton (“Terminator”) will have a recurring role as the mysterious — and formerly missing — Mama Bartkowski.
“House” (Fox). House and Cuddy an item? Sure looks that way.
8:30 p.m., “Rules Of Engagement” (CBS). Who watches this?
9 p.m., “Two and a Half Men” (CBS). Apparently Charlie Sheen’s pending criminal case won’t interrupt the season. Because Hollywood has its priorities in order. The bigger question: Why do his cars keep ending up at the bottom of cliffs?
“THE EVENT” (NBC). A conspiracy thriller starring Jason Ritter and Blair Underwood. It looks intriguing, but will it get too complicated for its own good? Or worse yet, bore us by not answering any questions? I’m worried it’ll become the next “FlashForward.”
“LONE STAR” (Fox). A con man tries to balance two lives. Think a “Dallas”-like soap.
9:30 p.m., “MIKE & MOLLY” (CBS). For those who have always dreamed of a half hour of fat jokes. This looks bad.
10 p.m., “Castle” (ABC). Nathan Fillion used to be the kiss of death for a series, a Ted McGinley for the 21st century. But here it is, Season 3 and still going strong.
“HAWAII FIVE-O” (CBS). Or as CBS maintains, “Five-Zero.” Yeah, right. Here’s hoping they don’t try to make this a serious cop drama. It could work perfectly as a “Burn Notice”-level lighthearted action show if it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“CHASE” (NBC). A Jerry Bruckheimer procedural about U.S. marshals hunting down fugitives.
Tuesday, Sept. 21
8 p.m., “NCIS” (CBS). Never seen it and don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.
“Glee” (Fox). They burned through about three seasons worth of storylines in the first season. What’s left? State finals? Nationals? World championships? We know at least there’ll be Britney Spears and “Rocky Horror”-themed episodes, and a ton of guest appearances. I don’t know, sounds kinda gimmicky. Watch out for a sophomore slump.
“The Biggest Loser” (NBC). Another season of dramatic weight losses and screaming personal trainers.
9 p.m., “RAISING HOPE” (Fox). A new sitcom from Greg Garcia (“My Name Is Earl”) about a dysfunctional family raising their good-for-nothing son’s kid.
“NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS). See my “NCIS” comment.
9:30 p.m., “RUNNING WILDE” (Fox). Will Arnett and David Cross star in this Mitch Hurwitz sitcom about a rich idiot . . . . dare we imagine a mini “Arrested Development” reunion? Well, that didn’t work out so well for “Sit Down, Shut Up,” but maybe things will work out better here. Keri Russell (“Felicity”) also stars, and it looks funny. Actually, I laugh at almost everything that comes out of Arnett’s mouth. (“Your breath is so milky . . .”)
10 p.m., “DETROIT 1-8-7” (ABC). A gritty cop drama set in Detroit starring Michael Imperioli. It was originally going to be shot documentary-style, but they recently dropped that idea. For now it looks kinda like a version of the late, great “Homicide.” We’ll see if it can live up to that standard.
Wednesday, Sept. 22
8 p.m., “The Middle” (ABC). Back for a second season of “Malcolm in the Middle”-type fun.
“UNDERCOVERS” (NBC). JJ Abrams’ latest spy series, this time with a married couple of retired spooks who are dragged back into the game. Looks like it could be good, but there’s a danger we’ve already reached the spy burnout point.
“Hell’s Kitchen” (Fox). Gordon Ramsay screams some more.
8:30 p.m., “BETTER WITH YOU” (ABC). A generic romantic comedy that likely won’t last till Halloween.
9 p.m., “Modern Family” (ABC). A second season of hilarity with maybe the best ensemble cast on TV.
“Criminal Minds” (CBS). More crimefighters.
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC). Yet more crimefighters.
9:30 p.m., “Cougar Town” (ABC). (Assuming they don’t change the title.) Jules and friends are back for another season of wine-slurping and snark.
10 p.m., “THE WHOLE TRUTH” (ABC). A generic-looking legal drama with Rob Morrow (“Numbers”).
“THE DEFENDERS” (CBS). A generic-looking legal drama with Jim Belushi (“According to Jim”).
Thursday, Sept. 23
8 p.m., “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS). The nerds return.
“Community” (NBC). New school year, new classes. Betty White will start the season as a Spanish teacher, and John Oliver will teach anthropology. And this season, an “Apollo 13” homage.
“MY GENERATION” (ABC). Call it “Facebook: The Series.” I’m already annoyed by the commercials.
“Bones” (Fox). David Boreanaz’s sexual harassment suit might be more dramatic.
8:30 p.m., “30 Rock” (NBC). New time for Liz Lemon and friends.
“$#*! MY DAD SAYS” (CBS). William Shatner in what might be the worst new sitcom of the fall.
9 p.m., “The Office” (NBC). The start of Steve Carrell’s final season.
“Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC). There’s a new doc (James Tupper, “Mercy”) to help the staff after the season finale bloodshed.
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (CBS). More dead bodies and bodily fluids.
“Fringe” (Fox). Olivia’s trapped in the alternate world, and no one realizes it. This should be gooooood, I’m really looking forward to it filling the hole “Lost” left for brain-twisting mythology.
9:30 p.m., “OUTSOURCED” (NBC). How many cultural-misunderstanding jokes can you take in a half hour?
10 p.m., “Private Practice” (ABC). More steamy docs.
“The Mentalist” (CBS). And another crimefighter.
Friday, Sept. 24
8 p.m., “Medium” (CBS). Boo!
“Smallville” (CW). Back for its 10th and final season. Superman will get his familiar blue-and-red costume, and Darkseid (!) will be the villain.
9 p.m., “CSI: New York” (CBS). Yes, more crimefighters.
“Supernatural” (CW). How do you come back from the apocalypse? Apparently it’ll go back to its monster-of-the-week roots.
“The Good Guys” (Fox). Somehow this hasn’t been canceled yet. Just wait.
“BLUE BLOODS” (CBS). Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlburg star in a multigenerational cop drama. This could be pretty decent.
Sunday, Sept. 26
8 p.m., “The Simpsons” (Fox). 56 years and still going strong.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (ABC). More people get screwed with their property taxes.
8:30 p.m., “The Amazing Race” (CBS). Sweeeet, a 90-minute premiere. This time the departure point is Gloucester, Mass.
“The Cleveland Show” (Fox). No LeBron here either.
9 p.m., “Desperate Housewives” (ABC). But now even more desperate.
“Family Guy” (Fox). Expect a “Return of the Jedi” spoof, but no more “Star Wars” episodes after that. But “Indiana Jones”? . . . . maybe.
10 p.m., “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC). Life starts without Rob Lowe and Emily VanCamp.
“Undercover Boss” (CBS). CEOs are your friends! (Pssst, no they’re not.)
“Bored to Death” (HBO). Jason Schwartzman is back as an unlicensed private eye in the season season of this noir/comedy, along with Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson.
“Dexter” (Showtime). Last season didn’t end well for Dexter. This season probably won’t start out well for him either. But Julia Stiles joins the cast, and so does Peter Weller, so that sounds promising for viewers.
10:30 p.m., “Eastbound & Down” (HBO). Kenny’s pitching in the pros again. Um, only it’s in Mexico.
Tuesday, Sept. 28
8 p.m., “NO ORDINARY FAMILY” (ABC). Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) stars in basically a live-action version of “The Incredibles.” It’s getting really good buzz, and could be one of the few family friendly action series out there.
10 p.m., “The Good Wife” (CBS). Alicia’s firm merges with another one, and everyone’s thrown for a tizzy.
Wednesday, Sept 29
10 p.m., “LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES” (NBC). Yet even more crimefighters. With 100 percent more Skeet Ulrich! And now with Terence Howard!
Friday, Oct.1
8 p.m., “Human Target” (Fox). New night; can it fend off the Friday-night curse? Indira Varma (“Rome”) joins the cast as a billionaire widow who employs the team to do good. And speaking of the team, they’ll add an as-yet-uncast female member, described as “a despicable thief.”
Sunday, Oct. 3
9:30 p.m., “American Dad” (Fox). Still not funny.
10 p.m., “CSI: Miami” (CBS). Yet more crimefighters. With shades.
Friday, Oct. 15
8 p.m., “SCHOOL PRIDE” (NBC). A feel-good makeover show featuring inner-city schools.
Wednesday. Oct. 27
“Friday Night Lights” (DirecTV). The final season at East Dillon High.
Sunday, Oct. 31
10 p.m., “WALKING DEAD” (AMC). A small-town sheriff travels the South, trying to survive after a zombie apocalypse.
Monday, Nov. 8
11 p.m., “Conan” (TBS). Woooooo! Team Coco!
Wednesday, Nov. 10
8 p.m., “Lie to Me” (Fox). No, really. I’m serious.
Also: No date yet, but look for ABC’s second season of “V” in November.
