TENS
of thousands of movies, thousands of TV shows, hundreds of channels,
dozens of streaming services. There are more movies and series to watch
than ever before and more ways to experience them. It can all be a
little overwhelming. But we’re here to help.
The New York Times recently
debuted a website called Watching,
designed to help you decide what to watch. British period pieces,
Scandinavian crime dramas, sci-fi adventures, oddball dark comedies —
tell us what you’re in the mood for, and we’ll help you find your next
favorite show or movie.
Given
how many new series have been released this year, and especially this
fall, Watching has prepared a guide to seven fall freshman shows you
might want to check out and how you can catch up on them.
Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO
HOW TO CATCH UP The first episode can be watched free on HBO’s website. Further episodes are available on HBO Go and HBO Now; four have aired so far.
Issa Rae, creator and star of the popular web series “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” helped create and stars in this comedy
about a woman on the brink of 30 trying to figure out what exactly she
wants her life to look like. Her boyfriend is dull, her job is a chore,
and her happiest moments are when she’s freestyling to her reflection in
the mirror. The show has blisteringly, gleefully foul-mouthed dialogue that captures and valorizes female friendship in particular.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Girls,” “Sex and the City,” “Girlfriends.”
‘Westworld’
Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO
HOW TO CATCH UP The first episode can be watched free on HBO’s website. Episodes are available on HBO Go and HBO Now; five have aired so far.
Based on the 1973 Michael Crichton movie, “Westworld” is a visually beautiful (though not always emotionally resonant)
take on the “Are these robots becoming human?” story. The draw here is
in the performances of the actors playing said robots, particularly Evan
Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Game of Thrones,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Boardwalk Empire.”
‘Pitch’
Thursdays at 8:59 p.m. on Fox
Behold Ginny Baker, a screwball pitcher and the first woman to play Major League Baseball. While the pilot
tugs pretty hard on the heartstrings, the following episodes are far
less maudlin, leaning more toward peppy workplace drama. As Ginny, Kylie
Bunbury has just the right balance of icy resolve and youthful
vulnerability. And while the show hits the sports-saga beats you’d
expect, it hits them squarely and surely.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Sports Night,” “Friday Night Lights,” “The Good Wife.”
‘Designated Survivor’
Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC
Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman,
a low-ranking cabinet member about to be fired when a bomb explodes at
the State of the Union address, and suddenly he’s the president of the
United States. Who was behind the attack? How can Tom’s leadership heal
the country after such a catastrophe? And why is his teenage son such a
pill? Questions and conspiracies abound.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Scandal,” “Homeland,” “Prison Break,” “Madam Secretary.”
‘This Is Us’
Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC
Gather ye tissues; this ensemble drama
has picked up where “Parenthood” left off in the lachrymose monologues
department. The show bounces back and forth between three adult siblings
in the present day and in their childhood in the 1970s. The show is
still finding its footing, but it’s hard not to fall for its almost
puppy-like openheartedness.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Parenthood,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Party of Five.”
‘The Good Place’
Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on NBC
It’s not heaven, exactly. “The Good Place”
is set in a cartoonish spin on the afterlife, with Kristen Bell as
Eleanor, a new resident who realizes she has made it to this utopia by
mistake. The show gets better and bolder week to week, so the first few
episodes work best in a binge-watch. There’s a lot of premise to get
through before focusing on the sillier and sweeter aspects of character
development, especially from Ted Danson as not-heaven’s quasi-mayor.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Pushing Daisies,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
‘Atlanta’
Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX
HOW TO CATCH UP Episodes are available on FX’s website to cable subscribers; all ten have aired.
The debut season of “Atlanta”
officially wrapped up on Tuesday, but don’t worry if you missed it.
This show is going to be part of the TV chatterscape for the foreseeable
future. Donald Glover, recently tapped to play Lando Calrissian in a
new “Star Wars” movie, created and stars in this stunningly original
postmodern comedy about a broke, depressed young father who becomes his
rapper cousin’s manager, though this is a far cry from a glamorous
music-biz show. “Atlanta” is sometimes goofy, sometimes searing, but
never predictable, and Mr. Glover’s character, Earn, might be TV’s most
compelling introvert.
WATCH IF YOU LIKE “Party Down,” “The Boondocks,” “Broad City,” “Bored to Death.”
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