The Why Watch That Talk: Fall TV First Impressions (Part I)

The Fall TV season has picked up, and “The Critic” and “The Referee” are back to let you know what’s happening in TV land.
Premiered Sunday, 8/6:
Ray Donovan (s5, Showtime)
Ray Donovan is a “fixer” for Hollywood’s elite. He is the go-to guy that the city’s celebrities, athletes and business moguls call to make their problems disappear. It’s a much more lucrative job than his previous work as a ruthless South Boston thug, vaulting him within reach of the truly wealthy and powerful. But no amount of money or the expensive things it can buy can completely mask Ray’s past, a past that continues to haunt him with troubled brothers always calling and his father’s recent release from 20 years spent in prison. Now a free man, Ray’s father, Mickey, arrives in Los Angeles to get what he feels is rightfully his. Mickey’s desire to reconnect and settle old scores with his family — including Ray’s wife and kids, who have never met the family’s patriarch and are anxious to get to know him — threatens to destroy everything Ray has built for himself.
Premiered Sunday, 9/10:
The Deuce (s1, HBO)
Created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, who also collaborated on HBO’s “The Wire” and “Treme,” the semifictional drama series “The Deuce” tells of the germination of the sex-trade industry in the heart of New York’s Times Square. It’s the early 1970s, and the porn business begins a shift from organized crime-backed parlors to a legitimate, culturally accepted enterprise. A cast of barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police and nightlife seekers centers around twins Vincent and Frankie Martino (James Franco, in a dual role), who navigate the sex business after meeting well-connected mobster Rudy Pipilo. Their storyline, among others, merges with that of prostitute Candy, whose ambition and intelligence lead her to a more prominent role in the industry.
Premiered Thursday, 9/14:
Better Things (s2, FX)
Sam Fox is an actress, who is also a single mother raising three daughters — teenager Max, eccentric middle child Frankie, and spicy youngest daughter Duke — in Los Angeles. She also helps to care for her mother, Phil, who lives across the street. In addition to looking after her family, Sam tries to earn a living in the difficult acting industry while having time to have fun with friends and, occasionally, get in some private time with potential mates. In addition to starring as Sam, Emmy winner Pamela Adlon is a co-creator of the comedy series, along with former “Lucky Louie” co-star Louis C.K.
Premiered Sunday, 9/17:
Vice Principals (s2, final season, HBO)
“Eastbound & Down” creators Danny McBride and Jody Hill team again for a dark comedy series — no surprise there! — that may place high school administrators in a wholly different light. McBride and Walton Goggins co-star as vice principals at North Jackson High School, which becomes ground zero for a major power struggle when the principal retires. The rival administrators set their sights on the vacated top spot — only to see English teacher Dr. Belinda Brown enter the picture. Putting their mutual hate aside, the bitter antagonists form an unholy alliance to bring down the outsider by any means necessary.
Premiered Monday, 9/25:
Me, Myself & I (s1, CBS)
As a 14-year-old boy in 1991, Alex Riley and his mom move from Chicago to Los Angeles when she remarries. In present day, 40-year-old Alex’s life has hit both a personal and professional standstill. In 2042, at 65, Alex has a realization that to be truly happy, he has to step away from his successful company and get back to his passion… inventing. “Me, Myself & I” follows him through each of these pivotal periods, revealing where the past informs the future, and the moments where he learns that his story isn’t defined by what happens to him, but by how he decides to deal with it.
Premiered Monday, 9/25:
The Good Doctor (s1, ABC)
Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgeon who has savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join the surgical unit at the prestigious San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital — a move strongly supported by his mentor, Dr. Aaron Glassman. Having survived a troubled childhood, Shaun is alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, but he finds his niche using his extraordinary medical skill and intuition to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues.
Premiered Tuesday, 9/26:
Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (s1, NBC)
A dramatization of the trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted in 1996 for the murder of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez
Premiered Wednesday, 9/27:
The Blacklist (s5, NBC)
For decades, ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington has been one of the globe’s most wanted fugitives. But then he agreed to work with the FBI to catch his “blacklist” of mobsters, spies and international terrorists — on the condition that he must work with profiler Elizabeth Keen. Red’s true intentions — choosing Liz, a woman with whom he seemingly has no connection — are unclear. Does Liz have secrets of her own? Red promises to teach Liz to think like a criminal “to see the bigger picture,” whether she wants to or not
Premiered Wednesday, 9/27:
SEAL Team (s1, CBS)
Failure isn’t an option for the new Navy SEALs, and that kind of pressure can take a toll on the members of the special operations forces’ most elite unit. This team — which includes Jason, the group’s intense leader, and Ray, Jason’s longtime confidant, along with loyal soldier Sonny and SEAL hopeful Clay — trains, plans and executes some of the most dangerous, high-stakes missions and deploys for clandestine missions around the globe at a moment’s notice. While serving their country is a worthy and rewarding cause, it can put a strain on the SEALs and their families, causing the guys look out for one another in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, both on and off the job.
Premiered Wednesday, 9/27:
Liar (miniseries, Sundance)
British psychological thriller in which schoolteacher Laura Nielson accuses renowned surgeon Andrew Earlham of rape.
Premiered Friday, 9/29:
Marvel’s Inhumans (s1, ABC)
Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding head of the Inhuman royal family and King of Attilan, possesses a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After a military coup splinters the family, the group — which includes Black Bolt’s wife, Medusa; his brother and rival, Maximus; his cousins Karnak, Gorgon and Triton; and Medusa’s sister, Crystal — barely manages to escape to Hawaii, where surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.
Premiered Friday, 9/29:
The Exorcist (s2, FOX)
Father Tomas Ortega and a newly collarless Marcus Keane head out on the road away from Chicago searching for other evils to uproot and extinguish. Andrew Kim is a former child psychologist running a group home for five at-risk foster children on an island off the coast of Seattle. He finds that one of his children has been targeted by a powerful demonic force. When Tomas and Ortega discover this, they head west to use their skills and faith to help rid the child of the possession. At the Vatican, Father Bennett is doing his part to rid the world of evil by attempting to root out those that have turned against God.