With the fall season quickly approaching, I’m anticipating the return of some show and curious about some of the new entries.  Here are 5 things I hope to see during the new television season.

1. HOMELAND maintains its creative momentum from last season. Let’s face it, HOMELAND had been a mess creatively for a couple of seasons, but when the show returned for its fourth season, it was refocused and regained its critical credibility. HOMELAND even earned an Emmy nod for Best Drama Series.  I hope the series is able to continue with its creative resurgence in season five.  Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin are incredible in their roles and deserve strong material. But please, no more Brody fantasies!
2. UNDATEABLE thrives on Friday nights. As you may have read in a previous post, I’m quite fond of the NBC comedy UNDATEABLE. When the series aired a one hour live episode this past season, I was 100% sold on the series about a group of misfit friends who hang out at a bar sharing their usually unsuccessful romantic adventures. Fridays are a tough night for any show, and the only comedy to survive on the night in recent years is ABC’s woefully unfunny LAST MAN STANDING.  That’s how low the bar has been set.  This season UNDATEABLE will be live every week and hopefully viewers will tune in for all the hijinks.
3. HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER doesn’t flame out in season 2. Given the disaster that former ABC mystery soap REVENGE became in its second season, I hope the same fate doesn’t await HTGAWM. They show is a high adrenaline murder mystery, with a number of B, C and D stories.  I hope the storytelling doesn’t become too complicated with all the flashbacks, flash-forwards, and current day settings. Rhonda Rhimes is a master at multi-arc storytelling so that gives me comfort.
4. SUPERGIRL soars. CBS is not the first network that comes to mind when I think of reimagining a comic book superhero, but the Tiffany network will debut SUPERGIRL on Monday nights this fall up against Batman prequel GOTHAM on FOX. I quickly fell out of love with GOTHAM last season, so my I’ve tempered my excitement for SUPERGIRL. The show does have two things going for it. One, she’s a female superhero which could broaden the appeal of the show from just comic book purists. Second, former ALLY MCBEAL star Calista Flockhart as publishing mogul and Kara’s (aka Supergirl) boss/confidante.
5. EMPIRE continues to break new ground. EMPIRE had a record-breaking first season this past winter telling compelling and contemporary stories that often go untold on with African American characters on tv. While we’ve seen many coming out stories, Jamal’s felt fresh and bold. Having oldest son Andre struggle with bipolar disorder was a great way of educating the audience about mental health while still delivering a great soapy story.  I hope EMPIRE continues to weave topical social issues into its sometimes over the top storytelling boldly distinguishing itself from all other dramas on television.