I wrote this back in 9/27/17 for our school paper The Bray, but they didn't publish it (long story), so here it is.

The new Fall TV season is here! Even if you don't have a TV and only watch shows on your phone, tablet or laptop, you can watch most of these new shows that are out soon. The networks want you to watch on any device. In the old days, the TV season started in Fall, and then they showed re-runs during the winter break, and then the shows returned in the Spring (with a few new shows), and then there would be re-runs of the shows all summer long, along with a few new shows. Now that's all changed because of cable and all of the new TV streaming networks. New shows pop up all year long. However, Fall is still when the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, The CW and FOX) roll out the shows they like the most. They hope you like them, too, but most of them will get canceled in the first year...

The new shows include some scifi and fantasy, along with the usual cop shows, medical shows, law shows, and comedies. You will see many familiar faces turning up as well. FOX has "The Orville," a spoof of shows like "Star Trek," on Thursdays. It's written by and starring Seth McFarlane, who has had great success with shows like "Family Guy" and the movie "Ted." The first new show to premiere, it has done well so far in the ratings. There is also a new "Star Trek" show on CBS called "Star Trek: Discovery." The first episode aired on CBS, and the rest will be shown on their streaming service, CBS All-Access. You can view it for $7 a month or watch it commercial free for $10. CBS is hoping it will be a big hit, so that they can launch many new streaming shows and be as successful as Netflix, HULU and Amazon Prime.

Several new shows are showcasing teens with autism and/or high intelligence. ABC has the new medical show "The Good Doctor," about a new intern at a hospital who's not only super smart but also autistic (starring Freddie Highmore of "Bates Motel"). There's already a good comedy on Netflix about an autistic teen, "Atypical." The "Big Bang Theory" spinoff "Young Sheldon" aired its first episode last week on CBS. Although many fans have speculated that Sheldon is on the spectrum, there's no mention here of his being autistic, just very smart and clueless. In "Young Sheldon," we get to see how he grew up in his Texas family, narrated by the adult Sheldon (Jim Parsons). It airs on Thursdays after BBT, starting in November.

Another theme running through the new shows this year is military service. CBS has "SEAL Team" on Wednesdays, starring David Boreanaz ("Bones"). NBC has "The Brave" Mondays, about a Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover specialists (starring Anne Heche). Also on Mondays is "Valor" on The CW, a serialized military drama/thriller starring Matt Barr. Not many military-themed series have survived for very long on TV, aside from NCIS and its spinoffs.

Finally, there are quite a few reboots and familiar faces. "Dynasty" on The CW attempts to remake the successful 1980's ABC Primetime soap opera. "Will & Grace" reunites the original cast of the NBC sitcom that ran 1998-2006. "S.W.A.T." starring Shemar Moore ("Criminal Minds") is a reboot of a 70's cop show that also spawned a 2003 film. TV veteran John Larroquette is one of the stars of "Me, Myself & I," while Mark Feuerstein ("Royal Pains") stars with two 70's actors Elliot Gould and Linda Lavin in "9JKL" on CBS.

There are a few innovative shows. ABC's "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World" has a strange title, but it sounds interesting. A lovable loser gets help from an angel to fulfill his destiny. FOX has a new Marvel show "The Gifted," about a family whose children are mutants. The show's creator also did the wonderful spy drama "Burn Notice" on USA Network. It stars Stephen Moyer ("True Blood") and Amy Acker ("Person of Interest"). Will you be watching? I know I will... You can see the complete Fall schedule here.

Here's an expanded version of this article!

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