Fall 2013 television schedule: TV for lovers of horror, paranormal, dark fantasy, suspense (and retro.)

THE 2014 EDITION OF THIS LIST IS NOW AVAILABLE.

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Fall 2014 television schedule: TV for lovers of horror, paranormal, dark fantasy, suspense (and retro.)

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It’s still hot and sultry here in Minnesota, with no hint of autumn weather to lure me outdoors. Last week, I provided a selection of Halloween-themed crafts and hobbies that can be started now, in the dog days of August and September. This week, I’ve scoured the web to  find and curate a list of  new and returning television shows to watch while crafting or hobby-ing. (Or simply escaping the weather.)

It’s not time to share my picks for the best Halloween-based television. None of the usual suspects have made their October broadcast plans public yet. In this lull between summer and fall, the best I can do is research and share the anticipated autumn line-up, so that we can all get our DVRs programmed and our calendars marked. That way, when we get closer to Halloween, we won’t be wasting a moment of the best season of the year on logistics.

Disclaimers: I like my television paranormal, gothic, fantastic, and/or mysterious. (I don’t watch much in the way of personality-based reality and/or investigative shows like Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State. Documentaries are another story entirely, but I’ll save those for another post.)  I also have a taste for juicy historical and retro shows.

Information: I’ve included the premiere dates for new AND returning shows that are likely to appeal to my readers. (But I don’t watch them all.) For returning shows, I’ve researched the availability of past seasons, just in case you think you maybe made a mistake in the past by not making room for a particular show. (I regret not watching Grimm from the beginning.)

The shows are listed from soonest premiere date to latest. If you click on the pic, you’ll be taken to either IMDb (for new shows) or Wikipedia (for returning shows.) If the series has specific page provided by the network, I’ve linked to it with the word ‘homepage’. If the series is available via Netflix, I’ve linked to the appropriate listing to simplify your queue management.

Here we go:

Haven | Syfy | Fridays | 10/9c | Sept 13  (RETURNING – 4th season)
Seasons 1-3 are available on Netflix discs.
from the homepage:
“Syfy’s one-hour drama series Haven, starring Emily Rose, is based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King. The series follows the shrewd and confident FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose) as she arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are affected by a range of supernatural afflictions. The truth about Audrey’s mysterious past (which she can’t fully remember) starts to come out as well.”

Sleepy Hollow | FOX | Mondays | 9/8c | Sept 16th (NEW)
from the homepage:
“In this modern day twist of Washington Irving’s classic, Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers. Revived alongside Ichabod is the infamous Headless Horseman who is on a murderous rampage in present-day Sleepy Hollow. Bound to the Headless Horseman by a blood spell cast on the battlefield of the American Revolution, Ichabod quickly realizes that stopping Headless is just the beginning, as the resurrected rider is but the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

The Blacklist | NBC | Mondays | 10/9c | Sept 23 (NEW) JAMES SPADER!
From the homepage:
“For decades, ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for criminals across the globe, Red was known by many as “The Concierge of Crime.” Now, he’s mysteriously surrendered to the FBI with an explosive offer: He will help catch a long-thought-dead terrorist, Ranko Zamani, under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth “Liz” Keen, an FBI profiler fresh out of Quantico. For Liz, it’s going to be one hell of a first day on the job.”

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D | ABC | Tuesdays | 8/7c | Sept 24th (NEW)
From the homepage:
“Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown across the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary.” Executive producer: Joss Whedon

Once Upon A Time | ABC | Sundays | 8/7c | Sept 29th  (RETURNING – 3rd season)
Season 1 is available on Netflix streaming.
Season 2 is likely to become available in September 2013, but no official announcement has been made.
From the homepage:
“This is Fairy Tale Land. It’s filled with magic, monsters and all of the characters we all know from stories growing up. It’s real, and so are the people in it. But unlike the “happily ever after” you may have heard about, their stories continued, and The Evil Queen cast a Dark Curse over the land….This is Storybrooke. It’s a quiet, little, New England town filled with people who go about their everyday lives with no idea who they really are. The Queen’s Curse has trapped them here and placed her in near-complete control. They have no real memories and no real hope.”

Masters of Sex | SHO | Sundays | 10/9c | September 29th  (NEW)
From the homepage:
“Stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a midwestern teaching hospital to the cover of Time magazine and multiple appearances on Johnny Carson’s couch. He is a brilliant scientist out of touch with his own feelings, and she is a single working mother ahead of her time. The series chronicles their unusual lives, romance, and unlikely pop culture trajectory.”

Witches of East End | Lifetime | Sundays | 10/9c | October 6th (NEW)
From the homepage:
“Inspired by Melissa de la Cruz’s New York Times best-selling novel, “Witches of East End” centers on the mysterious Beauchamp family: free-spirited artist Joanna (Ormond) and her two grown daughters, wild-child bartender Freya (Dewan Tatum) and shy librarian Ingrid (Boston), both of whom are unaware that they are gifted (and cursed) with a magical birthright.”

American Horror Story – Coven |  FX   |  Wednesdays | 10/9c | Oct 9th (RETURNING – BUT ALSO ENTIRELY NEW, IN THE WAY OF AHS)
Season 1: Murder House – is available on Netflix streaming.
season 2 Asylum – Not available on Netflix. Asylum was superior to Murder House, and I would strongly recommend a watching, but the marathon already aired. Keep an eye out for an encore.
For some reason, FX has not yet provided us with a new homepage for AHS: Coven.
Here’s why this will be appointment TV for me:

• Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates & Angela Basset
• New Orleans
• Witches

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | ABC | Thursdays | 8/7c | Oct 10 (NEW)
from the homepage:
“In Victorian England, the young and beautiful Alice (Sophie Lowe) tells a tale of a strange new land that exists on the other side of a rabbit hole. An invisible cat, a hookah smoking caterpillar and playing cards that talk are just some of the fantastic things she’s seen during this impossible adventure. Surely this troubled girl must be insane and her doctors aim to cure her with a treatment that will make her forget everything. Alice seems ready to put it all behind her, especially the painful memory of the genie she fell in love with and lost forever—the handsome and mysterious Cyrus (Peter Gadiot). But deep down Alice knows this world is real and just in the nick of time, the sardonic Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) and the irrepressible White Rabbit (John Lithgow) arrive to save her from a doomed fate. Together, the trio will take a tumble down the rabbit hole to this Wonderland where nothing is impossible.”

The Walking Dead | AMC  | Sundays |Oct 13 (RETURNING – 4th season)
Seasons 1 & 2 are available via Netflix streaming.
AMC is pretty great about doing marathons before a new season begins … keep an eye out for season 3.
Homepage here. I trust no story description is necessary?

Dracula | NBC | Fridays | 10/9c | Oct 25th (NEW)
From the homepage:
“It’s the late 19th century, and the mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night – useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: he hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan… until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.
From the producers of the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning hit “Downton Abbey” comes “Dracula,” a twisted, sophisticated and sexy take on Bram Stoker’s classic novel, proving that some stories never die. One-hour drama.”

Grimm | NBC | Fridays | 9/8c | Oct 25th  (RETURNING – 3rd season)
Seasons 1 & 2 are available on Netflix discs.
From the homepage:
“Grimm” is a drama series inspired by the classic Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales. After Portland Homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he’s descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as “Grimms,” he increasingly finds his responsibilities as a detective at odds with his new responsibilities as a “Grimm.”

Almost Human | FOX | Mondays | 8/7c Nov 4th (NEW)
From the homepage:
“The year is 2048. Meet Detective JOHN KENNEX, a cop who survived one of the most catastrophic attacks ever made against the police department. After waking up from a 17-month coma, he can’t remember much — except that his partner was killed, he lost one of his legs and he is now outfitted with a highly sophisticated synthetic appendage.

Suffering from depression, mental atrophy, trauma-onset OCD, PTSD and the “psychological rejection of his synthetic body part,” John returns to work at the behest of longtime ally Captain SANDRA MALDONADO (Lili Tylor!!) By mandate, every cop must partner with a robot. And despite his passionate aversion to androids, John is paired up with a battle-ready MX-43. But he abruptly terminates his partnership after the robot discovers incriminating information about him. So technician RUDY LOM introduces John to DORIAN, a discontinued android with unexpected emotional responses.”

Stuff on The CW:

I don’t watch this network, but it appears to be overflowing (like a heaving bosom from a tight bodice) with paranormal / horror shows. Here’s a few highlights, but if these kind of programs are your thing, it’d be best for you to explore the whole CW line-up.

The Vampire Diaries | Thursdays | 8/7c | Oct 3rd (RETURNING – 5th season) 
Seasons 1 – 3 available on Netflix streaming.

The Originals | Thursdays | 9/8c | Oct 3rd (NEW – Vampires & New Orleans!!) 

The Tomorrow People | Tuesdays | 9/8c | Oct 9th (NEW)

Supernatural | Tuesdays | 10/9c | Oct 9th (RETURNING – 9th season)
Seasons 1 – 7 are available on Netflix streaming.

Shows we’ll just have to wait for:

NEW: Crossbones | NBC | 2013/2014 | John Malkovich as Blackbeard
NEW: Believe | NBC | 2013/2014 | Little girl with psychic powers – looks interesting
NEW: Wayward Pines | Fox | 2014 | Juliette Lewis, Matt Dillon. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. (I’m excited about this one!)
The Following | FOX | Fridays | 9/8c | 2nd season expected January 2014
Downton Abbey | PBS | Sundays | 4th season expected Jan 5th, 2014
Shameless | SHO | Sundays | 9 | 4th season expected Jan 12 2014 (I have no excuse for this one. I am just addicted. I blame Ogre.)
Bates Motel | A&E | Mondays | 10/9c | 2nd season expected early 2014
NEW: Resurrection | ABC | Sundays |10/9c | Mar 9 2014
Mad Men | AMC | Sundays | 7th (and final?) season is likely to begin in Apr 2014
Lost Girl | Syfy | Sundays | 10/9c |4th season expected 2014

Did I miss anything you love? What show are you most looking forward to?

BTW, I just changed my blog template to make it more readable. I’m not happy the ‘leave a comment’ link is up in the header of each post. If you hit ‘like’ in the footer though, you get the option to leave a comment.

P.S. In order to make this week’s countdown image, I started with this snapshot:

Take-away lesson of the day — don’t believe anything you see in a photograph.

[UPDATE] Apparently, if one uses photoshop or a similar tool, getting rid of the sign is no big deal.

I have a different process. Takes forever.

And it still seems like magic to me.