TV is BACK with 14 New and Returning Shows in September 2024

September brings back the main TV Season, but it's not all good news. Whether still a hangover from the writers' strike in 2023, or overwhelming competition from streaming services, the number of network shows this year has taken a massive dip. In 2017, across the 5 main networks, we got 37 new shows in the Fall; this year only 11 shows grace our screens. The end of the Golden Age of TV or just a blip?

On the main Networks, only 5 new shows premiere in September, and they are really quite safe choices. Let’s do this by network:

FOX: Rescue: HI-Surf (the HI is the abbr. for Hawaii) is a lifeguard drama set on the North Shore, so if you like beautiful people running against a beautiful backdrop, this one is for you! But, it is produced by John Wells, of ER and Southland fame, so it might be a bit more mature than Baywatch. The network is also co-producing (with Global) the Canadian set Murder in a Small Town. Based on an Edgar Award 9 book series, it is possible this slow burner is the other half of FOXs fairly generic, but Fall 2024 winning combo. 9-1-1: Lone Star also returns for a fifth and final season, after its parent 9-1-1 show moved to ABC last year. FOX also has the long running Animation Domination (is that still a thing) of The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers and Krapopolis returning too.

ABC: High Potential stars Kaitlin Olson (also still currently starring in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as a janitor who can do a cops job better than they can, and is brought into consult on the toughest of cases. Hopefully the show lives up to its name. As well as the police drama, ABC are pitting a new medical drama, Doctor Odyssey, against their aging medical juggernaut, Grey’s Anatomy. Starring Pacey er... Joshua Jackson, and from Ryan Murphy, it has a good team behind it, and maybe ABC see the writing on the wall for Grey’s…

NBC: Also jumping on the Medical Drama bandwagon, after New Amsterdam closed for business last year, NBCs offering - Brilliant Minds, starring Zachary Quinto (best known in TV as Sylar, the big bad from Heroes) - revolves around a larger than life central character, who suffers from his own problems, that should but never quite seem to get him fired. House...? Is that you, old friend? 

UPDATE - CBS: Since making this article, CBS now have a "special preview" of Matlock, starring Kathy Bates, dropping in the first week of the TV season. Then there will be a month hiatus until the date episode 2 was originally supposed to air, in late October. Woo, full house of returning network shows!

Check out the best New and Returning shows below:

Premiering Net TV Shows in September 2024

Rescue: HI-Surf

Season 1 Starts 22nd September // FOX // Drama

Official Synopsis: "Follow the dedicated, heroic, and adrenaline-seeking lifeguards of the North Shore of O'ahu as they save people's lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii's Seven Mile Miracle. "

High Potential

Season 1 Starts 17th September // ABC // Comedy

Official Synopsis: "Morgan is a single mom with an exceptional mind is recruited to the LAPD Major Crimes unit, where her unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book seasoned detective. "

Doctor Odyssey

Season 1 Starts 26th September // ABC // Medical

Official Synopsis: "Max is the new on-board doctor for a luxury cruise ship where the small but mighty medical team navigate unique medical crises and each other, miles from shore."

Brilliant Minds

Season 1 Starts 23rd September // NBC // Medical

Official Synopsis: "Follows revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist Oliver Wolf and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier - the human mind - while also grappling with their own relationships and mental health."

Murder in a Small Town

Season 1 Starts 24th September // FOX // Crime

Official Synopsis: "Karl Alberg is a detective that moves to a quiet coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work, but this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets, and Karl will need to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore."

Matlock

Season 1 Starts 22nd September // CBS // Legal

Official Synopsis: "After achieving success in her younger years, a brilliant septuagenarian, Madeline Matlock re-joins the work force at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanour and wily tactics to win cases and expose corruption from within."

Returning Network TV Shows in September 2024

Chicago Fire

Season 13 Returns 25th September // Network: NBC // Action

Official Synopsis: "No job is more stressful, dangerous or exhilarating than those of the Firefighters, Rescue Squad and Paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51. These are the courageous men and women who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way. But the enormous responsibilities of the job also take a personal toll. With big reputations and hefty egos, the pressure to perform and make split-second decisions is bound to put squad members at odds. When a tragedy claims one of their own, there's plenty of guilt and blame to go around. In the middle of a divorce, Lt. Matthew Casey tries to go about business as usual, but can't help butting heads with the brash Lt. Kelly Severide of the Rescue Squad - and each blames the other for their fallen team member. When it's "go-time", though, they put their differences aside and put everything on the line for each other. This is a look inside one of America's noblest professions."

Chicago PD

Season 12 Returns 25th September // Network: NBC // Crime

Official Synopsis: "District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups: The uniformed cops who patrol the beat and deal with street crimes, and the intelligence unit, the team that combats the city's major offenses, such as organized crime, drug trafficking and high-profile murders. Leading the intelligence team is Sgt. Hank Voight, a man not against skirting the law in the pursuit of justice. Demanding and tough, only those who can take the heat survive under Voight's command. Take Det. Antonio Dawson, for example. Despite a troubled history with his boss, Dawson has ambitions of running the unit. If that means facing off against Voight every day, he'll persevere. From the street cops with dreams of moving up to the elite crew who are already in, life on the job is a daily challenge."

Chicago Med

Season 10 Returns 25th September // Network: NBC // Medical

Official Synopsis: "The newest installment of the compelling 'Chicago' franchise, an emotional thrill ride through the day-to-day chaos of the city's most explosive hospital and the courageous team of doctors who hold it together. They will tackle unique new cases inspired by topical events, forging fiery relationships in the pulse-pounding pandemonium of the emergency room, and through it all, familiar faces from the Chicago police and fire departments will intertwine as this third team of Chicago heroes hits the ground running."

Greys Anatomy

Season 21 Returns 26th September // Network: ABC // Medical

Official Synopsis: "Meet Meredith Grey. She's a woman trying to lead a real life while doing a job that makes having a real life impossible. Meredith is a first year surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital, the toughest surgical residency program west of Harvard. She and fellow first-year interns Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, George O'Malley and Alex Karev were students yesterday. Today they're doctors and, in a world where on the job training can be a matter of life and death, they're all juggling the ups and downs of their own personal lives. The five interns struggle to form friendships in this most stressful and competitive atmosphere. Meredith's medical ambition is overshadowed by a troubling secret: Her mother, a noted pioneering surgeon, is struggling with a tragic and devastating illness. Cristina is highly competitive and driven, but lacks tact when it comes to bedside manner. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens is the small-town girl who grew up dirt poor and, in spite of paying for her medical career by modeling. Sometimes she cares a little too deeply about her patients. George O'Malley is the warm but insecure boy next door who always manages to do or say the wrong thing at the wrong time. In spite of his attraction to women, he's treated as "just one of the girls". And Alex Karev, the intern the other interns love to have, masks his working class roots with arrogance and ambition. The interns are guided by an established team of doctors who are determined to shape them into skilled surgeons or break them: Miranda Bailey, a senior resident responsible for training them, is so tough that she's nicknamed "The Nazi". Derek Shepherd is the flirtatious but very capable surgeon who shares a forbidden but undeniable sexual attraction with Meredith. Preston Burke's arrogance is second only to his skill with a scalpel. Overseeing them all is Dr. Richard Webber, Seattle Grace's paternal, but no-nonsense chief of surgery. Grey's Anatomy focuses on young people struggling to be doctors and doctors struggling to stay human. It's the drama and intensity of medical training mixed with the funny, sexy, painful lives of interns who are about to discover that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey."

9-1-1

Season 8 Returns 26th September // Network: ABC // Medical

Official Synopsis: "Fast-paced exploration into the high-pressure experiences of police, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives."

9-1-1: Lone Star

Season 5 Returns 23rd September // Network: FOX // Action

Official Synopsis: "Nearly 20 years ago, Owen Strand was the lone survivor of his Manhattan firehouse on 9/11. In the wake of the attack, Owen had the unenviable task of rebuilding his station. After a similar tragedy happens to a firehouse in Austin, Owen, along with his troubled firefighter son, T.K., takes his progressive philosophies of life and firefighting down to Texas, where he helps them start anew. On the surface, Owen is all about big-city style and swagger, but underneath he struggles with a secret he hides from the world - one that could very well end his life. "

The Simpsons

Season 36 Returns 29th September // Network: FOX // Animation

Official Synopsis: "The Simpsons focuses on a family of five. There is the father, Homer, a dull-witted, alcoholic, lazy, but lovable man. He often gets his family into crazy situations but always manages to fix things. The mother, Marge, is a stay at home mom who keeps the family together. She is the ideal wife and mother though she can be a little naive at times. She always does what she thinks is best for her family. Next is Bart, the 10 year old boy who lives on playing pranks. He gets into a lot of trouble but is generally a good kid. Then there is the neglected middle child, Lisa. Lisa is the brain of the family and sometimes feels left out because of that. She is an outcast at school because of her talent. Finally there is Maggie the baby. Though she doesn't say much she is well known especially for her red pacifier."

Krapopolis

Season 2 Returns 29th September // Network: FOX // Animation

Official Synopsis: "In mythical ancient Greece, a flawed family of humans, gods, and monsters tries to run one of the world's first cities without killing each other."

Bob's Burgers

Season 15 Returns 29th September // Network: FOX // Animation

Official Synopsis: "Bob's Burgers follows a third-generation restaurateur, Bob, as he runs Bob's Burgers with the help of his wife and their three kids. Bob and his quirky family have big ideas about burgers, but fall short on service and sophistication. Despite the greasy counters, lousy location and a dearth of customers, Bob and his family are determined to make Bob's Burgers "grand re-re-re-opening" a success."