New and Returning Broadcast Shows to Watch September 2022 – Part 2

The back half of September is packed with new and returning content. Here’s the last seven of fifteen series we’re looking forward to:

The Rookie (September 25, ABC) – Season 5

Being the oldest rookie on the force by a couple decades (at least) couldn’t hold John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) down for long. His optimism and determination has shown that life experience may be more valuable (or at least just as valuable) as someone young who just follows orders and does what they’re told.

La Brea (September 27, NBC) – Season 2

Sinkholes in LA tear a family apart as half the family ends up falling through the sinkhole and into the past. Can they figure out what’s going on and reunite? Not since Manifest premiered have I felt as invested in a “big mystery” show – they tend to either start big and peter out or move so slowly that no one cares – but so far this series has managed to hold my interest.

The Rookie: Feds (September 27, ABC) – Season 1

A spinoff of The Rookie, the FBI is about to get an “elderly” recruit of its own. Whether Niecy Nash, playing Simone Clark, will be as charming as Fillion remains to be seen, and a lot hinges on her performance.

Call Me Kat (September 29, Fox) – Season 3

Kat’s Cat Café is filled with more than just cats with adorably pun-ny names (Neil Catrick Harris is a particular favorite). In fact, the cats are mostly a side note. The focus is on Kat (Mayim Bialik), her friends/employees Phil and Randi, her mother Sheila, and her various crushes, most notably Max. The shows’ strengths is in the way that it addresses singledom (is being a cat lady really so terrible?) and self-confidence (Bialik is no a classic Hollywood beauty and her characters’ insecurities feel more believable for it).

Ghosts (September 29, CBS) – Season 2

Starring Rose McIver and UTK as Samantha and Jay, this series follows a couple that inherits a a property that they plan to turn into a B&B. Their plans become a little more complicated when an accidents leads Samantha to discover what the rest of us already know – the property is teeming with ghosts. The ghosts can’t leave the property and haven’t managed to be “sucked off” (aka moved on). The successor of The Good Place, this was probably the best new comedy in at least a few years.

So Help Me Todd (September 29, CBS) – Season 1

Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden) hires her laid-back son Todd (Skylar Astin) to be the in-house investigator for her law firm. Mother and son are polar opposites – where Todd views the law as flexible, Margaret lives life strictly by the books – so you can see why this would be a good idea. The cast alone would have made me check this out, but it also looks great.

Welcome to Flatch (September 29, Fox) – Season 2

In the vein of Parks & Rec, The Office, and other mockumentary comedies, Welcome to Flatch follows a handful of people in the small town of Flatch. Like Pawnee, the town’s denizens are all over the place in their opinions, behavior, and desires, but rather than be the side characters, the citizens are the focus. They have done a good hob of fleshing out various personalities over the first season, but it’s slow pace can sometimes make the show feel a little meandering.

From these returning shows, I’d have to pick Ghosts as the one I’m most excited for. Each ghost on the series has a unique story and personality that makes them a delight, not to mention the joy that is UTK trying to talk to the ghosts he can’t see or hear. La Brea is a close second, mostly because I’m hopeful that season one will manage to build on the story in a way so many similar shows have struggled before it. From the new shows, I’d have to pick So Help Me Todd because it looks fun and the cast is great.

If you missed it, check out New and Returning Broadcast Shows to Watch September 2022 – Part 1.

Photo: Sam, Jay, and the ghosts in CBS’s Ghosts. Courtesy of CBS Entertainment.