The Most Anticipated Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror TV Shows of Fall 2023
From Chucky to SurrealEstate to Quantum Leap, there's a whole lot of genre goodness coming to a TV screen near you.
As the leaves fall and we crave spooky tales and award-worthy storytelling, the fall television season is shaping up to give genre fans plenty to appreciate. Whether you prefer a selection of horror anthologies, or science-centric procedurals, maybe some star-crossed supernatural romances or big IP sequels, there's absolutely a show for your particular genre tastes debuting from September through December.
With that in mind, SYFY WIRE presents our curated list of streaming, cable, and broadcast television shows featuring supernatural, horror, thriller, and fantasy premises. From Chucky to Loki, and everything in between, we can't wait to enthusiastically jump into all of them.
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Must-See Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror TV Shows of Fall 2023
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4 (September 7)
The "lower deckers" of the USS Cerritos return for a fourth season following the adventures of Ensigns Boimler (Jack Quaid), Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Tendi (Noël Wells) and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero). This season promises episodes celebrating Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and a mystery that will unfold throughout the 10 episodes.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (September 10)
The latest spin-off within The Walking Dead Universe has post-apocalyptic hunk Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) waking up in France, of all places. With no memory of how he got there, the quintessential lone wolf of the franchise will have to figure out how to traverse the walker-filled world of Europe without any of his found family. Both a mystery and a major expansion of the world, Daryl Dixon might be the fresh take on zombie storytelling that fans are looking for in a post The Last of Us series landscape.
American Horror Story: Delicate Part I (September 20)
Usually, each new season of American Horror Story arrives full of mystery. But this year we know the season is based on Danielle Valentine's book Delicate Condition, so the truly curious can cheat by reading the novel ahead of time. The premise has definite Rosemary's Baby vibes as AHS series veteran Emma Roberts plays an ambitious A-list actress who has to balance her desire to have a baby with her equal desire to win an Oscar. The series also features AHS newcomers Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne. On the leading man side, Matt Czuchry and Zachary Quinto are set to appear.
The Continental: From the World of John Wick (September 22)
Streamer: Peacock
John Wick fans get their own universe expansion with this period piece (set in the '70s) prequel miniseries that reveals how Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) — who is played by Ian McShane in the movies — came to be the proprietor of the New York branch of "The Continental" safe house. The three-night event promises to be just as edgy and brutal as its big screen cousin. And it's a nice mythology holdover until they decide the next steps with the film franchise.
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Gen V (September 29)
This spin-off of the hit series The Boys focuses on the next generation of Supes being brought up by Vought International at the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. The series will feature a fresh-faced cast led by Jaz Sinclair who plays blood bender, Marie Moreau. Expect a faculty full of Supe teachers including Clancy Brown and Jason Ritter, with some mentor cameos from A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) and Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles). Considering how screwed up those two guys are, we can only imagine the deranged education these future heroes are going to receive. It's definitely going to be the hard-R series of the season.
Found (October 3)
Streamer and Network: NBC and Peacock the next day
Think of Found as a hopeful procedural that follows Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton) and her crisis firm filled with misfits who help find the forgotten who have been reported missing in the U.S., then add a hidden dark side. A victim of child kidnapping herself, Gabi finds and captures her tormentor named Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and forcibly compels him to help her get into the minds of other predators. The reverse Silence of the Lambs vibes are calling to us.
Chucky Season 3 (October 4)
Streamer and Network: SYFY, USA Network, and Peacock the next day
Chucky rides again, and this time he's getting even more political as he infiltrates the White House. The tiny terror returns with his equally twisted sidekick, Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly), and recurring co-star Devon Sawa, who plays the President of the United States this time around. Creator Don Mancini proves over and over again that nothing is sacred in Chucky's world, so we can't wait to see how he shakes up the seats of power.
Quantum Leap Season 2 (October 4)
Streamer and Network: NBC and Peacock the next day
Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) left us on a cliffhanger at the end of Quantum Leap Season 1 when he didn't leap back to the present like everyone expected. Season 2 promises to reveal what exactly happened and how it will further impact his relationships with Addison (Caitlin Bassett), "Magic" Williams (Ernie Hudson), and his leap team in HQ. Look for genre actors Eliza Taylor (The 100) and Peter Gadiot (Yellowjackets) to join the fun as new series regulars.
SurrealEstate Season 2 (October 4)
Streamer and Network: SYFY
We were charmed by supernatural real estate agent Luke Roman (Tim Rozon) and The Roman Agency specialists in Season 1 of SurrealEstate. For those who love all things paranormal, this supernatural mystery procedural is all about a "haunting of the week" where Luke and his team are tasked with ridding special homes of their spooks, spirits, and poltergeists so the owners can settle in, or just sell their properties in good conscience. At the end of Season 1, Luke lost his powers, which means his telekinetic associate, Susan Ireland (Sarah Levy), and the rest of his staff have been holding down the fort while he spirals. Will he get his powers back? Are new interest rate hikes scarier than ghosts? We shall see.
Loki Season 2 (October 6)
The whole MCU multiverse is a confusing mess of alternate timelines and impending threats like Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). We can only hope that Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the trickster god, and his TVA sidekick, Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson), can finally make some sense of it all. Plus, there's that whole star-crossed romance between a betrayed Loki and his variant, Sylvia (Sophia Di Martino), that needs some resolution too. As one of the most watched Marvel Studios Disney+ series, there's a lot riding on Loki, the rare MCU sophomore season to top the first. But the addition of recent Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan (The Goonies) to the cast certainly sweetens the deal.
The Fall of the House of Usher (October 12)
Contemporary horror superstar Mike Flanagan returns with his latest adaptation of a horror classic, The Fall of the House of Usher. He brings back main faces in his evolving repertory company of actors including Carla Gugino, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, and Henry Thomas, along with new additions Mark Hamill, Carl Lumbly, and Mary McDonnell. Flanagan has a gift for reinventing family stories with contemporary twists, so we're looking forward to seeing his take on this dark Edgar Allan Poe tale.
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Creepshow Season 4 (October 13)
Greg Nicotero's reboot of the classic anthology series, Creepshow, returns for a fourth season with a whole new roster of horror talent behind and in front of the camera. While the episodes often range in terms of success, this series is perfect for the Halloween season and pulls no punches when it comes to catering to those horror fans who love plenty of blood and guts.
Shining Vale Season 2 (October 13)
One of the surprise horror-comedy delights of 2022, Shining Vale put the most dysfunctional family you can imagine inside a haunted house, and then we got to watch them all devolve. Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear are note perfect as Pat and Terry Phelps, long-time marrieds who are weathering infidelity, depression, and parenting two awful teens. In Season 1, they relocated to a suburban manor that literally drove Pat insane. In Season 2, the fractured family reunites with more problems and Mira Sorvino returning as a neighbor who looks an awful lot like the ghost who was plaguing Pat.
Wolf Like Me Season 2 (October 19)
Streamer: Peacock
The unconventional romance between widower Gary (Josh Gad) and werewolf Mary (Isla Fisher) gets more complicated in Season 2 of Wolf Like Me. Choosing to be a found family in the Season 1 finale, a newly pregnant Mary prepares for motherhood not knowing exactly what she's having, and hoping the murderous events in the Outback don't come back to haunt her.
Upload Season 3 (October 20)
The charming rom-com Upload returns with Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) freshly resurrected into a new body after escaping his digital afterlife, finally able to tell his handler, Nora Antony (Andy Allo), how he feels about her. The only problem is his new body is extremely experimental and might be a ticking time bomb. Their love story, along with the machinations of their wacky circle of friends who exist in both the real world and the digital afterlife of Lakeview, are sure to get tested some more. A romantic and very funny satire about the near future intersection of death and technology is unlike any other show out there.
Fear the Walking Dead Season 8B (October 22)
The end is nigh as the final block of Fear the Walking Dead episode will close out the stories of original series characters Madison Clark (Kim Dickens), Victor Strand (Colman Domingo), Daniel Salazar (Rubén Blades), and the expanded ensemble. In the mid-season finale, young Mo (Zoey Merchant) and Morgan (Lennie James) seemingly left the series to seek Rick Grimes at the Alexandria compound, leaving Madison and the kids to rebuild PADRE into the kind of place that could become a beacon for humanity. But what about Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey)? There's plenty of other stories to wrap up in the final six hours, and we're curious to see who makes it out alive.
The Irrational (October 25)
Streamer and Network: NBC and Peacock the next day
The Irrational poses science as a quasi-superpower as Behavioral Scientist Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin) uses his knowledge of human behavior to assist in solving high-stakes cases involving governments, law enforcement, and corporations. Mercer is a walking Psych 101 textbook who is always looking for the exceptional subject to test his knowledge of patterns to aid his understanding of humanity. Heady and fascinating.
American Horror Stories Season 3 (October 26)
The anthology returns for four new episodes just in time for Halloween. Previously, the series has been comprised of standalone stories featuring an array of familiar Ryan Murphy regulars. Nothing has leaked about Season 3 outside of it being filmed in New Jersey. Could it be a Jersey Devil centric season, or is New Jersey the villain? Knowing the outrageous inclinations of this series, we anxiously await the incoming insanity.
Invincible Season 2 (November 3)
The evolution of Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) coming into his own as a superhero continues in Season 2 of Invincible, the R-rated, animated series based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series of the same name. Way back in April 2021, the first season finale had Grayson squaring off against his morally reprehensible, superhero dad, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons). The kid got beat down, but he was able to get his father to abandon his mission to infiltrate Earth and then disappear. With the Viltrumite threat still strong and other threats seeded in the finale, we're curious if Season 2 will have much of a time jump or will pick right up where it left off. And will dear old dad return?
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (November 17)
Cartoonist Bryan Lee O'Malley's beloved Scott Pilgrim graphic novels are being revived as an anime series that reunites the entire live-action movie cast to reprise their roles, just voices-only this time around. Details about the 8-episode series are still vague. Is this a straight-remake? A continuation? A mix of both? Edgar Wright's live-action adaptation assembled an amazing cast who embodied their 2D counterparts perfectly, so this delayed exercise in extending the joy is very much welcomed.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (December 20)
Thirteen years after the original film adaptation, author Rick Riordan's beloved book about the Greek gods is getting remade with a new cast and story as a Disney+ streaming series. This time around, Walker Scobell stars as Percy Jackson, with Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri playing his best friends. Considering the films were underwhelming to both book readers and critics, a television series feels like a more appropriate medium to cover the intricacies of Riordan's books.
Prep for the fall TV season by catching up on prior seasons of Wolf Like Me, SurrealEstate, Chucky, Quantum Leap, and more great TV shows now on Peacock.