The Wenches' Guide to the New TV Season

The new TV season is getting ready to start, with a whole slew of our favorite shows slated to premiere in the next month or so. And we think that TV has gotten fantastic in the last few years, as evidenced by all of the shows that we are eagerly looking forward to returning. And we're not even going to have room to cover all of the new shows we can't wait to check out!

So come with us as we take a look at all of the fantastic shows that will be battling our TBRs soon as the new TV season gets underway!


Castle is hands down one of the consistently BEST written shows on TV right now. It has never let me down in any way. It offers the viewer a little bit of EVERYTHING. Fun, comedy (trust me, LOTS of laughs), witty banter, insane chemistry, romance, the slow burn, bromances, tears, mystery--everything. The season 6 finale might not have been my favorite Castle finale (that blue ribbon goes to season 4.... sigh) but I cannot WAIT for season 7 and more Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Seamus Dever, Jon Huertas and Susan Sullivan! (One of the best casts ever) And I know I'm not the only one. In case you're new to the Castle-verse, here's a great promo! Ah Castle, love your overactive imagination.

The Walking Dead stresses me out more than any other show I'm watching right now, but God! It's also one of the best shows on TV! I NEEEED to know what happens to Rick, Daryl, Michonne and the gang. The stakes haven't been this high for a while and I am GENUINELY worried. Gotta give it to the writers for having such a solid Zombie show going for this long and still have a ginormous fan base. I shall be biting my nails and waiting for the first new episode! The promo for the next season has me freaking out!

Benedict Cumberbatch is a great Sherlock, and the BBC version is great (Moffat's writing sometimes leaves me with an eye tic...but whatever). But to me, Elementary is a far more realistic portrayal of a modern day Sherlock, And the healthiest version of the Sherlock/Watson relationship on screen so far. Not to mention, I love the diversity on the show! (And, hands down, BEST Moriarty ever)

The premiere I'm most excited about, hands-down, is Supernatural. Mostly because I am unhealthily obsessed with it. But, even if I weren't, they ended on an enormous cliffhanger last season. So, I am DYING to see the new season and find out where they are going with this monstrous change. It's a rare show that not only gets to a tenth season, but is actually getting better in their tenth season. Supernatural is that show. After a little bit of a stumble a few season back, they have come back with a vengeance. The amazing and snarky Mark Sheppard is also a newly promoted series regular. So, now we get more Crowley, which is a great plus in my book. I'm still hoping for the Dean/Crowley buddy comedy the fans were so desperate for after Crowley declared himself and Dean "besties". Even if I don't get that, I am impatiently awaiting the return of Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Crowley to my screen. October 7th can't get here soon enough.

Oh, Parenthood. I don't know if I should be excited for your return, or if I should be dreading it. Let me be clear, I adore Parenthood with every fiber of my being. This is one of the best shows on TV right now, and an appalling number of people are not watching it. The reason I'm considering dreading the return of Parenthood is this show turns me (and everyone not made of stone) into an emotional basket case. This show, along with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, is a guaranteed sob fest almost every episode. And, that's in a normal season. This is their FINAL season. There have already been hints and minor spoilers released that confirm this just might be the most emotional season yet. So, while I am ecstatic that Parenthood is returning very soon, I am also a little apprehensive about what emotional torture they are going to inflict on us this year.

I am anxiously awaiting the return of The Newsroom on HBO, yet dreading that it will be the final season. Jeff Daniels plays cable TV news network anchor Will McAvoy, who decides he’s tired of selling out and starts telling people the “real news” rather than the sanitized or sensationalized spin offered by other newscasters. He has a high-octane producer (and former flame) to wrangle with and an eager if not-entirely-well-seasoned team of reporters backing him up. I’m rather a fan of impassioned speeches for underdog causes—James Spader’s eloquent closing statements in Boston Legal, for example—and The Newsroom features many. Will McAvoy can be quite stirring (and scandalous for the network) when he denounces what he sees as the latest mass delusion or intentional misrepresentation. Powerhouse Jane Fonda occasionally shows up to chew scenery as the owner of the network, and I’ve grown to like most of the side characters. The story is set a few months in our past, so the characters don’t know the outcome of the news events they are struggling to report, but the audience does. When we last saw some of my favorite characters, things were in total flux, so I’m anxious to see where they pick up. The intriguingly minimalist trailer they just released for the show is unsettling, to say the least. 

Unfortunately, Jessica Lange has announced that the upcoming season of American Horror Story: Freak Show will be her last. Each season uses many of the same cast members to play completely different characters and tell completely different stories set in various time periods and locations—so far each story has been utterly unpredictable and pretty darn scary (and campy, that last season). Jessica Lange gets to display a huge range of emotions to perfection and be nominated for (and often win) an Emmy every season, and other cast members are also fabulous, frequent Emmy nominees. The story for the upcoming season centers around a 1950s traveling circus sideshow. Returning cast members also include Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Denis O’Hare, Evan Peters, and Sarah Paulson, with Michael Chiklis and Matt Bomer joining them. Some of the early promos are quite disturbing, and returning cast member Emma Roberts says the scripts gave her nightmares. Then again, it wouldn’t be American Horror Story if it weren’t horrifying on several levels. I might be watching this season with my eyes closed, but I can’t wait to see the story they’ve come up with. I enjoy the twists and turns, and being mesmerized by the unpredictable directions in which each season’s story evolves. 

 

September 9 will mark the beginning of the final ride of one of my most favorite shows: Sons of Anarchy’s season 7. I am practically holding my breath waiting to watch the consequences of that awful ending from last season, anxious for the characters I love, and apprehensively curious over the way (show creator) Kurt Sutter will mind fuck us to the end of the season. I just know the end will be hard to handle. But that’s one of the things I love about this show. Can’t wait!!!

 
The Originals wound up being so much better than the show from which it spun off! Klaus remains one of my favorite characters in anything, and he's surrounded by a terrific cast, playing out jaw-dropping stories, in one of my favorite places in the world, New Orleans. At the end of season one, the Mikaelsons and their allies suffered some setbacks, but it was clear that the war was far from over. I cannot wait to see our favorite original vampires doing what they do best--revenge.

Arrow's Season 2 ended with our hero, Oliver Queen having no money, no job and his sister extremely angry with him. Luckily he still has the essential Team Arrow on board: John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. Plus Roy Harper tagging along for the ride. Some exciting points to keep a eye on this season. Oliver and Felicity have a date, however you can be assured it won't go smoothly. The new character Ray Palmer played by Brandon Routh might be an obstacle to there really being anything between Oliver and Felicity this season romantically. Also it's about time Felicity had some action. Hong Kong flashbacks. How the hell did Oliver not spend five years on a hellish island? What the hell was he doing in Hong Kong? How did he not escape and lastly how did he end up back on the island? So many questions need to be answered. Also Thea Queen and Malcolm Merlyn are bound to be up to no good. They are bound to be a thorn in Oliver's side throughout the season. The Arrow is now a hero in Starling City, but can he remain so and what forces will be out to get him this season. Can't wait to see how it plays out over the season. Premiere is October 8th 2014 on the CW Network.

 As we told you, we were blown away by the Once Upon A Time season finale, so it's no surprise we can't wait to get back to Storybrooke. We can't wait to see Captain Swan....well anything Captain Swan. But also we're looking forward to the fallout from Emma bringing Marian to the present, Rumple's lying about what happened to Zelena, and of course, the new baddie in town. We may have to watch that finale another time or two before the premiere. Just to be sure we saw it all. 

A loyal Big Bang Theory fan from the get go I look forward to seeing them return to the small screen, especially after Jim Parsons's win at the Emmies. I cannot wait to watch the story lines unfold, from Leonard and Penny now being engaged to what will happen next with Sheldon and Amy. These characters are dear to me and I cannot wait for a season of laughter.

The Mindy Project is just a great sit-com.  If you like that kind of thing. And we do. We really, really do. We love the ridiculous situations, the cast's hilarious personality quirks, the great costuming, the homages to other genres and media. And we freaking adored Mindy and Danny finally getting their shit together in the season two finale. We can't wait to see the delightful train wreck these two will be together, and we're looking forward to laughing our asses off. Soon! This one premieres next week! Woo hoo!

Sleepy Hollow was the first show picked up at the beginning of the 2013-14 season, for good reason. It was cuckoobananas crazy fantasy fun! Tons of people tuned in, and stayed tuned in for the all-too-brief thirteen episodes because the cast was brilliant, and diverse, something we see all too rarely on TV these days. The plotlines weaved from episode to episode, building to a shocking finale and a scream-at-your-TV cliffhanger. It's been a looooong time since season one ended, and we are DYING for this premiere!

There you have some of our most anticipated returning shows of the 2014-15 season. Did we mention your favorite, Saucy Reader? Is there something else we should be watching? Share your thoughts in the comments below.