Fall marks the return of football season, classes and hopefully cooler weather, but for Cadenza, fall means new television shows. Take a look at some of the shows that premiere this fall that we are the most excited about and decide if you might block out an hour or two of your busy week to give them a chance.

“Fresh Off the Boat”

Channel: ABC

Premieres: TBD

“Fresh Off the Boat” is one of the newest comedy series premiering on ABC this fall. Taking place in the 1990s, the show chronicles the life of Eddie, an Asian-American teenager, as he and his family move to the suburbs of Orlando to open a restaurant. Its purpose is to demonstrate that though the immigrant experience can be tough, the “American Dream” is alive and well. It draws inspiration from the memoir of Eddie Huang, a prominent chef and food personality. The biography, which shares the title of the show, deals with his rise in the food industry while keeping his family’s immigrant heritage in perspective. The show’s starring roles don’t feature any big names, but Asian-Americans are seriously underrepresented in mainstream American media, and hopefully this show will help amend that. Nevertheless, “Fresh Off the Boat” hosts a number of up-and-coming actors, such as Randall Park, who plays a character named Louis. He has appeared on “The Mindy Project” and “The Office,” along with the films “Neighbors” and “Sex Tape.” The premiere date and time has yet to be disclosed, but keep your eyes peeled—this should be a good one. – Rima Parikh

“Black-ish”

Channel: ABC

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 8:30 p.m.

ABC’s other newest sitcom “Black-ish” focuses on an upper middle-class African-American family living in a predominantly white suburb. Andre “Dre” Johnson, played by Anthony Anderson, struggles to instill—and maintain—a distinctly black identity in his children. “Black-ish” uses humor and heart to illustrate the unique difficulties that go along with being a black face in a (mostly) white place. In addition to Anthony Anderson, the show also stars Tracee Ellis Ross (“Girlfriends”) as Rainbow Johnson, Yara Shahidi (“Imagine That”) as Zoey Johnson and Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”) as “Pops” Johnson. – June Jennings

“How to Get Away with Murder”

Channel: ABC

Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m.

In what has been hyped as Shonda Rhimes’ next smash hit, Tony award-winning actress Viola Davis stars as a criminal law professor who’s hiding some of her own illicit secrets. Her new students, though fresh-faced, aren’t all that innocent as they skirt and dodge the rules of ethics in order to gain a leg up in Davis’ course. Not much has been revealed about this new series, but the trailer, which ends with a few of the students setting a covered body aflame, makes it clear that the title doesn’t only refer to the drama inside a courtroom. The trailer is a sensory overload of intense sexual situations, bursts of anger and violence, and drawn-out emotional declarations; in short, all of Rhimes’ key dramatic elements that pop up time and again in her shows. It’s much too early to tell whether “How to Get Away with Murder” will be Rhimes’ latest success or just “Scandal” set in a law school, but, knowing her style, we’re bound to see some shocking twists even in the first few episodes. Tune in for those at least and decide for yourself if it’s something worth sticking around for. And when someone asks you what you’re watching, make sure to clarify that it’s a work of fiction: otherwise you might get some pretty strange looks. – Kimberly Henrickson

“Forever”

Channel: ABC

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.

Murder-mystery meets British accent meets kinky sex meets immortality in ABC’s upcoming cop drama “Forever,” starring Ioan Gruffudd as Dr. Henry Morgan, a medical examiner who studies corpses for the New York Police Department. Plot twist: he has been alive for over two centuries because every time he dies, he comes back to life, naked and in a body of water. However, even with the impressive speed and accuracy with which he determines the cause of death for numerous bodies every day, he has yet to uncover the mystery of his own infinite life. After his secret is leaked when a subway crashes and he is the lone survivor, he is quickly wrapped up in a murder case that could jeopardize thousands of New Yorkers’ lives. This sci-fi-esque detective show could prove a letdown if the real reason behind Dr. Morgan’s immortality is subpar, or it might fizzle from too many comments about the “timeless” moments in life that “never cease to amaze,” but we might give it a chance. – Erica Sloan

“Selfie”

Channel: ABC

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

Look up from that phone and stop scrolling through that newsfeed. Keep an eye out for “Selfie,” ABC’s newest romantic comedy, set to premiere on Sept. 30. Starring Karen Gillan (“Doctor Who”) and John Cho (“Harold & Kumar”), “Selfie” reenacts the timeless love story of “My Fair Lady,” but with a contemporary twist. Eliza Dooley (Gillian), a girl immersed in society’s unending array of social media, realizes that the 1,000 pixelated friends she has do not compare to the friends one has in the real world. Desperate for a media makeover, she looks to Henry Higenbottam (Cho), a self-image marketing expert, to clear her newsfeed and save her from the media she uses to fit in, define popularity and avoid the awkwardness she once knew. Despite his original refusal and speculation, Henry and Eliza begin a frustrating process of reconnecting to reality together.

Just as we tend to drown out this series’ message when we hear it from our own parents’ put-down-the-phone lectures, perhaps we should think twice before changing the channel away from “Selfie.” Throughout Eliza and Henry’s journey, sparks fly and the unlikely team becomes much more strongly connected than they would via any technology. Their unlikely bond may just make for a compelling story, despite Eliza’s annoying teenage-girl voice that constantly makes us cringe.

So on that Tuesday night when you’re sitting at your desk looking through your newsfeed, go find a TV or open up Hulu to watch the season premiere. The cliche just might make you smile, and that lecture you received a couple weeks back might just click. – Greer Russell

“Mulaney”

Channel: Fox

Premieres: Sunday, Oct. 5 at 8:30 p.m.

Right now, John Mulaney occupies a weird place in pop culture—he’s created one of the most beloved “Saturday Night Live” characters of the past decade (Bill Hader’s Stefon) and has earned himself a loyal following through his hilarious stand-up, but your average Joe still hasn’t heard of him. That’s probably about to change with the premiere of his new sitcom, “Mulaney.” Mulaney stars in this Fox comedy as, well, John Mulaney, an up-and-coming comedian living in New York. The fictionalized Mulaney works for game show host Lou Cannon (Martin Short, “Saturday Night Live”) and lives with two roommates, Jane (Nasim Pedrad, also of “Saturday Night Live”) and Motif (Seaton Smith). Rounding out the comedy-legend cast is Elliot Gould (“M*A*S*H,” “Friends”) playing wacky neighbor Oscar. The feel of the series seems to harken back to classic ’80s and ’90s sitcoms (and has received lots of comparisons to “Seinfeld”), but knowing Mulaney’s comedy chops, “Mulaney” will be anything but stale. – Katharine Jaruzelski

“Manhattan Love Story”

Channel: ABC

Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Coming to ABC this fall: a show that proves love comes in all forms, whether it’s desiring purses or ogling pregnant women’s breasts. In ABC’s “Manhattan Love Story,” Peter (Jake McDorman, “Greek”) is the stereotypical “player” and Dana (Analeigh Tipton, “Crazy, Stupid, Love”) is the stereotypical fashion-crazed New York woman. In the trailer, we watch them share a slow-motion seductive glance and realize they are our two lovebirds. They are set up on a blind date that begins with Peter watching Dana smell herself, continues with them talking more to themselves than to each other and ends with Dana crying as Peter reads her New York City bucket list.

“Manhattan Love Story” might be your kind of show if you enjoy “The Mindy Project,” “New Girl” and other shows featuring quirky individuals making life’s awkward moments even more…awkward. The show is basically a satire of the romance of New York City, which these two seem to make incredibly unromantic. Watch it if you want to feel better about your own uncomfortable first date moments. – Mindy Rosengarten

“Gotham”

Channel: Fox

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m.

“Gotham,” coming this fall to Fox, documents the origins and evolutions of Detective James Gordon and of Batman himself. In this series, we see Gordon as a young, optimistic detective and Bruce Wayne as a child. Ben McKenzie stars as the fledgling Gordon. McKenzie has played two memorable TV roles in the past decade: Ryan Atwood, a 16-year-old delinquent who is taken in by a wealthy family in “The O.C.,” and Ben Sherman, a rookie Los Angeles cop on TNT’s critically acclaimed crime drama “Southland.” Both characters had savior complexes and serious emotional issues— hopefully, Gordon will have an enticing complex as well. It will be captivating to see him play out the origin story of such an important character in one of America’s favorite superhero sagas. Directed by Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) and co-starring Jada Pinkett Smith, “Gotham” should be a must-see for all Batman fans. – Mike Figenshau

“The Mysteries of Laura”

Channel: NBC

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.

Debra Messing is back! After the cancellation of “Smash,” Messing returns to NBC, this time as a sassy and smart New York Police Department homicide detective who is trying to juggle it all. As a self-described “type-A” single mother of two, Laura Diamond (Messing) holds back for no one. In the trailer, we watch as she goes undercover to solve a crime, only to discover her boss is the prime suspect. While “The Mysteries of Laura” may sound a little similar to “Law and Order: SVU,”—middle-aged female homicide detective—this show promises more comedy and hopefully fewer creepy sex offenders, and is very aware of its status on NBC’s lineup, mocking the similarities between the two shows in the trailer. I’m hoping “The Mysteries of Laura” isn’t just a “can she do it all?” comedy, but manages to find a funny and fresh vibe amidst this season’s new shows. – Elena Wandzilak