Fall TV: Dramas We're Tuning In For

Sons of Anarchy

Season Premiere: Sept. 11, 10 p.m., FX
Showrunner: Kurt Sutter
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, Ron Perlman
What to expect this season: In the season 5 premiere, we'll learn that Jax (Hunnam) has a potential friend in Jimmy Smits' former gangbanger Nero Padilla (who makes a memorable entrance with Sagal's Gemma), and a definite enemy in Harold Perrineau's Damon Pope, the pissed-off father of the young woman who Tig (Kim Coates) mistakenly killed in retaliation for Clay's shooting.
Coates says: ''There are certain times when you don't want to see or talk to someone before acting certain moments because it really does add to whatever it is you're trying to create. I think Harold and I both went there [for our characters' introduction] without even intentionally doing so. In the van driving to set, I didn't want to look at him and he didn't want to look at me. We stayed away from each other on the set. Then we just let the emotions come out.'' —Mandi Bierly

Parenthood

Season Premiere: Sept. 11, 10 p.m., NBC
Showrunner: Jason Katims
Stars: Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson
What to expect this season: Crosby (Shepard) and Jasmine (Joy Bryant) dive into marriage, Amber (Mae Whitman) goes to work at Crosby and Adam's (Krause) studio, and Ray Romano guests as a photographer who's interested in Sarah (Graham).
Katims says: ''I don't know what the future holds, but creatively I feel like we have lots of stories to tell. Neither the writers nor directors feel like, 'Oh, we're just repeating ourselves.' It's an exciting show to do because we keep finding new territory to cover.'' —Rob Brunner

Boardwalk Empire

Season Premiere: Sept. 16, 9 p.m., HBO
Showrunner: Terence Winter
Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon
What to expect this season: New characters. We'll meet Department of Justice agent Gaston Means (Stephen Root), Italian-born bootlegger Gyp Rosetti (Bobby Cannavale), and bubbly flapper Billy Kent (Meg Chambers Steedle).
Winter says: ''This was the beginning of the flapper era, when young people really started to drink and the era started to change. In terms of our characters, I wanted to see where Nucky is psychologically after what happened with him and Jimmy. Dealing with that psychologically is tamped down by some very excessive behavior on Nucky's part.'' —Melissa Maerz

Revolution

Series Premiere: Sept. 17, 10 p.m., NBC
Showrunner: Eric Kripke
Stars: Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Mitchell
What it's about: In a near-future America reclaimed by nature after a mysterious event robs the world of electrical power, a Katniss-esque heroine (Spiridakos) — aided by her Han Solo-esque uncle (Burke) — goes on a quest to save her brother, who's been kidnapped by a menacing militia that may be linked to her MIA mother (Mitchell).
Executive Producer J.J. Abrams says: ''Everyone describes it as 'post-apocalyptic,' which has such a dark connotation, but that's not our show at all. It's more optimistic. It's about rebirth. It's a Lord of the Rings quest, in a world as medieval as it is modern.'' —Jeff Jensen

Bones

Season Premiere: Sept. 17, 8 p.m., Fox
Showrunner: Hart Hanson
Stars: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz
What to expect this season: The season 8 premiere is about getting Brennan (Deschanel), who's been on the run for three months with daughter Christine after she was framed for murder by serial killer/hacker Christopher Pelant (Andrew Leeds), back with Booth. Pelant, however, will ''hover'' over the season, appearing in at least four episodes, Hanson says, giving the show a slightly darker tone than in recent years. Around the season's fifth episode, we'll start seeing another lover story develop: Cam's (Tamara Taylor) surprise relationship with someone we already know.
Hanson says: ''We thought we should service [Cam] so she's more than Michelle's mom. And the minute you start thinking, 'Well, who should she be involved with??' If it's a guest star, somebody who just shows up every once in a while, then it won't happen: Who are you going to cast? What are the stories? They're completely separate from the crime unless she's involved with someone from the crimefighting team. Once I figured that out, I knew instantly who it should be. We'll see if America agrees.'' —Mandi Bierly

The Mob Doctor

Series Premiere: Sept. 17, 9 p.m., Fox
Showrunner: Rob Wright
Stars: Jordana Spiro, William Forsythe, Zach Gilford
What it's about: In an effort to save her brother's life, a doctor (Spiro) makes a deal with the Chicago mob that puts her career — and sanity — at risk.
Spiro says: ''Every episode is going to be dealing with a conflict that's going to challenge where her moral ground is.'' —Nuzhat Naoreen

Treme

Season Premiere: Sept. 23, 10 p.m., HBO
Showrunner: David Simon
Stars: Khandi Alexander, Wendell Pierce, Clarke Peters, Steve Zahn, Kim Dickens, Jon Seda
What to expect this season: The new season picks up two years after Hurricane Katrina, a time when government money started flowing into the devastated city?and found itself ending up in all the wrong places. The individuals that comprise the show's sprawling cast all find themselves dealing with changes. Antoine (Pierce) begins focusing more of his energies on his musical teaching job; Janette (Dickens) ponders a return to New Orleans; and new cast member Chris Coy plays a reporter investigating police corruption.
Pierce says: ''When [Katrina] happened, people pulled together: 'Come What May, I'm not gonna let you drown, where's your family?' People reached out, difficult as it was. This time was more: 'Okay, the floodwaters are gone, but there are people [arriving] who do not have our best interest at heart.' It was a dangerous time, when you start to look at people in power abusing that power.'' —Darren Franich

Castle

Season Premiere: Sept. 24, 10 p.m., ABC
Showrunner: Andrew Marlowe
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic
What to expect this season: With our ''will they or won't they?'' question put to bed — literally — expect an answer to our new burning question: What are Castle and Beckett like in a relationship?
Katic says: ''Sometimes when two characters get together, the tensions dissipate, but I think there is little chance of that happening here. We have so much exploration, discovery, and comedy to mine from them, as well as from the rest of the characters — how they deal with this new circumstance, and how this changes and affects the dynamics of all the relationships.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Hawaii Five-0

Season Premiere: Sept. 24, 10 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Peter Lenkov
Stars: Alex O'Loughin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park
What to expect this season: Christine Lahti guest stars as McGarrett's (O'Loughlin) long lost mom and flashback scenes show Danno (Caan) back on the mainland as a happy New Jersey cop.
Lenkov says: ''The most important thing for McGarrett is trust. Does he trust [his mother]? She's been gone for 20 years.'' —Lynette Rice

NCIS

Season Premiere: Sept. 25, 8 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Gary Glasberg
Stars: Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen, Mark Harmon, David McCallum, Sean Murray, Cote de Pablo, Pauley Perrette, Michael Weatherly
What to expect this season: Palmer (Dietzen) will rise to the occasion after Ducky's (McCallum) heart attack, Gibbs (Harmon) will launch a wild search for the man responsible for last year's explosion, and we'll see exactly what happened after Tony (Weatherly) and Ziva (de Pablo) were stuck in an elevator together.
Glasberg says: ''We're definitely going to have a little more fun with the Tony/Ziva stuff this season.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Private Practice

Season Premiere: Sept. 25, 10 p.m., ABC
Showrunners: Craig Turk, Steve Blackman
Stars: Kate Walsh, Benjamin Bratt, Paul Adelstein, KaDee Strickland, Taye Diggs, Amy Brenneman, Caterina Scorsone, Brian Benben, Griffin Gluck
What to expect this season: Addison (Walsh) makes her choice between hot-and-cold neighbor Sam (Diggs) and fertility doctor Jake (Bratt), as the drama says goodbye to its lead character after 13 more episodes.
Walsh says: ''The stakes are super-high in every episode. We're not going to the moon, but we're doing things that are totally in line with would be realistic for these characters. The show has gotten stronger and stronger every season, including this one.'' —Tanner Stransky

NCIS: Los Angeles

Season Premiere: Sept. 25, 9 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Shane Brennon
Stars: Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J
What to expect this season: Cullen (O'Donnell) is out of custody, but in the dog house with Sam (Cool J). And get ready for the mom brigade! The exec producer invited the moms of O'Donnell, Daniela Ruah (Kensi), Cool J, and Eric Christian Olsen (Marty) to perform cameo roles.
Brennon says: ''[The pilot] really delivers right across the board. It will come down to the last four minutes where we reveal the future of these characters.'' —Lynette Rice

Vegas

Series Premiere: Sept. 25, 10 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Greg Walker
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss
What it's about: Quaid plays real-life Las Vegas lawdog Ralph Lamb, who went from ranching cattle to playing sheriff to a '60s era Sin City that was home to mobsters like Vincent Savino (Chiklis).
Walker says: ''I don't think Lamb or Savino want each other around but they have to be tactful on how they approach each other because it would be worse if another sheriff came out, or another mobster worse than Savino.'' —Lynette Rice

CSI

Season Premiere: Sept. 26, 10 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Carol Mendelsohn
Stars: Ted Danson, Elisabeth Shue, Jorja Fox, George Eads
What to expect this season: Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) will finally make peace with her father and Nick's (Eads) decision to declare ''I quit'' in front of Sara (Fox), and Greg (Eric Szmanda) will have a ripple effect on the team.
Mendelsohn says: ''We have our team and cast intact. Creatively, it's very exciting to now take Ted and Elisabeth and Jorja and George and craft great stories and not worry about having to say goodbye midseason to someone!'' —Lynette Rice

Criminal Minds

Season Premiere: Sept. 26, 9 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Erica Messer
Stars: A.J. Cook, Thomas Gibson, Matthew Gray Gubler, Joe Mantegna, Shemar Moore, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kirsten Vangsness
What to expect this season: The introduction of Tripplehorn as the BAU's newest agent, a love interest for Gubler's Reid, the return of Hotch's (Gibson) brother, and a season-long bad guy who will be introduced earlier on in the season who replicates crimes of the past.
Messer says: ''The idea of this UnSub is introduced in the premiere and will haunt us a few times throughout the year.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Law & Order: SVU

Season Premiere: Sept. 26, 9 p.m., NBC
Showrunner: Warren Leight
Stars: Mariska Hargitay, Dann Florek, Danny Pino, Kelli Giddish
What to expect this season: The investigation into the dead hooker that turned up in Capt. Cragen's (Florek) bed at the end of last season's finale forces Cragen to take leave, and the SVU deck is effectively shuffled. Olivia (Hargitay) must confront suspicions about her father figure, Amaro (Pino) continues to deal with home drama, and new faces — including a substitute captain played by Adam Baldwin and the D.A.'s answer to an Internal Affairs investigator (Paget Brewster) — create extra instability and doubt.
Hargitay says: ''Olivia...is like a lioness. She's a protector. She'll do anything for the people she's trying to protect.'' —Lanford Beard

Elementary

Series Premiere: Sept. 27, 10 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Rob Doherty
Stars: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu
What it's about: Sherlock Holmes (Miller) solves cases in New York City with the help from his sober companion/roommate, Joan Watson (Liu).
Liu says: ''There is an absolute chemistry between [Sherlock and Watson] that is undeniable but it doesn't mean they're going to end up in bed together.'' —Nuzhat Naoreen

Person of Interest

Season Premiere: Sept. 27, 9 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Jonathan Nolan
Stars: Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson
What to expect this season: Picking up where last season left off, Finch (Emerson) has been kidnapped by Root (Amy Acker).
Emerson says: ''He's on the road with a mad woman.'' —Melissa Maerz

Grey's Anatomy

Season Premiere: Sept. 27, 9 p.m., ABC
Showrunner: Shonda Rhimes
Stars: Jessica Capshaw, Justin Chambers, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Sarah Drew, Kevin McKidd, Sandra Oh, James Pickens, Jr., Ellen Pompeo, Sara Ramirez, Jesse Williams, Chandra Wilson
What to expect this season: A flash forward (which you'll see in episode 1) and then a flashback in episode 2, which will return viewers to the scene of the horrific crash that could take the life of another member. Our money is on exiting cast member Eric Dane.
Rhimes says: ''I love Eric, and Eric and I have been working together for a very long time so [his departure] was bittersweet.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Scandal

Season Premiere: Sept. 27, 10 p.m., ABC
Showrunner: Shonda Rhimes
Stars: Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Katie Lowes
What to expect this season: The answer to ''Who is Quinn Perkins'' (Lowes) and a lot of inter-office drama as the gang at Olivia Pope (Washington) and her associates struggle with loyalties. Plus, more heated moments with the President (Goldwyn).
Washington says: ''This [Quinn question] is a very public crisis with one of our own — and that makes things different.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Last Resort

Series Premiere: Sept. 27, 8 p.m., ABC
Showrunner: Shawn Ryan
Stars: Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, Robert Patrick
What it's about: After a rogue submarine crew defies orders to start a nuclear war, they find themselves hunted by the U.S. Navy.
Ryan says: ''A lot of people still think there can't be women on submarines. A couple people we pitched this to were like, 'Oh, so you're going to have a show without any women on it?''' —James Hibberd

Fringe

Season Premiere: Sept. 28, 9 p.m., Fox
Showrunner: J.H. Wyman
Stars: Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble
What to expect this season: The 13-episode final season of the cult fave is set in the year 2039, where time-traveling Observers from the distant future now rule the Earth. Former weird science investigators Olivia Dunham (Torv) and Peter (Jackson) and Walter Bishop (Noble) are now freedom fighters who must find some way to purge the planet of these pasty-skinned (if dashingly dressed) oppressors.
Jackson says: ''Just from a geek standpoint, going to the future and telling the Observers' story is super-cool. From an actor's standpoint, it's been a much easier year to wrap your head around, because we know where the story is going. There's going to be some knock-your-socks-off reveals.'' —Jeff Jensen

CSI: NY

Season Premiere: Sept. 28, 8 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Pam Veasey
Stars: Gary Sinise, Sela Ward
What to expect this season: Rob Morrow guest stars as a serial arsonist, and the effects of the gunshot wound that Mac (Sinise) endured while investigating a series of bank robberies will come back to haunt him.
Veasey says: ''There is a certain amount of trauma and questions about [Mac's] mental state.'' —Lynette Rice

Blue Bloods

Season Premiere: Sept. 28, 10 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Ed Zuckerman
Stars: Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan
What to expect this season: Jamie (Will Estes) will get a new partner who's from the projects, while Danny's (Wahlberg) wife, Linda (Amy Carlson), heads back to work as an ER nurse.
Executive Producer Kevin Wade says: ''One thing we look for on this show is using New York. I don't just mean the skyscrapers and the pretty part of it, but the fact that it is a melting pot. We want to investigate all of New York, not just the usual television New York.'' —Rob Brunner

Made in Jersey

Series Premiere: Sept. 28, 9 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Kevin Falls
Stars: Janet Montgomery, Kyle McLachlan, Donna Murphy
What it's about: High-haired, big-hearted lawyer Martina Garretti (Montgomery) juggles life in her native New Jersey home with a job at a high-powered New York law firm.
Falls says: ''We talk about the 'Jersey superpowers' that she has because this character has to bring something unique to the show that you don't see elsewhere. The idea that she's from this family and from this blue-collar state, it helps her crack cases. She has this unique point of view that she brings to everything that she does. It gives her a leg up. It's a newly wrapped version of street smarts and in this case just happens to be a Jersey girl.'' —Lanford Beard

Homeland

Season Premiere: Sept. 30, 10 p.m., Showtime
Showrunners: Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa
Stars: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin
What to expect this season: Season 2 picks up six months later with Brody (Lewis) considering a major run in politics and Carrie (Danes) reluctantly being pulled back into helping the CIA.
Gansa says: ''I think largely [season 2] is a Carrie question. It's a question of her maturing into a woman. She has a bunch of really unresolved issues, in terms of her career, in terms of her romantic life.'' —Tim Stack

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The Mentalist

Season Premiere: Sept. 30, 10 p.m., CBS
Showrunner: Bruno Heller
Stars: Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman, Amanda Righetti
What to expect this season: New time slot, renewed emphasis on Red John, the elusive serial killer who murdered the family of super-sleuth scammer-turned-Sherlock, Patrick Jane (Baker). After bedding and then nabbing Red John zealot Lorelai Martins (Emmanuelle Chriqui) in last spring's season finale, Jane must now work his magic to get her to cooperate — which might include more romance, much to the chagrin of Agent Lisbon (Tunney). Other complications: A trio of FBI agents (led by Rome's Polly Walker) become (unwanted) partners in chasing John; a young woman who claims to be Jane's daughter; and by mid-season, the return of Malcolm McDowell's menacing, powerful cult leader, Brett Stiles.
Heller says: ''By mid-season, you'll get several significant revelations [about Red John], and by the end of the season, it will have moved forward several large steps.'' —Jeff Jensen

Dexter

Season Premiere: Sept. 30, 9 p.m., Showtime
Showrunner: Scott Buck
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter
What to expect this season: Deb (Carpenter) knows her brother (Hall) is a serial killer. Now what?
Buck says: ''His whole life Dexter has had this secret and there's always been a side of him that would love to unload it. But any time anybody has come close it's ended horribly. This changes everything for him.'' —James Hibberd

Once Upon a Time

Season Premiere: Sept. 30, 8 p.m., ABC
Showrunners: Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla
What to expect this season: The curse is broken and the Evil Queen (Parilla) has some explaining to do.
Morrison says: ''Every episode in season 2 so far feels like a premiere or a finale.'' —James Hibberd

The Good Wife

Season Premiere: Sept. 30, 9 p.m., CBS
Showrunners: Robert and Michelle King
Stars: Julianna Margulies, Archie Panjabi, Chris Noth
What to expect this season: The firm's financial troubles continue, as Alicia (Margulies), Peter (Noth), and Eli (Alan Cumming) navigate Peter's tricky gubernatorial campaign and Kalinda (Panjabi) gets thrown off her game by the resurfacing of her sexy, dangerous, domineering husband Nick (Marc Warren).
Panjabi says: ''One of the interesting things that Robert King has said is, 'This year, it's almost like you're going to discover whether Kalinda has been or was the Good Wife.' You definitely see a different side to her, and [Nick] knows what buttons to press. I'm a little bit nervous for her, but I think you'll just learn a lot more about why she is the way she is. A lot of it, you find, goes back to her relationship with him, and why she left him.'' —Mandi Bierly

Call the Midwife

Series Premiere: Sept. 30, PBS
Showrunner: Pippa Harris
Stars: Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Vanessa Redgrave (narrator)
What it's about: A period drama about midwifes in 1950s East London.
Harris says: ''Vanessa Redgrave's grandson, Luke Redgrave, was our camera operator and he was the one who said, 'Oh, yes, you should send her the script.''' —Jessica Shaw

666 Park Avenue

Series Premiere: Sept. 30, 10 p.m., ABC
Showrunner: David Wilcox
Stars: Vanessa Williams, Terry O'Quinn, Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor
What it's about: A couple (Annable and Taylor) gets a job managing a fancy Manhattan building, only to figure out it might have some links to the dark side, in the form of the building owner (O'Quinn).
Williams says: ''This was the strongest script that I read out of all the pilots, and basically when I heard Terry O'Quinn was on board, that was kind of a go for me.'' —Jessica Shaw

Supernatural

Season Premiere: Oct. 3, 9 p.m., The CW
Showrunner: Jeremy Carver
Stars: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki
What to expect this season: A love interest for Sam (Padalecki), Dean (Ackles) earning his Ph.D. in secret-keeping after returning from Purgatory, and the search for a mysterious power source.
Carver says: ''[Dean's secret is] something that will hopefully uncork knowledge about our Supernatural universe in this season and beyond.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Gossip Girl

Season Premiere: Oct. 8, 9 p.m., The CW
Showrunners: Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage
Stars: Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick
What to expect this season: For the soap's final season, Serena (Lively) has gone MIA, and Dan (Badgley) has written a new book.
Savage says: ''[Dan's book is] called Inside Out. It's kind of equal opportunity [offensive], but there's one surprising person that gets especially brutalized.'' —Tim Stack

90210

Season Premiere: Oct. 8, 8 p.m., The CW
Showrunners: Patti Carr, Lara Olsen
Stars: Shenae Grimes, Tristian Wilds, AnnaLynne McCord, Jessica Stroup, Michael Steger, Jessica Lowndes, Matt Lanter
What to expect this season: Things pick up right where they left off, cluing viewers in on the fate of Dixon (Wilds), how Naomi's (McCord) relationship with Max (Josh Zuckerman) is shaping up, and whether Teddy (Trevor Donovan) has agreed to father Silver's (Stroup) baby.
Olsen says: ''We do answer things, and we do get the kind of resolution that really launches a lot more to come. Our answer to what we left off with creates an even bigger situation.'' —Tanner Stransky

Nashville

Series Premiere: Oct. 10, 10 p.m., ABC
Showrunner: Callie Khouri
Stars: Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere
What it's about: Fading country legend Rayna James (Britton) gets an offer to open for feisty young starlet Juliette Barnes (Panettiere) on tour.
Britton says: ''Some of the strongest women are from the South.'' —Melissa Maerz

Arrow

Series Premiere: Oct. 10, 8 p.m., The CW
Showrunners: Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg
Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy
What it's about: A wealthy young crime fighter (Amell) hunts bad guys with pointy sticks.
Amell says: ''[''Firing'' arrows that will later be added in through CGI is] harder in some ways. In Ted, if they could have actually had a talking bear it probably would have been easier for the actors.'' —James Hibberd

Chicago Fire

Series Premiere: Oct. 10, 10 p.m., NBC
Showrunner: Matt Olmstead
Stars: Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney
What it's about: The story primarily focuses on the fractured friendship between the Spencer and Kinney characters, a feud that stems from the death of a friend and colleague. But between the gaggles of firefighters, paramedics, and danger, expect a lot more drama.
Executive producer Dick Wolf says: ''It's not a prime-time soap. It's a workplace show — but a lot of these stories are going to intersect.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

The Vampire Diaries

Season Premiere: Oct. 11, 8 p.m., The CW
Showrunner: Julie Plec
Stars: Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley
What to expect this season: The Salvatore Brothers (Somerhalder's Damon and Wesley's Stefan) will disagree over whether ultra sensitive new vampire Elena (Dobrev) could handle hurting a human, but come episode 2, they'll have an additional worry: the arrival of a vampire hunter (Todd Williams) with an enigmatic origin story that piques the interest of Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and figures into the larger mythology for season 4. After deciding to hang around Mystic Falls while he investigates the mysterious vampire hunter, Klaus will also commit himself to his crush on Caroline (Candice Accola) for the long haul and ponder fun ways to screw up her relationship with Tyler. One will involve guest star Phoebe Tonkin (The Secret Circle), who'll recur as a friend of Tyler's (Michael Trevino) named Hayley.
Plec says: ''All we know about Hayley thus far is that she shows up in the third episode and it's clear that she and Tyler have a history that we weren't aware of, that Caroline isn't aware of, and that Klaus learns of very quickly. So in the spirit of (how can I drive a wedge between Tyler and Caroline?), Klaus gets to have a little bit of fun with the existence of this girl.'' —Mandi Bierly

Beauty and the Beast

Series Premiere: Oct. 11, 9 p.m., The CW
Showrunners: Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders
Stars: Kristin Kreuk, Jay Ryan
What it's about: A murder case brings New York City detective, Catherine (Kreuk), face to face with a mysterious ''beast,'' Vincent (Ryan), who saved her life years ago.
Kreuk says: ''Catherine is a way for Vincent to find his humanity again which is what he wants.'' —Nuzhat Naoreen

The Walking Dead

Season Premiere: Oct. 14, 9 p.m., AMC
Showrunner: Glen Mazzara
Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Norman Reedus
What to expect this season: After escaping Hershel's farm, the survivors attempt to convert an infested prison into their new home/fortress. Meanwhile, a new human threat arrives in the form of a man who calls himself The Governor (David Morrissey).
Reedus says: ''It's sort of like we just found Club Med. It's got fences. It's secure. It's usually people trying to get out of prison. We're trying to get in a prison, and we're very excited about it.'' —Dalton Ross

Emily Owens, M.D.

Series Premiere: Oct. 16, 9 p.m., The CW
Showrunner: Jennie Snyder Urman
Stars: Mamie Gummer, Justin Hartley, Aja Naomi King, Michael Rady
What it's about: A first year medical intern (Gummer, a.k.a. Meryl Streep's daughter) finds working at a hospital disturbingly similar to being in high school.
Gummer says (insert deadpan here): ''I've been ready to carry a show since I emerged from the womb.'' —Jessica Shaw

American Horror Story: Asylum

Season Premiere: Oct. 17, 10 p.m., FX
Showrunners: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Stars: Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Joseph Fiennes
What to expect this season: Set mostly in 1964, AHS: Asylum concerns Briarcliff Manor, a mental institution run by Lange's Sister Jude, and the various evil that occurs in and around it.
Murphy says: ''Last year we had was ghosts. We don't have ghosts. Now we have monsters — both man-made and otherwise.'' —Tim Stack

Nikita

Season Premiere: Oct. 19, 9 p.m., The CW
Showrunner: Craig Silverstein
Stars: Maggie Q, Shane West
What to expect this season: Expect some temporary bliss for Nikita (Maggie Q) and Michael (West) as the new season starts. Key word? Temporary. And meanwhile, Nikita has her plate full as she hunts down a band of rogue agents known as the Dirty 30.
Maggie Q says: ''What I'm really excited about this season is that we're bringing in some real badasses, and it also heightens the opportunity for different kinds of action in the show and intrigue and intensity that we didn't have in other seasons. We're bringing in these really skilled people from areas of division that we haven't seen before.'' —Sandra Gonzalez

Touch

Season Premiere: Oct. 26, 8 p.m., Fox
Showrunner: Tim Kring
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Mazouz
What to expect this season: A couple of new villains, more information about missing Amelia, and possibly a romance between Martin (Sutherland) and Amelia's mother Lucy (Maria Bello)!
Sutherland says: ''There's a natural affinity that the [Martin and Amelia's mother] would have for each other.'' —Sandra Gonzalez