Fall TV 2022 preview: What to watch, try and avoid

This fall’s TV lineup has everything from hobbits to hookers and horrors.

Network shows return, including a “Quantum Leap” reboot, a musical drama starring Susan Sarandon and another George Lopez comedy, but that doesn’t mean the streamers are taking the season off either.

Here are the buzziest new TV shows of the season and a breakdown of which ones to watch, try and avoid, based solely on trailers and descriptions (no spoilers here).

Watch

“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Sept. 2, Prime Video

Amazon has poured a reported $465 million into the “Lord of the Rings” prequel series for its first eight-episode season and a five-season plan, which means it’s either going to be the most beautifully shot and crafted high-budget show ever or the biggest waste of money. Both outcomes seem interesting, even if you’re not into hobbits and elves and the rise of Lord Sauron.

“Devil in Ohio,” Sept. 2, Netflix

Emily Deschanel from “Bones” plays a psychiatrist dealing with a young girl (Madeleine Arthur of “To All The Boys I Loved Before”) who escapes from a mysterious cult. Is there anything more irresistible than a good cult thriller?

“American Gigolo,” Sept. 9, Showtime

Fifteen years after fictional former escort Julian Kaye was arrested for murder (and more than 40 years after the Richard Gere-starring movie), Julian, now played by Jon Bernthal, is out and free and back to a Los Angeles he no longer recognizes. He’s chasing his long-lost love (Gretchen Mol) and searching for the answers to questions he’s had 15 years to think about.

“Monarch,” Sept. 11, Fox

Fox blamed COVID-19 for production delays that shifted “Monarch” from midseason 2021 to fall 2022, which is always a little concerning. But we’re still all in. Give me Susan Sarandon in a cowboy hat and this soap opera “Nashville” meets “Succession” and all the messiness that comes along with a country music family dynasty.

“Reboot,” Sept. 20, Hulu

Tongue-in-cheek shows are very hard to pull off. So are meta shows. “Reboot” combines both: a satire about an early aughts sitcom rebooted for 2022 with its original cast, played by Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer and Johnny Knoxville. Behind the scenes are the original creator (Paul Reiser) and an up-and-coming writer (Rachel Bloom) trying to recreate the magic. There’s a chance this ends up a weird, sad defense of reboot culture, but if not, few are better at mocking Hollywood than Hollywood itself.

“Andor,” Sept. 21, Disney+

If “Star Wars” is your thing, you’re already here. Diego Luna returns as Cassion Andor, the thief-turned-Rebel spy from “Rogue One.”

“Interview with a Vampire,” Oct. 2, AMC

It’s the year of Anne Rice. “Interview with The Vampire” arrives soon and AMC is already working on an adaptation of “The Mayfair Witches” as part of its “expanded universe.” It’s unclear just what that means yet, but first, we get the ultra-moody Lestat (Sam Reid) and Louis (Jacob Anderson). Sure, this isn’t Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt but Rice’s lavish, gothic world in 1900s New Orleans is just as juicy as ever.

“Alaska Daily,” Oct. 6, ABC

A series about a reporter trying to do her job may be a little too inside for most, but viewers deserve Hilary Swank back in their lives. As long as she doesn’t sleep with her sources for a story, as so many onscreen journos seem to do.

“A Friend of the Family,” Oct. 6, Peacock

Fresh off playing the worst human being on earth in “The White Lotus,” Jake Lacy is moving onto a more sympathetic character: a family friend who just won’t stop kidnapping a couple’s daughter. After the first time, you’d think the Brobergs (Anna Paquin, Colin Hanks and Mckenna Grace) would move. But nope! And it’s based on a true story.

“The Midnight Club,” Oct. 7, Netflix

Jordan Peele has brought back the horror flick for the big screen, but Mike Flanagan has quietly — and terrifyingly — been doing the same on TV. His latest venture, after the “Haunting” anthology series and last year’s “Midnight Mass,” comes in the form of “The Midnight Club.” The show centers on a group of terminally ill kids in hospice who suddenly find themselves dealing with the creepy and the kooky after one of them dies. This could not sound creepier.

“Tulsa King,” Nov. 13, Paramount+

Sylvester Stallone in his scripted TV debut is enough star power to carry a show, let alone one from Taylor Sheridan, who starred in “Sons of Anarchy” and created “Yellowstone.” Stallone playing a New York mob boss released from prison after 25 years and sent to Oklahoma to set up shop there.

Try

“Vampire Academy,” Sept. 15, Peacock

Julie Plec, the producer behind “The Vampire Diaries” and its spinoffs, “The Originals” and “Legacies,” is back with a biting adaptation of the fantasy book series about a princess and her guardian. Throw in some boarding school uniforms and a power struggle for good measure and you could have something to sink your teeth into.

“Quantum Leap,” Sept. 19, NBC

The reboot of Scott Bakula’s time- and body-jumping classic has already seen a shakeup with its showrunner being replaced. Still, if this “Quantum Leap,” starring Raymond Lee and Ernie Hudson, can draw even a small inkling of the magic of the original, there might just be something there.

“So Help Me Todd,” Sept. 29, CBS

Sometimes, from a TV show, fans want heart and culture-shifting insight. Sometimes all you need is Marcia Gay Harden as an uptight lawyer and Skylar Astin as her slightly disappointing son, teaming up.

“East New York,” Oct. 2, CBS

With Jimmy Smits returning to the cop drama for the first time since “NYPD Blue” and a newly promoted deputy inspector (Amanda Warren) promising to shape up her officers and get them back into their working-class community, it’s at least worth watching the pilot.

“Fire Country,” Oct. 7, CBS

Max Theriot is bringing his own experiences growing up in Northern California fire country to play Bode Donovan, a young convict promised a shortened prison sentence if he joins a firefighting program.Will CBS use this opportunity to dig into the literal life and death situations these inmates are put in for just a few dollars a day? Only time will tell.

“Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin,” Nov. 23, Peacock

What’s the logical spinoff for a trilogy of movies about an all-girls a cappella group? A loudmouthed man, obviously. But in defense of “Bumper in Berlin,” Adam Devine, who will star, was one of the funniest parts of the original movies and Sarah Hyland, playing the slightly off-kilter assistant to Das Sound Machine’s Piëter Krämer, is always a delight. Plus, a sing-a-long is a great way to spend Thanksgiving.

Avoid

“Walker: Independence,” Oct. 6, The CW

A woman looking for revenge always deserves a second look, but Taylor Sheridan is already doing an 1800s Western and that one has Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. No offense to Katherine McNamara, but there’s only so much twang and cowboy hats viewers can take.

“The Winchesters,” Oct. 11, The CW

You know that old saying about letting sleeping dogs lie? “Supernatural” ran for 15 seasons.We do not need a prequel story. John and Mary Winchester are dead. Let them lie.

“Lopez vs. Lopez,” Nov. 4, NBC

“Lopez vs. Lopez” has the advantage of George Lopez and his real-life daughter, Mayan, playing fictionalized versions of themselves, but isn’t that every single George Lopez show? Working-class dad, trying to make it and raise his family right? Let the guy play the president or a ballet dancer or something just once.