Fall TV season is nearly upon us. Streaming services like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix have made sure that the arrival of crisp weather and brown leaves isn’t the be-all and end-all of television’s annual calendar. But there’s nothing quite like Fall TV to find yourself a new series to binge-watch or catch up with a returning show you maybe had let go sometime last year. As we mused last year, it’s clear that television is way ahead of its big-screen counterparts when it comes to employing Latinx talent. And this crop of shows hitting our small screens in the next few weeks suggest we’re moving in the right direction. It’s why we wanted to highlight a number of TV series that should be on your radar.
We opted to focus on shows where US Latinos or Latin Americans were front and center, either as leads or as main cast members in those shows that center on ensembles. We scoured all of our favorite networks to find shows and decided to include only those whose premiere dates have already been announced. That means you won’t find Narcos: Mexico, Club de Cuervos (neither of which have dates yet), Grand Hotel or even returning favorites like Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Jane the Virgin (all of which will premiere midseason) on this list. But there’s still plenty to enjoy! So whether you’re looking for Latino reboots of old faves, procedural dramas with eclectic casts, or all-ages animated fare, read on and set your DVR accordingly.
1
The Purge, USA
The big-screen horror franchise comes to the small screen where the 12 hours when all crime is legal sets the backdrop for a new crop of characters which includes Miguel (East Los High‘s Gabriel Chavarria), a US Marine who returns home on Purge Night after receiving a cryptic message from his sister, Penelope (Mexican actress Jessica Garza). Further complicating things is the fact that Penelope is a member of a Purge-worshipping cult who pledges to be sacrificed yet who’ll have her faith tested.
The Purge premieres September 4, 2018 on USA.
2
Mayans MC, FX
This long-delayed Sons of Anarchy spinoff — which stars, among others, Edward James Olmos and Richard Cabral — is finally arriving this fall. Set in a post-Jax Teller world, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo) is fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Now, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp.
Mayans MC premieres September 4, 2018 on FX.
3
Forever, Amazon
June (Maya Rudolph) and Oscar (Fred Armisen) live a comfortable but very predictable wedded life when suddenly they find themselves in a completely unexpected situation, raising questions about love and marriage. From Alan Yang, co-creator of Master of None, this marital dramedy looks to make the best use of these two SNL veterans yet.
Forever premieres September 14, 2018 on Amazon.
4
Magnum, P.I., CBS
One of the many shows this coming TV season to get the reboot-but-make-it-Latino treatment, the classic Tom Selleck series will now star Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. And yes, if that first still is to be believed we won’t be seeing the iconic Magnum ‘stache in this 2018 version.
Magnum P.I. premieres September 24, 2018 on CBS.
5
Ingobernable, Netflix
Emilia Urquiza (Kate del Castillo) will become a true revolutionary leader in the second season of Netflix’s political thriller. She will come to the realization that corruption is not only found in her country, but also within her own family. This awakening will be linked to a long quest to save her daughter María while still discovering what is really behind the Urquiza legacy.
Ingobernable returns to Netflix on September 14, 2018.
6
9-1-1, Fox
Never one to leave any kind of genre untouched, Ryan Murphy dove right into the kind of cop-driven procedurals that are network TV’s bread and butter. 9-1-1 anchors each episode with calls made to the famous emergency number, and follows the lives of Los Angeles first responders: cops, paramedics, firefighters and dispatchers. For its second season, the already impressive cast (which includes Angela Bassett and Connie Britton) will be adding Ryan Guzman, as a new firefighter.
9-1-1 returns to Fox on September 23, 2018.
7
Manifest, NBC
This supernatural LOST-like drama follows what happens when a plane full of passengers presumed dead miraculously appear: what felt like a few hours for those on the flight turn out to be five plus years for the rest of the world, making their disappearance and return all the creepier. With an ensemble cast led by Josh Dallas, the show also boasts Cuban actor J. R. Ramirez as Det. Jared Williams, whose fiancée was aboard the flight and whom he had learned to let go during her absence.
Manifest premieres September 24, 2018 on NBC.
8
The Gifted, Fox
One of the many Marvel-adjacent TV shows on the air, The Gifted is about two ordinary parents who take their family on the run from the government when they discover that their children have mutant abilities, and join an underground community of mutants who have to fight to survive. Among those they meet is Marcos Diaz/Eclipse (Sean Teale, who boasts Venezuelan, Spanish and Welsh origins), a rebellious mutant who can absorb and manipulate photons and who grew up smuggling drugs from Mexico to the United States.
The Gifted returns to Fox on September 25, 2018.
9
Modern Family, ABC
The multiple Emmy-winning family comedy is coming back this fall for its tenth and final season. Shot in mockumentary-style as it follows a sprawling suburban American family — which includes Sofía Vergara as Gloria Pritchett and Ed O’Neill as her husband Jay Pritchett, along with Jay’s son and daughter and their respective husbands and kids — the comedy will likely be wrapping up its 10-year stint with more heartwarming tales of tolerance and acceptance.
Modern Family returns to ABC on September 26, 2018.
10
Chicago P.D., NBC
A spinoff and companion show to Chicago Fire, this Dick Wolf show follows the Chicago Police Department uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head-to-head with the city’s street crimes and the detectives of the Intelligence Unit that combats the city’s major offenses, including organized crime, drug trafficking, and high-profile murders. Among these is Detective Antonio Dawson (Selena‘s Jon Seda) an Intelligence Unit detective.
Chicago P.D. returns for its sixth season to NBC on September 26, 2018.
11
Chicago Med, NBC
The third in Dick Wolf’s Chicago franchise, Chicago Med focuses on the emergency department at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center and on its doctors and nurses as they work to save patients’ lives. Among its sprawling ensemble is Ameria’s Next Top Model‘s Yaya DaCosta, who plays April Sexton, an ED nurse. A first generation Brazilian-American, April has a younger brother, Noah (Roland Buck III), who was a med student at the hospital.
Chicago Med’s seventh season premieres September 26, 2018 on NBC.
12
How To Get Away With Murder, ABC
After a buzzy fourth season that included a crossover with fellow TGIT staple Scandal, this Viola Davis legal crime drama comes back in the fall and Davis’s Annalise Keating is bringing back the beloved ensemble of characters we’ve all come to love (and fear). That includes Mexican box office star Karla Souza, who plays Laurel Castillo, whose family drove much of last season’s storyline and Jimmy Smits as Annalise’s former therapist, plus Luna Lauren Velez as the University’s president.
How To Get Away with Murder returns to ABC on September 27, 2018.
13
Superstore, NBC
The little-comedy that could is back for its fourth season this fall. Set in Cloud 9, a Walmart-like superstore, the NBC comedy is produced by America Ferrera, who plays one of the many employees at the store, Honduran-American Amy. In the coming season we’ll likely get to see more of the will-they-or-won’t-they romance between Amy and Jonah (Ben Feldman), who got hot and heavy in last season’s finale.
Superstore returns to NBC on October 4, 2018.
14
Station 19, ABC
This Shonda Rimes-produced show follows a group of heroic firefighters of the Seattle Fire Department at Station 19. That includes lieutenant Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), who’s the co-captain of the station as well as the daughter of Captain Pruitt Herrera (Miguel Sandoval), making this Grey’s Anatomy-esque series a truly family affair.
Station 19 returns for its second season to ABC on October 4, 2018.
15
Riverdale, the CW
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s dark, broody take on Archie comics has proven to be a glossy teen drama equal parts Twin Peaks and Dawson’s Creek. With a shocking season finale that saw beloved Archie (KJ Apa) being arrested for murder, it’s clear the upcoming season will deal in more depth with the way Veronica (Camila Mendes) deals with the news, especially since it was clear that it was her father Hiram (Mark Consuelos) who framed him.
Riverdale returns to the CW on October 10, 2018.
16
Charmed, the CW
The CW’s rebooted magical show about a trio of sisters who find they are “The Chosen Ones” looks to recapture what made the original Charmed a long-running hit back in its WB days. The show stars Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery, and Madeleine Mantock as multiracial siblings who’ll have to grieve over the loss of their mother Marisol as they learn how to harness their witchcraft in order to battle the forces of darkness that may have gotten Marisol killed in the first place. The showrunner recently confirmed that only one of the sisters is Latina and the series will explore brujeria through Melonie Diaz’s character.
Charmed premieres October 14, 2018 on the CW.
17
The Rookie, ABC
Nathan Fillion returns to ABC with The Rookie. He plays John Nolan, a forty-year-old man, who moves from his comfortable, small town life to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being a police officer for the Los Angeles Police Department. Among his new co-workers is Angela (Alyssa Diaz), an LAPD Training Officer who’s on the cusp of making detective-trainee.
The Rookie premieres October 16, 2018 on ABC.
18
Homecoming, Amazon
Based on the podcast of the same name created by Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg and starring none other than Julia Roberts, this Amazon show centers on on Heidi (Roberts), a caseworker at a secret government facility who’s helping Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a soldier eager to rejoin civilian life. Playing Heidi’s supervisor at the Homecomig facility is Bobby Cannavale, who’s Cuban on his mother’s side.
Homecoming arrives November 2, 2018 on Amazon.
19
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Netflix
The 1980s animated icon gets the reboot treatment in this softer, more cartoony take for the streaming era. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is the story of an orphan named Adora (Elena of Avalor‘s Aimee Carrero), who leaves behind her former life in the evil Horde when she discovers a magic sword that transforms her into the mythical warrior princess She-Ra. Along the way, she finds a new family in the Rebellion as she unites a group of magical princesses in the ultimate fight against evil.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power drops November 16, 2018 on Netflix.