Neal Justin Star Tribune
'The Crown,' Baby Yoda and plenty of stars return for the fall TV season
September 17, 2020 at 9:26PM
You try telling "The Mandalorian" that he can't go back to work. The Disney+ hero's bromance with Baby Yoda picks up Oct. 30, as will the uncontrollable sobbing when NBC's "This Is Us" gets back to its crying game Nov. 10.
A new season of "Fargo" (Sept. 27, FX) shows off Chris Rock's acting chops, while new episodes of "The Crown" (Nov. 15, Netflix) welcome Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher.
Familiar faces will dominate projects that were well into production before the pandemic struck. The all-star list includes Jeff Daniels channeling former FBI Director James Comey for "The Comey Rule" (Sept. 27, Showtime), "Big Bang" veteran Jim Parsons in a new adaptation of "The Boys in the Band" (Sept. 30, Netflix), Ethan Hawke as abolitionist John Brown in "The Good Lord Bird" (Oct. 4, Showtime) and Nicole Kidman, whose therapist in "The Undoing" (Oct. 25, HBO) must deal with a whole new array of big little lies.
The miniseries version of "The Right Stuff" (Oct. 9, Disney+) doesn't have big names climbing into spacesuits, but Leonardo DiCaprio is among the executive producers.
Steven Spielberg is overseeing a reboot of his 1990s cartoon series "The Animaniacs" (Nov. 20, Hulu), while fellow Oscar-winner Spike Lee directs the screen version of "David Byrne's American Utopia" (Oct. 17, HBO).
That concert film could be the musical highlight of fall TV everywhere but Minnesota. That honor will likely go to "Clouds" (Oct. 16, Disney+), about Lakeland teen Zach Sobiech, whose inspirational song became a viral sensation before he succumbed to cancer in 2013.
As for nonscripted programming, get ready for "The Comedy Store" (Oct. 4, Showtime), a four-part series about the club that birthed the careers of Richard Pryor and Robin Williams; "Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth" (Oct. 7, HBO), about New York sports talker Craig Carton; and "The Reagans" (Nov. 15, Showtime), a four-part profile.
Networks are filling several holes in the schedule by picking up shows that premiered on limited platforms. That means a bigger audience can check out Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union in "L.A.'s Finest" (Monday, Fox), "Star Trek: Discovery" (Sept. 24, CBS) and "One Day at a Time" (Oct. 12, CBS).
If after all that, you still feel like the Force isn't with you, circle Nov. 17 on your calendar. That's when Disney+ drops "The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special."
Neal Justin • 612-673-7431 • @nealjustin
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