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Fall brings new shows, streamers to TV lineup

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Intrigued by a drama set behind the scenes of a morning TV show, with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in the cast?

How about a supernatural series topped by Lin-Manuel Miranda or a comedy with Paul Rudd as a man overshadowed by his clone, or the chance to see Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker as a real-life gangster circa 1960?

Choose them all, and here’s the potential monthly tab for that modest slice of the expanding pie that is TV in general and the fall 2019 season in particular: about $40.

To be fair, that would provide access to other programs, new or returning, from Apple TV Plus, HBO, Netflix and Epix.

To aid your media battle plan, here’s a selection of new shows coming your way, along with notable series returns. The services range from free over-the-air commercial and public TV networks to the more-indulgent cable and streaming choices.

BROADCAST

• “mixed-ish,” ABC, Sept. 24. Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross’ character in “black-ish,”is a preteen fish-out-of-water in this prequel about growing up as the mixed-ethnicity child of hippies and a transplant to suburbia. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tika Sumpter are her parents.

• “Evil,” CBS, Sept. 26. A crime drama from “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight” creators Robert and Michelle King, with the roots of criminality sharing center stage with proving whodunit. Mike Colter plays a priest in training, Katja Herbers a pragmatic detective.

• “Batwoman,” CW, Oct. 6. Ruby Rose plays the title character, a Caped Crusader on new ground: She is openly lesbian, a rarity for a TV superhero. Batwoman is put to the test in a crime-wracked Gotham City, with her dad (Dougray Scott) maybe on her side.

• “Bless the Harts,” Fox, Sept. 29. Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell and Ike Barinholtz are the voice cast for this animated comedy about a Southern family that’s financially challenged but with a wealth of friends and good humor.

• “Bluff City Law,” NBC, Sept. 23. Jimmy Smits builds on his legal resume (“L.A. Law”) with the role of Elijah Strait, head of a famed Memphis, Tennessee, law firm that fights for social justice. Caitlin McGee co-stars as Strait’s estranged daughter and reluctant partner.

• “Country Music,” PBS, Sept. 15-18 and Sept. 22-25. Ken Burns’ new opus, an eight-part, 16-hour history that starts with the earliest recordings of country music and follows its evolution through its famed artists, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.

BASIC CABLE

• “A Very Brady Renovation,” HGTV, tonight. Maureen McCormick, Barry Williams and the rest of “The Brady Bunch” siblings join forces with HGTV stars including Jonathan and Drew Scott for a makeover on the house used for exterior shots in the 1969-74 sitcom.

• “Patsy & Loretta,” Lifetime, Oct. 19. Broadway stars Megan Hilty and Jessie Mueller play country music greats Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn in a TV movie about their friendship and the challenges they helped each other face.

• “The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park,” AMC and Sundance TV, Nov. 13-15. The docu-series revisits the 1986 killing of Jennifer Levin by prep school student Robert Chambers, promising new scrutiny of evidence and how gender and status affected the crime’s perception.

PREMIUM CABLE

• “Godfather of Harlem,” Epix, Sept. 29. Whitaker is a producer as well as lead of the drama series about New York crime boss Bumpy Johnson and his 1960s post-prison life, when trouble is afoot in his community.

• “His Dark Materials,” HBO, date to be announced. James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson and Dafne Keen join Miranda (of “Hamilton” fame) in a series adapted from Philip Pullman’s trilogy of novels about an effort to unravel a plot against children.

• “Watchmen,” HBO, Oct. 20. Damon Lindelof (“Lost,” “The Leftovers”) is an executive producer for this drama series inspired by the graphic novel and with a starry cast including Regina King, Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Jr.

• “The L Word: Generation Q,” Showtime, Dec. 8. Jennifer Beals is back for this sequel to “The L Word,” joined by new cast members including Arienne Mandi and Leo Sheng in an updated look at LGBTQ lives and loves.

This image released by ABC shows Mark-Paul Gosselaar, left, and Tika Sumpter in a scene from “mixed-ish,” premiering on Sept. 24 on ABC. ERIC MCCANDLESS/ABC VIA AP
This image released by CBS shows Mike Colter, left, and Katja Herbers in a scene from "Evil," premiering Sept. 26 on CBS. (Jeff Neumann/CBS via AP)
This image released by HGTV shows the cast of "The Brady Bunch," from left, Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland, Eve Plumb, Christopher Knight, Maureen McCormick, and Barry Williams. The cast will join forces with HGTV stars including Jonathan and Drew Scott for a makeover on the house used for exterior shots in the 1969-74 sitcom. “A Very Brady Renovation,” premieres on HGTV, Sept. 9. (Matt Harbicht/HGTV via AP)
This image released by Acorn TV shows Orla Fitzgerald, left, and Lynn Rafferty in a scene from "Taken Down," premiering on Monday, Sept. 16. (Bernard Walsh/Acorn TV via AP)