Fall Preview: The Best New Shows

We’ve compiled a list of shows we think you need to know about for the fall. Check out the list below and be sure to check out the season premieres starting next month!

“Glee” (Premieres September 9 on Fox)

This quirky musical comedy about a group of high school outcasts who band together to form a glee club already has legions of fans, as it did a sneak preview episode after juggernaut “American Idol” in May. The show benefits of a talented cast, hooky pop songs, and offbeat sense of humor.

“The Beautiful Life” (Premieres September 16 on the CW)

Despite the off-screen problems with star Mischa Barton, this new CW show is shaping up to be one of the new addictive favorites of the fall. It offers up a fictionalized backstage look at the competitive world of modeling that’s more fascinating and cleverly crafted than retread “Melrose Place.”

“Community” (Premieres September 17 on NBC)

Joel McHale (from E!’s “The Soup”) plays a rich, smarmy lawyer who is sent back to community college to get the degree he never actually had. He of course thinks the whole thing is a joke and immediately starts offending everyone with his slacker ways and entitled attitudes. It’s 30 well-paced minutes, and the supporting cast (including Chevy Chase) makes this a fully enjoyable new offering.

“Bored to Death” (Premieres September 20 on HBO)

Jason Schwartzman stars as a struggling writer who gets the idea to solve crimes on the side. So he pretends to be a detective (sort of like “Psych”) and enlists the help of Ted Danson and his reluctant pal Zach Galifianakis. Given how awesome Danson was on “Damages” and how we’re still giggling over Galifianakis’ antics in “The Hangover,” we’re already sold.

“The Good Wife” (Premieres September 22 on CBS)

While the first episode is on the dry side, this show has oodles of potential with its hot-button premise involving a corrupt politician getting caught with his pants down. Julianna Margulies is perfectly super bitter about her cheating husband (played by smarmy Chris Noth) and about having to go back to work in order to support her entire family.

“Cougar Town” (Premieres September 23 on ABC)

Some critics didn’t want to like this show, based on the icky name alone, but the pilot actually won them over. Maybe it’s the fact that Courteney Cox will do pretty much anything for a laugh, or maybe it’s because despite her pratfalls, her character is a more realistic and humorous portrayal of a divorcee trying to get on with her life than “Desperate Housewives” ever has been.

“Modern Family” (Premieres September 23 on ABC)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“The Class”) is part of a gay couple adopting a baby from Vietnam; his sister (Julie Bowen, “Ed”) is a working mom with two kids and their father (Ed O’Neill, “Married … With Children”) has remarried a much younger woman (Sofia Veraga, “Dirty Sexy Money”). There’s a lot going on, but the writers have successfully managed to balance this big ensemble and filled it with laugh-out-loud moments.

“Flash Forward” (Premieres September 24 on ABC)

This show seems like a desperate attempt to recreate the “Lost” phenomenon, with lots of intricate details that are supposed to keep fans guessing and rewatching episodes. But aside from that, it’s a unique premise in which everyone in the entire world suffers from a blackout for two minutes and is given a glimpse of their future. Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, and Dominic Monaghan help give it a bit of star power.

“V” (Premieres November 3 on ABC)

This is a remake of the ’80s miniseries about lizard-like aliens in disguise with nefarious agendas, with Scott Wolf as a TV reporter and Elizabeth Mitchell as part of the human resistance. High-end special effects give it a modern look, and with some interesting parallels to current politics, it could be a welcome new take on older material.