The Sci-fi & Fantasy Fall 2011 TV Season

The Fall TV season has begun, and so starts a torrential stream of new shows and new episodes of returning shows. Here’s a quick rundown of many of the returning and new Sci-fi and Fantasy shows.  Dates are for the USA – feel free to leave a comment with dates in your country.  Note that if you haven’t seen the latest seasons of currently running scif-fi/fantasy shows (e.g. if they are delayed in your country), then there may be spoilers ahead.

Transformers: Prime, September 10 – Transformers: Prime isn’t returning for a new season, but recently continued its first season on The Hub. In November season 2 of this CGI cartoon, written by the people who wrote Michael Bay’s Transformers films, begins.

Archer, September 15 – FX’s animated action comedy about a dickish secret agent returns for its third season. Initially, FX will only air 3 episodes of the new season, with the remaining 13 episodes airing in January of next year.

The Secret Circle, September 15 – The Secret Circle is CW’s new supernatural teen drama about a young girl who learns she comes from a family of witches. The story then follows her as she uncovers the secrets of her family’s deaths, and her new found abilities.

The Vampire Diaries, September 15 – The Vampire Diaries returns this fall for its third season on the CW. Last season introduced werewolves, what new dangers will join the show this year?

Batman: The Brave and the Bold, September 16 – Cartoon Network’s (CN) wacky Batman cartoon that features all manner of heroes from the DC Universe has sadly been canceled. However, CN has just started airing the remaining episodes of season 3.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars, September 16 – Cartoon Network has kicked off The Clone Wars’ fourth season. This season is titled Battle Lines, and began with a 3-part tale of a young Ackbar battling a Quarren revolt and Trade Federation droids on his home planet of Dac.

Young Justice, September 16 – DC’s young superheroes return to Cartoon Network. Technically, not a new season, but the final few episodes of season 1 have begun airing.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, September 17 – The Hub’s all-ages cartoon about ponies returns for its second season. The new season begins with the introduction of a new adversary, Discord (voiced by Q himself, John de Lancie). Hopefully, everypony will be up for the challenge.

Person of Interest, September 22 – This fall on CBS Ben Linus and Jesus Christ fight crime! Actually, Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel star in this show where Emerson plays a billionaire genius who built a computer for the government in the wake of 9/11 that predicts people who will be connected to violent crimes. The computer can’t tell them anything beyond who the person is, and it doesn’t know if the person is a criminal, victim, or witness.

Supernatural, September 23 – CW’s show about monster fighting brothers Sam (Jared Padaleki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) is back. In the season finale they left us with another Supernatural cliffhanger of Castiel (Misha Collins) double crossing Crowley (Mark Sheppard) to become the new God with the Winchesters arriving moments too late. Will Castiel smite our intrepid heroes? Will Sam and Dean find a way to undo Castiel’s spell?

Fringe, September 23 – Fox’s science-fiction epic about two parallel Earths battling for survival had the conflict come to a strange conclusion last year. Peter (Joshua Jackson) used the ancient machine to create a bridge between the Earths, and saved them from destruction, only to find himself erased from history. How will the two Earths coexist, and how will Peter return?

Terra Nova, September 26 – Brannon Braga and Steven Spielberg’s time travel adventure starts next week on Fox. In a future where Earth is heavily polluted, and no longer habitable, humanity finds a haven in the distant past. The show follows a family who have just been sent back 85 million years to a lush, healthy Earth filled with dinosaurs.

American Horror Story, October 5 – From Glee’s Ryan Murphy comes FX’s new horror TV show about a family that moves into a haunted mansion. Fellow sci-fi fans should note that Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Heroes) has joined the cast, and Tim Minear (Firefly, Angel, Dollhouse) is on the writing staff.

The Walking Dead, October 16 – AMC’s TV adaptation of the comic book series continues this October. Last we saw our survivors, they were fleeing the smoking rubble of the CDC, their former safe haven. This season brings some changes behind the scenes as Frank Darabont is no longer serving as the showrunner. He initially developed the show for TV and served as showrunner for season 1. It was reported that he was fired by AMC during work on season 2. Glen Mazzara has replaced him as showrunner.

Grimm, October 21 – NBC brings another cop show to TV this fall, but this one has a fantasy twist. A homicide detective learns he’s descended from a line of ‘Grimm’s who hunt supernatural creatures that threaten humans.

Chuck, October 21 – Chuck’s fifth and final season begins on NBC with the status quo radically changed in last season’s finale. Morgan now has the Intersect, while Chuck is Intersect-less. Chuck and Sarah are married, and no longer work for the government. They now hope to run a freelance spy organization.

Once Upon a Time, October 23 – Several Lost writing alums head ABC’s new fantasy drama. In this show, familiar fairy tale characters are living in the real world, and somehow their memories of their true selves are gone. As they start to uncover their missing memories, they’ll learn of a threat to both the magical world they come from and the real world.

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3 thoughts on “The Sci-fi & Fantasy Fall 2011 TV Season

  1. Honest question: is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic really anything more than just another kid’s show? i.e. is there something more scifi/fantasy there than the talking animals in any kids cartoon?

    • The first episode indicates that Princess Celestia has a sort of God Emperor thing going on, and has ruled for 1000 years. Oddly, there’s no mention of any other ponies (with one spoilery exception) being immortal. The unicorn ponies can wield weak magic. The protagonist has a pet baby dragon.

      Which is to say, it definitely takes place in a fantasy setting. Also the characters and writing are pretty fantastic, and this makes for a surprisingly entertaining show.

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