Fall Sci-Fi Viewer’s Guide (2012)

Ready for a brand new season of science fiction and fantasy? We’ve been keeping our eyes on all those new series, plus our returning favorites. Here’s the run-down of what the week in sci-fi TV will look like in just a few weeks.

Some of these shows are coming to the end of their summer runs, while others won’t begin until October. But the month of September is the official launch window for most of the major broadcast networks, meaning we are only days away from seeing new series and season premieres.

The first thing that I notice when looking over this list is how well the networks are working “together” to not counter-program genre shows against one another. Of the 15 series listed below, there is only one hour of overlap … so you’ll have to choose between Grimm and Fringe on Friday night. Otherwise, follow this schedule and you can watch science fiction and fantasy all week long!

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ALPHAS
Syfy, 8/7c (Now Airing)

Alphas is a summer series, but it still has a few weeks to go before the show’s second season concludes. Dr. Rosen and his team of super-powered Alphas are trying to keep others of their kind safe from the world (and from themselves) … and the rest of the world safe from their emerging abilities. There are enough episodes remaining in the 13-episode season to run through most of October, but as of press time Syfy hasn’t confirmed its schedule for next month.

WAREHOUSE 13
Syfy, 9/8c (Now Airing)

Warehouse 13 is also a summer series with a few weeks left to go in the first part of its fourth season. Watch Pete, Myka, and the rest of the Warehouse team hunt for powerful, supernatural artifacts through September. This season has an extra-long, 20-episode order, so expect more W13 early next year.

REVOLUTION
NBC, 10/9c (September 17)

One of the most anticipated new series is from executive producers Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and J.J. Abrams (LOST). Fifteen years after all electricity on earth has ceased, a young woman pleads with her estranged uncle for help rescuing her brother from a band of people who have set up their own form of government.

(Is there really nothing on Tuesdays this fall?)

ARROW
The CW, 8/7c (October 10)

The new DC comics series stars Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen, a billionaire playboy whose life is forever changed after he is shipwrecked alone on a deserted island. When he finally returns to civilization, Queen assumes the vigilante personae of Green Arrow — fighting to right the wrongs of his family’s corporation.

SUPERNATURAL
The CW, 9/8c (October 3)

The Winchester boys are back for Season Eight! This year Jeremy Carver replaces Sera Gamble as co-showrunner (with Robert Singer). Carver said that he is planning a long-term story arc that could see Sam and Dean keeping evil at bay through a tenth season.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
The CW, 8/7c (October 11)

Still a strong ratings performer for The CW, the vampire drama heads into its fourth season this fall. The season premiere is titled “Growing Pains,” and it looks like in her senior year of high school Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) is headed for some major, major changes in her life …

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The CW, 9/8c (October 11)

It remains to be seen just whether the new CW show actually qualifies as a fantasy series, but this remake of the 1980s drama with a monster twist stars Kristin Kreuk (Smallville) alongside Jay Ryan. Kreuk plays Catherine Chandler, a homicide detective who as a teenager witnessed the murder of her mother. Ryan is Vincent Keller, the creature — yet human — who came out of the shadows and saved her life all those years ago.

TOUCH
FOX, 8/7c (October 26)

Kiefer Sutherland’s brand new series returns for a 13-episode second season. From executive producer Tim Kring (Heroes), the show follows a New York man and his young son who has the ability to perceive the patterns connecting everyone around the world.

FRINGE
FOX, 9/8c (September 28)

The series concludes this fall with a shortened, 13-episode fifth season, as Olivia Dunham and her team seek to uncover the mysteries of two realities and protect their own.

GRIMM
NBC, 9/8c (Now Airing)

Nick Burkhardt continues to explore his new life as a monster hunter in the show’s second season. Will partner Hank and girlfriend Juliette be let in on his (sometimes horrifying, always hazardous) secret? The show was a moderate hit for NBC last season, and may have a long life on Friday nights.

HAVEN
Syfy, 10/9c (September 21)

Audrey Parker continues to explore the mysteries of the small town as Haven heads into its third season. The show has been a summer series up until now, but it will continue to benefit from having the network’s top-rated, 2-hour wrestling block as its lead-in.

DOCTOR WHO
BBC & BBC America (Now Airing)

The Doctor is in! After an extra-long wait, the Time Lord’s adventures with companions Amy Pond and Rory Williams are back on the screen with Season Seven. Only five episodes air this fall (all through September), leading up to a departure for the companions that the show’s producers call “heartbreaking.” The Doctor’s new companion, Clara (Jenna Louise Coleman), will be introduced in the Christmas special before Season Seven returns early next year.

ONCE UPON A TIME
ABC, 8/7c (September 30)

Last season’s biggest new hit is back for Season Two, as Emma and the residents of Storybrooke deal with the aftermath of the breaking of the Evil Queen’s curse and the arrival of magic in our world.

THE WALKING DEAD
AMC, 9/8c (October 14)

Season Three of one of cable’s biggest original dramas arrives next month! After fleeing from Hershel’s farm after it is overrun by Walkers, Rick Grimes and his people discover a new safe haven — the town of Woodbury. With new characters like the dictatorial Governor (David Morrissey) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), Season Three — expanded to 16 episodes — looks to be the show’s most anticipated yet. Eight episodes air this fall, eight next spring.

666 PARK AVENUE
ABC, 10/9c (September 30)

Terry O’Quinn (LOST) stars as Gavin Doran, proprietor of an unusual establishment in the new fantasy-horror series on ABC. The Drake is a high-class apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where Doran provides residents with anything they can desire … for a price. “But be careful what you wish for,” says ABC, “because the price you have to pay is your soul.”

There are a few other shows still floating out there. We’re waiting to hear when Merlin will return, when Lost Girl‘s third season will start in Canada, and when the new spin-off Primeval: New World will debut. Stay tuned to SciFi Stream!

Which new and returning shows are you most excited about?