Fall TV of 2017: ‘This Is Us,’ ‘Scandal,’ ‘Will & Grace’ and More!

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Fall TV of 2017: 'This Is Us,' 'Scandal,' 'Will & Grace' and More!

Later, summer! As the temperatures drop, curl up on the couch with old favorites, new must-sees and the hotly anticipated Will & Grace reboot — the best of both worlds. Find out what to watch with Us Weekly's Fall TV preview.

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Fall TV of 2017: 'This Is Us,' 'Scandal,' 'Will & Grace' and More!

Later, summer! As the temperatures drop, curl up on the couch with old favorites, new must-sees and the hotly anticipated Will & Grace reboot — the best of both worlds. Find out what to watch with Us Weekly's Fall TV preview.

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Will & Grace

NBC 9/28 9 P.M. 

Debra Messing didn’t expect to reunite with Grace, the onscreen interior designer she said goodbye to in 2006, until she was graying. “We felt like if it ever came back, it would have to be geriatric Will & Grace,” she tells Us. “We would have to be in our old-age homes and be like The Golden Girls.” Now, the comedy will make a comeback with all the fan favorites, including Grace’s gay roommate Will (Eric McCormack) and their colorful pals Jack and Karen (Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally). Messing shares more.

Q: More than a decade later, where is Grace in her life?
She’s very successful as an interior designer. She is very proud and content. It will be interesting to see how her personal life progresses.

Q: Have the on-set dynamics changed? It is absolutely the same. We really are like brothers and sisters. We can’t keep our hands off each other. We are hap- piest when we are totally inappropriate. We make each other giggle. 

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The Orville

FOX 9/10 8 P.M.

Here’s an out-of-this-world idea: Set four centuries in the future, the new hourlong space dramedy follows the adventures of the crew aboard the USS Orville. Creator and star Seth MacFarlane guarantees an (inter)stellar viewing experience: “You can watch episodes out of order,” he says. “Each week, you’re seeing a little movie.” 

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The Mindy Project

Hulu 9/12 

Dr. Mindy Lahiri is retiring her scrubs and her idea of perfection. Struggling with her relationship in the comedy’s sixth and final season, the gynecologist divorces Ben (Bryan Greenberg). “What is really fun about this is showing her the reality of a marriage and what lived up to the expectations and what didn’t,” says Kaling. Still, the showrunner insists the series finale will not leave viewers — or Lahiri — unhappy. Explains the actress, “Happily ever after can sometimes be romantic happiness, and sometimes it can be a feeling of contentment about your life as a professional person and as a mother.” 

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Me, Myself & I

CBS 9/25 9:30 P.M. 

“Hilarious and heartwarming.” That’s what Bobby Moynihan thought when he read the script for the freshman comedy that tells the story of Alex as an eager 14-year-old (Jack Dylan Grazer), a newly single dad going through a midlife crisis at 40 (Moynihan) and a 65-year-old retiree looking for a new adventure (John Larroquette). Plus, after nine years on Saturday Night Live, “I felt like I could actually do some acting instead of dressing up in silly outfits.” While in the pilot, notes the actor, “some story lines get tied up into a nice little bow, it gets untied immediately.” Teases the star, “One day you could meet the love of your life, then the next, it goes in another direction. A million things can happen in real life, and that’s what this show does.” 

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This Is Us

 NBC 9/26 9 P.M.

Moving on may not be easy, but it is essential. It’s the lesson Chrissy Metz’s Kate begins to grasp in the weeper’s second season. Though dad Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) died nearly two decades ago, “she’s just starting to discover that it’s not all her fault,” says the actress. “Now she has to figure out her life.” That includes launching a music career and moving in with fiancé Toby (Chris Sullivan). Metz tells Us more.

Q: Hardest part about living with Toby? It is not the same as just being engaged. The relationship dynamics shift. Who knows if they make it to a wedding!

Q: Nervous singing on the show?
Kate is on this journey of finding her voice and finding herself, so she’s not quite perfect. And here’s the thing: Bob Dylan didn’t hit every note but he made you feel something. That’s the point. 

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Empire

FOX 9/27 8 P.M.

Taraji P. Henson knew just the man. When reading the script for the drama, she instantly phoned close pal Terrence Howard to play Lucious Lyon, the on-off lover to her spitfire Cookie. “These two have a friendship first,” says the actress. “They fell in love when they were really young. I knew it had to be somebody I trusted.” But will the music powerhouses finally find their stride in season 4? Signs point to no. Henson says they came this close to hooking up last season, but she fought to have Cookie walk away: “We have many years to deal with this couple. It’s a very complex relationship.” 

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The Mayor

ABC 10/3 9:30 P.M.

Lea Michele is embracing the second coming of Rachel Berry. In her latest comedy series, the Glee alum stars as type A Valentina, best friend to aspiring rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Michael Hall). The premise: Rose runs for office of his California hometown to drum up publicity for his mixtape — then shockingly wins. Fortunately, diligent Valentina is by his side. “She does have that drive, but she is a much more grounded character,” says Michele, adding that Valentina “has a balance between seriousness and comedy.” But little music skill of her own. Jokes Michele, “I think she should be a terrible singer. It would be hilarious!” 

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Scandal

ABC 10/5 9 P.M.

Mellie Grant’s rise from first lady to president was a hard-fought campaign. In the 2012 pilot, “she had two lines,” says actress Bellamy Young. “Now she’ll sit behind the desk in the Oval.” Before the hit’s final season, Young tells Us about commanding the country. 

Q: How is Mellie feeling after her first 100 days in office?
She knows that whatever she does will produce commentary about what she wore or how her hair looked. But she feels invincible with Olivia [Kerry Washington] by her side. 

Q: Will it be hard to say goodbye after five years?
We cry like twice a day. And I don’t see that stopping. 

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Once Upon a Time

ABC 10/6 8 P.M.

With major cast members out for season 7, the fairy-tale world is starting over in a new book. The reboot will feel fresh and familiar at once, explains star Lana Parilla, the evil queen: “We tell our stories through the same formula, flashbacks. But we’re playing different versions of our characters.” 

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Curb Your Enthusiasm

HBO 10/1 10 P.M.

Worth the wait. After a six-year hiatus, Larry David’s comedy will make a “cracking” return, says star J.B. Smoove. And it was no surprise his smart-mouthed Leon (David’s BFF) would make a comeback. “Leon is like a condom in your wallet,” he tells Us. “You need him. He’s the guy that keeps Larry on his toes and gives him a stupid-ass answer to everything.” 

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Riverdale

CW 10/11 8 P.M.

Straight-laced Betty Cooper is headed to the dark side. In season 2 of the Archie comic book-based drama, the high schooler, played by Lili Reinhart, becomes the center of a new mystery plaguing the titular town. This fall’s episodes are “about her tortured soul,” Reinheart teases to Us. “Her internal anxieties will surface.” She isn’t faring much better ro- mantically. With boyfriend Jughead (Cole Sprouse, also her off-screen love) in foster care on the wrong side of town, “they become like Romeo and Juliet,” she says. “Betty is on the north side and Jughead has to be on the south. The situation will really tug at the heartstrings.” 

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The Gifted

FOX 10/2 9 P.M.

Every parent thinks their kids are special. And then there’s Reed (Stephen Moyer) and Kate (Amy Acker), whose children possess superpowers in this new adventure series. The sudden discovery sends the once-ordinary family on the run from a ruthless government and into an underground network of mutants. Moyer says his character struggles to accept their new reality: “He sees how difficult it is for them to exist in society without being ostracized.” Though he doesn’t flaunt impressive skills of his own. The True Blood alum says he was excited that Reed “doesn’t have a power. I like that he was the ordinary in the extraordinary.” 

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Black-ish

ABC 10/3 9 P.M.

You can always go home again. Even if it’s just for laundry. Though Zoey, the daughter of Dre and Rainbow (Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross), is off to California University of Liberal Arts this fall, actress Yara Shahidi guarantees she’ll still drop in. “Ultimately, the reason that Zoey even chose a Southern California school is because she wants to be close,” explains Shahidi. “She’ll visit family and harass her brother Junior.” Her time in college will be documented on an upcoming spin- off. “It’s strange that I’m not going to live in this house 24/7 anymore,” says the star. “We’re still figuring out what we’re going to cover and what trouble Zoey is going to get herself into.” 

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At Home With Amy Sedaris

truTV 10/24 10:30 P.M.

Amy Sedaris is serving a send-up of domestic goddess TV in her 10-episode, satirical variety series. “I’m not making fun of those shows, because I love them,” she explains. It’s just “more fun” to showcase her melting Baked Alaska or tackle characters such as a “little old church lady.” And while Martha Stewart won’t make a cameo (“We asked!” says Sedaris), pals Jane Krakowski and Stephen Colbert pop by for a visit. 

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Stranger Things

Netflix 10/27

Traumatized. That’s how Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers feels after escaping the torturous Upside Down world. To help him tap into those emotions in the sci-fi thriller’s second season, Schnapp called upon his onscreen mom, Winona Ryder. “She came in early on set just to help me,” he tells Us. “She helped me understand how I could access real emotions during a scene so that I’m not only ‘acting’ like I’m crying but really feeling it.” And while he’s mum about his character’s own recovery, he can guarantee one much sought-after plotline: justice for Shannon Purser’s sensible sidekick Barb, who was killed off in season 1. “Fans will be happy to see her death addressed,” adds Schnapp. “She was a character that people responded to so much because we all have some Barb in us.”