Fall TV Preview: Sneak Peeks of 2013’s Returning Shows

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Glee

Glee creator Ryan Murphy says Season 5's third episode -- which addresses the death of Cory Monteith, a.k.a. former football star Finn -- is "a very heartfelt look at how some people grieve." In "The Quarterback" (it follows two Beatles-themed shows), a handful of Finn's friends refuse to accept he's gone. Though Monteith passed away from a heroin overdose July 13, the cause of Finn's death will remain ambiguous. Explains Murphy: "This episode is about a celebration of [Finn's] life."

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Grey's Anatomy

The fate of Richard (James Pickens Jr.) "hangs in the balance," says exec producer Betsy Beers. As for romances, Jo (Camilla Luddington) and Alex (Justin Chambers) try out a romance. But Callie (Sara Ramirez) and cheater Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) "have their work cut out for them," says Beers, who adds that the story for Owen (Kevin McKidd) and Cristina (exiting Sandra Oh) will be "incredibly kickass."

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Scandal

After someone snitched to the media that Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) had an affair with the president (Tony Goldwyn), the White House "is in crisis mode," says exec producer Betsy Beers. "Will he try to survive this? Or will he walk away from the presidency?" asks Goldwyn. Meanwhile, "we learn much more about the dynamic between Olivia and dear old Dad," revealed to be Rowan (Joe Morton) last season, says Beers.

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The Big Bang Theory

Missing Leonard (Johnny Galecki) -- whose expedition is more like a booze cruise -- Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) "end up spending an abnormal amount of time together," says exec producer Steve Molaro. Meanwhile, Amy (Mayim Bialik) keeps "slowly dragging" Sheldon toward commitment.

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Homeland

"She's in a very bleak, dark place. She lost 217 of her peers and feels responsible," Claire Danes says of her CIA analyst character, Carrie. It doesn't help that her lover, Brody (Damian Lewis), is on the lam and she and her mentor, Saul (Mandy Pantinkin), are on the outs. Then there's the fact that she's off her meds: "Carrie is always sitting on her own personal ticking bomb. It's am impossible dilemma: She is not great on the meds and she's even worse off," says Danes.

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Nashville

Last season, having learned her daughter is his, Deacon (Charles Esten) took Rayna (Connie Britton) on a drunken drive -- and wrecked the car. The question for Rayna (post-coma, that is): "Will she and Deacon be romantic?" asks executive producer Dee Johnson. After all, as parents, "they are tied together forever." Meanwhile, vulnerable, all-work Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) feels threatened by an up-and-comer (Aubrey Peeples).

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The Vampire Diaries

So-happy-together duo Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) are "desperate to find Stefan (Paul Wesley)," says exec producer Caroline Dries. As they try to ferret out Silas' motive, Damon gets entangled in the plot. All the while, newly human Katherine (also played by Dobrev) is "lost, insecure, and weak," says the actress.

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The Walking Dead

Zombies are a bigger threat than ever -- from outside and within. David Morrissey, a.k.a. The Governor, is a cast regular but won't return "until we least expect it," exec producer Robert Kirkman has said. Dealing with shocking plot developments is par for the course for those involved in the series. "We're all at risk [of getting killed off]," Norman Reedus (who plays Daryl) tells Us. Producers "make a point to put that fear in all of us."

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Once Upon A Time

Episode 1 launches the big mystery: "We look into why Peter Pan targets Henry (Jared Gilmore)," says exec producer Adam Horowitz. While hunting for her son, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) may, er, hook up. Notes exec producer Eddie Kitsis: "He has his sights set on her." How did Hook become a pirate anyway? And Ariel (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) a mermaid? Who is Tinker Bell (Rose McIver)? Flashbacks tell all, plus more on Snow and Charming (Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas).

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New Girl

Sunny Jess (Zooey Deschanel) and broody Nick (Jake Johnson) decided to officially date, but they "have a lot going against them. They're such different people," says creator Liz Meriwether. Plus, Schmidt (Max Greenfield) tries to split them up. Meanwhile, a mean-girl teacher (Angela Kinsey) tortures Jess. "It's a death match!" Meriwether says. Jess' sis visits too. 

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Modern Family

Gloria (Sofia Vergara) hires a male nanny (Adam DeVine), which, says cocreator Christopher Lloyd, "doesn't sit well" with Manny (Rico Rodriguez) and Jay (Ed O'Neill). Claire (Julie Bowen) joins Jay at work, and inefficiency ensues: "She anticipates problems that aren't there." Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and Cam (Eric Stonestreet) talk marriage, says Lloyd, "but those conversations don't come easy."

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Revenge

Last season, Emily (Emily VanCamp) told Jack (Nick Wechsler) she's Amanda Clarke! This season, Emily + a wedding gown + gunshots = one helluva start! A simplified season 3 then flashes back. Did her fiance Daniel (Josh Bowman), who was having second thoughts, pull the trigger? Victoria (Madeleine Stowe) is still a bitch, but "gets to re-create herself" with her long-lost son (Justin Hartley), says exec producer Sunil Nayar.

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How I Met Your Mother

One weekend -- the wedding of Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) -- frames the final season. As for the Mother (Cristin Milioti), cocreator Craig Thomas tells Us, "we see not just Ted but all his friends fall in love with this woman."