Overview of The Fall TV We’re Most Excited For. Plus, ‘Lanterns’ E4 and ‘Lioness’ After Dark.
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald use this Labor Day episode of The Watch to preview the fall TV slate, react to the Creative Arts Emmys, and dig into two genre-heavy weekly shows: Lanterns episode 4 and the increasingly chaotic second season of Lioness. The big themes are familiar but sharp: which shows actually feel worth returning to, why TV is drifting back toward limited-series logic, and how much viewers will tolerate when a show is ambitious but messy.
Fall TV Preview: Andy’s Most Exciting Shows
Andy ranks the upcoming slate by how much he thinks Chris will be into it. The list is led by returning shows that already have a built-in world and fan base.
Top returning series
- The Lowdown Season 2 — Andy’s No. 1 pick, with Tommy Lee Jones and Betty Gilpin joining the cast.
- Slow Horses Season 6 — Still one of the steadiest spy shows on TV; this season adapts Joe Country and Moscow Rules.
- Black Doves Season 2 — Andy loves the vibe more than the plot mechanics; he mainly wants to be back in that world with Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.
New shows that caught their eye
- Small Prophets — A cozy, strange Apple series from Mackenzie Crook about a man turning to alchemy after a personal loss.
- Tiptoe — A Russell T Davies series starring Alan Cumming and David Morrissey as feuding neighbors.
- Youth — Sharon Horgan’s new HBO series about love, sex, and aging.
- Get Jiro — An animated adaptation of the Anthony Bourdain graphic novel, set in a future where chefs are celebrity power figures.
- Vision Quest — The MCU wildcard; Chris argues it should be covered like major prestige TV because of its supposed importance to future Marvel movies.
- American Hostage — A 1977 hostage-taking drama with Jon Hamm, Giovanni Ribisi, and Mireille Enos.
- Kill Jackie — A slick, late-’90s-style action thriller starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.
What They’re Saying About the TV Landscape
The broader takeaway from the preview is that TV feels split between:
- high-end returning series that can build on existing worlds, and
- newer shows that need to instantly justify themselves.
Andy argues that the industry is increasingly wary of expensive long-running series because the second and third seasons often underperform expectations. That’s pushing networks and streamers back toward:
- tighter episode orders,
- shorter commitments,
- and more limited-series-style planning.
Creative Arts Emmys: Early Signals and Surprises
They also spend time on the Creative Arts Emmys, which hand out many of the craft and guest awards before the main telecast.
Notable winners and takeaways
- Widows Bay cleaned up across multiple categories.
- DTF St. Louis also won big.
- The Pitt picked up several awards too.
- Betty Gilpin won guest actress.
- Ernest Harding won guest actor for The Pitt.
- Rob Reiner won posthumously for his appearance on The Bear.
- I Love Lucy received a Legacy Award.
Their broader point: the Creative Arts Emmys matter more now than they used to because so many high-profile movie actors are dropping into TV for guest roles, making these “smaller” categories feel more consequential.
They also note how strange it is that Spider-Noir won several Emmys despite being canceled, which only reinforces the sense that the industry is increasingly cautious about keeping expensive shows alive.
Lanterns Episode 4: The Show’s Best and Weirdest Qualities
The hosts are both enthusiastic about Lanterns, and episode 4 deepens that enthusiasm.
What worked especially well
- The episode continues the show’s deliberate, serialized structure.
- The Sinestro material is especially strong.
- The show blends science-fiction mythology with a buddy-cop/detective rhythm in a way they find really appealing.
- A major set piece in a slaughterhouse is singled out as a very “Lindelofian” visual flex.
Their main notes
- The Hal Jordan / John Stewart chemistry is working.
- The show’s humor is becoming more prominent, especially in the detective banter.
- The action and visual design are inventive enough to keep them locked in.
Mild criticisms
- The Zoe/John storyline feels the least successful part of the season so far.
- Some of the red herrings feel a little too neatly signposted.
- They still don’t think every emotional beat fully lands, but they’re happy to keep watching because the show is never boring.
Lioness After Dark: More Messy, More Political
If Lanterns is winning them over, Lioness is testing their patience.
Where the season has gone
- The show is now juggling two timelines: the earlier attack on Joe and her current kidnapping arc.
- In this episode, Joe is revealed to be in the hands of Iranian forces.
- A separate thread brings back the Ukrainian/Russian double agent living in Tulsa under an alias.
What’s frustrating them
- The show has leaned harder into a paranoid anti-left, anti-academic, anti-media political fantasy.
- Chris and Andy think the series is getting less self-aware about its own red-state fantasies and red-scare energy.
- Some of the plotting now feels more like ideological ranting than suspense.
Why they’re still watching
- They still find the show entertaining enough to follow week to week.
- The ensemble and the spycraft mechanics keep them engaged.
- Even if they’re less enthusiastic, they’re committed to seeing how the season ends.
What’s Coming Next on The Watch
They close by previewing the next episode, which will include:
- their Emmys preview,
- should win / will win predictions,
- and discussion of The Paper on Peacock/NBC.
They also tease that they’ll revisit Lioness after the finale.