While fall TV this year offers a variety of new shows for viewers to take in, there are also old shows returning that are not to be forgotten. Take a look at some of Release’s favorite new shows and our favorite oldies but goodies.

‘Eastbound and Down’ (HBO) 


After a short six-episode season, which aired in the winter of 2009, many ‘Eastbound and Down’ fans were left desperately craving more. Fortunately, HBO has renewed the series for a second season premiering on Sunday, Sept. 26.

The show focuses on the life of Kenny Powers (Danny McBride), a washed-up, foul-mouthed, politically incorrect, former major league pitcher, who always seems to be looking for trouble. Left with no career or money, Kenny has to move back to Shelby, N.C. to live with his brother and his family. Not having spoken to them since he sent them a tanning bed for Christmas three years ago, the move-in is a bit awkward. Kenny’s obnoxious, hysterical personality takes full force when he gets a job as a substitute gym teacher at his old middle school. Hilarity and wild antics ensue as Kenny wreaks havoc in his old town, causing mischief and severing ties wherever he goes.

If you enjoy mullets, hookers and Will Ferrell, be sure to tune in to the second season of ‘Eastbound and Down.’ The seven-episode season is picking up and moving to Mexico, where Kenny will be playing on a Mexican baseball team. Co-director Jody Hill has described the season as ‘a cross between the films ‘Amores Perros’ and ‘Bad News Bears’ and says it will mirror the look and feel of a feature film. The new season of ‘Eastbound and Down,’ which will include Kenny trading his mullet for cornrows and sporting a new group of sidekicks, will be nothing short of hysterical.

‘Dexter’ (Showtime)

‘Dexter,’ premiering on Showtime Sunday, Sept. 26, is sure to bring in fans who have been waiting to see what is going to happen to Dexter Morgan next.

Dexter, the adopted son of Harry, a Miami cop, is a serial killer who lives by the code of his adoptive father to only kill other killers, while making sure he absolutely never gets caught. Uncovering his past in the first season, Dexter must come to terms that his serial killer instinct is in part due to witnessing the gruesome murder of his mother at a young age. Just when you thought it couldn’t get more exciting, the serial killer plaguing the Miami police and Dexter, who is also a blood-splatter pattern analyst for the police, turns out to be Dexter’s insane long-lost brother. To make matters worse, his brother targets Dexter’s stepsister Deborah, Harry’s biological daughter, which results in Dexter choosing his sister by name over his brother by blood. Besides all the family drama, Dexter faces his own personal demons, gets a baby mama along with two step children and faces his real identity being uncovered way more often than he would like.

As always, TV shows often seem to drag on for longer than we’d sometimes like, but all would agree that when the fourth season ended, jaws definitely dropped. It is no wonder that ‘Dexter’ is the most-watched original series ever on Showtime. We can only hope that the much-anticipated season premiere is everything we expect it to be. But then again, ‘Dexter’ always ends up being the exact opposite of what we might ever truly expect.

‘90210’ (The CW)

As the school year begins so does a new season of must-see drama on The CW’s hit show, ‘90210,’ which premiered Tuesday, Sept. 14. After a long four months since the shocking finale of the second season, fans are eager to see drama heat up like a summer day in Beverly Hills. The premiere begins with a cancelled first day of class due to a violent earthquake. Adriana and Javier get into a car accident as a result, and Teddy becomes injured from a falling cabinet which affects his tennis performance.

Yet the natural disaster wasn’t the only factor that caused change within the zip code. Principal Wilson moved out of his house due to marital problems, leaving Annie, Dixon and their mother Debbie to find strength and overcome the difficulties together. While dealing with a rough home life, Annie is still suffering from the consequences of her hit-and-run from the previous season. Her house arrest affected her relationship with Liam, and her new-found mindset leads her to expose the tragedy during an interview for an internship.

Naomi also suffers repercussions of season two, as she informs a police officer of the brutal sexual assault she received from teacher Mr. Cannon during last season’s finale. The policewoman advised her to press charges, yet Naomi holds back from starting a potentially complicated situation. Instead, she deals with the trauma by going to a party and drinking. The night ended with Naomi nearly hooking up with Teddy, though he remains faithful to his girlfriend Silver. Yet, Silver became a victim of terrible timing when she walked into the room Teddy and Naomi were in together. The show’s sexual tension continues with Ivy, who returns to America with a friend she met while staying in Australia over the summer.

After all the action that took place in just one hour, one can only imagine the wild twists and turns the third season of ‘90210’ will bring. If there’s one thing for fans to remember, it’s to get prepared for an exciting season of hookups, breakups, sex, scandals and outrageous surprises.

‘Boardwalk Empire’ (HBO)

HBO has had a ton of great shows, but ‘The Sopranos’ held a dear place in many hearts who feel nothing has quite lived up to it. ‘Boardwalk Empire,’ which premiered Sunday, Sept. 19, may just be a suitable replacement.

Critics and fans alike have been buzzing about the show, without a single episode even airing, but it’s easy to see why once you learn about it. It takes us back to the prohibition era in Atlantic City where Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi) plans to take advantage of the lack of booze, and make a business out of it.

The always-fantastic Buscemi finally gets his long-overdue starring role. The series was written by Terence Winter, an Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer from ‘The Sopranos,’ while the legendary Martin Scorsese is producing the show. He is also finding time to direct the series pilot episode.

It’s safe to say the show is in the right hands.

‘Gossip Girl’ (The CW)

After a summer hiatus, America’s favorite Upper East Siders are back for a whole new season of excitement and drama. ‘Gossip Girl’ returned Monday, Sept. 13, with the characters all over the world.

Blair and Serena were continuing their summer excursion in France, while Chuck is still missing abroad. Serena also learns she has been accepted to Columbia where Blair attends. Hoping to put all their high school drama behind them, Serena doesn’t know how Blair will handle the news. In true Blair Waldorf fashion, she pushes Serena into a fountain, however all ends well with the pair reconnecting.

Dan has been hiding a secret of his own, a child with Georgina, while Vanessa feels betrayed. Newly single Nate has been enjoying Chuck’s little black book the entire summer. Not everyone is back for the start of this season, though. Noticeably missing is Jenny Humphrey who departed from the city last season. Finally, Lily Bass is concerned about Chuck’s whereabouts but, unknown to her, he is heading to Paris with an unknown blond. The premiere has set up a good premise for the season to continue on. The ongoing question between Chuck and Blair’s relationship still lingers. Will she ever be able to forgive Chuck? Serena also has a decision to make, whether or not she wants to give Dan another chance or go back to Nate. It looks like there is a lot to look forward to this season.

‘No Ordinary Family’ (ABC)

‘No Ordinary Family,’ ABC’s new super-powered family comedy which will premiere Tuesday, Sept. 28, is a mix between ‘Heroes’ and ‘The Incredibles.’

The show focuses on the Powells ‘ your average, suburban, dysfunctional family. Julie Benz, who ‘Dexter’ and ‘Whedon’ fans will recognize, plays the mother Stephanie. She is a successful medical researcher who is always on the go. Michael Chiklis of ‘The Shield’ and ‘Fantastic Four’ plays the father Jim. He is a police sketch artist who plans a trip to Brazil with Stephanie and the kids, Daphne and JJ.

Thanks to a plane crash, the family lands in glowy green water and something amazing happens. Once they’ve been rescued, each discovers their own unique superpower. Super-strength and invulnerability for dad, super-speed for mom, telepathy for Daphne and super-smarts for JJ. Even the ridiculous premise is the best part, they were given superpowers by glowy green water and they accept it immediately and move on.

As long as ‘No Ordinary Family’ focuses on the characters and their relationships, it will be a fun show. It won’t redefine any genres or break new ground, but if you’re looking for a super-powered action comedy, then you’re in for a good season.

‘Modern Family’ (ABC)

Since ‘Arrested Development’ was cancelled, the tradition of brilliant family sitcoms has been fading into obscurity. In the landscape of sitcoms, the living room has become marginal, replaced by reality television and the work place. Unlike its self-referential predecessor, ‘Modern Family,’ which premiered its second season Wednesday, Sept. 22, is easy to pick up, and attains the rare gender-neutral, crowd-pleaser status that many sitcoms long for.

The show follows the families of Jay Pitchett (Ed O’Neill), his daughter Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) and his son Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), focusing time on the three separate families. The Dunphys are the traditional family with quite possibly the standout of the show being the quirky father Phil (Ty Burrell). He Facebook chats from his iPod, while his children ignore his friend request. Complementing his ‘befriend the enemy’ approach is his perfectionist wife Claire. Trading in her high heels and corporate gig for the picket fence and a pair of rubber gloves, she is spilt between her longing for a professional career and being a mother, though merits of motherhood continue to reaffirm she has made the right choice.

The less traditional family, the Pritchett-Tucker household, focuses on the relationship of Michael, his partner Cameron and their adopted child Lily. Michael is the workaholic attorney who is incapable of enjoying time away from the office. Cameron is straight-up Broadway, singing and dancing and as compassionate and protective as a mother hawk.

Finally we have Jay, his much younger wife Gloria and her son Manny. Gloria is Jay’s hot Columbian arm candy but it’s clear that they both really love each other. Manny, a 30-year-old man in a pre-teen body, is quite funny and him and Jay have a really nice father-stepfather relationship, which can be uncommon in Hollywood.

As long as the show continues to balance the three acts, without losing its focus on modern issues that have transformed the way we think about the traditional nuclear family, then ‘Modern Family’ is in good hands.

‘Nikita’ (The CW)

This is not the first introduction of ‘Nikita’ to audiences. In fact, The CW’s latest installment in their fall lineup is the fourth version in the ‘Nikita’ franchise, with two films and one other TV series that ended in 2001.

With its lackluster commercial advertising, ‘Nikita’ just felt like a cheap imitation of J.J. Abrams’ ‘Alias.’ Girl gets chosen by a government agency, girl gets trained to become sexy superspy, girl goes rogue to try and take down the agency that created her. However, upon closer inspection, ‘Nikita’ may be all that and more. The action sequences and arsenal combat scenes exceed expectations for television standards, while those plot-twist-revealing moments in the last five minutes of the show will have you tuning in again and again to find out who-done-it.

This seductive spy-thriller has already aired three episodes, but you’ll have no problem catching up with them on The CW’s website. Boasting a super-sexy cast and supplying dramatic plot lines with sustenance, Thursdays is where you’ll want to be to tune into one of fall’s best new TV shows.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ (ABC)

‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ which premieres Thursday, Sept. 23, is a show that follows the lives of various people starting their first year as surgical interns.

The narrator and central character is Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). She is known as the character with the worst case of the dark and twisties, but with two suicide attempts and some therapy, she has become whole and healed to finally create the stable happy ending with the love of her life, neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), and accept and love half-sister Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh). Her best friend Cristina Yang, played by the talented Sandra Oh, is a super-competitive, gifted, cardio savant.

Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) is a defensive, rough-around-the-edges type, but over time he has grown to be an adult. Since the start of the show, two interns have left: George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), who jumped in front of a bus to save someone, and Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), Alex’s ex-wife who left him. Fast forward to the finale of the sixth season and the hospital has been irreparably changed by a disturbed man seeking retribution for his wife’s ‘killers.’

Most people are on the edge of their seats waiting for the season premiere because Shonda Rhimes knows how to write a season finale. The question is, what will she follow up with? With six seasons under their belts, fans are waiting to see what will happen to the couples on the show and how the hospital will recover after the devastating tragedy that took place in the final two hours of the sixth season.