13 SciFi and Fantasy Shows Set to Debut This Fall

I doubt all of these will make it, but here are 13 science fiction and fantasy shows supposedly premiering this fall:

1. Chuck (NBC) – Comedic spy thriller about Chuck Bartowski – a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government’s most vital secret agent. When Chuck opens an e-mail subliminally encoded with government secrets, he unwittingly downloads an entire server of sensitive data into his brain. Now, the fate of the world lies in the unlikely hands of a guy who works at Buy More. Instead of fighting computer viruses, he must fight assassins and international terrorists. With the government’s most precious secrets in Chuck’s head, Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) of the NSA assumes the responsibility of protecting him. His partner is the CIA’s top agent (and Chuck’s first date in years) Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strzechowski). They’ll keep him safe by trading in his pocket protector for a bulletproof vest. Also starring are Joshua Gomez as Chuck’s best buddy Morgan and Sarah Lancaster as Chuck’s ever-supportive sister Ellie.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Adam Baldwin as John Casey
· Joshua Gomez as Morgan
· Natalie Martinez as Kayla
· Sarah Lancaster as Ellie
· Yvonne Strzechowski as Sarah Walker
· Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski

2. New Amsterdam (FOX) – NEW AMSTERDAM is the story of a New York homicide detective unlike any other. He is brilliant, mysterious, reckless, magnetic, unknowable. And he has a profound secret he is immortal. In 1642, JOHN AMSTERDAM (Nikolaj Coster Waldau), then a Dutch solider in the colony of New Amsterdam later to become New York City stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native Indian girl during a massacre of her indigenous tribe. The girl in turn rescued Amsterdam, weaving an ancient spell that conferred immortality upon him. Amsterdam will not age, she told him, until he finds his one true love. Only then will he become whole and ready for mortality. But Amsterdam has found this to be a mixed blessing. Over the course of three centuries, he’s experienced endless adventure and honed his many talents. But everyone Amsterdam meets must leave him in time; lovers and children die while he remains young. His sole confidant and current lifelong friend is the sage jazz club owner OMAR (Stephen Henderson), the keeper of Amsterdam’s secret, as well as a few of his own. As the exhilaration of eternal life has given way to emotional isolation and bitter loneliness, Amsterdam discovers the blessing has become a curse. Bringing to bear the unorthodox techniques and unique knowledge gained from his vast life experience, Amsterdam today is one of the NYPD’s best homicide detectives, sparring with his vibrant, strong-willed partner EVA MARQUEZ (Zuleikha Robinson) as they solve difficult murder cases. But when Amsterdam suffers and then recovers from what appears to be a massive heart attack while chasing a suspect, and DR. SARA DILLANE (Alexie Gilmore) pronounces him dead in the ER, he realizes that the Indian girl’s prophesy may have come true he felt the pain in his heart that she had foretold so long ago. His soul mate must have been nearby. As he works to find a killer on the streets of New York, Amsterdam understands that his own life and possibly his death have changed forever.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Alexie Gilmore as Sara Dillane
· Nikolaj Coster Waldau as John Amsterdam
· Stephen Henderson as Omar
· Zuleikha Robinson as Eva Marquez

3. Reaper (The CW) – For the first 20 years of his life, Sam (Bret Harrison) wondered why his parents went so easy on him. Whether it was school, sports or career choices, Sam’s mom (Allison Hossack) and dad (Andrew Airlie) always let him get by with the least possible effort, while at the same time pressuring his younger brother Keith (Kyle Switzer) to excel. As a result, Sam skipped college, took a dead-end job and now wastes endless hours playing video games and wishing he had the guts to ask out his pretty co-worker, Andi (Nikki Reed). Everything in his slacker world changes the day Sam turns 21 and discovers the ungodly reason his parents let him slide: they sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Satan himself (Ray Wise) drops by to personally explain that Sam must now serve as his bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls that have escaped and returning them to Hell. At first, Sam refuses to accept his bizarre fate, but after getting just a glimpse of Satan’s temper, Sam realizes that breaking a deal with the devil has consequences that are very, very bad. Armed with a constantly changing series of vessels (starting with a Dirt Devil mini-vacuum) to collect the escapees, Sam immediately finds that the work is dangerous and frightening, even with the goofball help of his friends and fellow slackers, Bert “Sock” Wysocki (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez), along with Sock’s former-girlfriend-turned-paralegal, Josie (Valarie Rae Miller). Still, as weird and scary as his life has become, Sam is surprised to find that he somehow feels good about his newfound “mission” ?? removing evil-doers from the world and sending them back where they belong. With his friends and his trusty vessel-of-the-week at his side, Sam is ready to face his destiny as the Reaper.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Allison Hossack as Mom
· Andrew Airlie as Dad
· Bret Harrison as Sam
· Kyle Switzer as Keith
· Nikki Reed as Andi
· Ray Wise as Satan
· Rick Gonzalez as Ben
· Tyler Labine as Bert “Sock” Wysocki
· Valarie Rae Miller as Josie

4. Bionic Woman (NBC) – Struggling as a bartender and surrogate mom to her teenage sister, Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan) didn’t think life could get much harder. But when a devastating car accident leaves her at death’s door, Jaime’s only hope for survival is a cutting-edge, top-secret technology that comes at a hefty price. With a whole new existence and a debt to re-pay, Jaime must figure out how to use her extraordinary abilities for good, while weighing the personal sacrifices she will have to make. Ultimately, it’s Jaime’s journey of self-discovery and inner strength that will help her embrace her new life as the Bionic Woman. Also starring are: Mae Whitman as Becca, Jaime’s younger sister; Miguel Ferrer as Jonas, the man who employs Jaime’s boyfriend; Chris Bowers as Will, Jaime’s boyfriend, who performs the operation; Will Yun Lee as Jae, the specialized operations leader; and Molly Price, as Ruth, Jonas’ second-in-command.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Chris Bowers as Will
· Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Corvus
· Mae Whitman as Becca Sommers
· Michelle Ryan as Jaime Sommers
· Miguel Ferrer as Jonas Bledsoe
· Molly Price as Ruth Treadwell
· Will Yun Lee as Jae Kim

5. Journeyman (NBC) – “Journeyman” is a romantic mystery-drama about Dan Vasser, a San Francisco newspaper reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change people’s lives. Along the way, he also must deal with the difficulties and strife at work and home brought on by his sudden disappearances. However, his freewheeling travels through the decades reunite him with his long-lost fiance Livia — which complicates his present-day life with wife Katie and their son. Reed Diamond and Charles Henry Wyson also star.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Brian Howe as Hugh Skillen
· Charlie Wyson as Zack Vasser
· Gretchen Egolf as Katie Vasser
· Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser
· Moon Bloodgood as Livia Beale
· Reed Diamond as Jack Vasser

6. Moonlight (CBS) – MOONLIGHT is about Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin), a captivating “undead” private investigator who uses his acute vampire senses to help the living… instead of feeding on them. In an agonizing twist of fate, Mick was “bitten” 60 years ago by his new bride, the seductive and beguiling Coraline (Amber Valletta). Immortal and eternally as young, handsome and charismatic as he was then, Mick is sickened by Coraline and other vampires who view humans only as a source of nourishment. With only a handful of undead confidantes for company, including deceitful ally Josef (Rade Serbedzija), Mick fills his infinite days protecting the living, and trying not to think about how his life would have been if he hadn’t followed his heart. However, after six decades of resisting, he wonders if it’s time to pursue the love of a mortal. He has his eyes on Beth Turner, a beautiful, ambitious reporter who has been covering the ongoing plague of unusual murders. But would Beth even consider giving up a normal life to be with him, and can Mick risk the pain of seeing himself as a monster in her eyes? As Mick lives between two realities, fighting his adversaries among the undead and falling in love with Beth, he knows he needs to figure out a reason to keep “living.”
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Alex O’Laughlin as Mick St. John
· Amber Valletta as Coraline
· Rade Sherbedgia as Josef
· Shannon Lucio as Beth Turner

7. Pushing Daisies (ABC) – From Bryan Fuller (“Heroes”) and Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”) comes an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy in a forensic fairytale about a young man with a very special gift. Once upon a time, a mild-mannered boy named Ned realized he could touch dead things and bring them back to life. Grown-up Ned puts his ability to good use, not only touching dead fruit and making it ripe with everlasting flavor, but working with an investigator to crack murder cases by asking the deceased to name their killers. But the tale gets complicated, as all tales do, when Ned brings his childhood sweetheart, Chuck, back from the dead and keeps her alive. Chuck encourages him to use his power to help others, instead of merely solving mysteries and collecting the rewards. Life would be perfect for Ned and Chuck, except for one cruel twist: If he ever touches her again, she’ll go back to being dead, this time for good.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Anna Friel as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles
· Chi McBride as Emerson Cod
· Jim Dale as Narrator
· Kristin Chenoweth as Olive
· Lee Pace as Ned
· Swoosie Kurtz as Lily

8. Cavemen (ABC) – Cavemen is a unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on their head. Inspired by the popular Geico Insurance commercials, the series looks at life through the eyes of the ultimate outsiders – three modern cavemen – as they struggle to find their place in the world. Joel, his cynical best friend, Nick, and easy-going little brother, Jamie, are contemporary cavemen who live in the suburban south and simply want to be treated like ordinary thirty-something guys. Despite their attempts at assimilation, Nick doesn’t believe mainstream society will ever completely accept them, Jamie seems to take it all in stride and Joel straddles the middle, torn between his friends, his more traditional values and his loving fiance.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Bill English as Joel
· Dash Mihok as Jamie
· John Heard as Trip
· Kaitlin Doubleday as Kate
· Nick Kroll as Nick
· Stephanie Lemelin as Thorne

9. The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX) – At the end of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Sarah vanquished the liquid metal Terminator sent from the future to kill her teenage son, John. Sarah and John now find themselves alone in a very dangerous, complicated world. Fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that still more enemies from the future, and the present, could attack at any moment. THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES reveals what happens when SARAH (Lena Headey) stops running and goes on the offensive against an ever-evolving technological enemy bent on destroying her life, and perhaps the world. Her son, 15-year-old JOHN CONNOR (Thomas Dekker), knows that he may be the future savior of mankind, but is not yet ready to take on the mantle of leadership that he’s told is his destiny. John finds himself inextricably drawn to CAMERON (Summer Glau) an enigmatic and otherworldly student at his high school, who soon proves to be much more than his confidante she assumes the role of Sarah and John’s fearless protector. On their trail are not only threats from the future, but an intelligent and tough FBI agent, JAMES ELLISON (Richard T. Jones), who soon becomes a powerful ally. THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES represents an exciting reinvention of the “Terminator” franchise, in which the strong and intrepid Sarah discovers that protecting her son and stopping the rise of the machines is more difficult than she had ever imagined.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Lena Headey as Sarah Connor
· Richard T. Jones as James Ellison
· Summer Glau as Cameron
· Thomas Dekker as John Connor

10. Eli Stone (ABC) – Many lawyers consider themselves prophets, but Eli Stone may be the real deal. Eli has built a successful career at a top law firm in San Francisco representing only the biggest and richest corporations that make a habit of screwing over the little guy. But after experiencing a series of odd hallucinations, Eli seeks to find a deeper meaning to life while trying not to lose his job and destroy his relationship with the bosses’ daughter. When Eli discovers an aneurysm in his brain, he wonders if his condition is truly medical or if perhaps he now has a higher calling.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· James Saito as Dr. Chen
· Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone
· Laura Benanti as Beth Keller
· Loretta Devine as Patti
· Natasha Henstridge as Taylor Wethersby
· Sam Jaeger as Matt Dowd
· Victor Garber as Jordan Wethersby

11. Heroes: Origins (NBC) – NBC “bulks up” with 30 combined episodes of “Heroes” and “Heroes: Origins,” an innovative new spin-off that each week will introduce a new character — one of whom will be chosen by viewers through the “Heroes” website on NBC.com to become a cast regular the following season.

12. Area 57 (NBC) – Taking on the challenge of a classified mission in a top-secret location is hard enough. Throw in a dysfunctional crew that despises you and an alien that makes fun of you and you’ve got one bizarre challenge on your hands. So what if Colonel Steven Isaac’s new career move turns out to be more punishment than promotion? He’s ready for it. Foul extraterrestrial bodily emissions? No problem. Random objects falling from the sky? He’s got it covered. Dirty looks and dirtier rumors? No worries. The laughs are all in a day’s work in this unique comedy.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Bruce McGill as General Keller
· Jane Lynch as Irene Maloof
· Kelvin Yu as Private Simms
· Matthew Lillard as Colonel Steven Isaac
· Paul Reubens as The Alien

13. Me & Lee? (FOX)- JOEL SALSBERG, D.D.S., is at the end of his rope. Chronic, debilitating back pain has left him jobless and penniless. His parents are tired of lending him money and his girlfriend JESSICA is ready to bail. A despondent Salsberg is given a new lease on life when he meets the one man who has the technology to rebuild him: actor LEE MAJORS (playing himself). Turns out that since “The Six Million Dollar Man” went off the air, Lee has been so obsessed with bionics that he constructed a fully functional, state-of-the-art laboratory in the basement of his Beverly Hills mansion. He hired genius surgeon/scientist/Cordon Bleu chef BLITT to bring his idea to fruition not “bionics,” technically, but Prosthetic Replacement & Integrated Cyberkinetics. Now Lee and Blitt need a human to experiment on, and Salsberg becomes the unwitting guinea pig in their grand scheme. He is tricked into undergoing surgery far more radical than they’ve discussed, and when he awakens from the operation, he is shocked to discover that his inner body has been replaced with state-of-the-art bionics technology. Now Salsberg can bench-press 300 pounds and run 60 miles per hour. Nothing hurts anymore. But his new life of physical enhancement and freedom from pain comes at an unforeseen cost: his privacy. Along with electrically charged prosthetic limbs, Lee also installed eyeball cameras and intercranial speakers so that he sees everything Salsberg sees and can talk to him at will. To Salsberg’s annoyance, this often-inebriated, old and possibly evil 1970s TV icon is now an everpresent voice in his head that won’t seem to shut up about how Salsberg should live his life. From the writers of “Weeds” and directed by Paul Dinello (“Strangers with Candy”), ME & LEE? is a buddy comedy about one man’s relationship with his unlikely creator. It’s an offbeat exploration of the highs and the many drawbacks that come with being half-man, half-machine. Joel’s back pain is gone, but his headaches have just begun.
PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Bill Smitrovich
· Jamie Kennedy as Joel Salsberg
· Jason Antoon as Blitt
· Lee Majors as Lee Majors