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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Fall broadcast TV season opens Thursday, Sept. 14

Fox publicists describe "Krapopolis" as the story of a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters trying to run one of the world’s first cities while also trying their best to not kill each other in the process."
Courtesy Fox Broadcasting
Fox's new Krapopolis cartoon featuring ancient Greek humans, gods and monsters premieres Sept. 24. It was originally slated to debut last November.

CBS' Buddy Games premieres a week after NFL season kicks off Sept. 7.

With writers and actors on strike, the fall TV season next month will be filled with reality and competition shows, a few new series already in the can, and lots of reruns.

NBC kicks off the season with its annual Thursday night NFL telecast, with the Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs, on Sept. 7. All other NFL teams play Sunday Sept. 10, including the Bengals at the Cleveland Browns at 1 p.m. on CBS (WKRC-TV).

The first new fall series will be CBS' Buddy Games, in which groups of longtime friends gathered at a summer camp to compete in "an assortment of absurd physical and mental challenges in the outdoors while bunking together in the same lake house," as I noted in my July 18 story, Strike 2! CBS joins Fox in revamping fall TV lineup.

CBS' 48 Hours returns with new episodes Saturday, Sept. 16, and the 56th season of 60 Minutes starts Sunday, Sept. 17, after a NFL doubleheader on CBS. After 60 Minutes this fall, CBS will air the first season (2018) of Yellowstone from the Paramount Network.

"Yellowstone," which debuted in 2018 on Paramount+, stars Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser. It makes its broadcast television premiere this fall.
Courtesy CBS
"Yellowstone," which debuted in 2018 on Paramount+, stars Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley and Cole Hauser. It makes its broadcast television premiere this fall.

Fox's fall season starts Tuesday, Sept. 19, with new seasons of Name That Tune and I Can See Your Face. Fox's Krapopolis cartoon — about ancient Greek humans, gods and monsters, originally scheduled to debut last November — will premiere Sunday, Sept. 24, after a NFL doubleheader, as I reported in my July 12 story, "Fox announces strike-proof fall TV lineup."

NBC's fall schedule starts Monday, Sept. 25 — the traditional fourth week in September start for the TV year. But NBC's premiere of The Voice at 8 p.m. will be pre-empted here by WLWT-TV's simulcast of the Bengals-Ravens on ESPN Monday Night Football. Fox counters with season premieres of Kitchen Nightmares and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, while CBS airs a NCIS mini-marathon celebrating the show's 20th anniversary.

Broadcast network viewers this fall will see a few new dramas (The Irrational, Loteria Loca, Found); several fresh episodes of returning series (Quantum Leap, The Simpsons, Magnum P.I., Family Guy); a couple few new competition shows and lots of returning ones (Snake Oil, Raid the Cage, Survivor, The Masked Singer, LEGO Masters, The Amazing Race, The Price Is Right at Night, The Voice, Hell's Kitchen, The Wall); as well as lots of reruns from last year (Blue Bloods, Fire Country, NCIS, FBI, Young Sheldon, Ghosts, Bob Hearts Abishola and variations of NBC's Chicago dramas and Law & Orders).

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John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.