Here Are TV Guide's Editors' Picks for the Fall 2017-18 Season

Dynasty (The CW) -- Premieres Wednesday Oct. 11 at 9/8c
This isn't your grandmother's Dynasty. Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have bona fides in the world of guilty-pleasure rich-people shows, and as a result, they've taken the familiar Carrington clan and glittered them for the millennial age. (It's set in Atlanta instead of Denver, Cristal is Latina, the Colbys are African-American and there are many out gay characters.) The show is equal parts vicarious wealth and winking melodrama, and come fall, we're all going to be begging for one more big ol' catfight in the reflection pool. -- Malcolm Venable

The Gifted (Fox) -- Premieres Monday, Oct. 2 at 9/8c
True Blood's Stephen Moyer, no stranger to the supernatural, stars alongside Amy Acker in Fox's thrilling, "X-Men-adjacent" chase drama, as a husband and wife pursued by a hostile government intent on detaining their children, who exhibit nascent mutant abilities. While Marvel's small-screen offerings have been a mixed bag, The Gifted shows real promise. The X-Men franchise has always been at its best when it operates on the level of metaphor, tackling everything from racism to homophobia through the lens of fantastic mutant powers.It also helps that Bryan Singer, who directed the best X-Men films, is executive-producing the series. -- Liz Raftery

The Last O.G.(TBS) -- Premieres Tuesday, October 24 at 10/9c on TBS
Just five years after the end of 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan has found his next hit TV series. Morgan plays a street hustler who returns to Brooklyn after being in prison for 15 years to find that hipsters have gentrified his old 'hood and that his girlfriend is raising their twins with some rich white guy. The show plows head-first into racial and socioeconomic issues with provocative comedy that is both timely and supremely silly. Backed up by superstars-in-their-own-right Cedric the Entertainer and Tiffany Haddish, Morgan's comeback is complete. -- Malcolm Venable

Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders(NBC) -- Premieres Tuesday Sept. 26 at 10/9c
True crime is so hot right now, but in a way, hasn't Dick Wolf always been working that beat? This Law & Order-branded limited series delves into the heartbreaking details of the trial of brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of brutally murdering their parents. Instead of "ripped from the headlines," though, it's more like "behind the headlines," as new information will change the way you think about the well-reported case. The always pitch-perfect Edie Falco lends gravitas to the pulpy endeavor as the boys' attorney Leslie Abramson. And the intriguing supporting cast, including Josh Charles, Anthony Edwards and Heather Graham, make this a must-watch. -- Liz Raftery

Liar(Sundance) -- Premieres Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 10/9c
Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt stars as Laura, a teacher who goes on a boozy blind date with Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd), a surgeon who happens to have a son enrolled at Laura's school. When the alcoholic fog of the evening clears, something horrible has happened. The only problem? Laura and Andrew remember the night extremely differently, leading to the most perplexing he-said-she-said of the year. Two untrustworthy narrators, the public court of social media and the show's unique storytelling format ramp up the tension to agonizing levels. Is Laura or Andrew the liar? This series provides no easy answers, and that's what makes it truly special. -- Alexander Zalben

The Mayor(ABC) -- Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 9:30/8:30
The Mayor is an unpredictable and genuinely cool sitcom about showboat rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall), who runs for mayor of his hometown as a publicity stunt... and wins. But that's where the gimmicks end. Once elected, Mayor Rose takes on real community issues with layer after layer of smarts and heart. Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) is both lovable and formidable as Courtney's mom. Glee's Lea Michele tries on a comical shade of Type-A nutjob, who has a lot to teach -- and learn from -- Courtney and his scene-stealing best friends T.K. (Marcel Spears) and Jermaine (Bernard Davis Jones), City Hall's true court jesters. -- Malcolm Venable

Me, Myself and I(CBS) -- Premieres Monday, Sept. 25 at 9:30/8:30c
This premise is a ridiculous amount of fun, and its execution is eminently entertaining: We check in on Alex Riley at three stages of his life: as a 14-year-old Michael Jordan fan who moves to L.A. in the early '90s (played by impressive newcomer Jack Dylan Grazer); as a recently-divorced 40-year-old in the present day (SNL alum Bobby Moynihan); and as a 65-year-old retiree in the year 2042 (John Larroquette).The lead performances are eerily evocative of each other, but they'll make you laugh in three different ways. It's the most essential, existential sitcom of the fall. -- Liz Raftery

Mindhunter(Netflix) -- Premieres Friday, Oct. 13
Who better to executive-produce a show about serial killers than Oscar winner Charlize Theron (Monster) and the legendary David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac)? This dream team has concocted a beautifully gritty drama about FBI agents who study imprisoned serial killers to develop psychological profiles for existing cases. Musical theater all-star Jonathan Groff provides a surprisingly different turn as Special Agent Holden Ford, and the cases he tackles will keep audiences on the edge of their seats -- as much as they keep him awake at night. If you needed any more convincing, Netflix is making a confident bet on its newest drama: It's already been renewed for a second season. -- Liz Raftery

Star Trek: Discovery(CBS All Access) -- Premieres: Sunday, Sept. 24 at 8:30/7:30c
More than a decade after the last series, Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes where no Star Trek series has gone before: the internet. The drama, from Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, debuts on CBS before moving to CBS All Access (similar to The Good Fight's launch) and is the most ambitious Star Trek in ages. Like the groundbreaking, diverse original series, Discovery will carry on Gene Roddenberry's vision of inclusivity with the first woman of color protagonist. Sonequa Martin-Green plays First Officer Michael Burnham, aka Number One, of the USS Shenzhou; and is also the first non-captain to lead a series (Michelle Yeoh's Philippa Georgiou is the captain). Plus, more than 50 years after giving us TV's first interracial kiss, Discovery is giving us the first openly gay couple in the Trek-verse via Anthony Rapp and Wilson Cruz, which we can only hope will live long and prosper. Star Trek's hopeful optimism and message of unity is blasting into a new generation, making this a must-watch.
-- Joyce Eng

The Vietnam War (PBS) -- Premieres Sunday, Sept. 17 at 8/7c
Master documentarians Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tell the story of the nearly 20-year conflict that killed some 58,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese and awakened a new American social consciousness that pervades today. Told in 18 hours over 10 parts, Burns' characteristically meticulous work introduces viewers to 79 people (including about 50 Americans and nearly 30 Vietnamese, including guerrillas and protestors) to create an exhausting and at times wrenching exploration of the war and the racial, economic and cultural forces that influenced it. Owing to the technology and media available at the time, Burns' doc is stuffed with photographs and video, while music from the period, as well as a score by Trent Reznor and Yo-Yo Ma, give the effort emotional resonance. Though Burns aimed to create a factual, non-partisan piece, it's hard not to question the men in office after watching. Much of the new information uncovered in the film is downright shocking. It's a rigorous glimpse at humanity's best and worst, and it's incredibly hard to look away. -- Malcolm Venable

Young Sheldon(CBS)-- Premieres Monday Sept. 25 at 8:30/7:30c
Big Bang Theory's spin-off Young Sheldon is instantly lovable: At its (very big) heart, it's a charming series about an outsider making his way in a hostile world. In fact, the new show diverges significantly from its source material. The only recognizable element, really, is Jim Parsons' quirky narration. But the risk pays off. Budding superstar Iain Armitage (Big Little Lies) is terrific as the titular genius, perpetually questioning his very unscientific world in East Texas circa 1989. Whereas adult Sheldon is all fast-paced flash and bazinga!, Young Sheldon is introspective, nostalgic and warm -- a coming-of-age family story not unlike old-school faves like The Wonder Years or Doogie Howser, M.D. It's the most endearing show of the season. -- Malcolm Venable

(Full disclosure: TV Guide.com and The CW are owned by CBS.)