TV Guide Magazine September 12, 2022

There’s been no shortage of big TV premieres this season. The Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has already broken HBO ratings records. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (which has not yet debuted on Prime Video as I write this) is the most expensive TV show ever and will surely sweep up its own impressive haul of LOTR fans. But our Returning Favorites issue focuses on shows you already love and look forward to each fall when new episodes come back. Speaking of returning favorites, we put together expanded editions of our two bestselling special collector’s issues, Supernatural and Yellowstone. We’ve added exciting new features, exclusive photos and revealing interviews. For Supernatural, there’s now an in-depth look at The Winchesters, more SPN on-set memories and…

Smart Watch If you have a half hour, check out this game In Pictionary, hosted by Jerry O’Connell and based on the classic board game, celebrity guests such as Natalie Morales and Amanda Kloots help players guess winning words. Monday, Sept. 12, check local listings If you have an hour, watch this docuseries The show celebrating pro football greats, NFL Icons, fetes legendary Bears running back Walter Payton, whose name is synonymous with excellence on the field and in the community. Saturday, Sept. 17, 10/9c, Epix If you have a free evening, watch this awards show SNL’s Kenan Thompson hosts television’s biggest night! Tune in and see which stars of the small screen bring home the big statues during The 74th Annual Emmy Awards. Monday, Sept. 12, 8/7c, NBC (and Peacock) Have a free day? Binge this…

@TVGMMattRoush The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Fridays, Prime Video THE MONEY’S ON the screen—and it’s a good thing, given the reported $460-plusmillion investment to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythic Middleearth back to life for a sumptuous prequel to the events immortalized in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. At its frequent best in the opening hours (only two were made available for review), The Rings of Power is a reminder of what drew many of us to epic fantasy in the first place: wonder. Whether scaling terrifying icy heights in the Northernmost Wastes, weathering a savage storm on the Sundering Seas or merely gaping at the massive underground dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm with its multiple cascading waterfalls, this new series set in an ancient realm displays one dazzling and…

@TVGMMattRoush What happened to Magnum P.I.? I thought the show was moving to NBC this season, but I didn’t see it in the schedule published in the Fall Preview issue. —Mary MATT ROUSH: Magnum won’t start airing until some-time in the midseason. It was a late pickup by NBC, which rescued the show from cancellation by CBS after the fall lineup was set. No word yet on what night of the week or when it will return, but the renewal was only for 10 episodes for this and next season. I’ve been searching for CNN’s Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. It came back, then it was gone. What happened? I loved that series. —Gwenn MATT ROUSH: You’re not alone. The sumptuous Emmywinning series for food and travel lovers will be back later this fall.…

QUANTUM LEAP Monday, Sept. 19, 10/9c, NBC THE ORIGINAL It took nearly three decades, but fans of one classic cult series can finally look at 2022 as “Leap year.” NBC has hit the refresh button and brought back Quantum Leap, the wildly inventive and beloved time-travel drama that aired 97 endlessly engaging episodes from 1989 to 1993. The new sequel series is a unique kind of returning favorite, tweaking the original concept while maintaining its signature humor, hope, history and heart—and holding fast to a continuity with its past. Given that the show will compete on a big-budget TV landscape luring viewers to Middle-earth and Westeros this fall, executive producer Martin Gero (Blindspot) believes it’s vital to court Leap’s devoted fanbase. “Just the announcement that we were maybe doing this trended on Twitter immediately,”…

CROSSOVER ALERT! NCIS/NCIS: HAWAI‘I Sept. 19, 9/8c and 10/9c, CBS Two NCIS teams unite to catch the merciless Raven, a shadowy figure targeting the agents, in this explosive two-part opener that moves from D.C. (in Hour 1) to Hawaii. The baddie is likely responsible for framing boss Alden Parker (Gary Cole), who’s on the run with his secretive, perhaps dangerous ex-wife Vivian (Teri Polo). “Vivian isn’t going to be able to hide her shenanigans very long,” says NCIS exec producer Steven D. Binder. Washington man Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Hawai‘i’s Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) spearhead the Raven pursuit. —Kate Hahn THE VOICE Sept. 19, 8/7c, NBC Gwen Stefani may have quit while she was ahead—leaving after winning with pop singer Carter Rubin in 2019—but she returns to TV’s top-rated competition series for Season 22. Stefani,…