
(Photo by Lucasfilm/Disney+)
FALL 2020 TV SURVEY: 30 MOST ANTICIPATED RETURNING SHOWS
For Rotten Tomatoes’ annual Fall TV Survey, we asked 1,000 of our users what they’re most looking forward to in the coming TV season and to reflect on the best shows from seasons past.
While the fall TV season might not necessarily look the same as it did a year ago, there’s still plenty of programming headed to the small screen in the next few months. The main difference: premiere dates. Sure, there are fewer shows coming back, but the more noticeable change is the fact that most shows won’t premiere in September (or even October) like normal. Theoretically, though, many of our favorite series are headed back to TV before 2020 is over.
The first question in our Fall TV Survey was which returning shows fans were most looking forward to. Readers were given more than one vote, allowing them to spread the love around. (Come on, who only watches one single show?)
Unsurprisingly (for anyone who’s seen it, at least), The Mandalorian topped the list — by a wide margin. Around 47 percent of users are looking forward to the live-action Star Wars series’ second season, with 30 percent of women and 52 percent of men all voting for the Disney+ hit. The title is by far the most universally beloved series across all demographics with 50 percent of respondents in the 18-34 age bracket; 47 percent in the 35-54 bracket; and 21 percent in the 55 and over bracket.
FX’s Fargo, with the delayed season 4 (starring Chris Rock) premiering in September, was in second place among Rotten Tomatoes users at 18 percent. And in third, NBC’s time-jumping tearjerker This Is Us, with 16 percent of respondents saying they’re looking forward to season 5 (21 percent of women, 9 percent of men). Grey’s Anatomy scored much higher among women than men (13 percent vs. 4 percent), while men were far more excited about the return of Fargo (18 percent vs. 7 percent) and Star Trek: Discovery (17 percent vs. 6 percent). And while 15 percent of users aged 55 and up were excited about The Crown (and 10 percent of users aged 35-54), just 6 percent of the 18-34 demo were looking forward to the historical Netflix drama.
Read on to find out all of Rotten Tomatoes users’ most anticipated returning series.
Disagree with the survey results? Tell us in the comments who you think should have made the list or have been ranked higher.
Synopsis: Singers square off for a coveted recording contract in this reality talent contest from the producers of "Big Brother" and...
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Synopsis: A renowned psychologist heads a prolific trial consulting service in this drama series based on the early career of Dr....
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Synopsis: They say friendship isn't one big thing, it's a million little things; and that's true for a group of friends...
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Synopsis: A New York crime drama focusing on a multigenerational family of cops that includes the city's police commissioner, his two...
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Synopsis: The adventures of an Army veteran-turned-private investigator in Portland, Ore....
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Starring:
Synopsis: A psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion. The series focuses...
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Adjusted Score: 49.704%
Synopsis: Season six of Fear the Walking Dead explores what has become of the unlikely family once united by a mission...
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Synopsis: Lieutenant Olivia Benson leads a team that finds justice for victims of the city's worst crimes. NYPD Detectives Odafin Tutuola,...
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Synopsis: The trials and tribulations of a 40-year-old LAPD rookie....
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Synopsis: Spin-off of "The Big Bang Theory" follows 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper as he grows up in East Texas and attends high...
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Synopsis: For decades, ex-government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington has been one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for...
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Synopsis: A successful family man worries that his children are losing touch with black culture because they are growing up in...
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Synopsis: A nostalgic comedy series about kids growing up in a dysfunctional family in the 1980s. Based on creator Adam F....
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Synopsis: The story revolves around five surgical interns and their supervisors, showing their personal and professional lives....
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Synopsis: Eleven teams compete on a 25,000-mile journey around the world to win a $1 million prize....
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Synopsis: A successful "JAG" spin-off about criminal cases involving Navy and Marine personnel, handled by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. For...
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Synopsis: Animated antics of the constantly grousing Griffins, a family that put some fun in dysfunctional. While dad Peter is a...
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Adjusted Score: 67.982%
Critics Consensus: Though it leaves some fan favorites high and dry, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's final season hits enough emotional highs to serve as a fitting farewell to the Queen of Hell.
Synopsis: Sabrina's new normal quickly dissolves as menacing spirits set their sights on Greendale. In a battle of supernatural wits, who...
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Synopsis: Matt Groening's subversive, animated satire about Springfield's hapless first family became a cult favorite when it premiered on Fox in...
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Synopsis: A talented young surgeon with savant syndrome ruffles feathers while saving lives at a prestigious hospital's pediatric surgical unit....
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Adjusted Score: 79.557%
Synopsis: Twenty-six years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father...
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Synopsis: A singing competition in which artists perform in disguise....
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Adjusted Score: 33.026%
Synopsis: High jinks at a megastore come to the fore in this workplace comedy....
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Synopsis: Following a hamburger restaurateur and his quirky family in this animated sitcom....
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Adjusted Score: 91.477%
Critics Consensus: With less canonical baggage and a welcome dose of character development, Discovery continues to forge its own path and is narratively all the better for it.
Synopsis: After following Commander Burnham into the wormhole in the second season finale, season three of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY finds the...
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Adjusted Score: 83.312%
Critics Consensus: His Dark Materials' chilly emotional core and imposing complexity is unlikely to win over the unconverted, but its sophomore season rewards the faithful with impeccable production values and cerebral thrills.
Synopsis: Season two of HIS DARK MATERIALS begins after Lord Asriel has opened a bridge to a new world, and, distraught...
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Adjusted Score: 104.752%
Critics Consensus: Whatever historical liberties The Crown takes in its fourth season are easily forgiven thanks to the sheer power of its performances - particularly Gillian Anderson's imposing take on The Iron Lady and newcomer Emma Corrin's embodiment of a young Princess Diana.
Synopsis: The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world -- Buckingham Palace and...
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Synopsis: The Pearson family's generational story unfolds in this emotional drama. In moments of joy and heartbreak, revelations emerge from parents...
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Adjusted Score: 85.211%
Critics Consensus: Though Fargo's ambitious fourth season struggles to maintain momentum, fine performances and a change of scenery make for an engaging -- if uneven -- departure from the series' norm.
Synopsis: In 1950 Kansas City, two criminal syndicates jockey to control an alternate economy of exploitation, graft and drugs while fighting...
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Adjusted Score: 94.899%
Critics Consensus: With fan favorites and fresh faces galore both in front of and behind the camera,The Mandalorian's sophomore season solidifies its place as one of Star Wars's most engaging and exciting sagas.
Synopsis: The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through a...
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