Our apologies to summer, but we’re pretty excited to be this close to fall. We love warm weather… We love the longer days… We love vacation… Who doesn’t? But frankly, we miss our favorite series! ABC’s fall season is gearing up, so we thought we’d give you the opportunity to read up on how some of your must-watch shows left off at the end of last season.
Castle—Returns Monday, September 21, 10 p.m. ET/PT
In the show’s seventh season finale, we learned precisely why Castle became a writer: As a teenager, he’d witnessed a murder—but no body was ever found and no one was ever reported as missing, so the authorities scoffed at his story. However, a similar case in the present day reminded Castle of this unsolved mystery. The gang eventually identified the girl Castle saw murdered, and they found the man they believe committed the crime. But while visiting the man’s psychiatrist, Castle recognized the voice. With Beckett’s help, Castle searched the psychiatrist’s barn and discovered a book full of his victims! A fight ensued, and Castle wound up held hostage—but he used Beckett’s gun to take the psychiatrist down for good. In the meantime, Beckett was offered the chance to run for state Senate—as well as the chance to become captain of her own precinct. As we catch back up with our favorite crime-fighting couple, they’re just starting to adjust to Beckett’s career change when a call from a mysterious stranger sets off a perilous chain of events. (It’s a two-part cliffhanger, so don’t say we didn’t warn you!)
Modern Family—Returns Wednesday, September 23, 9 p.m. ET/PT
Modern Family’s sixth season ended with some new beginnings… and some mixed signals. At the start of the season finale, Mitch and Cam were about to buy the apartment upstairs—but Mitch revealed that he’d been laid off a month earlier and hadn’t yet broken that news to Cam. Cam couldn’t help but suspect something was up, though he feared it was an affair. Mitch finally opened up, and the couple decided to move ahead with their plans for the new apartment. Meanwhile, Alex graduated from high school, leaving Claire trying to figure out a spectacular gift to give her daughter… who ultimately gave Claire a dream gift by asking her to accompany her on a post-graduation trip to Europe, for supporting her so much while she was in school. And in a true cliffhanger, Andy was feeling pressured to propose to Beth, despite his feelings for Haley; while Haley refrained from sharing her true feelings for Andy out of respect for his longtime relationship with Beth—a twist known only to Phil, who found out by way of face timing with both of them. When technical difficulties stopped Phil from speaking up, Andy and Haley bid a melancholy goodbye and parted ways. Did they find out before Andy popped the question? Tune in on Wednesday, September 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT to find out!
Nashville—Returns Wednesday, September 23, 10 p.m. ET/PT
The third season of Nashville truly left us hanging on the edge between life and death, as Deacon and his loved ones prepared for his risky liver transplant surgery. Deacon tried (unsuccessfully) to shake his premonition that something would go wrong during the operation, while Rayna did her best to get along with Deacon’s sister, Beverly, who is donating part of her liver to save him. Juliette and Avery’s relationship hit a seriously low note when Juliette—frustrated by issues with her career and new album—threw a snowglobe at Avery and their baby, Cadence, and then took on a new business manager, Jeff Fordham. A contrite Juliette later tried to persuade Avery that she could keep things professional with her ex, but Avery sadly realized that Juliette will always put her career ahead of her family and he asked her to leave them. After a tabloid revealed Will and Kevin’s relationship, Will’s first instinct was to cover it up… but after watching Kevin lie for him, Will realized he had to be true to himself and announced in front of a press conference—and his close-minded father—that he is gay. At the hospital, a frightened Deacon proposed to Rayna before his surgery. She refused to marry him in a hospital bed—officially, that is—but the two exchanged vows nonetheless. But as the episode ended, someone flatlined on the operating table—was it Deacon? Or was it Beverly? Rayna will come to terms with the aftermath of the surgery in the Nashville season premiere, which features special guest Steven Tyler, who duets with Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere).
Grey’s Anatomy—Returns Thursday, September 24, 8 p.m. ET/PT
Grey Sloan Memorial proved once again to be the site for so many big life moments on the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. Meredith, still mourning the death of her husband, Derek, talked some sense into Richard and Catherine. After Richard promised to be Catherine’s “safe harbor,” the two were married in the hospital chapel. Meanwhile, April and Jackson’s marriage falls apart when she confesses that she feels like she’s “been called” to return to army surgery, and Jackson—who never felt like he had the opportunity to grieve for their late son—tells her he can’t be there for her when she comes back. Jo took the big step of buying a loft to share with Alex—all that she wants is for them to have a place of their own, and to give Meredith’s house back to her. Meredith gave Amelia some closure by sharing with her a voicemail message she’d gotten from Derek shortly before he died, describing the beauty of his last ferry ride. Later, at Richard and Catherine’s reception, Meredith, Amelia, and Maggie—who just learned that her parents are divorcing—shared a moment of sadness and friendship, and Meredith announced they had to “dance it out,” which they did. In the closing narration, Meredith stated, “…No matter how dark it gets, the sun’s gonna rise again.” And things seem to be looking sunnier in the season premiere, which has Meredith adjusting to new roommates at home, Bailey still gunning for the Chief of Surgery position at the hospital, and Jackson getting ready for April’s return to Seattle.
Scandal—Returns Thursday, September 24, 9 p.m. ET/PT
When last we ventured into D.C., Damascus Bainbridge—aka Command, aka Rowan, aka Papa Pope himself—threatened Mellie with blackmail if she didn’t get him a certain list of names. Meanwhile, Jake (and several others) confessed about their roles in B613 and Operation Remington to a grand jury. But after the initial hearing, every single juror was murdered—because of Mellie’s list! Olivia, hoping to take her father down, asked crazy Mama Pope for advice—which led Olivia to reveal B613 to the CIA. The plan, unfortunately, backfired; both Olivia and Jake were arrested, only to be released after signing a document denying B613’s existence. Quinn confronted poor guilt-ridden Huck about his role in the grand jury murders, and he, in turn, asked her to take Rowan down. Ultimately, Olivia had her father arrested for embezzlement from the Smithsonian, and she and Fitz passionately reunited on the White House balcony. So what’s in store this season? Well, we’ve only been given a glimpse into Episode 1, but from what we can gather: Olivia and Fitz are still in full-on “scandal” mode, and Cyrus, Mellie, and Huck are all dealing with the aftermath of helping Command. Serious #TGIT!
How to Get Away with Murder—Returns Thursday, September 24, 10 p.m. ET/PT
The first season of How to Get Away with Murder was a nail-biting doozy, and the season finale did not disappoint. Annalise forced the Keating Four to put Rebecca through a “show trial,” presenting evidence to convince her that Rebecca killed Lila. Uncooperative at first, Rebecca ultimately managed to convince Wes she wasn’t responsible, though she did find Lila’s body and hid with it in the water tank. Annalise found every statement unbelievable, and went into the basement to release Rebecca—but she’d already been set free. Later, Annalise reassured Wes that the “Sam-killed-Lila” theory is the only one that makes sense. Once Wes left, Annalise met Frank in the basement… and it’s revealed that Rebecca is dead! But that wasn’t the only shocking moment: In a flashback, we learned that Sam used blackmail to get Frank to murder Lila. Season 2 promises even more drama: The students are still reeling over Rebecca’s “disappearance,” with Annalise and Frank determined to find out who killed her.
Once Upon a Time—Returns Sunday, September 27, 8 p.m. ET/PT
The season finale of Once Upon a Time was totally backwards—literally, as The Author rewrote our characters’ stories for his own benefit, turning the villains into heroes and heroes into sadistic monsters (well, at least Snow White… It wasn’t pretty). Luckily Henry saved the day (and Emma and… pretty much everyone else). But when the gang returned to Storybrooke, joy was short-lasted. While Emma, Regina, James/Charming, Mary Margaret/Snow, and the core team tried to remove and isolate the “evil” that turns people into The Dark One, things, naturally, got a little out of control. The season’s final moments saw Emma saving Regina’s life by absorbing the bad juju and becoming The Dark One—and then totally vanishing from sight. Now it’s up to our heroes and villains to team up once again to find Emma and ensure she doesn’t go totally “Dark Swan.” They will also try to find a way to vanquish the darkness, created by a sorcerer named Merlin, once and for all by venturing to Camelot. We also have a pregnant Wicked Witch of the West to deal with. Oh, and some chick with red hair named Merida shows up. We can’t wait.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.—Returns Tuesday, September 29, 9 p.m. ET/PT
Where to begin?! The second season finale of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. packed a two-parter wallop. S.H.I.E.L.D. realized Jiaying’s ruse—but the people of Afterlife (including daughter Skye) fell for it, and fought alongside her. Ward tortured Bobbi for information about her undercover time at Hydra, and he set a trap to end with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (likely Hunter) being killed in front of her. Instead, Bobbi took the bullet for Hunter, barely surviving—while Ward accidentally killed Palamas as she was disguised as May. After seeing Jiayang murder Raina, Skye finally turned her back on her mother. But the Inhumans took her prisoner and attacked the S.H.I.E.L.D. ship, planning to use artificial Terrigen crystals to reveal all Inhumans… and kill all humans. Skye warned Coulson of Jiaying’s plan, and Fitz killed Gordon, preventing him from unleashing Terrigen mist through the ship’s ventilation—though Coulson lost an arm in the process. Skye confronted dear ol’ Mom on a Quinjet, and an epic fight began—until Cal saved Skye’s life by killing Jiaying. Ultimately, S.H.I.E.L.D. wiped Cal’s memories; Skye joined a new S.H.I.E.L.D. team; May felt a break from S.H.I.E.L.D. was in order; and Ward planned to lead the remains of Hydra. But traces of the crystals still made their way around the world, and the Kree weapon absorbed Simmons! What’s next? Our intel points to Coulson and team discovering a new Inhuman, and Fitz going to extreme lengths to try and bring Simmons back.
