The 25 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of Fall 2012

Minor depression set in for millions of TV junkies last Sunday night when AMC's Breaking Bad reached its final season's midway point with a devastating, and cheekily literal, "Oh, shit" moment. Instead of only having to wait another six days and 23 hours to continue tracking Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) downward spiral, fans will have to endure 10 long, agonizing months of speculation and anticipation.

Fret not, though, because that sadness will only be temporary. Kicking off next Tuesday with the return of the FX biker drama Sons of Anarchy, television's best time of the year, the fall season, is back in effect and armed with enough superior material to make up for Breaking Bad's absence. As you'll see in our countdown of The 25 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of Fall 2012, several of programs that landed on our list of 2011's best TV shows are about to make rather splashy comebacks, in addition to a few intriguing new sitcoms and dramas. Say goodbye to Heisenberg and hello to bad guys like Nucky Thompson and The Governor.

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Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

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Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, Desmond Harrington, David Zayas, Lauren Velez, C.S. Lee, Ray Stevenson, Yvonne Strahovski, Jason Gedrick, Calista Flockhart
Premiere date: September 30

Give it up for multiple Emmy nominee Michael C. Hall, because, without his consistently rich performance as the serial-killing title character on Showtime's long-running Dexter, we'd have abandoned this ship two seasons ago. Far too concerned with its distracting side characters (fingers crossed for a "Batista es muerte" moment this year) and stretching plausibility way beyond its acceptable limits, the most recent Dexter seasons rank as some of the most infuriating television imaginable, so it was a pleasant, applause-worthy surprise when last year's sixth season finale finally blessed fans with the inevitable: hot cop Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) discovering her brother's homicidal secret.

On the other hand, it's unavoidable that Dexter will further explore the laughable subplot about Deb's romantic attraction to Dexter. One can only pray that, as his after-hours practice becomes more widely known amongst his peers, Dexter's "dark passenger" will fly off the rails and go full psycho. Otherwise, not even Hall's fine acting will keep largely fed-up viewers on board.

Stars: Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz, Joshua Malina, Jeff Perry
Premiere date: September 27

It's no mystery that Hollywood isn't exactly a fruitful terrain for black actresses looking to expand their portfolios beyond sassy love interest parts and insufferable Tyler Perry movies. So kudos to the gifted Kerry Washington for landing a formidable character in ABC's politically charged, deftly conceived drama Scandal.

At the forefront minute by minute, Washington (who'll soon keep her hot streak going in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained) is all imposing presence and commanding energy as a crisis management expert tasked with keeping staff members inside the White House from monumentally tarnishing their careers. Easier said than done, of course, but Scandal's nonstop CNN-serving conflicts afford Washington with plenty of room to show and prove.

Stars: Justin Kirk, Joanna Garcia-Swisher, Bobby Lee, Tyler Labine, Kym Whitley, Betsy Sodaro
Premiere date: September 26

Each and every new TV season, whether it's September's fall stretch or January's mid-season time-frame, a dozen or so sitcoms premiere and only a lucky, select few last longer than four or five episodes. Programs like Community, Happy Endings, and Raising Hope are diamonds in the rough, and looking at the roster of fall 2012's half-hour newbies, there doesn't seem to be many comedy debuts worth caring about.

One exception, though, is NBC's wild-sounding Animal Practice, which comes equipped with a plot straight out of Adult Swim's playbook. It's about a hotshot veterinarian who runs a wacky animal fix-up clinic with his pet monkey. Laughs at the expense of animals with impeccable comedic timing ensue. Yeah, this one's practically guaranteed to meet cancellation before year's end, but, hey, at least it'll do so by literally being, pun intended, ape-shit.

Stars: Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jason O’Mara, Taylor Handley
Premiere date: September 25

The pedigree behind the pilot episode of the new CBS crime-drama Vegas is quite impressive: James Mangold, the director of Cop Land (1997) and 3:10 to Yuma (2007), calls the shots while actors Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis embody character co-written by Nicholas Pileggi, the screenwriter best known for penning the Martin Scorsese flicks Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995).

Right off the bat, Vegas should grab any mob movie fan's attention, especially when you take into account its gangster premise, that of a lawman (Quaid) cracking down on a mobster (Chiklis) who has relocated from Chicago to Las Vegas in the 1960s. Could this be Sin City's answer to Atlantic City's seriously gangster Boardwalk Empire? A betting man would say no, but we shall see.

Stars: Jordana Spiro, William Forsythe, Jaime Lee Kirchner, James Carpinello, Jesse Lee Soffer, Zach Gilford
Premiere date: September 17

Usually, the proposition of yet another medical TV series inspires instantaneous indifference, but there's more to Fox's The Mob Doctor than your basic Grey's Anatomy knockoff. Though it's set mostly inside a hospital, and stars an attractive female lead (Jordana Spiro, from the quietly popular TBS show My Boys), The Mob Doctor's protagonist has a clever, Sopranos-esque back-story: She's saving lives in order to keep her family members breathing as mobsters look to collect debts. Early positive word on the pilot episode only increases the show's chances of reinvigorating the ER trend.

Stars: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell, David Ramsey, Willa Holland, Jamey Sheridan, Susanna Thompson, Paul Blackthorne
Premiere date: October 10

Full disclosure: Arrow is present in this countdown out of sheer morbid curiosity. It doesn't take a television genius to guess that the CW's adaptation of DC Comics' Green Arrow character has the overpowering potential to be a complete disaster. For one, it's the CW, the home of Gossip Girl and other shows firmly entrenched far beyond the world of comic book lore (save for Nikita, perhaps); and, two, superheroes haven't fared well on boob-tubes in recent years (try to remember NBC's The Cape).

Still, it'd be great to see DC successfully launch a live-action hero who's not nicknamed the Dark Knight, so Arrow deserves at least an initial look. It's also tough to root against the always alluring Katie Cassidy, an underrated young actress who's given strong performances on doomed TV shows in the past (Harper's Island, Melrose Place). If only for her sake, give Arrow a shot.

Stars: Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe, Gabriel Mann, Nick Weschler, Henry Czerny, Josh Bowman, Connor Paolo, Margarita Levieva
Premiere date: September 30

Television's most addictive non-cable show is the one that your girlfriend can't stop talking about. A slightly edgier variation on the murderous intrigue of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, this show's illegitimate relative in terms of tone and appeal, the shamelessly campy Revenge powered through its immersive, surprisingly intense debut season with the heart of a soap opera and the spirit of the best "female vengeance" genre storytelling.

Emily VanCamp, who's aces, plays Amanda Clarke, a.k.a. Emily Thorne, a scorned gal who infiltrates Hamptons high society to administer fierce payback for her father's wrongly imprisonment. How she triggers romance, homicide, and endless backstabbing is what drives Revenge and makes it a pulpy pleasure that one need not feel guilty about.

Stars: Wendell Pierce, Khandi Alexander, Steve Zahn, Melissa Leo, Kim Dickens, Rob Brown, David Morse, Michiel Huisman, Lucia Micarelli, Clarke Peters
Premiere date: September 23

Quietly, HBO's Treme has consistently given the cable network solid ratings and warm critical reception. So why don't more people talk or write about it? Perhaps it's still a direct result of the hang-ups from fans of creator David Simon's previous HBO property, a little show called The Wire. In many ways, the New Orleans-set Treme, with its extended musical sequences and non-showy, muted character development, is the antithesis of Simon's violent, predominantly bleak Baltimore saga, and Wire heads haven't totally been able to accept his thematic downshift.

Really, though, they should applaud Simon's bravery in switching gear so dramatically. With Treme only on its third season, now's as good a time as any to drop those preconceptions and catch up.

Stars: Ty Burrell, Julia Bowen, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Rico Rodriguez, Nolan Gould, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons
Premiere date: September 26

Up until now, ABC's Modern Family has coasted on its uniformly likable and expertly written characters, top-shelf comedic performances, and consistency, all of which, of course, make for a sitcom of the highest quality.

There's no reason to wonder if the Dunphys will lose any of their hilariousness at any point in season four, but here's the rub: In the behind-the-scenes world of Modern Family, this past summer was mostly spent battling through contentious salary re-negotiations. The end result is that the cast will reportedly make upwards of $175,000 per episode throughout this 22-episode season. That's a lot of scratch. Now all they have to do is continue to justify such large paydays.

Stars: Hayden Panettiere, Connie Britton, Powers Boothe, Charles Esten, Eric Close, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson
Premiere date: October 10

Allow us to lower our brows here for a second: In no way does our interest in Nashville reflect any excitement in watching actresses sing country tunes and engage in melodrama. No, the reason why this ABC's new series about a couple of dueling music industry divas is so high on this list is easily explained, as follows: It's an excuse to watch gorgeous cougar Connie Britton (hot off last year's American Horror Story run) and pint-sized beauty Hayden Panettiere get all feisty in what's hopefully a no-holds-barred match of attitude, ruthless one-ups, and glamorous, tight dresses. Any storytelling panache will be a welcome bonus.

Stars: Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ken Jeong, Jim Rash
Premiere date: October 19

It was all good just five months ago. At the time, outspoken Community creator/showrunner Dan Harmon was still in charge of the irreverent NBC sitcom, and the series still had its plush, primetime Thursday night slot. But then Harmon announced that he'd been unhappily relieved of his duties, and word came that Community would move to the unkind dungeon of Friday night programming.

The good news, though, is that all of Community's original cast is still intact (including sex bombs Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs). And, though it's nowhere near as reassuring as that fact, Harmon's replacements, David Guarascio and Moses Port, aren't exactly scrubs: They served as consulting producers on ABC's steadily improving sitcom Happy Endings. It'll be interesting to see how they handle Harmon's singular brand of pop culture send-ups and random, kitchen-sink humor in Community's crucial fourth season. Let's hope for more innovation and less imitation.

Stars: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Katrina Bowden, Keith Powell, Lonny Ross, John Lutz, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, Maulik Pancholy
Premiere date: October 4

It's nearly impossible for a sitcom to remain funny for two seasons, so just imagine how difficult it is to maintain hilarity for a staggering six seasons. So, naturally, the recent decline in greatness displayed by NBC's Emmy darling 30 Rock isn't all that surprising, but now that Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and company are on the way out, for good, can the once-reliable series regain its comedic punch for 13 more episodes? That's our biggest question as 30 Rock enters its seventh and final batch of new entries. We'd certainly like to remember the adorably sarcastic Liz Lemon for leaving us satisfied, not for giving us couch potato blue balls.

Stars: Mindy Kaling, Chris Messina, Ed Weeks, Anna Camp, Zoe Jarman, Stephen Tobolowsky, Amanda Setton
Premiere date: September 25

As much as we loved Mindy Kaling during her stint as a full-time co-star and writer on NBC's The Office, it's tough not to proceed with caution when it comes to her new all-Kaling Fox sitcom, The Mindy Project. Why? Because it sounds like a movie Katherine Heigl or Sarah Jessica Parker would star in and that, inevitably, would suck: Kaling plays a successful OB/GYN who's living single and desperately seeking romantic connections.

But, fortunately, the show's creator/star possesses the sharp wit and intelligent hold on comedy that will be needed to lift The Mindy Project above rom-com mundanity. Cling to her funny, slickly written 2011 memoir Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) to remain optimistic.

Stars: Jonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn
Premiere date: September 25

True, Elementary is the fall season's least original new show, curiously revamping Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes characters into a modern-day detective series. One that changes Caucasian sidekick Watson into a sexy Asian female partner, named Dr. Joan Watson and played by Lucy Liu. Which, one must admit, is a step up from Jude Law in those Guy Ritchie Holmes flicks.

Is Elementary the TV equivalent of one of those unnecessary Hollywood remakes? Sure, but there's something fascinating about a new take on Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) where he's a full-blown drug addict who checks into a Brooklyn rehab center and begins fighting crime with a beautiful cohort.

Unless you're unwaveringly faithful to BBC's version of Sherlock, starring on-the-rise Hollywood players Benedict Cumberbatch (the villain in next year's Star Trek sequel) and Martin Freeman (the lead in Peter Jackson's forthcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Elementary seems worthy of a shot.

Stars: Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Rob Lowe
Premiere date: September 20

Since its April 2009 premiere, NBC's Parks and Recreation has yet to lose any of its excellence, leading us to believe that co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur just might be the best comedy handlers on television.

They definitely deserve major props for assembling the funniest ensemble around; from leads Amy Poehler and Adam Scott to peripheral scene-swipers like Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, and the almighty Nick "Ron Swanson" Offerman, Parks and Rec's loaded cast routinely display flawless chemistry as the trials and tribulations of small town Pawnee's parks department inspire a multitude of genius one-liners. As the series begins its fifth season, TV's strongest sitcom shows no signs of vacating its half-hour-comedy throne.

Stars: Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Rachael Taylor, Dave Annable, Robert Buckley, Mercedes Masohn, Erik Palladino, Helena Mattsson, Samantha Jade Logan
Premiere date: September 30

It sure didn't take networks long to jump on the American Horror Story momentum train. By the looks of it, ABC's supernatural drama 666 Park Avenue appears to be a shameless cash-in on the FX breakout's proven formula of scary movie influences melded with gorgeous faces and a sexual undercurrent. Here, Terry O'Quinn (Lost) and Vanessa Williams (fresh off Desperate Housewives) play the overseers of a lavish high rise in Manhattan that's ravaged by all kinds of freaky occurrences once a pretty young couple (Rachael Taylor and Dave Annable) settle into their new apartment.

If 666 Park Avenue has even half the amount of cheeky insanity seen in American Horror Story, it could be yet another small-screen guilty pleasure, but keep in mind that it's on ABC, not FX. Anticipate genre elements more along the lines of PG-13 fare like The Apparition than a Greg Nicotero project.

Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole, Blair Brown, Michael Cerveris, Leonard Nimoy, Ryan McDonald, Orla Brady
Premiere date: September 28

Fringe loyalists shouldn't be sad at all about the brainy Fox show's upcoming fifth and final season; they're lucky that the science fiction series has lasted a whopping 87 episodes thus far.

Since the premiere of the J.J. Abrams-backed Fringe in September 2008, it has consistently pulled in low ratings and constantly been on the verge of cancellation. By all accounts, the slept-on, dimension-hopping program could've ended unceremoniously without any chance of resolving the trajectories of FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), alternate universe transplant Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson), and his eccentric yet brilliant father, Walter Bishop (John Noble).

So, as Fringe heads into its final 13 episodes, with the plot more meticulously intricate than ever before, now's the time to celebrate, not lament, the beginning of the end.

Stars: Billy Burke, Giancarlo Esposito, Tracy Spiridakos, Anna Lise Phillips, Zak Orth, J.D. Pardo, Maria Howell, David Lyons, Tim Guinee, Elizabeth Mitchell, Daniella Alonso
Premiere date: September 17

Check out what is, in our opinion, the coolest premise of the fall TV season: In a technological spin on the familiar post-apocalyptic set-up, Revolution takes place in a world where all electronic devices, including computers, batteries, and car engines, don't work, and civilians are forced to survive by any natural means necessary. Adding to the high-concept NBC show's intrigue is the presence of director Jon Favreau (Iron Man and Iron Man 2), who sat behind the camera for the pilot episode.

Here's where the concern stems from, however: It's a J.J. Abrams project. While that was once a source of instant confidence, the mega-producer's recent television failures (Undercovers and Alcatraz) indicate that he's in a creative funk of sorts. Will Abrams, co-producer Bryan Burk, and series creator Eric Kripke be able to capitalize on Revolution's gripping narrative hook?

Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone
Premiere date: September 25

Admittedly, it took a little bit of time for us to warm up to New Girl. Blame it on Zooey Deschanel's often annoying and goofily "adorkable" character, Jess, whose cutesy antics initially hinted at possible, unbearable irritation. But then a strange thing happened: New Girl's main character began to get overshadowed by her three male roommates, and that's when the Fox sitcom really hit its stride.

Twenty-four episodes in, New Girl established itself as having one of TV's best comedic ensembles, not to mention one of the small-screen's hottest actresses, and we're not talking about Deschanel (see: Hannah Simone). Deserving of the strongest praise are Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield, whose characters, the uptight Nick and buffoonish Schmidt, respectively, own New Girl in spite of Jess' increasingly tolerable silliness. Expect much more Schmidt in season two, being that Greenfield's performance has boosted the character into fan favorite status.

Stars: Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, Robert Patrick, Autumn Reeser, Daisy Betts, Dichen Lachman, Bruce Davison, Jessy Schram, Max Adler
Premiere date: September 27

For many TV aficionados, the high interest in ABC's Last Resort has little to do with the action-adventure series' premise. Rather, it's all about creator Shawn Ryan's sterling resume. Ryan, for the uninitiated, is the tried-and-true showrunner responsible for FX's harrowing cop show The Shield and the short-lived but critically lauded Fox procedural The Chicago Code. The man has more than earned the ability to generate immediate viewer interest.

Fortunately, Last Resort also sounds like a doozy without any mentions of Mr. Ryan's name. In what sounds more like an Hollywood blockbuster than a weekly TV series, stars Andre Braugher (last seen in the TNT series Men of a Certain Age) and Scott Speedman (The Strangers) play a couple of high-ranking Navy officers whose submarine comes under attack after they refuse an unexplained command to fire nuclear missiles at Pakistan. Considered enemies of the state, the sub's surviving crew take up residence on a deserted island and declare themselves a sovereign nation.

With the never-ending siege of cop shows, medical dramas, and lawyer programs, Last Resort's excitingly original concept is a breath of fresh air. God speed, Shawn Ryan.

Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Maggie Siff, Ryan Hurst, Theo Rossi, Mark Boone Junior, Dayton Callie, Rockmond Dunbar, Danny Trejo, Jimmy Smits, Harold Perrineau
Premiere date: September 11

Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter found himself in an online sea of criticism last December when bloodthirsty fans couldn't believe that [SPOILER ALERT] Jax (Charlie Hunnam) didn't kill his stepfather/SAMCRO boss Clay (Ron Perlman) for all the reckless and foul things he'd done to him throughout season four. And, we must confess, we were a bit disappointed in the season finale, as well. But 10 months is a long time to think on FX's first-rate motorcycle drub drama, and, on the eve of season five, Sutter's intentions have crystallized into an ingenious strategy.

This go-round, there's a hell of a lot of internal conflict within SAMCRO, mainly with how Clay will adjust to being a powerless lackey and how Jax will handle being president while keeping his family safe. We'll also meet a new father figure in Jax's life, a pimp who could take over Clay's mentoring duties, in addition to Clay's romantic extracurricular activities with Gemma (Katey Sagal). And then there's Harold Perrineau (Lost), who's joined the Sons cast to play Damon Pope, the pissed-off father of the girl Tig (Kim Coates) recklessly ran over outside a crowded restaurant. He's definitely not looking to keep any peace.

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Sarah Wayne Collies, Chandler Riggs, Steven Yeun, Laurie Holden, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, David Morrissey, Danai Gurira, Michael Rooker, Dallas Roberts, IronE Singleton, Melissa McBride
Premiere date: October 14

You notice that deafening silence? That's the sound of millions of Walking Dead haters finally shutting their traps. There's really no other way for them to respond now that AMC's zombie apocalypse series has seemingly abandoned its slower, action-less episodes in favor of all-out human-versus-human and human-versus-walker contentions and psychological warfare. The last half of The Walking Dead's second season, overseen by new showrunner Glenn Mazzara (who replaced original shotcaller Frank Darabont), was a breathless onslaught of zombie carnage and killed-off major characters, culminating (finally!) in the introduction of both comic book favorite Michonne (Danai Gurira) and the prison setting of Woodbury.

And anyone who's up on Robert Kirkman's comic knows who's waiting to raise all kinds of sadistic hell inside and outside Woodbury's gated walls: The Governor (Walking Dead newcomer David Morrissey), a cold-blooded alpha male who's about to make the lives of the hardened Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his crew exceedingly problematic. Even more so than the hundreds of zombies crowding around Woodbury looking to rip open some arms, legs, and other body parts. Those naysayers' traps? We're hoping they're left agape in disbelief at what's going down on screen.

Stars: Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Michael Stuhlbarg, Stephen Graham, Jack Huston, Vincent Piazza, Gretchen Mol, Michael Kenneth Williams, Bobby Cannavale, Anatol Yusef, Charlie Cox, Stephen Root
Premiere date: September 16

The tagline for Boardwalk Empire's third season says it all: "You can't be half a gangster." And, after committing a pivotal murder in cold blood at the end of the second season's excellent finale, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) is definitely in full-on badass mode, which is the perfect way to head into what promises to be a brutally violent, jam-packed 13 episodes for the Martin Scorsese-backed period series.

Unlike, say, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire is that rare show that's able to balance multiple characters while giving each one an interesting and well-handled storyline. It's a testament to the skills of creator Terrence Winter and his writing staff that folks like Chalky White (Michael Kenneth Williams), Al Capone (Stephen Graham), and Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon) are just as endlessly watchable as Nucky.

This year, Boardwalk's volatile cast of criminals will meet a new face who's ready to shake things up in tumultuous ways: Gyp Rosetti, an antagonistic presence played by severely underrated character actor Bobby Cannavale (who turned in some phenomenal work as a Nurse Jackie co-star earlier this year). And, make no mistake about it, he's all gangster.

Stars: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, Mandy Patinkin, David Harewood, Morgan Saylor, Jackson Pace, Navid Negahban, David Marciano, Jamey Sheridan
Premiere date: September 30

Last fall, Showtime's topical drama series Homeland debuted with one of the most impressive first seasons we've seen on television in years; the TV community was definitely blindsided. Led by a pair of electric performances from Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, the white-knuckle thriller program introduced viewers to two enormously fascinating characters: Carrie Mathison (Danes), a paranoid CIA operative who's not all there psychologically, and Nicholas Brody, a POW hiding a dark past and whom Carrie suspects is in bed with terrorists. Over 12 masterfully paced and altogether riveting episodes, Homeland kept viewers enthralled with its mental cat-and-mouse games.

After a wonderfully exciting first season finale, the stakes are through the roof as season two gets ready to begin at the end of the month. Carrie's an electroconvulsive therapy case, and Brody, whose intentions are even more threatening than one might've previously thought, is holding down a powerful government position; this year, the terror is much closer to home. And we couldn't be more amped.

Stars: Jessica Lange, James Cromwell, Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, Chloe Sevigny, Joseph Fiennes, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Adam Levine, Jenna Dewan, Franka Potente, Clea DuVall, Lizzie Brochere, Chris Zylka
Premiere date: October 17

Just when you thought American Horror Story co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk couldn't get any crazier, they go and announce exactly what the second season, subtitled Asylum, is all about: In a nutshell, the walls of the show's new setting, the Briarcliff mental institution in the 1960s, house not only loons but also a (possible) mad Nazi doctor, a serial killer named Bloody Face who wears victims' flesh as a mask, mutated ghouls, and, for the hell of it, aliens. That's certainly a far cry from a perverted ghost clad in all-black latex.

As it's been widely reported, Murphy's master plan for American Horror Story has been to treat each season as its own self-contained narrative, with key actors (here, Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, and Sarah Paulson) returning each year to play all-new characters. Asylum is the first attempt to make such an unprecedented format work, and the decision to mine campy scares from religious imagery, including exorcisms and evil nuns, is definitely a step in the right direction.

Like any good horror sequel, Asylum promises to make last year's inaugural season look reasonably restrained by comparison. Watching every episode's bloody, sexually depraved insanity should make us all feel like inmates.