2017 Fall TV Preview: Familiar Faces in New Places

© 2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC.

This season’s new shows (and a few returning ones) feature some stars you’ve seen before:

Maria Bello (NCIS, CBS) ER alum Bello, recently of Goliath, joins the 15th season of NCIS as a top forensic psychologist.

David Boreanaz (SEAL Team, CBS) Boreanaz trades his Bones Army Ranger persona to take up the role of a SEAL team leader in this new CBS drama.

Zach Braff, Michael Imperioli (Alex, Inc., ABC) Braff (Scrubs) and Imperioli (The Sopranos) appear in this new comedy, inspired by the podcast StartUp. Braff’s character quits a successful job to start fresh, bringing his cousin (Imperioli) in on the plan.

Gwendoline Christie, Elisabeth Moss (Top of the Lake: China Girl, SundanceTV) Game of Thrones fans will recognize Christie in a similar “protector” role, loyally serving Detective Robin Griffin, played by Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men and the first season of Top of the Lake.

Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO) OK, so Curb isn’t a new show, but the ninth season, which is due in October, follows a six-year hiatus. We’re just thrilled that David (also known for his work on Seinfeld) is coming back at all.

Joanne Froggatt (Liar, SundanceTV) Downton Abbey fans will be pleased to see Froggatt (who played the beloved Anna) back on TV, this time as a dedicated teacher whose life is turned upside down after what seems to be an innocent date.

Emily Kinney (Ten Days in the Valley, ABC) Kinney, best known as Beth on The Walking Dead and, more recently, as Tess on Conviction, joins other familiar faces — Erika Christensen (Parenthood), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) and Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show) — in this new ABC show.

John Larroquette, Bobby Moynihan (Me, Myself & I, CBS) Best known for Night Court, Larroquette also appeared in The Librarians. In his new series, he plays the older version of a character played by Moynihan (SNL).

Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G., TBS midseason) Morgan was critically injured in a car accident in 2014, when the limo he was riding in was rear-ended by a semi. He’s best known for his work on 30 Rock with Tina Fey and for his time on SNL.

Shemar Moore (S.W.A.T., CBS) Fans of Moore’s turn as Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds were distraught when he left the show after 11 seasons, so they should be happy to see him return to TV in this remake of the 1975 series that starred Robert Urich.

Leah Remini (Kevin Can Wait, CBS) Remini guest-starred in the season finale of the show (which reunites her with her King of Queens costar Kevin James). She’ll be a regular cast member for the upcoming season.

Tom Welling (Lucifer, FOX) Welling, last seen on TV as a young Clark Kent on Smallville, joins the cast as a charismatic police lieutenant who butts heads with the title character.

Steve Zahn (The Crossing, ABC) Zahn (Treme, Amazon’s Mad Dogs) stars in this new drama about refugees fleeing a war-torn country seeking asylum in America. Only the place they are fleeing is America, 250 years in the future.

Will & Grace cast (NBC) The list would not be complete without Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing and Megan Mullally. All four stars will be back for the reboot later this month and we can’t wait to see how they deal with explaining the events depicted in the 2006 season finale, which was set many years in the future and had Will (McCormack) and Grace (Messing) reuniting after a long estrangement.