Fall TV is back with new feel-good dramas The Big Leap and Ordinary Joe

Also tonight: Returning shows include 9-1-1, Bob Hearts Abishola, The Neighborhood, Dancing With The Stars, and Ariana Grande joins The Voice

By Saloni Gajjar | September 20, 2021 | 5:00am

TV Lists The Big Leap

Fall TV is back with new feel-good dramas The Big Leap and Ordinary Joe

Scott Foley in The Big Leap; James Wolk in Ordinary Joe Photo: Sandy Morris/FOX; Parrish Lewis/NBC

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Monday, September 20. All times are Eastern.

Top picks

The Big Leap (FOX, 9 p.m., series premiere): Scott Foley and network TVs ongoing relationship continues. The Scandal and Whiskey Cavalier actor leads The Big Leap as Nick Blackburn, the director of a fake reality show about ballet dancing, where a diverse group of down-on-their luck contestants attempt to change their lives while putting on a modern reimagining of Swan Lake. The cast includes Piper Perabo, Mallory Jansen, Teri Polo, Jon Rudnitsky, Ser’Darius Blain, and Simone Recasner.

Most Popular

Ordinary Joe (NBC, 10 p.m., series premiere): NBC is losing This Is Us soon, and Ordinary Joe is an attempt to fill the void. James Wolk plays the titular ordinary fella, whose choices on his graduation night lead to three parallel stories. He’s a nurse practitioner, a rock star, and a cop in three different timelines. The self-proclaimed life-affirming show’s message is that when it comes down to it, there is no “right” choice. You’s Elizabeth Lail and Charlie Barnett co-star, along with Natalie Martinez.

Regular coverage

Y: The Last Man (FX on Hulu, 12:01 a.m.)
The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime, 9 p.m.)

Wild cards

Fall TV premieres (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX): Fall doesn’t officially start until September 22, but network TV is kicking off the season a little early with the premieres for returning series The Neighborhood, 9-1-1, Dancing With The Stars, The Voice, NCIS, and NCIS: Hawaii.

Teenage Euthanasia (Adult Swim, 12:01 a.m., series premiere): Made For Love’s Alissa Nutting co-created this coming-of-age adult animated comedy. Set in near-future inland Florida, it centers on the owners of Tender Endings funeral home. The voice cast includes Tim Robinson, Maria Bamford, Bebe Neuwirth, and Jo Firestone.

Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu, 12:01 a.m., season-one finale): The first season of FX on Hulu’s new comedy wraps up with episode eight, titled “Satvrday,” in which the Reservation Dogs try their hand at being vigilantes as a tornado rolls into town. Don’t worry, the series, from Sterlin Harjo and Taikia Waititi, has already been renewed for season two.