The fall TV season is upon us and if you missed any of last season’s shows, now is the time to get caught up! The home video releases for September 3 feature many of last season’s shows that will be returning for a new season within the next couple of weeks, including The Vampire Diaries, Scandal, Revolution, Haven, Parks & Recreation and many, many more. For a full look at the premiere dates for the fall season, be sure to check out our fall premiere calendar. If you missed all the Sharknado fuss, then you’re in luck as the movie hits home video this week as well. Classic TV like Cagney & Lacey, and kids shows and animation round out the week’s new releases. We’ve also got a peek at some upcoming TV titles for pre-order, so be sure to check those out as well. To see all of this week’s video releases and some hot titles for September, have a look at our shopper’s guide and click on a link to get more information or to make a purchase.

And check out these other titles coming in September available for pre-order:

To subscribe to the below schedule in iCal, copy this link and paste into the “Subscribe…” menu item in iCal. You can also just click it to open iCal or even click to add to your iPhone calendar. The same link will work in a Google Calendar as well! Or see the calendar as a web page (also embedded at the bottom of this post). The calendar will update as new shows are added/changed.

* All times are in EDT PM, unless otherwise mentioned.
* New series premieres are in Bold Italics

SERIES PREMIERES/RETURNS

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday, September 3

10:00 Cold Justice (TNT)

10:00 Luther (BBCA)

10:00 Tosh.0 (Comedy)

10:00 We’re The Fugawis (History)

10:30 Brickleberry (Comedy)

Wednesday, September 4

9:00 Inside the NFL (Showtime)

10:00 Ghost Mine (Syfy)

10:00 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX)

10:30 The League (FXX)

11:00 Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (FXX)

Thursday, September 5

8:30 Sunday Night Football (NBC)

Friday, September 6

10:00 20/20 (ABC)

Saturday, September 7

8:00 Cupcake Wars (Food)

Sunday, September 8

9:00 Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

Monday, September 9

8:00 The Million Second Quiz (NBC)

Tuesday, September 10

10:00 Sons of Anarchy (FX)

12:00AM The Heart, She Holler (Adult Swim)

Wednesday, September 11

8:00 The X Factor (FOX)

9:00 Restaurant Stakeout (Food)

10:30 Thieves, Inc. (Food)

12:00AM Derek (Netflix)

Friday, September 13

10:00 Haven (Syfy)

10:00 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Sunday, September 15

10:00 The Great Santini Brothers (History)

Monday, September 16

8:00 Bones (FOX)

8:00 Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

9:00 Sleepy Hollow (FOX)

Tuesday, September 17

8:00 Dads (FOX)

8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)

9:00 New Girl (FOX)

9:30 The Mindy Project (FOX)

10:00 The New Atlanta (Bravo)

Wednesday, September 18

8:00 Survivor (CBS)

10:30 Key & Peele (Comedy)

Friday, September 20

8:00 Last Man Standing (ABC)

8:30 The Neighbors (ABC)

9:00 Shark Tank (ABC)

Sunday, September 22

11:30 China, IL (Adult Swim)

Monday, September 23

8:00 How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

8:00 The Voice (NBC)

9:00 2 Broke Girls (CBS)

9:30 Mom (CBS)

10:00 The Blacklist (NBC)

10:00 Hostages (CBS)

10:00 Castle (ABC)

Tuesday, September 24

8:00 Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

8:00 NCIS (CBS)

9:00 The Goldbergs (ABC)

9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)

9:30 Trophy Wife (ABC)

10:00 Chicago Fire (NBC)

10:00 Fangasm (Syfy)

10:00 Lucky 7 (ABC)

10:00 Person of Interest (CBS)

Wednesday, September 25

8:00 The Middle (ABC)

8:00 Revolution (NBC)

8:30 Back in the Game (ABC)

9:00 Criminal Minds (CBS)

9:00 Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

9:00 Modern Family (ABC)

10:00 CSI (CBS)

10:00 Nashville (ABC)

10:00 South Park (Comedy)

Thursday, September 26

8:00 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

8:00 Parks & Recreation (NBC)

9:00 The Crazy Ones (CBS)

9:00 Glee (FOX)

9:00 Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

9:00 The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC)

9:30 Two and a Half Men (CBS)

10:00 Elementary (CBS)

10:00 Parenthood (NBC)

Friday, September 27

8:00 Masterchef Junior (FOX)

8:00 Undercover Boss (CBS)

9:00 Dateline (NBC)

9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

10:00 Blue Bloods (CBS)

Saturday, September 28

10:00 48 Hours (CBS)

Sunday, September 29

8:00 The Amazing Race (CBS)

8:00 Once Upon a Time (ABC)

8:00 The Simpsons (FOX)

8:30 Bob’s Burgers (FOX)

9:00 Family Guy (FOX)

9:00 The Good Wife (CBS)

9:00 Homeland (Showtime)

9:00 Revenge (ABC)

9:30 American Dad (FOX)

10:00 Betrayal (ABC)

10:00 Eastbound & Down (HBO)

10:00 Masters of Sex (Showtime)

10:00 The Mentalist (CBS)

10:30 Hello Ladies (HBO)

Monday, September 30

8:30 We Are Men (CBS)

OCTOBER

Wednesday, October 2

9:30 Super Fun Night (ABC)

10:00 Ironside (NBC)

10:00 Top Chef (Bravo)

Thursday, October 3

8:00 The Vampire Diaries (CW)

8:30 The Millers (CBS)

8:30 Welcome to the Family (NBC)

9:00 The Originals (CW)

9:00 Sean Saves the World  (NBC)

10:00 Scandal (ABC)

Sunday, October 6

9:00 Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)

9:00 The Paradise (PBS)

Monday, October 7

8:00 Hart of Dixie (CW)

9:00 Beauty and the Beast (CW)

Tuesday, October 8

8:00 The Biggest Loser (NBC)

9:00 Supernatural (CW)

Wednesday, October 9

8:00 Arrow (CW)

9:00 The Tomorrow People (CW)

Thursday, October 10

8:00 Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC)

Sunday, October 13

9:00 The Walking Dead (AMC)

10:00 Talking Dead (AMC)

12:00AM Comic Book Men (AMC)

Tuesday, October 15

10:00 Real Husbands of Hollywood (BET)

Thursday, October 17

9:00 Reign (CW)

9:00 White Collar (USA)

10:00 Covert Affairs (USA)

Saturday, October 19

10:00 Dancing on the Edge (Starz)

Tuesday, October 22

9:00 Ravenswood (ABC Family)

10:00 Awkward (MTV)

Friday, October 25

8:00 The Carrie Diaries (CW)

9:00 Grimm (NBC)

10:00 Dracula (NBC)

NOVEMBER

Sunday, November 3

8:00 It Takes a Choir (USA)

Monday, November 4

8:00 Almost Human (FOX)

Friday, November 8

9:00 Raising Hope (FOX)

9:30 Enlisted (FOX)

Saturday, November 23

10:00 Atlantis (BBCA)

Monday, November 25

9:00 Major Crimes (TNT)

Tuesday, November 26

9:00 Boston’s Finest (TNT)

It’s been a while since the Cold War ended, since the days when the Russians were the evil monolithic shadow of evil and the US was the only pure bastion of purity and truth. Or so it seemed. Enough time has passed that maybe we can realize that perhaps it wasn’t so simple. Maybe we are all just … people. People with connections to family and country, more alike than dissimilar.

In The Americans, the fascinating new show on the FX Network debuting this week on Wednesday (10 PM EST), we follow two Russian spies hiding in plain sight. Set in the early 1980s in the Washington DC suburbs (always a point in a show’s favor, because I’m biased about locations I’m familiar with), these two secret agents, under the assumed names of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phil Jennings (Matthew Rhys), must live like a typical American family. They only speak English — even to each other — never talk about their lives before, and pretend to be married; but they also have two classic American kids, a young boy and a teen girl. It’s almost too obvious as an American family archetype which, of course, is the entire point. Each week, a new spy assignment or complication must be dealt with. But instead of just obviously evil people, sometimes they must hurt innocent or decent Americans to complete the job. So it’s… not simple.

The show starts with classic spy intrigue and moral dilemmas, made more complicated by the evolving feelings of the two leads. Does Phil care about Elizabeth more like a real husband or just as a very long job? Do they want different things for the children that they love (should go without saying, these two aren’t monsters)? Phil may be warming a bit to the American lifestyle, while Elizabeth hates the country and legitimately fears that Reagan will destroy her homeland. When her kids talk politics (even with their limited understanding of it), she tries to subtly push her ideas on them. Only two episodes have been screened for critics so far, but I loved them both increasingly to the point at the end of the second episode I was speechless by how much it had affected me. But no spoilers! Not until it airs anyway

The FX Network has its share of brilliant (Louie, Archer), pretty good (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League), and awful (Anger Management), although those are all comedies, now that I think about it. I’ve never really gotten into their dramatic shows (Nip/Tuck was a guilty pleasure), but this is most certainly something to watch. The two leads are just fantastic, and when you consider the ridiculous layers of “identity” built into a show about people pretending to be other people and hiding things from each other and nosy FBI neighbors (which is the only thing I thought was a bit silly), it is even more impressive.

Things may change as the show continues, but right now it works. The reason is that these two spies are not terrible, but conflicted, dedicated, highly competent people that can connect with the audience. There are certainly numerous parallels from the Cold War era to the modern one, but the show doesn’t get too obvious with it. Instead, it gives excitement and tension, a bit of a action, and high class drama where no one is a Bond villain.

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A few more of last season’s TV shows are hitting home video on October 9, including Bones, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, and Whitney. Classic TV fans can pick up the final season of The Lucy Show as well as re-packaged and re-priced editions of the first four seasons of I Love Lucy. For the kids, there’s an all-new Scooby-Doo movie, two DVDs featuring the Peanuts gang, and some Sesame Street favorites. Lifetime is also releasing some of their more popular TV flicks on DVD as well, so have a look at the guide to see all the great titles coming out this week!

Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Harold Perrineau are well-known to TV audiences, but their next project is taking them online. They’re the stars of Georgia, the new comedy series from writer-director Marta Kauffman (Friends) that’s the latest series on WIGS — a YouTube channel for original scripted programs that’s attracted the likes of Jennifer Beals, Stephen Moyer, and Jennifer Garner. Georgia debuts its third episode today; you can visit the WIGS YouTube channel to check out all the installments.

In Georgia, Ellis (best known as The Waitress from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) plays the title character, a yoga psychotherapist looking to bring calm into both the lives of her patients and her own. Georgia’s fiancee is Michael, played by Perrineau (who’s guest starring as Damon Pope in the current season of Sons of Anarchy). I recently caught up with Ellis and Perrineau to ask them about the differences between traditional television and web TV, their favorite parts of Georgia, and the people who make them laugh.

What interested both of them in jumping on board for the project? “There were so many things I enjoyed about this project, but my favorite part was the wonderful people involved,” Ellis told me. “I got to work with Marta Kaufman, Harold Perrineau — who I’ve had a crush on since Romeo and Juliet — Jason Gedrick, Nancy Carell, Mark Povinelli, and Rusty Schwimmer as well as an awesome crew and producers.”

Likewise, Perrineau appreciated the people he got to collaborate with. “The highlight for me was finally getting to work with Marta Kauffman,” he said. “We’ve been friends for years, and I loved her work for even longer. Also, I got to meet the fabulous Mary Elizabeth. That was absolutely fun.”

Other than the medium of delivery, Ellis explained that there are some differences between a series you’d see on television and one that’s made for YouTube. “I think there was more creative freedom for Marta in this format because there weren’t as many ‘cooks in the kitchen,’ as they say. There are usually so many people from the studio and network giving input that projects have a tendency to get diluted from the original vision. The fact that Marta wrote and directed made her vision more accessible and clear, I think,” she said. “We, the actors, also had an opportunity to talk the characters out in a way there is not always time for on a conventional set.”

The quality of what they could do wasn’t hampered because of the format. “The sets, hair and makeup, costumes, all of the behind-the-scenes stuff was not really different from any set I’ve worked on — very professional and safe,” she said. Added Perrineau, “Because the budget is a little different, some of the amenities are different, and some of our crew’s ability to move quickly is different, [but] the work is still the same.”

In fact, for Ellis, “My biggest challenge was a personal one. I had a four-and-a-half-month old baby at the time, so I was balancing breast feeding, lack of sleep, and debating whether to bring him to set or leave him at home during the days,” she confided. “It was a very kind set for those challenges, though. I truly appreciate the support I was given from our wonderful producers, who were both mothers, as well as Marta and even the daddies in the cast and crew. I think the transitional phase I was in at that time in my life helped inform my approach to Georgia’s transitional phase, which is the heart of the film to me. ”

With Georgia, the story unfolds over relatively brief installments (episode two is about nine minutes long) so the actors have to build their characters differently than they would with a conventional twenty-two minute comedy. In my previous interview with Ellis, she discussed being a writer as well as an actress, and that’s further informed how she approaches material when she’s acting. “I try to be very respectful of the writer’s words. I always ask if the writer is alright with a little improv here and there,” she explained, “because I know the process of sitting and working so hard to come up with just the right words [and] rhythms.”

Likewise, Perrineau took a similarly collaborative approach. With the role of Michael, “Development of the character really came from conversations with Marta, and what we both decided we’d like to see on screen.”

The size of the episodes aside, the character development definitely came through in the finished product. “I’m excited about Georgia because, although it is a comedy, there are also dramatic things going on in Georgia’s life so you really get a sense of her as a whole person. Georgia is one of the most fleshed out characters I have played in a while. The piece was exciting for me because of that,” said Ellis. “I also really enjoyed playing a yoga healer because I love yoga so much in my own life and respect what it can do to help people in their lives.”

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