TV preview: Reexperience back to school with these upcoming fall releases, and more

Audiences will be thankful for what television has to offer this autumn.

As the weather grows chillier, television screens will be keeping the air warm with displays of love and scares alike. In the spirit of spooky season, classic horror characters will make a killer comeback, while some of the biggest names in the music industry are putting the darker side of Hollywood fame at the forefront.

Read on for the Daily Bruin’s picks to cozy up and binge this fall season.

“All American: Homecoming” season 2 (The CW)

The holidays are over, and Bringston University students must now face their evolving futures.

Premiering on Oct. 10, season 2 of The CW’s “All American” spinoff continues to follow freshman Simone Hicks (Geffri Hightower) as she pursues her tennis ambitions at Bringston University, a fictional historically Black college and university. Aside from showcasing the typical student struggles involving dorms, friends and schoolwork, “All American: Homecoming” delves into the collectively determined minds present on HBCU campuses and unveils the challenges they face from their underfunding.

In the season 2 trailer, Bringston’s students return to campus after the holiday break, but awaiting them are the intense unresolved situations surrounding their relationships and arising difficult decisions regarding their futures. However, the trailer teases some familiar faces as “All American” characters Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) and Simone’s ex-boyfriend Jordan Baker (Michael Behling) appear to help guide their friends while posing as an obstacle to others.

As spring semester blossoms, so will the personal and academic stakes of these undergraduates.

– Allyson Weissman

[Related: Film preview: Fall flicks set to feature family fables, fantasy and more]

“Love is Blind” season 3 (Netflix)

Netflix is experimenting with the heart of true love for a third time.

On Oct. 19, viewers will observe Dallas singles entering the “Love is Blind” pods to assess if love is truly blind, with the help of hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey. The third season will introduce a new group to the abnormal notion of dating through a wall while blind to their potential future fiance’s physical attributes. After the engagements, the couples will tackle their relationships in the real world up until they decide whether or not to say “I do” at the altar.

With this atypical concept, the first season ignited loving marriages still intact today. However, the second season was a bit more chaotic, as some were not truly devoted to the purpose of the experiment. An anarchic reunion episode and an awkward “After the Altar” – an update on the cast a year later – contributed to the second season countering the first in its disproving of the experiment’s hypothesis. But the new participants are oblivious to the second season’s turbulence and desire to embody the love stories similar to those in season 1 since the events of season 3 occurred immediately after season 2 wrapped.

Because of last season’s opposing results, the upcoming third installment will be the ultimate test in proving “love is blind.”

– Allyson Weissman

“The White Lotus” season 2 (HBO)

“The White Lotus” is taking viewers to the hottest vacation destination yet.

The second installment in the HBO series is set to premiere Oct. 30, more than a year after the release of the first. Whereas the former was set in a Hawaiian resort, the show is venturing into international territory with a trip to Sicily. “The White Lotus” will continue to work with a large chorus of characters as guests and employees of the hotel hotspot, following them on their weeklong vacation.

The new ensemble includes Aubrey Plaza as Harper Spiller, a woman on a trip with her husband Ethan Spiller (Will Sharpe), and Haley Lu Richardson as Portia, who comes to the Italian island alongside her boss. While most of the characters will feature a new cast, Jennifer Coolidge is set to reprise her role as Tanya McQuoid, a lavish and out-of-touch wealthy woman. The second season will likely emulate the satirical tone and colorful visuals of the first with all the charm of a fresh set of characters.

The plane for “The White Lotus” is taking off soon, and audiences should prepare to board.

– Ashley Kim

“Wednesday” (Netflix)

Mayhem is afoot in Netflix’s new series.

Produced by Tim Burton, “Wednesday” releases on Netflix Nov. 23. The series provides a glimpse into the teenage years of the titular character from the classic Addams Family franchise. The cast features Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, along with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia and Luis Guzmán as Gomez. Christina Ricci, who portrayed Wednesday in the 1991 “The Addams Family” film, will play a surprise character in the new series as well.

The teaser trailer shows Wednesday starting at a new school for supernaturally inclined students after her plot to get revenge on a water polo team ends in her expulsion from her previous school. The show tracks Wednesday’s adjustment to life at Nevermore Academy while unraveling a murder mystery. In the trailer, Ortega rejuvenates the classic character, embodying Wednesday’s characteristic deadpan delivery with a touch of snark and a penchant for the occult. All eight episodes are directed by Burton, whose signature gothic aesthetic is evident in the trailer, based on the colorful production design and macabre themes.

Halloween will have come and gone by the show’s release, but “Wednesday” can keep the spookiness going all throughout fall.

– Breanna Diaz

[Related: TV preview: Summer season premieres tease gripping narratives filled with crime, horror]

“The Idol” (HBO)

Having a cult following has more than one meaning in “The Idol.”

Premiering on HBO in late fall, the new drama follows celebrity it-girl Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) ascent to fame and her subsequent entanglement with the enigmatic Tedros (The Weeknd), a spiritual guru in a suspiciously secretive cult. “The Idol” has captured audience intrigue with its eclectic roster of bona fide pop icons – The Weeknd, Troye Sivan and BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim – in their debut acting roles.

In its exploration of the music industry’s dark underbelly, the series is likely tapping into the lived experiences of show creator The Weeknd, who is known for authoring songs about Hollywood’s exploitative nature behind gilded facades. Exhibiting the type of salacious content he is infamous for, director Sam Levinson curates an angsty yet opulent ambience reminiscent of his work on “Euphoria.” Similarly not remiss of drugs and sexual exhibitionism, recent trailers feature the cast flaunting their wealth against a backdrop of luxury convertibles, ostentatious nightclubs and studio sets.

Amid an LA nightlife laced with cocaine and debauchery, viewers are bound to learn that courting the rich and famous is a sordid affair.

– Mindy Luo

Email Weissman at [email protected] or tweet @AllysonWeissman.

Email Kim at [email protected] or tweet @ashleygkim.

Email Diaz at [email protected] or tweet @breannadiiaz.

Email Luo at [email protected] or tweet @mindyyluo.