Fall TV’s Newcomers: All the New Characters in Returning Shows
This fall, there’ll be tons of new characters joining your favorite series on broadcast, cable, and streaming, including some that will change the landscape of their shows altogether.
As the new television season nears, we’re taking a look at all of the fresh faces joining the fold on returning series, along with some key details about what the characters bring to these shows.
Scroll through the photos below to find out which of your shows will be boasting some new blood when they return, and find a full list of the fall’s TV premiere dates right here.
Chicago Fire: Sal Vasquez (Brandon Larracuente)
Firehouse 51 is losing at least three firefighters when the NBC drama returns for its 14th season: Daniel Kyri‘s Darren Ritter, Jake Lockett‘s Sam Carver, and Michael Bradway‘s Jack Damon. But it is gaining a new one in Brandon Larracuente‘s Sal Vasquez, whom showrunner Andrea Newman told TV Insider is “charming.” “Like Severide, this character is rich with family history in the first responder world, much of it buried,” she shared of the new series regular. “But not for long. Vasquez will prove a real challenge to Kidd [Miranda Rae Mayo], his new lieutenant, as well as to Novak [Jocelyn Hudon] as she tries to get to know this seemingly unknowable guy.” — Meredith Jacobs
Chicago P.D.: Officer Imani (Arienne Mandi)
With Toya Turner exiting, Intelligence was going to be down a member. But Arienne Mandi (pictured above on The Night Agent) has joined the cast in the series regular role of a Chicago P.D. officer, Imani (thanks to a photo from set Marina Squerciati) shared from set. She’s described as “a former soldier and military contractor who is said to thrive in dangerous situations” as well as “a fearless outsider who keeps her cards close to the vest,” according to Deadline. — Meredith Jacobs
The Diplomat: Todd Penn (Bradley Whitford)
Bradley Whitford reunites with his West Wing alum Allison Janney in The Diplomat Season 3. They play married couple Todd and Grace Penn. Grace is the former vice president who became president of the United States after the sudden death of President William Rayburn’s (Michael McKean) in the Season 2 finale. Whitford and Janney will share considerable scenes with Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell. Season 3 premieres October 16. — Kelli Boyle
Doc: Dr. Joan Ridley (Felicity Huffman)
Felicity Huffman is the newest series regular on the Fox medical drama for its second season. She’ll be playing Dr. Joan Ridley, Amy Larsen’s (Molly Parker) med school professor and early mentor – and the new Chief of Internal Medicine at Westside Hospital. That’s sure to complicate things for Amy, who’s still finding her footing after a car accident took eight years of her memory. — Meredith Jacobs
FBI: Unknown character (Juliana Aidén Martinez)
Character details have yet to be announced, but Juliana Aidén Martinez (pictured above on SVU) is moving over from one Dick Wolf show to another. After playing a detective on SVU in Season 26, she’ll be joining FBI for its eighth season as a series regular in an unknown role. But chances are she’s going to be Stuart Scola’s (John Boyd) new partner. Ever since Tiffany Wallace (Katherine Renee Kane) left at the beginning of Season 7, he has yet to find a permanent one. — Meredith Jacobs
Grey's Anatomy: TBD (Trevor Jackson)
We don’t know his name just yet, but audiences got a brief glimpse of Trevor Jackson‘s newcomer character in the final two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy Season 22. He and Simone Griffith (Alexis Floyd) hooked up after she had a fight with Lucas Adams (Niko Terho) and drowned her sorrows at Joe’s Bar. If that weren’t bad enough, he later turned up in the interns’ locker room as a new member of the staff. Looks like history is repeating (again) at Grey-Sloan, and if Lucas has survived the explosion in the surgical wing, well, there will be an entirely different kind of firestorm ahead with these three. — Amanda Bell
High Potential: Jesse Wagner (Steve Howey) and TBD (Mekhi Phifer)
ABC‘s drama starring Kaitlin Olson is recruiting Shameless alum Steve Howey to play the LAPD precinct’s new captain, Jesse Wagner, who is described as a man who is politically savvy, dresses to impress in expensive suites, and oozes charm. A disruptor, Jesse thinks outside the box like Olson’s Morgan. Meanwhile Mekhi Phifer has also been cast for Season 2 in a recurring guest role that has yet to be revealed, but we have a theory you can learn more about here. – Meaghan Darwish
Landman: TBD (Sam Elliott, Guy Bernet, and Miriam Silverman)
At this time, details are slim about who they’ll play, but what we do know is that Sam Elliott‘s mystery role in Landman Season 2 will be a series regular one, while Guy Burnet and Miriam Silverman are recurring guest stars in the new season of the Taylor Sheridan drama. — Amanda Bell
Matlock: Eva (Justina Machado)
The One Day at a Time star is making her Matlock debut in Season 2 as Eva, the fourth ex-wife of Senior (Beau Bridges). Eva is formidable, smart, ambitious, and the wife who made Senior swear off marriage. Eva runs Jacobson Moore’s Miami office and she arrives in New York for an emergency meeting… which she uses to her advantage. Machado previously worked on Jane the Virgin with Matlock showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman. Matlock Season 2 premieres October 12. — Kelli Boyle
Mayor of Kingstown: Nina Hobbs (Edie Falco), Frank Moses (Lennie James), and Cindy Stephens (Laura Benanti)
Three new characters will come to mix up the action in Mayor of Kingstown Season 4. Edie Falco joins as Anchor Bay’s newest warden, Nina Hobbs; Lennie James debuts as gangster Frank Moses, who has ties to Detroit; and Laura Benanti plays new correctional officer Cindy Stephens in the new season.— Amanda Bell
The Morning Show: Ben (William Jackson Harper), Celine Dumont (Marion Cotillard), Brodie (Boyd Holbrook), Martin Levy (Jeremy Irons), and Miles (Aaron Pierre)
Season 4 of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show is bringing on five new stars as part of its ever evolving ensemble with Jeremy Irons stepping in to play Martin, dad to Jennifer Aniston‘s Alex. Meanwhile, Marion Cotillard is set to portray Celine Dumont, who is part of UBN’s new leadership. Boyd Holbrook has been cast as podcaster Brodie, William Jackson Harper plays UBN’s sports head, Ben, and Aaron Pierre rounds out the new additions as Miles, who is romantically involved with both Celine and Greta Lee‘s Stella.- Meaghan Darwish
Murder in a Small Town: Mayor Christie Holman (Marcia Gay Harden)
The town of Gibsons just got a bit bigger. Marcia Gay Harden joins the second season of the crime drama Murder in a Small Town as the mayor, who is also a doctor and who is expected to bring some complications to returning leads Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk) with her competing priorities. — Amanda Bell
Only Murders in the Building: Camila White (Renée Zellweger), Mayor Tillman (Keegan-Michael Key), Bash Steed (Christoph Waltz), Lorraine Coluca (Dianne Wiest), Jay Pflug (Logan Lerman), Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale), Althea (Beanie Feldstein), and TBD (Jermaine Fowler)
Hulu‘s comedy is bringing on some big stars for its latest mystery as Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, and Logan Lerman step in to play three of the richest people in the world; Camila White, Bash Steed, and Jay Pflug. Meanwhile, Keegan-Michael Key plays newly-elected Mayor Tillman, and Dianne Wiest steps in to play Lorraine Coluca, who is the widow of Season 5’s victim, Lester (Teddy Coluca). Beanie Feldstein steps in as Althea, and Bobby Cannavale is portraying mob-connected Nicky Caccimelio. Meanwhile, Jermaine Fowler is playing a doorman at the Arconia.- Meaghan Darwish
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Thalia, Tyson, Athena, and Tantalus
Percy Jackson Season 2 is welcoming a lot of new faces. Tamara Smart (above, far left) plays Thalia, daughter of Zeus (Courtney B. Vance) who sacrificed her life to save her friends prior to the events of Season 1. She’ll be seen in flashbacks.
Daniel Diemer (above, middle left) is the biggest new character, Tyson, Percy’s (Walker Scobell) cyclops half-brother. He’s a series regular. Singer and Oscar-nominee Andra Day (above, middle right) plays Athena, god of wisdom and strategic warfare and mother to Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries).
Timothy Simons is playing the sardonic, manipulative, openly hostile Greek god Tantalus (above, far right), a recurring guest star. He’s been released from his Underworld imprisonment to stand in as interim Activities Director at Camp Half-Blood, having replaced Chiron (Glynn Turman) who is under suspicion of having ties to Kronos.
Additional guest stars for Season 2 are Kristen Schaal, Margaret Cho, and Sandra Bernhard as the Gray Sisters, Rosemarie DeWitt as C.C., Aleks Paunovic as the cyclops Polyphemus, and Beatrice Kitsos as Alison Simms (a new character made for the show). Season 2 premieres December 10. — Kelli Boyle
Tulsa King: Russell Lee Washington, Jr. (Samuel L. Jackson)
A new crime boss is going to join the mix in Tulsa King Season 3. Samuel L. Jackson will make his debut as Russell Lee Washington, Jr., a mob man who is sent by the New York bosses to take out Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) once and for all but instead becomes inspired by what he’s done in creating his own little kingdom. The character will later become the center of the spinoff NOLA King, set in New Orleans as Washington returns to create his own syndicate in the bayou.— Amanda Bell
Tulsa King: Jeremiah and Cole Dunmire (Robert Patrick and Beau Knapp), Special Agent Musso (Kevin Pollak), Cleo Montague (Bella Heathcote), and "Quiet" Ray Renzetti (James Russo)
Jackson isn’t the only new addition to Season 3 of Tulsa King. Robert Patrick and Beau Knapp will also play Jeremiah and Cole Dunmire, a wealthy father and son duo in the liquor business. Plus, Kevin Pollak joins a Special Agent Musso, an FBI agent “with an axe to grind,” and Bella Heathcote will star as the daughter of a distillery owner named Cleo Montague. James Russo also recurs as New York mob boss “Quiet” Ray Renzetti. — Amanda Bell
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Paz (Alexandra Masangkay), Fede (Óscar Jaenada), Antonio (Eduardo Noriega)
Paz, Fede, and Antonio will be new important faces Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) meet in Spain on their long journey back home. Not much is known about their characters yet, other than the fact that they are series regulars. Candela Saitta and Hugo Arbués will appear in new recurring roles, and Stephen Merchant will guest star as Julian in Season 3. Greta Fernández, Gonzalo Bouza, Hada Nieto, Yassmine Othman, and Cuco Usín will also guest star. Season 3 premieres September 7. — Kelli Boyle
Watson: Sherlock Holmes (Robert Carlyle)
The iconic sleuth is alive! The first season of the modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters followed Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) six months after his friend’s supposed death on Reichenbach Falls after facing off with the villainous James Moriarty (Randall Park). But now, Robert Carlyle will be playing Sherlock Holmes in a recurring role. According to the season description, “With his eyes fixed on the future, Watson faces an unexpected twist when Sherlock Holmes, who was presumed dead, resurfaces, forcing him to confront a buried secret from his past — one that lies hidden within his own body.” — Meredith Jacobs
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