Ultimate Fall TV Catch-Up Guide: ‘The Blacklist’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and More!
Blindspot
Returns: Wednesday, September 14, 10/9c, NBC
Catch Up: Season 1 episodes available on Hulu, NBC.com
Key Episode: “If You Love a Rebel, Death Will Render” (Episode 22)
Where It Left Off: After his father’s killer deathbed confession, Agent Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) located the bones of the real Taylor Shaw at an old family campsite. Sketchy Oscar (Francois Arnaud) informed amnesiac Jane (Jaimie Alexander) that she wasn’t Taylor, but he failed to wipe her memory again before she escaped. She made it to the safe house, where Weller was waiting to arrest her.
Back at the FBI, Reade (Rob Brown), Zapata (Audrey Esparza) and Patterson (Ashley Johnson) decrypted a flash drive containing mysterious files. “We started the season with ‘Who is Jane Doe?’ and we closed with ‘Who is Jane Doe?’” executive producer Martin Gero says. “I think that ending turned Jane’s relationship with every single person on the show upside down.” —Damian Holbrook
NCIS: LA
Returns: Sunday, October 2, 8/7c, CBSCatch Up: Season 7 episodes available on CBS All Access
Key Episode: “Internal Affairs” (Episode 10)
Where It Left Off: In a happy place, for once! Agents G (Chris O’Donnell), Sam (LL Cool J), Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) and Kensi (Daniela Ruah) rescued Sam’s son, Aiden (Tye White), from dad’s longtime enemy Tahir Khaled (Anslem Richardson), who was placed in custody. Tentative techies Eric (Barrett Foa) and Nell (Renee Felice Smith) even kissed! —Aubry D’Arminio
The Flash
Returns: Tuesday, October 4, 8/7c, The CWCatch Up: Season 2 episodes available on cwtv.com, Hulu
Key Episode: “Welcome to Earth-2” (Episode 13)
Where It Left Off: Barry (Grant Gustin) created a Speed Force copy of himself to beat his archnemesis Zoom (Teddy Sears) and stop the evil speedster’s multiverse-destroying machine in the process. Iris (Candice Patton) agreed to wait for Barry to overcome his recent losses, unaware that he was about to race back in time to save his mother and rewrite everyone’s histories. —DH
Chicago Fire
Returns: Tuesday, October 11, 10/9c, NBCCatch Up: Season 4 episodes available on Hulu, NBC.com
Key Episode: “The Last One for Mom” (Episode 20)
Where It Left Off: Firefighter turned EMT Jimmy’s (Steven R. McQueen) feud with Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) escalated over his brother’s death in a fire. Alderman Casey (Jesse Spencer) rejected his political consultant’s advances and returned to on-again, off-again love Dawson (Monica Raymund), pledging to help raise her new foster son. And as Severide (Taylor Kinney) and new girlfriend/fellow firefighter Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) got busy in bed, Stella’s unhinged ex-hubby (Guy Burnet) lurked in the apartment, armed with a very big knife. —Ileane Rudolph
Blue Bloods
Returns: Friday, September 23, 10/9c, CBSCatch Up: Season 6 episodes available on CBS All Access, Hulu
Key Episode: “Absolute Power” (Episode 2)
Where It Left Off: Things got topical. A grand jury failed to indict an NYPD officer who killed a Hispanic teen, and a leaked bodycam video of the shooting put the city on edge. Mayor Poole (David Ramsey) called for an investigation, and when a cop was shot in possible payback, tensions rose between Poole and Police Commissioner Reagan (Tom Selleck)—as did tension around the Reagan dinner table. Peace was restored after the original shooting was accepted as justified. —IR
The Blacklist
Returns: Thursday, September 22, 10/9c, NBC
Catch Up: Season 3 episodes available on NBC.com, Netflix
Key Episode: “Alexander Kirk” (Episode 22)
Where It Left Off: Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) is alive! To keep her newborn baby, Agnes, safe from the villainous Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen), Reddington’s (James Spader) right-hand woman, Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert), helped fake Liz’s death, hiding her in Cuba. When an out-of-the-loop Reddington learned the truth, he rushed to Cuba to protect her, only to find her missing. Turns out she’d been kidnapped by Kirk, who revealed to Liz that he is her father—once a Russian oligarch and now an international criminal on the run. —IR
NCIS
Returns: Tuesday, September 20, 8/7c, CBSCatch Up: Season 13 episodes available on CBS All Access, Netflix
Key Episode: “Family First” (Episode 24)
Where It Left Off: One man down. A rogue CIA asset wreaked havoc on Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Co., injuring FBI agent Tobias (Joe Spano) and killing ex-NCISer Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Now responsible for the young child he shared with late love Ziva, Agent DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) quit the team for presumably less time consuming, less deadly employment. —AD
Empire
Returns: Wednesday, September 21, 9/8c, Fox
Catch Up: Season 2 episodes available on Fox.com, Hulu
Key Episode: “A Rose by Any Other Name” (Episode 12)
Where It Left Off: The lavish wedding of Hakeem (Bryshere Gray) and Laura (Jamila Velazquez) abruptly ended when the bride took a hike. But daddy Lucious (Terrence Howard)—not one to waste an opportunity, much less a perfectly good cake—spontaneously married Anika (Grace Gealey), which meant she couldn’t be forced to snitch on him to the Feds.
Alas, Anika’s woes weren’t over: During the after-party, she and Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) got into a divapaloooza battle on the balcony and one of them plunged to her death. Or so it seems. —Michael Logan
Scorpion
Returns: Monday, October 3, 9/8c, CBS
Catch Up: Season 2 episodes available on CBS All Access
Key Episode: “Arrivals and Departures” (Episode 10)
Where It Left Off: Romance was on everybody’s highly intelligent minds. Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas) proposed to Happy (Jadyn Wong)—except, oops, she’s already married. And Walter (Elyes Gabel) set out to profess his feelings for Paige (Katharine McPhee) … Who’d just departed on a getaway with a new love. —Marisa Roffman
Grey’s Anatomy
Returns: Thursday, September 22, 8/7c, ABC
Catch Up: Season 12 episodes available on ABC.com, Hulu
Key Episode: “I Choose You” (Episode 3)
Where It Left Off: Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) fled her wedding to fellow doc Owen (Kevin McKidd)—drowning her sorrows with a gas-station Slurpee—but returned to the church and proceeded with the ceremony. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) had a thing for Riggs (Martin Henderson) but—awkward!—so did half-sister Maggie (Kelly McCreary). Karev (Justin Chambers) beat the holy crap out of DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) when he found the intern with a drunken, half-naked Jo (Camilla Luddington). And Ben (Jason George)
gave April (Sarah Drew) an emergency C-section on Meredith’s kitchen table—without anesthesia. —ML
