What To Watch This Week (September 27th): Every New Network TV Release
Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV.
The 2026-27 network television season is beginning to take shape, and the week of September 27 is one of the busiest stretches of the fall so far. While the bulk of the big premieres of the season are still to come, things are kicking off early on networks like ABC with some of their major shows hitting the air this week. Fox's comedy block will also be getting underway with premieres this week, and CBS will be airing one of its classic competition shows to kick off the fall, as well. With premieres across the board, network TV is back.
With premieres spread across Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, there is plenty to track during the week of September 27. Though there will be more network TV hitting the air in the weeks to come, the shows that will be getting started early give viewers a chance to get their feet wet and move into the fall season with an exciting group of new shows in the mix. While there's not as much as the traditional week during the height of network TV season to look forward to, the early group of TV shows getting started is still a strong mix.
The Simpsons Season 38 Premiere
Sunday, September 27 at 8 p.m. ET, Fox
The week kicks off with Fox's Sunday schedule, which includes some of its most hilarious shows coming back from the fall hiatus. The night gets started with the season premiere of The Simpsons, bringing viewers back to Springfield for another season of antics. The Simpsons season 38, which is easily one of the most anticipated premieres of Fox's fall schedule, will anchor a larger block for the network that ushers in several other comedies.
The Simpsons season 38 episode 1, “The Children’s Book Job”, will feature guest stars Emma Thompson and Colin Jost in an episode that sees Marge hoping to save Springfield Elementary by inviting a popular British children’s author to the school book fair. With Homer in charge of getting the author from the airport, the plans go unsurprisingly sideways as is the norm on the long-running series. The Simpsons season 38 premiere follows Fox's standard Sunday night NFL programming and begins the night's popular comedy lineup that continues with other premieres over the course of the evening.
Animal Control Season 5 Premiere
Sunday, September 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Fox's comedy night continues with the season premiere of Animal Control, which stars Joel McHale as Frank Shaw, a cynical and unconventional animal control officer. The workplace comedy, which depicts a chaotic office before the animals are even brought in, is one of the network's best live-action sitcoms. Premiering directly after The Simpsons, the show has been able to take on a great time slot for its audience, representing a great part of the Sunday night comedy block.
While Animal Control may not be one of the most discussed sitcoms on the air, it's one of the most popular on Fox, and for good reason. In the Animal Control season 5 premiere, Frank leads the rest of his team in a work stoppage, but pushes them back to work for a mission he feels is worthy: saving the Seahawks' missing mascot. With an ensemble that includes Vella Lovell as Emily Price, Michael Rowland as Fred "Shred" Taylor, Ravi V. Patel as Amit Patel, and Grace Palmer as Victoria Sands, Animal Control is a hilarious sitcom returning for fall.
Scrubs Season 2 Premiere
Wednesday, September 30 at 8 p.m. ET, ABC
ABC's fall season kicks off with the second season of Scrubs' reboot returning with two new episodes to usher in another season. Reviving the original sitcom, Scrubs continues the story of J.D. Dorian (Zach Braff) as he continues to navigate his life at Sacred Heart hospital, only this time, he's the one in charge. With Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) still his loyal best friend and a group of students to teach as they work with their patients, Scrubs brings the major players of the ensemble back together with Sarah Chalke as Dr. Elliot Reid, and Judy Reyes as Carla Espinosa.
With the second season of Scrubs' revival diving into more of the mechanics between a divorced J.D. and Elliot, the two-episode season premiere will be bringing the gang back together as they rally to look for solutions for Dr. Perry Cox's (John C. McGinley) recently diagnosed autoimmune disease. With a nostalgic look at the core cast back together again, Scrubs season 2's upcoming premiere will be a great way to set up the 10-episode season.
Scrubs
- Release Date
- February 25, 2026
Shark Tank Season 18 Premiere
Wednesday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET, ABC
As one of ABC's major competition shows, Shark Tank will be returning to the network with a milestone season, beginning with a two-episode premiere after Scrubs season 2's. Shark Tank season 18, which will air weekly throughout the fall season, will bring all new entrepreneurs into the mix as the panel of Sharks evaluate every possible opportunity. With a 2-hour premiere event opening up the new season, Shark Tank season 18 opens up with two guest Sharks, MrBeast and Jeff Housenbold in its first episode, and sisters Erin and Sara Foster in its second.
While Shark Tank is usually a Friday show for ABC, its move to Wednesday also comes with some temporary scheduling changes as it gets used to its new time slot. During its second week on the air, when Shark Tank season 18 airs its third episode of the season, the show will move to its regular time slot, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. after the regular block of shows. The Shark Tank season 18 premiere, however, will be an exciting two-hour event.
The Amazing Race Season 39 Premiere
Wednesday, September 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Bringing back another classic competition show, CBS' early fall premiere of The Amazing Race season 39 will start a whole new adventure. Joining Survivor on Wednesday nights, The Amazing Race season 39 premieres on Wednesday, September 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET after its fellow competition show. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race follows teams as they travel around the world while completing challenges and navigating different locations. Teams that finish last on individual legs can be eliminated, with the remaining competitors continuing toward the final destination and the $1 million prize.
The Amazing Race season 39 features a cast of entirely new faces, which is refreshing after the show's last season was a who's who of former Big Brother cast members. With some changes to the show's format that include updates to the long-running game, The Amazing Race season 39 is set to be a whole new era for the competition show, which is an exciting update that felt like a much-needed refresh. The Amazing Race season 39 is set to be a great season.
Everything Else Premiering On Network TV The Week Of September 27
While the major premieres of the week are listed above, there are other network shows that are returning the week of September 27, as well. America's Funniest Home Videos will return for its 37th season on Sunday, September 27 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, ushering in another season of hilarious clip-based comedy. With a two-episode premiere, the series will kick off the show's Sunday schedule. On the same Sunday, Fox has two shows that will follow The Simpsons and Animal Control's premieres.
Universal Basic Guys season 3 will premiere that Sunday on Fox at 9 p.m. ET, while Grimsburg season 3 will premiere at 9:30 p.m., rounding out the comedy block for the evening. Finally, ABC will usher in Celebrity Wheel of Fortune season 7 on Friday, October 2 at 8 p.m. ET. Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White return to the celebrity version of the long-running game show, which brings stars from both within the network and outside of it into the mix to play the beloved classic game.
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