7 shows you need to catch up on before the return of fall TV

The INSIDER Summary:

• The summer has seen lots of action in the way of hit TV series.
• But, fall television is finally making its comeback, and there are lots of options to choose from.
• From "Stranger Things" to "Riverdale," these are the shows you should be catching up on ahead of fall TV premieres.

This summer we’ve encountered dragons, inexplicably charred men and a new battle of the sexes in the form of #TeamLawrence vs. #TeamIssa (we’re strictly #TeamTasha over here). But this is merely television’s off-season and after Labor Day hits we’re in FULL TELEVISION SEASON. There’ll be a whole new slate of network shows for you to peruse (maybe avoid CBS’s all white, all male lineup) and per always Netflix is guaranteed to have a new bingeable show almost weekly to check out. 

But what about those shows that were either all over your timeline last fall or maybe went under your radar? Don’t worry there’s still time to catch up! Use this holiday weekend to finally watch some of last season’s most critically beloved shows just in time for their upcoming premieres. And no you don’t need to be at home to do this—even on vacation (Use Complex10 for Maven car service if you need to get out of town for a bit) —there’s plenty of time to be able to binge some new shows, so you can be ready for the water cooler convo at work this fall. 

Here’s 7 of our favorites returning for their sophomore season that should be on your binge watching vacation schedule. 

"Better Things"

Network: FX
Stars: Pamela Adlon, Mikey Madison, Celia Imrie
Second Season Premieres: September 14

I really hate starting this off like, “If you love 'Louie,' you’ll love 'Better Things,'” but that might just be a fact about Pamela Adlon’s vaguely autobiographic half hour comedy. Adlon plays Sam, a working actress and single mom to three daughters, as she navigates her long lasting career, aging in Hollywood and just being a woman existing in the world. Much like 'Louie,' Adlon tackles bigger topics like feminism, menstruation and parenting with both a biting sense of humor and a huge wealth of emotion. 

"The Good Place"

Network: NBC
Stars: Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil
Second Season Premiere: September 28

Imagine if "Lost" was a comedy? Yeah, I get that seems like a bit of a stretch but after watching the first season of NBC’s brilliant comedy "The Good Place" you might change your mind. Starring Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who is recently killed and sent to “The Good Place” which is the Utopian heaven place for those who were good people on earth while living. However the snag here is that Eleanor quickly discovers that she’s been sent there by mistake—but really doesn’t want to go to “The Bad Place” where she’ll experience torture for eternity. So Eleanor works hard (and misguidedly) to try to earn her place in “The Good Place” to be forgiven for the bad behavior of her past life. Filled with hilarious performances and wild twists, "The Good Place" is one of the sole reminders that network comedies can still be great and unexpected. 

"This Is Us"

Network: NBC
Stars: Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Milo Ventimiglia, Chrissie Metz
Second Season Premiere: September 26

"This Is Us" is probably a show your mom watches, let's be real. But don't let that discourage you from indulging in this delightful family drama. A very basic premise is that it's about the lives of several people who all share the same birthday, but if you've seen any of the rabid fans of "This is Us" tweeting about it, you know that it's not that simple. It's filled with twists and turns that can promise to have you ugly crying by the end of one 40 minute episode. Talk about therapy but cheaper! Perhaps, the most important thing to note is that "This Is Us" stars an Official Complex Pop boyfriend—Sterling K. Brown—who was on the last season of "American Crime Story." #hotdarden