What I’m Watching During the Fall 2022 Television Season

While Wilcox Arcade is, in fact, an gaming-centric blog, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a plethora of other interests about which I’d like to scribe more often. Today’s article is me flexing that creative muscle, so to speak.

I’ve loved television a heckuva lot longer than I have arcade games — hence why I’m studying television production at Murray State University — so I’d like to share with y’all today what I intend to watch this coming semester.

Given my fondness for linear television in particular, I’ll utilize YouTube TV to enjoy all these excellent programs, a service which I believe boasts all the benefits of cable with none of the drawbacks. (It certainly doesn’t hurt that I split the subscription with two other people.)

Let’s crack open my top picks, shall we?

Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens

Airing Saturdays at 7 a.m. CST on Disney XD, Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens is the tenth series in the franchise and the first I’ve watched since Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal completed its run across the CW4Kids and Vortexx in the early 2010s.

Truthfully, I’m less enraptured by this series for its own merits than I am for the simple fact that it’s Yu-Gi-Oh! returning to Saturday mornings after a decade of dormancy. Because Nicktoons completely mangled its Arc V rollout — and VRAINS barely carved out a presence stateside — I’ve been sorely out of the loop for far too long.

Disregarding all that, I still appreciate Sevens for breaking free from the trappings of its predecessors. Yes, it’s the lightest and softest Yu-Gi-Oh! to date, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m sure we’ll see edgy teenagers fight over the fate of the universe via a children’s card game again in the next inevitable iteration.

I’m not much for nostalgia, but if anything can make me feel it, this is it. The only way I could be happier is if we finally saw another proper Saturday-morning cartoon block on terrestrial television. (Anyone younger than 20 won’t understand why cable doesn’t count.)

Archer

Airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. CST on FXX, everyone’s favorite scumbag operative will return for a thirteenth season of bumbling antics. Best of all, I’ll finally be able to accurately follow the overarching plot now that I have a working DVR.

Years ago, when I was but a small boy, I was thoroughly convinced Two and a Half Men was the most despicable program to have ever soiled television. Little did I know Archer would crank up the debauchery and obscenity to its conceivable limits during the same decade. Putting is bluntly, this series can be just plain nasty sometimes.

Of course, that’s far from the only reason I like it. Archer implements recurring gags just as if not more effectively than the God-tier Phineas & Ferb, immensely rewarding long-term viewers such as myself in the process. Although the series became somewhat tired during its “Dreamland” arc, I’d say it’s back in full swing now.

I sincerely hope the thirteenth season of Archer is every bit as gut-busting as the past two. Without those, I may have very well forgotten just how good the series can get when the writers are giving it their all.

The Bachelorette

Airing Mondays at 7 p.m. CST on ABC, The Bachelorette will conclude the latter half of its 19th season within the next month and a half, and I can’t friggin’ wait to see how it goes. Let’s just say it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions so far.

The Bachelor franchise as a whole quickly became a favorite of mine starting with Clayton’s season last semester, which almost singlehandedly carried me through the most depressive period of my life despite being an absolute dumpster fire to behold. Long story short, the series sold me on the “true love” fantasy when I needed it the most.

Now that I’m far less inclined to join the 27 Club and have read a revealing exposé regarding the production of the franchise — “Bachelor Nation” by Amy Kaufman, if you’re curious — I gobble up new episodes more like mindless popcorn fare than a genuine depiction of romance. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t warm my heart regardless.

I hope the unprecedented Bachelorette duo of Rachel and Gabby get everything for which they’d hoped and more on this year’s riveting season. (And maybe I’ll apply for next year’s season if I’m feeling especially desperate by then.)

Impractical Jokers

Airing Thursdays at 9 p.m. CST on TruTV, I very much so intend to watch the handful of remaining episodes of the ninth season of Impractical Jokers as they spill over into this semester, after which I’ll wait patiently for the highly likely tenth season to premiere.

I won’t mince words here: This season of IJ has been woefully hit or miss. Starting out strong with what was essentially a continuation of the rock-solid eight season, the ninth season failed miserably to make me laugh once the pandemic shook up production. When Joe Gatto left the main cast, it seemed nothing could salvage this sinking ship.

Then, something surprising happened: The season got good again. Despite a few initial misteps, the Joe-less episodes have only gotten better week over week. The Brooke Shields episode was the first to leave me in hysterics in who knows how long. I can finally say the series is good again — for now.

Let’s hope Impractical Jokers keeps up its winning streak so I don’t have to rely solely on reruns to get my cringe humor fix. Who knows? Maybe Joe will return to fray once he works out the kinks in his personal life. (I know all too well how that feels.)

Pretty Much the Entire Toonami Lineup

Since I’ve already written so dang much — and am thusly feeling quite lethargic — I’ll wrap up the article with a block of shows that are all more or less of equal interest to me.

Toonami will hit hard as heck this semester with one of the best lineups I’ve seen in months: Primal, Yashahime: Demon Half-Princess, Lupin the Third Part 6, One Piece, Naruto: Shippuden, Blade Runner, and Made in Abyss. I’ve set recordings for all of these series to ensure I don’t miss them during the unholy hours when they actually air.

Even though Shenmue: The Animation wasn’t the most exciting thing I’ve ever watched, I hope it, too, eventually returns to the schedule because it managed to grip me by the end. As for everything else, I just hope Toonami doesn’t drops any other long-runners before they’ve finished this time. (I’m looking at your, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.)

That’s all I have for now, folks — but really, the sky is the limit when it comes to television. You can bet your beard I’ll watch the occasional episode of AFV or Family Guy as they air. The above list merely comprises the ones for which I’m most excited.