Sure, October is spooky season and some of us love a good scare, but we're also in the midst of broadcast's Fall TV rollout and streaming has some choice releases as well. Here at Americans Undercover, thrillers and procedurals have us by the throat. Political, government-leaning, or straight up spy work, we love it all and the tenth month of the year has plenty for us to sink our teeth in.
NBC is welcoming back its Law and Order franchise with new seasons for the flagship and SVU. Organized Crime isn't on this list but it'll make its Peacock debut sometime down the line. The Irrational is set to launch its second season with a kidnapping that puts Alec squarely in the middle of the case.
CBS has the FBI franchise roaring back with a big cast exit and two additions to its universe including a role for Chicago P.D. vet Jesse Lee Soffer. The network is also premiering NCIS: Origins, the latest entry in the NCISverse that takes place in the '90s and will slot right behind the OG series on Mondays.
Fans of Citadel can anticipate the Prime Video original's first spinoff to make its debut. Diana throws us years into the future as one agent works to break free after being abandoned while undercover in Italy. Speaking of spies, Lioness is back as well and there's a new operative to meet. Finally, for those of us obsessed with Keri Russell's turn as U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler, The Diplomat returns for season 2!
It's a good month for case work and political drama. Keep reading for when each show returns, what to expect from the premieres, and more!
Law and Order season 24
Premiere date: Thursday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. ET
Network: NBC
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes are available Fridays on Peacock
Release schedule: Weekly
Law and Order opens season 24 with "Catch and Kill," a premiere that investigates the murder of a Brooklyn prosecutor in her own apartment. It'll also introduce viewers to Lt. Jessica Brady (Maura Tierney), a no nonsense boss who relies on her gut and her instincts to close cases. Riley is set to struggle with adjusting to Grady's leadership style. Meanwhile, Maroun's focus will be getting an eyewitness to the murder to come forward even if drastic action has to be taken.
Law and Order: SVU season 26
Premiere date: Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET
Network: NBC
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Fridays on Peacock
Release schedule: Weekly
"Fractured," Law and Order: SVU's premiere, centers on the brutal attack of a group of law students. Thankfully, there was a hidden camera filming the incident. It's Benson's hope that the footage will break the case open. As for Carisi, he plans on leaning on the defendant. Catching the perpetrator in a lie is the department's best chance at getting the conviction they need.
The Irrational season 2
Premiere date: Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. ET
Network: NBC
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Wednesdays on Peacock
Release schedule: Weekly
Rose will play a dangerous game in The Irrational season 2 premiere, "Collateral Damage." It's all in service of biding time while Alec searches for her. This, however, is no ordinary kidnapping and Alec's going to have to take matters into his own hands if he's going to find her before it's too late.
Citadel: Diana
Premiere date: Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. ET
Streamer: Prime Video
Language: Italian
Episodes: 6
Release schedule: All episodes release on the premiere date
The year is 2030. The setting, Milan. It's been eight years since Citadel was destroyed by their rivals and enemy spy syndicate, Manticore. Since the collapse of her agency, Diana Cavalieri has been looking for a way out. She's an undercover Citadel agent who, due to Citadel's demise, has no one on the outside to help her. But, when she sees a way she can disappear, she seizes on the opportunity even if it means trusting Edo Zani, the heir to Manticore's Italy division and son of Ettore Zani, the head of the organization who wants to lead the European families.
NCIS season 22
Premiere date: Monday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET
Viewer advisory: NCIS will move to its regular time slot at 9 p.m. on Oct. 21
Network: CBS
Runtime; One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Tuesdays on Paramount+
Release schedule: Weekly
NCIS season 22 skips us ahead six months to the events of "Empty Nest," a premiere that catch us up with what Knight has been up to out on the West Coast and drop us into a case centered on a missing undercover agent as there's an active hostage situation. Oh! And there's a mole in the NCIS to boot!
NCIS: Origins
Premiere date: Monday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET (two hour premiere)
Viewer advisory: NCIS: Origins will move to its regular time slot at 10 p.m. on Oct. 21
Network: CBS
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Tuesdays on Paramount+
Release schedule: Weekly
"Enter Sandman" is NCIS: Origins' two hour premiere primed to introduce us to Young Leroy Jethro Gibbs as he's just joining the NIS. It's a difficult time in his life as he's lost his wife and daughter to the hands of a murderer. Fans of the flagship will see Gibbs like they've never seen him before and, through this prequel series, be along for the ride as he grows into the leader and man they know and love.
FBI season 7
Premiere date: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Wednesdays on Paramount+
Release schedule: Weekly
FBI's premiere, "Abandoned," will be bittersweet for fans as it marks the start of a new action-packed season and also the departure of Katherine Renee Kane in the role of Tiffany Wallace. The aftermath of the Hakim case will be the catalyst for her character's exit as she struggles once more out in the field.
The case of the week follows the assassination of a Brooklyn plumber which isn't what it seems. As the team begin to unravel what happened, the case spirals into a globe-spanning investigation that the CIA is none to happy about. Also, the season opener is the debut of Syd Ortiz, played by Lisette Olivera, Scola's new partner who formerly worked in the Behavioral Analysis Unit.
FBI: International season 4
Premiere date: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Wednesdays on Paramount+
Release schedule: Weekly
"A Leader, Not a Tourist" will usher in the Fly Team's new boss Wesley "Wes" Mitchell, played by Jesse Lee Soffer of Chicago P.D. fame. It's a shooting in Los Angeles that brings him to Budapest in the premiere as the suspects who shot his partner have fled overseas.
FBI: Most Wanted season 6
Premiere date: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 10 p.m. ET
Network: CBS
Runtime: One hour episodes
Streamer: New episodes release Wednesdays on Paramount+
Release schedule: Weekly
FBI: Most Wanted's premiere, "Aquarium Drinker," sees the return of Susan Misner in the role of Abby Deaver. Remy and Abby's relationship has grown stronger since we last saw the pair. Case wise, the focus will be a string of gruesome murders that the Fugitive Task Force begin investigating after a detective is brutally killed.
Lioness season 2
Premiere date: Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT (two episode premiere)
Streamer: Paramount+
Episodes: 8
Release schedule: Weekly
In Lioness' second outing, a new operative is enlisted to infiltrate a threat. This time the investigation hits a little closer to home. The events that unfold in this season will have Joe confronting the sacrifices she's made to lead this program and fight terror.
The Diplomat season 2
Premiere date: Thursday, Oct. 31 at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT
Streamer: Netflix
Episodes: 6
Release schedule: All episodes release on the premiere date
The Diplomat's second season picks up where we left off. Hal, Kate's husband, survived the explosion in London but they're both now involved in a dangerous game. Figuring out the truth when there's someone on the inside of the British government pulling strings to launch the globe into World War III will be tricky. Kate's sole ally is Hal and, while she has a "complex" relationship with British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison, there's no telling what way things might twist and turn. Add that on top of Vice President Grace Penn's visit which is certainly a threat and there's a lot on Kate's plate!
As you can see, there's plenty to enjoy this October on TV and streaming. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for more news and coverage!