Sorry Abbott Elementary and Grey’s Anatomy fans, there won’t be new episodes airing any time soon.

Some viewers may be unaware, but striking screenwriters and actors have brought production to a screeching halt, including on many popular shows like Law & Order and 1923. So fans will have to wait to find out if Janine and Gregory can really be just friends on Abbott or if Kim Raver’s Dr Teddy Altman survives after collapsing on Grey’s. But there’s plenty of new characters and familiar faces heading to screens via already-completed shows that are ready to air.

Some creative programming — including shows imported from other countries, competition series and the broadcast arrival of the Paramount Network hit Yellowstone — will round-out gaps in the TV schedule.

Here’s a sampling of notable shows debuting in the strike-challenged season ahead:

Books remain popular inspiration for Hollywood. The Other Black Girl, based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris, follows Nella (Sinclair Daniel), a black editorial assistant in publishing who is thrilled by her company’s new hire of another black woman, Hazel (played by Ashleigh Murray). Nella’s hope for an ally and confidante is repeatedly squashed, leaving her to wonder if the two are in competition. The Other Black Girl is a genre-blending mix of social satire, commentary and creepiness streaming now on Hulu.

Jesse L Martin returns to NBC in The Irrational, playing a behavioural science expert with a keen understanding of what makes people tick. This skill makes him an in-demand problem solver and translator-of-sorts for government agencies and big corporations. The show is based on Dan Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational and premieres September 25. Episodes will also stream on Peacock.

In Wilderness, Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who and Victoria) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Mr Malcom’s List, Surface) are Liv and Will, a young couple whose marriage is on the rocks. They plan a vacation to set things right but what Will doesn’t know is that Liv has cooked up an itinerary he wasn’t prepared for. The thriller is adapted from a book of the same name by B E Jones, with Ashley Benson and Eric Balfour also starring. Wilderness debuts today on Prime Video.

Brie Larson brings the Bonnie Garmus novel Lessons in Chemistry to life for Apple TV+. It’s about Elizabeth, a female scientist in the 1960s who works in a chemical lab, is smarter than most but is only permitted to do menial work by sexist colleagues. A romance with a fellow chemist named Calvin (Lewis Pullman), who sees Elizabeth as an equal, sets in motion her winding, fascinating and empowering road to a fulfilling life and career. The show debuts October 13.

The heartbreaking-yet-hopeful WWII novel All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr has been turned into a four-episode series directed by Shawn Levy for Netflix. It follows the story of Marie (played by newcomer Aria Mia Loberti) as a blind, young woman in hiding in German-occupied France and a Nazi solder named Werner (Louis Hoffman). He’s an orphan who was drafted against his will and the show explores how their lives intersect. The limited series also stars Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie and debuts November 2.

Spin-offs, prequels and sequels

Hollywood loves a safe bet and a number of new shows debuting this fall feature some not-so-new characters or tie-ins to films and other series that have proved popular.

The Walking Dead served as a mainstream introduction to several talented actors: Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Jon Bernthal and yes, Norman Reedus. Reedus’s character Daryl Dixon also emerged as a heartthrob. He now fronts his own spin-off called The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, taking place in France after the events of the original show. Daryl may be in a new country but walkers are still out there, and they’ve evolved. The show airs Sundays on AMC and streams on AMC+.

The massively popular John Wick movie franchise starring Keanu Reeves is getting a three-night prequel event series called The Continental: From the World of John Wick on Peacock. It stars Mel Gibson and Colin Woodell as a younger version of Ian McShane’s character from the movies. The Continental debuts September 22.

Young adult superheroes need education too, and that’s the backdrop of the new Prime Video series Gen V, a spin-off of The Boys. Superheroes-in-training are enrolled at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, where they fraternise in between high-stakes competitions of strength and ability. Like The Boys, the show takes an irreverent approach to its supes. The first three episodes drop September. 29.

Kelsey Grammer is back as his most well-known character, Dr Frasier Crane, in a sequel for Paramount+. In this Frasier, the character returns to Boston to embark on a new phase of his life. The 10-episode comedy debuts October 12 and the first two episodes will air later that month on CBS.

An eight-episode anime series inspired by the 2010 movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World is coming to Netflix on November 17. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off will feature the voices of the film cast, including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, and Anna Kendrick.

Signs of strikes

There are also programmes coming to TV this fall that are obvious time-fillers to help round out primetime schedules. CBS made some interesting decisions to complete their puzzle.

Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone, which airs on Paramount Network, is now getting a broadcast run on CBS beginning Sunday.

Long-time reality competition staples Survivor and The Amazing Race return to CBS on September 27 but with longer, 90-minute episodes, filling up a night’s three-hour prime-time block.

NCIS: Sydney will begin airing on CBS November 13. It’s the first international edition of the franchise that originated in the United States.

They’ve also imported international shows to air in the US. Ghosts UK, the original version of Ghosts that inspired the Rose McIver-led US remake, will debut November 16.

Fox has leaned in heavily to competition shows. The Masked Singer is back for season 10, and they’ve tapped David Spade to host a new game show called Snake Oil. It will join other game shows including Celebrity Name That Tune, I Can See Your Voice, and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.

The CW — once known for superheroes, sci-fi and beautiful people coming-of-age — is also now tapping into international options. Examples include Lea Thompson’s Spencer Sisters and Sullivan’s Crossing starring Chad Michael Murray and Scott Patterson — both Canadian-made shows — debuting October 4. The network has also scheduled three Canadian comedies for Monday nights. The German eco-thriller The Swarm, about a predatory life force in our oceans, is now airing.

Since ABC doesn’t have the aforementioned favorites Abbott Elementary or Grey’s Anatomy on its line-up, it’s touting non-scripted options like Dancing with the Stars (returning to broadcast after a run on Disney+), The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise.