We’re well into the fall season, which means you’ve probably missed more than a couple new shows before it was too late. To help you catch up, here are five shows worth that valuable real estate on your DVR:
“Ravenswood” (Tuesday, 9 p.m., ABC Family)
Although it’s true that this haunting series could benefit from some parental guidance — the best series on ABC Family have great storylines for the adults so the shows don’t have to rely on the teens’ acting talent to keep them going — the truth is those “Pretty Little Liars” ain’t so little no more, and this spinoff has the potential to become its spooky heir.
“MasterChef Junior” (Friday, 8 p.m., Fox)
For the parents who bought pounds of Swiss chard so their pre-teens could practice for this competition, Mama has two words: thank you. These little chefs make for the best reality competition a family can watch: The kids root for likable contestants, and the parents can gape as potty-mouthed Gordon Ramsay transforms himself into America’s most lovable dad.
“Sleepy Hollow” (Monday, 9 p.m., Fox)
The best part of this supernatural cop series is Tom Mison’s dry wit as the displaced Ichabod Crane. Plus, he and his partner, Abbie (Nicole Beharie), have the kind of chemistry that reminds you of the early days of “The X-Files.” If you didn’t sleep through history class, you may fast-forward through the elementary lessons on major American events just before the duo re-writes that history.
“Back in the Game” (Wednesday, 8:30 p.m., ABC)
The only new comedy to stand out is this Little League laugher, which gets points for originality over ABC’s more trumpeted “Trophy Wife.” The concept isn’t particularly innovative — grown daughter and her young son move in with her dad and she discovers he’s not the brute she thought he was — but led by James Caan, the comedy is several levels above the CBS fare as well as the over-the-hill “Modern Family.”
“The Blacklist” (Monday, 10 p.m., NBC)
Mama is still giving this show a chance, but mostly because James Spader is so amazing as the criminal mastermind Red Reddington. Unfortunately, this series has already fallen into “Damages” territory, with a great cast being asked to deliver overly complicated stories that NBC still manages to make look like part of the “Law & Order” franchise.