Leonardo (The CW)
Can’t get enough of the Renaissance in Leonardo (about da Vinci’s genius and personal drama)? Maggie O’Farrell takes you to 16th-century Italy in The Marriage Portrait (September 6, Knopf), $28, about a young duchess married off at 15 who is sure her husband wants her dead.
House of the Dragon (HBO Max)
George R.R. Martin’s dragon-riding House Targaryen is back in the highly anticipated Game of Thrones prequel. If magical and political intrigue is your thing, try The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (September 1, Head of Zeus), $30, by Shauna Lawless, the first installment in a new series combining Irish mythology and real-life history.
The Patient (Aug. 30 on Hulu)
Steve Carell is a therapist kidnapped by a serial killer who wants help stemming his homicidal impulses. For an exploration into the psychology of serial killers—and America’s obsession with them—check out author Danya Kukafka’s haunting Notes on an Execution (William Morrow), $28.
The Good Fight (Sept. 8 on CBS)
The legal drama starring Christine Baranski is in its final season this fall. Don’t be sad just yet; consider Joey Hartstone’s The Local (Doubleday), $28, which follows a small-town attorney defending a man accused of killing a federal judge. “It’s a spectacular courtroom thriller that kept me turning pages,” says Michelle King, co-creator of The Good Fight.
The Handmaid’s Tale (Sept. 14 on Hulu)
If Hulu’s adaptation of the classic Margaret Atwood novel has you craving more tales of women standing up to repressive regimes, try Widowland (Sourcebooks), $17, by C.J. Carey. The alternative history imagines a group of women rebelling against an alliance between England and the Nazis in the days leading up to the coronation of King Edward VIII (and Queen Wallis Simpson).
The Voice (Sept. 19 on NBC)
When you’re not rooting for judges John Legend, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani or new-to-the-singing-competition Camila Cabello, read veteran romance writer Tracey Livesay’s American Royalty (Avon), $16, a steamy, entertaining look at the music industry about a reclusive prince turned professor who falls for a bold American rapper.
Abbott Elementary (Sept. 21 on ABC)
Fans of this breakout sitcom about an underfunded Philadelphia school will love She Memes Well (Dey Street Books), $17, a hilarious essay collection from Quinta Brunson, the show’s creator and star, who describes her childhood in Philly and experience going viral with her usual combination of heart and humor.
Yellowstone (Nov. 13 on Paramount)
The Kevin Costner–starring modern-day Western following the adventures and misdeeds of the Dutton family will be back on screens before Thanksgiving. For another family saga set in the American West, grab Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s Woman of Light (One World), $28, a searing novel documenting five generations of an Indigenous Chicano family.
The Good Doctor (Oct. 3 on ABC)
The popular medical drama takes viewers into the stressful, high-stakes world of emergency medicine. For real-life medical drama, consider Hot Spot (September 15, Vanderbilt University Press), $28, a memoir by Alex Jahangir, M.D., who recounts his time leading Nashville’s pandemic response and the ways it exposed long-simmering cultural and racial tensions in Music City. Available in bookstores and online
