The military police procedural “NCIS,” starring Mark Harmon as the special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs for nearly two decades, has been a mainstay on the CBS schedule now for over twenty years, and it will keep going into the new season.

The “NCIS” franchise has blossomed over the years. “NCIS: Los Angeles” had a fourteen-year run. The “New Orleans” version, starring Scott Bakula, notched seven years. “NCIS: Hawai’i” tapped out after three seasons.

To fill the void of disappearing “NCIS” franchises with the name of a city or state, the fall season brings “NCIS: Origins,” starring Austin Stowell as a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs and narrated by flagship “NCIS” series star Mark Harmon.

“NCIS: Origins” quite naturally, as implied by its title, brings us to the starting point of Harmon’s career, with a young Gibbs a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid).

Young Leroy Gibbs will get an assist from Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Tyla Abercrumbie as Field Operation Support Officer Mary Jo Sullivan, and Diany Rodriguez as Special Agent Vera Strickland.

“Matlock” is on the fall schedule, and other than being a legal drama, it seemingly bears little resemblance to Andy Griffith’s folksy and yet cantankerous barrister who had a knack for exposing actual perpetrators of crime.

The new “Matlock” stars Kathy Bates as the brilliant septuagenarian Madeline “Matty” Matlock, who, after achieving success in her younger years, decides to rejoin the workforce at a prestigious law firm where she uses her unassuming demeanor and wily tactics to win cases.

In watching the first episode, you may get the sense that this is a relatively slow-moving journey for Matty to ingratiate herself with superiors. A reveal at the end of the episode holds a surprise as to her true motives.

At the firm, Matty is assigned to Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), a senior attorney and key rainmaker with a thirst for justice, while Olympia’s ex-husband, Julian (Jason Ritter), the son of the head of the firm, is intrigued by Matty and her clever skills.

Matty works alongside the firm’s younger associates – the charismatic Billy (David Del Rio) and the uber ambitious Sarah (Leah Lewis) – as she endeavors to establish herself in her new high-stakes world.

Based on the first two episodes, “Matlock” takes time to build the intrigue of Matty’s quest to use her position to right some wrongs and root out perceived corruption. Judging by the early going, some twists and turns inevitably lay ahead.

“Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” the sequel to “Young Sheldon,” follows Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment) as they raise their young family in Texas while navigating the challenges of adulthood, parenting and marriage.

This new sitcom comes with a pedigree of being created by Chuck Lorre, the “King of Sitcoms,” and is the third television series in the “The Big Bang Theory” franchise. At the very least, it merits a look to see if it’s worthy of its comedic lineage.

“Poppa’s House,” starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., features Wayans Senior as legendary talk radio host and happily divorced “Poppa” who has his point of view challenged at work when a new female co-host (Essence Atkins) is hired.

At home, Wayans finds himself still parenting his adult son (Damon Wayans Jr.), a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.

The “Hollywood Squares” game show, which got its start in the mid-Sixties, featured many celebrities who became regulars. Paul Lynde was frequently asked questions to which he responded with outrageous jokes (which you can probably find on YouTube).

Come January, the revival of this classic game show will star actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore taking her place as the famed “center square” answering questions for the contestants.

Two contestants will play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. The “board” for the game is a vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants.

The celebrities are asked questions and the contestants judge the legitimacy of their answers to win the game. In the old days, you could mostly count on Paul Lynde to have playfully misdirected his answers.

One new mid-season drama waiting in the wings is “Watson,” which is set seven months after the death of the titular character’s friend and partner Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Moriarty.

Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders. Watson’s old life isn’t done with him – Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.

“Watson” is a medical show with a strong investigative spine, featuring a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives as he turns his attention from solving crimes to solving medical mysteries.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.