Of all the major networks, The CW is probably the most genre-friendly. A huge chunk of its schedule is at least somewhat genre-related, even when concessions are made to its fundamental desire to speak to the key demographics. It’s also a network that is actually managing to beat its competition these days, which is something to be said when it was operating year-to-year for a long time.

CBS is one of the most dependable of the networks, at least in terms of content. They tend towards procedurals and fairly safe comedies that keep their viewer base nice and happy. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t gems in the mix, just that there’s very little change season to season. Or is there?

While many may scoff at the ties between ABC and Disney, one cannot deny that the network has been the beneficiary of the larger Disney Empire. Once Upon a Time continues to be a hit, despite itself, largely due to the ability to mine all sorts of Disney properties. And because Disney owns Marvel Studios, shows like Agents of SHIELD get room to breathe. ABC isn’t winning the war when it comes to ratings, but it does hold a place in terms of geek cred.

FOX has managed to annoy genre fans yet again with its troubling treatment of Almost Human, even if it did right by Sleepy Hollow. FOX is also the network that has always been more willing to experiment with year-round programming. How does that all stack up for the fall season?

NBC has seen its fortunes rise slightly in the past year, but that doesn’t mean that it is anywhere near the top of the ladder. Not much of what was attempted in 2013-2014 succeeded, which in some respects was a good thing for genre fans. That’s the context for looking at what NBC has announced for the 2014 fall season and beyond.

Now that all of the upfronts have concluded, and the initial fall schedules have been revealed (there are always last minute changes), I'm ready to make my picks for what I intend to be watching when the fall season begins. Here's my night-by-night breakdown!

Despite its reputation for focusing on teen drama, however deserved that might be, The CW has also been a remarkably loyal friend to genre fans. This upcoming season is heavily stacked with genre shows, and while some of them are not quite my cup of tea, there is a nice variety. The fall promises to have a mixture of returning favorites and new blood.

In many ways, CBS is the least exciting network during upfronts week. Why? Because CBS is pretty much sticking to what has worked incredible well for them, and just shuffling the deck with new comedies to attempt a few in-roads here and there. Even so, there are a couple surprises, so it’s not as if the schedule isn’t changing at all!

It’s no secret that ABC has been trying to find a way to regain the prominence that came with Lost, and has met with limited success. This might be the season when they have another such hit on their hands. Everyone knows that they have picked up Agents of SHIELD, the television tie-in to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, by virtue of their connection to Disney. And of course, Once Upon a Time is a thinly-veiled riff on familiar Disney archetypes. But is that all they have in their favor in the 2013-2014 season?

FOX has attempted to regain the favor of genre fans after the Firefly debacle, even to the point of renewing Dollhouse for its second season not so long ago, openly declaring that it was out of fear of fan backlash. They did right by Fringe, letting it live long after the ratings became an issue, yet FOX remains the favorite target of angry genre fans, largely because of how many genre shows have come and gone over the past decade. Where do they stand coming into the next season?