The night is crowded with comedy this fall. Thanks to our handy flowchart, DVR overload is a thing of the past. To start, choose whether you prefer the company of friends or family.
The shows
‘Go On’
Matthew Perry stars as a recently widowed sportscaster who finds wacky but loving new friends in a grief support group. 9 p.m., NBC
‘The New Normal’
Every family has a little crazy in it; the loose screw comes in the form of a bigoted grandma (Ellen Barkin) in this sitcom. A committed gay couple (Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha) hiring a single mom (Georgia King) to carry their child may seem untraditional, but their situation is full of love (and some bitingly funny moments) regardless. 9:30 p.m., NBC
‘Ben and Kate’
Slacker Ben (Nat Faxon) and frazzled single mom Kate (Dakota Johnson) are odd couple/best friend siblings who become roommates when perennial couch surfer Ben moves in for good. Their affectionately antagonistic relationship will ring true if you grew up close to a brother or sister you also wanted to strangle. Premieres Sept. 25, 8:30 p.m., Fox
‘New Girl’
As Jess’ (Zoe Deschanel) “adorkable” factor was toned down and focus was put on her friendship with her male roommates (Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson and Lamorne Morris, who proved just as capable playing goofy as their female counterpart), “New Girl” grew to become last season’s best buddy comedy — complete with a drinking game, “True American.” Premieres Sept. 25, 9 p.m., Fox
‘The Mindy Project’
The reasons we fell in love with “New Girl” apply here — Mindy (Mindy Kaling), an OB/GYN who doesn’t look like she’s moonlighting as a runway model, is successful in her professional life but a total failure when it comes to love. A vet of “The Office,” Kaling brings optimism to the most cynical comedy — the New York City dating scene — even if she does resort to taking advice from a toy. Premieres Sept. 25, 9:30 p.m., Fox
‘Raising Hope’
The Chance family (Cloris Leachman, Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt, Lucas Neff) thrives on chaos. Though the show often hits on white-trash humor, what the family lacks in funds — or smarts — they make up for in heart. Premieres Oct. 2, 8 p.m., Fox
‘Happy Endings’
The perpetually single Penny (Casey Wilson) would doubtlessly be besties with Jess and Mindy over on Fox. Instead, she has five other friends (Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayons Jr.) willing to share a couch or drink until her perfect guy arrives — that is, if she doesn’t drive them crazy with her annoying “abbreevs.” Premieres Oct. 23, 9 p.m., ABC
‘Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23’
If it weren’t for con artist Chloe’s (Krysten Ritter) loyalty to equally egotistic pal James Van Der Beek (playing a heightened version of himself) or admiration for new roomie June (Dreama Walker), who lost her big-time NYC gig but won’t let the city get her down, she really would be a queen B. Premieres Oct. 23, 9:30 p.m., ABC
