October TV Preview

Limited Drama Series
Premieres October 1 on Netflix

Zoe Kazan (Wildlife) adapts the same Nobel Prize-winning John Steinbeck novel that her grandfather turned into a feature film in 1955. Aiming for a story both epic and intimate, this seven-episode miniseries follows multiple generations of the Trask family in California in the decades spanning from the Civil War to World War I, with a particular focus on the antihero Cathy Ames, played by Florence Pugh. Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee, Tracy Letts, Ciarán Hinds, and Martha Plimpton star.

New Drama Anthology Series
Premieres October 1 on HBO and HBO Max

The war of the title of this eight-episode series from Lupin creator George Kay is merely an acrimonious and very public divorce, but for tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) and movie star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) and the elite London law firms representing each party, it certainly feels like a battle with enormous consequences. A co-production between HBO and the UK's Sky, War will be an ongoing anthology series with each season depicting a different legal contest. (The already-in-production second season, to star Marisa Tomei, will revolve around a defamation case.) Generally positive early reviews for the first season describe a well-acted and mostly entertaining series that can be a bit slow-moving at times, especially in the later episodes.

Limited Drama Series
Premieres October 2 on Starz

Alan Cumming and David Morrissey play feuding neighbors in a critically acclaimed, five-part British miniseries from Russell T Davies (Queer as Folk, Years and Years) that makes its American debut this month on the Starz app. The thriller is set in Manchester, England, where Cumming's Leo is a gay, HIV-positive bar owner who ends up in a deadly feud with his homophobic neighbor Clive (Morrissey)—though exactly how Leo ends up dead is a mystery that is unveiled slowly as the series progresses through the final 10 days of his life. Critics call it an "unsettling" must-watch featuring two terrific performances.

New Anime Series
Premieres October 3 on Adult Swim and October 4 on HBO Max

One thing you didn't see much of in Tony: Anthony Bourdain's second (third? fourth?) career as a writer of graphic novels. And a pair of those, the Get Jiro series co-written with Joel Rose, have been turned into an adult animated action series headed to Adult Swim's Saturday-night Toonami block. Brian Tee, Titus Welliver, Alison Pill, and Justin Kirk head the voice cast for a series that is set in a post-apocalyptic future Los Angeles where chefs are the ultimate celebrities. (Remember, kids: Write what you know!)

New Horror Series
Premieres October 7 on Prime Video

Previously adapted into multiple feature films (including a very good one from Brian De Palma in 1976), Stephen King's 1974 novel about a high school outcast with telekinetic powers is now a television series for the first time, courtesy of Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck). The series is set in the present day and follows the formerly homeschooled Carrie (Summer H. Howell) as she enters public high school following the death of her father and becomes caught up in a bullying scandal. All eight episodes stream at launch.

New (to you) Dramedy Series
Premieres October 7 on Apple TV

A rare acquired series (rather than an original or exclusive production) for Apple, this acclaimed BBC2 hit comes from Mackenzie Crook, who starred (as Dwight prototype Gareth) in the original UK version of The Office and also created and starred in the quirky and charming comedy series Detectorists. His new series Small Prophets stars Pearce Quigley (another Detectorists alum) as Michael Sleep, who is still distraught seven years after the disappearance of his girlfriend. So, like any of us would do, he turns to alchemy—specifically, the creation of homunculi, magical spirits who can predict the future. Cook co-stars in the Manchester-set series, as do Michael Palin, Lauren Patel, Sophie Willan, and Paul Kaye. Season 1 runs the UK-standard six episodes, and a concluding second season has just been picked up by the BBC (and will presumably come to Apple at some point as well).

Who Is Martin Mull? debuts Oct. 7
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald debuts Oct. 16
Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story debuts Oct. 23
SCTV: The Greatest Show You've Never Heard Of debuts Oct. 30

Netflix may not be able to make great comedy of its own—but it is starting to look like it at least knows what great comedy is. Headed to the streamer this month (either by chance or intention) are four separate documentaries about beloved comedians and shows.

Opening the series is a look at comedian, actor, painter, musician, and one-time host of TV's first (and possibly still best) satirical late-night talk show, Martin Mull, in a documentary directed by Neil Berkeley and the late Bob Saget. That's followed by a Judd Apatow-directed profile of all-time Weekend Update great Norm Macdonald that's constructed out of archival footage and rare videos contributed by fans. Apatow also co-directs (with Neil Berkeley) Paralyzed by Hope, which examines the life and career of alt-comedy star Maria Bamford. Wrapping off the month is a look at Canada's third-greatest contribution to comedy (following Kids in the Hall and William Shatner's singing career), the classic 1970s/80s sketch series SCTV.

Limited Drama/Horror Series
Premieres October 8 on Netflix

Josh Hartnett, Charlie Heaton, and Mackenzie Davis star in a six-part thriller about a local fisherman's battle to understand and repel a mysterious sea creature that begins terrorizing a Newfoundland fishing village. Blending family drama, small-town politics, and supernatural horror, the series earned some attention at its two-episode TIFF premiere last month for its atmosphere and cinematography. It doesn't have the same quirkiness, but could Below fill the Widow's Bay -sized hole in your viewing schedule?

New Drama Series
Premieres October 8 on CBS and Paramount+

Of the relatively few new scripted shows debuting on broadcast television (it still exists—we checked) this fall, Cupertino may have the best pedigree, as well as some timely appeal. The latest legal drama from Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife, Elsbeth) is set in Silicon Valley, where a group of lawyers represent people exploited by large tech companies. Mike Colter, Busy Philipps, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Rachel Keller star.

Streaming Movie
Premieres October 9 on Netflix

Receiving a simultaneous theatrical and Netflix release, the latest crime thriller directed and co-written by Ben Affleck finds a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife given just a few hours to come up with a ransom payment after their son is kidnapped. Like Spike Lee's recent Highest 2 Lowest, it's another riff on the High and Low formula, though Affleck claims never to have seen that Kurosawa classic. Affleck also stars (replacing his originally cast buddy Matt Damon, whose schedule was occupied by The Odyssey) alongside Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and Adriana Paz.

New Animated Series
Premieres October 9 on Paramount+

Unrelated to James Cameron's similarly titled 17-film* series (but sadly very related to this movie), the Nickelodeon original Avatar: The Last Airbender is easily one of the most popular animated shows of the 21st century, and it seems to have only grown its fanbase since it first went off the air in 2008. The franchise returned for a four-season sequel, The Legend of Korra, four years later, followed by an animated streaming feature earlier this year. This month brings a third Avatar series that serves as a sequel to Korra that's set over two centuries later, where young Pavi, an Earthbender, learns that she is the successor to Korra as the new Avatar. But that's not a good thing in this new post-apocalyptic world, as she becomes the target of both humans and spirits who view her as a destroyer, not a savior. Three episodes stream each week through October 30, and a second season has already been ordered.

* film count approximate

Returning Drama Series
Premieres October 13 on BritBox

It might be time to fire up the ol' BritBox. Ludwig, the streamer's delightful cozy mystery series starring David Mitchell (Peep Show) as a puzzle constructor turned accidental detective, returns for its second season this month, with the six episodes streaming weekly. Mark Bonnar and Sian Clifford join the cast, while Stephen Merchant guests. Season 2 has already launched in the UK, where the premiere just became that country's most-viewed scripted show of 2026. A Christmas special will also stream on BritBox sometime in December, while a third season will debut next year.

Returning Dramedy Series
Premieres October 14 on FX and Hulu

It may not have received any Emmy love, but the newest series from Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo was easily a favorite of TV critics following last year's debut season, with the show landing on numerous year-end top-10 lists (and receiving a pair of Television Critics Association Award nominations). Now The Lowdown returns for a highly anticipated second season that finds Betty Gilpin and Tommy Lee Jones joining a returning cast led by Ethan Hawke as obsessive Tulsa bookseller and citizen journalist truthstorian Lee Raybon, here taking on a new case about a man who somehow goes missing while in prison. The eight episodes air and stream weekly.

Limited Drama/Sci-Fi Series
Premieres October 14 on Disney+

Paul Bettany reprises his MCU role as the android hero Vision in this eight-episode miniseries from Terry Matalas (Star Trek: Picard). Other MCU veterans include James Spader's Ultron and Faran Tahir's Raza, while Marvel newcomers include Todd Stashwick, Mary McDonnell, Orla Brady, James D'Arcy, and Emily Hampshire. Episodes stream weekly.

New Horror Series
Premieres October 15 on Peacock

In development since 2022—originally, as a dramatic reinvention under the guidance of Bryan Fuller (Hannibal), though he was later removed from the project in favor of a more conventional approach from Brad Caleb Kane (IT: Welcome to Derry)—this A24-produced prequel series to the Friday the 13th film franchise follows Linda Cardellini as Pamela, the single mother of Jason Voorhees, a year after his death by drowning. All eight episodes stream at launch.

New Dramedy Series
Premieres October 20 on Hulu

Connie Britton and Sam Nivola star in a comedic mystery coming-of-age series about a teenager who awakens following a car accident to discover that his single mom has been replaced with an impostor. (You could say that she's an "Other Mommy," but you'd be sued.) The series comes from Marcel the Shell With Shoes On screenwriter Nick Paley, who serves as showrunner alongside Jury Duty and The Afterparty veteran Anthony King.

New Drama Series
Premieres October 30 on Apple TV

John Hlavin (The Man Who Fell to Earth) adapts the Joona Linna crime novels by the Swedish husband and wife authors writing under the pseudonym Lars Kepler into an English-language crime drama series for Apple. Liev Schreiber stars as the renamed protagonist Jonah Lynn, a former soldier turned homicide detective who relocates from Philadelphia in search of a quieter life in a small town in western Pennsylvania. But there he finds himself matching wits with a serial killer (Stephen Graham) with the help of his surrogate daughter, an FBI agent played by Zazie Beetz. Drawing elements from the books Lazarus and The Sandman, Nocturne also stars Rory Culkin, Poorna Jagannathan, Bill Camp, Chrissy Metz, and Gary Carr. The first two (of 10) episodes stream at launch, with the remaining episodes arriving weekly through December 25.

Want more TV?
For a full list of upcoming TV titles, visit our frequently updated TV Premiere Calendar.