What’s New to Watch on Your TV - October Update
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What’s New to Watch on Your TV - October Update
October is always a great month for spooktacular TV, high-stakes playoff sports, and nail-biting drama gunning for sweeps week ratings.
So as summer officially turns to fall, you’ve got plenty to keep you glued to the tube, snuggled up under a blanket (maybe all the way under the blanket if things get too scary).
Optimum has the scoop on upcoming TV.
New on HBO
Downhill (Rated R, Trailer, available on HBO October 3rd)
Comedic darlings and Mark Twain Prize for American Humor winners Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell star in a remake of the Swedish black comedy Force Majeure. Directed by Oscar-winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, and co-written with Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, the movie tells the tale of a married couple whose ski holiday is thrown into disarray after they believe they are about to be killed in an avalanche. Will they plow through together, or will their rocky marriage hit the skids?
Cats (Rated PG, Trailer, available on HBO October 10th)
One of Broadway's longest-running musicals arrived on the big screen greeted by much controversy as viewers were exposed to some of the finest actors of our generation prancing around in anthropomorphic cat costumes. Take a feline leap of faith and watch this utterly nonsensical musical extravaganza. Once the film is over you can question whether beloved thespians Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen deserve better, ask yourself "what on earth is a Jellicle?", or find yourself humming along to the ballad of Memory.
How To with John Wilson (Rated, Trailer, available on HBO October 23rd)
In these anxiety-ridden times, HBO's new docuseries brings a light, comedic uplift with just a dash of awkwardness. How To with John Wilson, produced by the brilliantly funny Nathan Fielder, sees nervous New Yorker John Wilson covertly filming everyday Gothamites while dishing out advice no one asked for. What else can people do other than smile? It's free therapy.
Emma (Rated PG, Trailer, available on HBO October 24th)
Let's go back to those simple and charming days of bonnets, pinafores, and busybody matchmaking. The latest adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma stars Anya Taylor Joy as the eponymous loveable snob of a heroine. Director Autumn de Wilde treats the viewer with the visual delights of the Regency period as we watch the clever, rich, handsome Emma Woodhouse try to make everyone around her happy by interfering in their love lives to amusing, disastrous, and joyous endings.
The Undoing (Rated TV-MA, Trailer, available on HBO October 25th)
The Undoing is HBO's latest miniseries that reunites Big Little Lies star Nicole Kidman with writer David E. Kelley. The cast is topped off with all-star talent including Hugh Grant, Édgar Ramírez, and Donald Sutherland. Kidman plays a successful therapist who sees her life begin to unravel through a violent death, a missing husband, and an ensuing public fallout. Buckle up for a ride that is guaranteed to be full of thrills, twists, and turns.
New on Showtime
The Gentlemen (Rated R, Trailer, available on Showtime October 1st)
Guy Ritchie delivers his signature brand of high-energy, high-octane, high-speed action comedy in this tale of an American drug kingpin looking to sell off his empire despite betrayals, double-crosses, and gangster shenanigans. The Gentlemen stars Matthew McConaughey as the overlord, flanked by a brilliant ensemble including Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam, and Michelle Dockery. Gear up for 113 minutes of dynamic entertainment from start to finish.
The Good Lord Bird (Rated TV-MA, Trailer, available on Showtime October 4th)
From the producers of Get Out and BlacKkKlansman comes a startling true story of abolitionist John Brown. The show follows Onion, a fictional enslaved child, who becomes part of John Brown's (played with infectious zeal by Ethan Hawke) crew of abolitionist soldiers. The story sees them jumping from historical antics which set forth events that trigger the start of the American Civil War. The cast is topped off by Hamilton's Daveed Diggs, who trades in his famous Thomas Jefferson robes for the iconic role of Frederick Douglass.
The Comedy Store (Rated, Trailer, available on Showtime October 4th)
The Comedy Store in Los Angeles has been the launchpad for the careers of nearly every "you name them, they got their start there," comedian over the last 47 years. Showtime's documentary is guided by stand-up comic Mike Binder, as he shines a spotlight on this celebrated institution while interviewing the biggest names in comedy (David Letterman, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg...to name a few). Take a peek behind the green room door and reminisce over origin stories, laughs, and heartbreaks in this little old club on Sunset Boulevard.
Citizen Bio (Rated, Trailer, available on Showtime October 30th)
Aaron Traywick was a biohacker who was tired of waiting for companies to develop affordable gene therapies for incurable conditions such as AIDS. He decided to take matters into his own hands to develop cost-effective treatments. It was only a matter of time this bravado took a tragic turn, and it did when Aaron Traywick was found dead at a meditation spa at the age of 28. Citizen Bio follows four notorious biohackers and their relationship with Traywick from starting a bio revolution to the lead up to his untimely demise.
New on Basic Cable
Soulmates (Rated, Trailer, available on AMC October 5th)
Soulmates take a dip into the Black Mirror pond by showing six stories of people who decide to take love-meets-science cocktails with disastrous consequences. Starring a stellar cast, including Sarah Snook (who captivated as the divine Siohhan in Succession), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Bill Skarsgård (IT), and others. For fans of the overlap between romance and quirky fictional technology (think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Soulmates shows what would you do to end up with your one true match? And would you take a perfectly harmless test to get there?
Sistas Season 2 (Rated TV-14, Trailer, available on BET October 14th)
Tyler Perry's Sistas drops on BET this month. Reacquaint yourselves with four longtime friends - Andi, Karen, Danni, and Sabrina - as they find themselves joined by that common thread of "why am I single?" Tune in for humorous moments including disaster dating, high flying careers, social media breakdowns, and all those other recipes that make modern love complicated and engaging.
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