Television doesn’t sleep. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit attention from awards voters and couch potatoes in the ever-growing landscape of the small screen.
Halloween month on TV means plenty of horror, and this October is no different: schlock classic “Chucky” is getting the small-screen treatment on Syfy and USA; not-so-friendly aliens are gatecrashing Earth on Apple TV+’s “Invasion”; Amazon Prime Video is rebooting ’90s slasher fave “I Know What You Did Last Summer”; Eli Roth’s creepy anthology “The Haunted Museum” is hitting Discovery+; and CBS is trying its (see-through) hand at horror comedy with “Ghosts.”
And though this month doesn’t have half the buzzy premieres that September did, it does include the return of beloved prestige dark comedy “Succession” on HBO, plus the debuts of Hulu’s opioid drama “Dopesick” and working-class memoir adaptation “Maid” on Netflix. Read on for what to watch this month, spooky and otherwise.
“Maid”
October TV season kicks off on the first of the month with “Maid,” Netflix’s adaptation of Stephanie Land’s memoir “Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive.” The miniseries is an examination of poverty in America through the experience of Alex (Margaret Qualley), a young single mother who’s struggling to make ends meet by working as a housekeeper. Andie MacDowell, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose, and Billy Burke round out the cast. The series is created by Molly Smith Metzler, who, having written for “Orange Is the New Black” and “Shameless,” is no stranger to chronicling the plight of the American underclass.
“Chucky”
Depending on your tolerance for creepy dolls, the latest installment in the “Chucky”-verse might be your dream or your nightmare. Premiering simultaneously on Syfy and USA on Oct. 12, the show is created by original “Child’s Play” mastermind Don Mancini, and Brad Dourif is returning as the voice of the titular demonic toy. Zackary Arthur stars as Jake, a small-town teen who comes across Chucky at a yard sale, which unwittingly throws his life into murderous turmoil. Amidst a cast of mostly up-and-comers, ’90s faves Jennifer Tilly and Devon Sawa are also popping in (probably to get butchered by a kitchen knife).
“Dopesick”
Based on Beth Macy’s book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” Hulu’s new limited series takes a sobering look at the origins of the opioid epidemic in the United States. Written by Emmy winner Danny Strong and directed by Oscar winner Barry Levinson, “Dopesick” takes a holistic look at how it all began, from pharmaceutical company boardrooms to a Virginia mining town rocked by opioid addiction to the FBI investigation into the scandal. The cast features wall-to-wall greats, including Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Stuhlbarg, Phillipa Soo, and Peter Sarsgaard. The series drops Oct. 13.
“Queens”
ABC is getting into the “Girls5Eva” game with “Queens,” which will follow the members of a ’90s girl hip-hop group who reunite in their 40s in an attempt to bring back their glory days. The series features real-life musical icons Eve, Brandy, and Naturi Naughton (of ’90s R&B outfit 3LW). Nadine Velazquez, Taylor Selé, and Pepi Sonuga round out the cast. Created and executive produced by “Scandal” writer Zahir McGhee, the series drops on Oct. 19. Expect plenty of juicy drama, and more importantly, killer hip-hop performances.
“Invasion”
Following “For All Mankind” and “Foundation,” Apple TV+ is continuing its journey into big-budget sci-fi epics with “Invasion,” a drama about humans fighting against a hostile alien conquest of Earth. Created by Simon Kinberg of the “X-Men” films and David Weil of “Solos” and “Hunters,” the series takes a global perspective on the disaster, from Japanese astronauts to American cops. Sam Neill, Shamier Anderson, Golshifteh Farahani, and Shiori Kutsuna are just some of the members of the massive cast. Whether it becomes the next watercooler genre show or a flash in the extraterrestrial pan remains to be seen. The first episode touches down Oct. 22.
ABC
Oct. 19 – “Queens” premiere
Acorn TV
Oct. 18 – “Manhunt” Season 2
Amazon Prime Video
Oct. 15 – “I Know What You Did Last Summer” premiere
AMC/AMC+
Oct. 3 – “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” Season 2
Oct. 17 – “Fear the Walking Dead” Season 7
Apple TV+
Oct. 8 – “Acapulco” premiere
Oct. 22 – “Invasion” premiere
Oct. 29 – “Swagger” premiere
BET
Oct. 12 – “The Oval” Season 3
Oct. 13 – “Twenties” Season 2
Oct. 14 – “The Family Business” Season 3
Oct. 19 – “Games People Play” Season 2
CBS
Oct. 1 – “Blue Bloods” Season 12
Oct. 1 – “Magnum P.I.” Season 4
Oct. 1 – “SWAT” Season 5
Oct. 6 – “CSI: Vegas” premiere
Oct. 7 – “Bull” Season 6
Oct. 7 – “Ghosts” premiere
Oct. 7 – “United States of Al” Season 2
Oct. 7 – “Young Sheldon” Season 5
Oct. 10 – “The Equalizer” Season 2
Oct. 10 – “NCIS: Los Angeles” Season 13
Oct. 10 – “SEAL Team” Season 5
Oct. 14 – “B Positive” Season 2
The CW
Oct. 8 – “Nancy Drew” Season 3
Oct. 13 – “Batwoman” Season 3
Oct. 13 – “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” Season 7
Oct. 14 – “Legacies” Season 4
Oct. 25 – “4400” premiere
Oct. 25 – “All American” Season 4
Oct. 28 – “Walker” Season 2
Disney+
Oct. 13 – “Just Beyond” premiere
Discovery+
Oct. 2 – “The Haunted Museum” premiere
HBO/HBO Max
Oct. 14 – “Aquaman: King of Atlantis” premiere
Oct. 17 – “Succession” Season 3
Oct. 24 – “Insecure” Season 5
Oct. 28 – “Love Life” Season 2
Hulu
Oct. 13 – “Dopesick” premiere
Discovering Rosario Dawson NBC
Oct. 21 – “The Blacklist” Season 9
Netflix
Oct. 1 – “Maid” premiere
Oct. 11 – “The Baby-Sitters Club” Season 2
Oct. 14 – “Another Life” Season 2
Oct. 15 – “You” Season 3
Oct. 22 – “Adventure Beast” premiere
Oct. 22 – “Locke & Key” Season 2
Paramount+
Oct. 14 – “Guilty Party” premiere
Oct. 28 – “Star Trek: Prodigy” premiere
PBS
Oct. 3 – “Call the Midwife” Season 10
Oct. 3 – “Grantchester” Season 6
Oct. 17 – “Baptiste” Season 2
Peacock
Oct. 7 – “One of Us Is Lying” premiere
Showtime
Oct. 18 – “Wakefield” premiere
Starz
Oct. 17 – “Hightown” Season 2
Syfy
Oct. 12 – “Chucky” premiere
Oct. 15 – “Day of the Dead” premiere
Sundance Now
Oct. 7 – “One Lane Bridge” Season 2
TBS
Oct. 26 – “The Last O.G.” Season 4
USA
Oct. 12 – “Chucky” premiere
Oct. 13 – “The Sinner” Season 4