There is no shortage of genre television offerings for this October, with plenty of shows looking to sustain horror fans who are looking for new output. Every streaming site seems to have either a horror anthology series or something branded with horror labeling. There’s less in the way of your standard drama and comedy, but still plenty of variety for those who aren’t just looking to revel in the Halloween spirit. From space-wandering bounty hunters to romantic comedies and paranormal activity, there’s something for everyone this month.
READ MORE: 2020 Fall TV Preview: 45 Shows To Watch
“Gangs of London”
What You Need to Know: Gareth Evans, best known for “The Raid” films, returns to a different medium this time around with his series “Gangs of London” which originally aired on Sky Atlantic back in April. Starring Joe Cole, Michelle Fairley and Sope Dirisu, the series focuses on London’s most powerful crime family and the turbulence they cause when power dynamics begin to shift. It looks to be a grim and violent show that makes for an electric watch. Our critic was a fan, writing “‘Gangs of London’ does on television screens what Gareth Evans has been doing in movie theaters since the mid-2000s: Shatter spines, crack skulls, slash arteries, and in so many other creative ways, demonstrate how the physical form can be broken down to its component parts with a couple of well-placed punches and kicks.”
Release Date: Season one premieres October 1st on AMC.
“Emily in Paris”
What You Need to Know: Lily Collins is one of those actresses who is charming in whatever role she plays, from “Mirror Mirror” to “Okaj,” yet still seems to be underrated. With her latest venture, “Emily in Paris” Collins is given the opportunity to embrace what makes her an engaging performer. A fish-out-of-water story, the series, created by Darren Starr (the mind behind “Younger,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Melrose Place,” and “Sex and the City”) follows a young woman who, when in Paris, explores new friendships and love in a storyline that sounds like a perfect escapist getaway. The series also stars Ashley Park and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu.
Release Date: Season one premieres October 1st on Netflix.
“Monsterland”
What You Need to Know: Hulu is going big with the seasonal horror anthologies this year with “Monsterland” being just one of their upcoming offerings. ‘Tis the season for scary stories (for some) and “Monsterland” kicks things off with an adaption of a book of short stories, “North America Lake Monsters,” by author Nathan Ballingrud. Created by Mary Laws, one of the most exciting aspects of the series is all of the incredible rising talent on board, from Kaitlin Dever (“Unbelievable,”) “Star Wars” star Kelly Marie Tran and Nichole Beharie (“Miss Juneteenth”). Despite the varying level of quality between each installment, they manage to elevate the work. Our critic found the series to be a mixed bag, writing “Like most anthology shows, it’s inconsistent to a frustrating degree, but at least half of the episodes stand out, and there are major talents involved in all eight.”
Release Date: Season one premieres October 2nd on Hulu.
“Good Lord Bird”
What You Need to Know: Ethan Hawke can convince you to watch just about anything. It says something about his career where, for the most part, you’re unlikely to be misled. Hawke and Mark Richard’s seven-episode Showtime miniseries, based on James McBride’s novel of the same name, is set in the 1850s and follows abolitionist John Brown and a young slave as they lead a group of freedom fighters in an effort to end slavery. With a loose telling of history on their side, the show aims to upend expectations and does so with gusto. Led by Hawke with a strong supporting cast including Joshua Caleb Johnson and Daveed Diggs, the series doesn’t pretend to be a true retelling, with our critic calling it “wickedly funny.” While it does weather a fair amount of missteps, it manages to pull itself up by the end. Our critic wrote “’The Good Lord Bird’ shouldn’t work, but somehow the evocatively shot series leaps from the pages of history.”
Release Date: Season one premieres October 4th on Showtime.
“Soulmates”
What You Need to Know: On the surface, one of the more intriguing aspects of the upcoming AMC series “Soulmates” is some of the stars listed to appear in the latest anthology series. At first glance, “Soulmates” looks to take a page out of the “Black Mirror” book of storytelling with each episode focusing on different individuals who take a test to find who their one true love is. The “Black Mirror” connection comes from the showrunners, Will Bridges and Brett Goldstein, the former of the two having worked on both the dystopian anthology series along with “Stranger Things.” With “Black Mirror” having been a hit with audiences even if the overall quality dipped as the seasons progressed, we’ll have to see if “Soulmates” will have a similar effect. Regardless, it will be worth it for the stars alone which include Malin Akerman, Charlie Heaton, Betsy Brandt, Sarah Snook, Sonya Cassidy, Shamier Anderson, and Kingsley Ben-Adir. The network seems to have confidence, as it’s already been picked up for a season two.
Release Date: Season one premieres October 5th on AMC.
“Haunting of Bly Manor”
What You Need to Know: “The Haunting of Hill House” was one of those shows you heard about a lot even if you didn’t watch it yourself. The addictive and engaging series had a story about sisterhood at its center that allowed the material to soar. The hype that surrounded the series makes its follow up, “The Haunting of Bly Manor” highly anticipated. Loosely based on “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, we once again find ourselves in a mansion that is burdened with mysteries and tragedies. The trailer was truly chilling and once again the show has managed to build a terrific ensemble cast, led by up-and-comer Victoria Pedretti along with Henry Thomas, T’Nia Miller and Rahul Kohli. Mike Flanagan returns to helm the season, showcasing a natural progression in storytelling since the days of his films “Oculus” and “Hush.” If nothing else, it will add to the festive October spirit with hopefully enough scares to satisfy the horror buffs.
Release Date: Season one premieres October 9th on Netflix.
“Helstrom”
What You Need to Know: With blockbuster releases from mega-studio Marvel put on hold, it’s been easy to forget just how much a part of our everyday discourse superhero content was. Marvel in particular has dominated pop-culture conversation for ages, and while we won’t be seeing their films on the big screen in 2020, there are a few series hitting television in the coming months. One of them is “Helstrom,” based on the comic book characters Daimon and Santana Hellstrom. Created by Paul Zbyszewski who has worked on series such as “Day Break” and “Lost,” the show will follow the two characters as they hunt down the worst that humanity has to offer. The Hulu series offers a darker twist on some of the Marvel lore we’ve come to see onscreen over the years and stars Tom Austen and Sydney Lemmon.
Release Date: Season one premieres October 16th on Hulu.
“The Undoing”
What You Need to Know: Looking to be one of the only obvious “prestige” friendly dramas to be premiering this month, “The Undoing” will be another HBO outlet for Nicole Kidman to gather accolades. In “The Undoing” Kidman plays a successful therapist whose life begins to unravel following a violent event. Adapted from the book “You Should Have Known, The Undoing” by author Jean Hanff Korelitz and adapted by “Big Little Lies” scribe David E. Kelley, the series is directed by filmmaker Suzanne Bier (“The Night Manager”.) “The Undoing” also co-stars Hugh Grant who has had a fantastic last few years along with Donald Sutherland and Noah Jupe. With such a stacked cast and talent behind the screens, there’s no reason why this shouldn’t fall in the footsteps of other recent HBO series that have been met with critical success.
Release Date: Season one premieres October 25th on HBO.
“Truth Seekers”
What You Need to Know: It’s been a while since actors/writers Nick Frost and Simon Pegg have teamed up for a project, meaning we’re overdue for a collaboration. They come together once again for the new Amazon series “Truth Seekers,” a horror-comedy that follows the plights of part-time paranormal investigators that start to fall in over their heads as their encounters increase in frequency and grow more deadly and terrifying. Along with Frost and Pegg, the series stars Malcolm McDowell, Emma D’Arcy and Samson Kayo. Pegg and Frost created the series along with James Serafinowicz and Nat Saunders.
Release Date: Season one premieres October 30th on Amazon.
“The Mandalorian”
What You Need to Know: “The Mandalorian” and, specifically, every scene with Baby Yoda, took over pop culture discussion in 2019 when season one was first released. With stylish filmmaking, committed performances, and a tone that helped set itself apart from the most recent Star Wars films, “The Mandalorian” was a breath of fresh air for fans of the series. Season two returns this month following a nomination for Best Drama series at the 2020 Emmys along with seven wins at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Season two will reunite fans with Pedro Pascal’s titular character along with newcomers including Michael Biehn, Timothy Olyphant, and Katee Sackhoff. Behind the camera will see directors Peyton Reed, Robert Rodriguez, Carl Weathers and Jon Favreau. Release Date: Season two premieres October 30th on Disney+.