The pumpkins are being taken off the porch, and Thanksgiving and holiday season decorations are going. ‘Tis the season for staying in from the old, or avoiding relatives by binge watching a series or three. And there will be plenty to choose from in the weeks ahead.
While it is still barred at the gilded gates of cinema, Netflix’s TV wing continues to dominate the larger popular culturati, having completely and utterly owned the end of October with the second season of “Stranger Things” and set to debut nearly half a dozen new television series in the month of November alone. Luckily there is an equal abundance of excellent series premiering as well if you want to explore outside the confines of Netflix’s all-encompassing behemoth. Below is our top ten picks for November.
READ MORE: The 30 Most Anticipated New TV Shows Of 2017
“Alias Grace” (Netflix)
Synopsis: In 1843 Grace Marks, a housemaid and immigrant from Ireland, is imprisoned for the murder of her employer and his housekeeper. Grace claims to have no memory of the murder, despite the irrefutable facts. A decade later, Dr. Simon Jordan attempts to help Grace recall her past.
What You Need To Know: Margaret Atwood has officially become Canada’s #1 entertainment export. With Hulu being the first streaming service to win the Best Drama Emmy for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” it appears the other streaming services are doubling down on the repertoire of Booker Prize winning author. Time will tell if lightning will strike twice with the CBC and Netflix co-production, but with a dynamite cast of Anna Paquin (“The Piano,” “True Blood”), Zachary Levi (“Chuck,” “Tangled”), Paul Gross (“Slings and Arrows, “Due South”), Edward Holcroft (“Kingsman,” “London Spy”) and Sarah Gadon (“Maps to the Stars,” “11.22.63”) as the ambiguous Grace, at the very least we will have an enthralling, “did she/didn’t she?” mystery to sink our teeth into.
Release Date: November 3rd
“SMILF”
Synopsis: A single, twenty-something mother struggles to find a happy work/life/love balance.
What You Need To Know: It is a truth universally acknowledged that your twenties are both the “best years of your life” and a complete horror show, so imagine the further chaos one’s life would be if you were in charge of the screaming, crying, pooping moneysuck that is a child. Showtime’s“SMILF,” adapted from Frankie Shaw’s (“Mr. Robot,” “Good Girls Revolt) Sundance Film Festival Jury award-winning short film, delves into the messy, raw, yet hilarious reality of young single motherhood. Shaw plays Boston Southie single mother Bridgette, who is trying to figure out her twenties while providing the best life for her son, and is joined by Miguel Gomez (“Southpaw, “Megan Leavey”), Samara Weaving (“Out of the Blue,” “Ash Vs. The Evil Dead”), Rosie O’Donnell (“A League of Our Own, “The Fosters”) and Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights,” “Nashville”). Motherhood may be the greatest “gift” life can offer, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean its easy.
Release Date: November 5th
“The Girlfriend Experience” (Starz)
Cast: Carmen Ejogo, Anna Friel, Riley Keough
Synopsis: Anthology TV series based on Steven Soderbergh‘s “The Girlfriend Experience“.
What You Need to Know: It looks like “The Girlfriend Experience” has caught the anthology bug, and this season will follow two parallel storylines. Lodge Kerrigan directs his narrative against the backdrop of the upcoming 2018 U.S. mid-term elections, where an unexpected and complex relationship unfolds between Erica Myles, a commanding and strong-willed finance director of a Republican super PAC, and Anna Garner, a confident and intelligent GFE provider at the top of her game. Amy Seimetz tells the story of Bria Jones, a former high-end escort who enters the Witness Protection Program in order to escape her abusive relationship. Promising stuff, and here’s hoping new leads Carmen Ejogo and Anna Friel receive the same quality of material Riley Keough got to sink her teeth into last year.
Release Date: November 5th