There is a change in the air as October settles in. The days shorten, the light thins, and our attention naturally turns inwards, towards the glow of the screen. This autumn, the world of television seems to have anticipated this shift, offering a slate of programming that is darker, deeper, and more demanding of our attention. It is a month defined by returns and reckonings, a time to revisit old fears, reassess familiar legends, and delve into the complex machinery of power, both real and imagined. From the rain-slicked gutters of Derry to the corridors of Whitehall, this is a guide to the essential viewing that awaits.
Phantoms of the Past
October has long been the domain of the supernatural, and this year is no exception. The month is anchored by the return of one of modern fiction’s most terrifying creations. In It: Welcome to Derry (HBO, 26 Oct), we are pulled back into the cursed Maine town that Stephen King etched into the collective subconscious. This is not a remake, but a prequel, a deliberate excavation of the town’s poisoned history. The series, set in 1962, promises to unearth the origins of the cyclical evil that plagues Derry, with Bill Skarsgård reprising his unsettling, physically transformative performance as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The great challenge for any prequel is to add consequence and texture to a known story without simply filling in blanks. The creators, including director of the recent films Andy Muschetti, seem committed to expanding the mythology, exploring how a place itself can become a vessel for malevolence. The real horror of Derry was never just the monster in the sewers; it was the complicity of the adults, the wilful blindness of a community built on a bedrock of forgetting. This series has the opportunity to explore that foundational sin.
Elsewhere, the gothic imagination of the late Anne Rice continues to expand its television empire. Following the sensual horror of Interview with the Vampire and the southern witchcraft of The Mayfair Witches, Talamasca: The Secret Order (AMC, 26 Oct) promises to be the connective tissue that binds this universe together. The Talamasca is Rice’s ancient order of psychic detectives, a sort of scholarly MI6 for the supernatural, observing and recording the lives of vampires, witches, and werewolves without interference. This premise allows the show to function as something entirely new: a procedural set within a world of gothic romance. It has the potential to be the universe’s narrative engine, weaving together disparate threads and characters, including a few familiar faces who will be reprising their roles. It is an ambitious structural gambit, attempting to build a cohesive world not through crossover events, but through a shared, watchful gaze.
Rounding out the month’s darker offerings is Lazarus (Amazon Prime Video, 22 Oct), a new horror-thriller from the ever-prolific mind of crime novelist Harlan Coben. Coben has carved out a particular niche in the streaming world, his name now a byword for twist-laden mysteries built around buried family secrets. Here, a forensic psychologist, played by Sam Claflin, returns to his childhood home following the death of his father (the peerless Bill Nighy) and is drawn into a series of unsolved murders. The setup is classic Coben, promising a tightly coiled plot where past trauma violently intrudes upon the present. The psychological component, focusing on the protagonist’s professional expertise being turned upon his own history, could elevate this beyond a simple whodunnit into a more disturbing character study.
Portraits of Power and Deceit
Moving from imagined horrors to the starkness of reality, two projects this month turn their focus on the complex lives of real people. First, Murdaugh: Death in the Family (Hulu, 15 Oct) dramatises a true-crime story that feels almost too outlandish to be real. The Murdaughs were a legal dynasty in the humid, Spanish moss-draped world of the South Carolina Lowcountry, a family whose power and influence went virtually unchallenged for a century. This mini-series unpacks the spectacular downfall of Alex Murdaugh, a man whose life of immense privilege curdled into a swamp of financial fraud, addiction, and, ultimately, the brutal murder of his wife and son. With Jason Clarke and Patricia Arquette leading the cast, this is poised to be more than a procedural recounting of events. It is an anatomy of American privilege, an exploration of how unchecked power can corrode a family and a community from the inside out.
In a completely different register, Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV+, 17 Oct) offers a deep, multi-part portrait of a man whose life has been dedicated to the power of the moving image. What began as a single documentary feature has, in the hands of director Rebecca Miller, expanded into a five-episode exploration of Martin Scorsese’s unparalleled career. The list of contributors is a testament to his influence, featuring everyone from his key collaborators like Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio to fellow titans like Steven Spielberg. Yet, the project’s real promise lies in its extended conversations with Scorsese himself. He is not just a filmmaker; he is one of cinema’s great scholars and evangelists. This series has the space to move beyond anecdote and truly engage with the mind of an artist who has spent over half a century wrestling with themes of faith, violence, and masculinity on screen.
Legends Re-Forged
October also sees the return of established worlds, but with significant changes that will test their foundations. The most discussed, debated, and perhaps dreaded of these is the fourth season of The Witcher (Netflix, 30 Oct). The departure of Henry Cavill, an actor whose genuine passion for the source material was evident in every frame, has cast a long shadow over the production. Liam Hemsworth now picks up the silver sword of Geralt of Rivia. Of course, the towering question on every fan’s mind is not just whether Hemsworth can embody the gruff monster-slayer, but whether the show’s narrative can justify the change. The new season adapts Andrzej Sapkowski’s novel Baptism of Fire, a book that finds Geralt separated from his allies and on a desperate journey. It remains to be seen how the series will handle the transition, but its future hinges on this single, audacious piece of recasting.
On a lighter, more whimsical note, The Sisters Grimm (Apple TV+, 3 Oct) offers a charming reimagining of classic fairy tales. This animated series follows two sisters, descendants of the famous folklorists, who discover a town populated by the very characters their ancestors wrote about. The concept allows for a playful deconstruction of familiar stories, promising a world where folklore is a living, breathing part of the community. It speaks to a current trend in family entertainment that seeks to empower its young female protagonists by giving them agency within traditionally patriarchal narratives.
The Chessboard of Conflict
Finally, a trio of returning and new thrillers explores the intricate games of power played in the worlds of politics, crime, and espionage. The third season of The Diplomat (Netflix, 16 Oct) continues the story of a seasoned American foreign service officer thrust into the role of Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The series excels at balancing high-stakes international crises with the messy, often darkly comic, realities of personal relationships. It is a sharp, dialogue-driven show that understands that the most significant negotiations often happen not in Situation Rooms, but over a tense dinner or a whispered hallway conversation.
From Taylor Sheridan, the architect of the sprawling Yellowstone universe, comes the fourth season of Mayor of Kingstown (Paramount+, 26 Oct). This is a far grimmer affair, a brutal look at a Michigan town where the only thriving industry is incarceration. Jeremy Renner stars as the reluctant power broker navigating the treacherous landscape between prisoners, guards, and gangs. The show is an unflinching examination of the American carceral state, a grim ecosystem where violence and corruption are simply the cost of doing business.
And for those who prefer their thrills with a distinctly British flavour, Down Cemetery Road (Apple TV+, 29 Oct) is an absolute must. Adapted from a novel by Mick Herron, the mastermind behind the magnificent Slow Horses, this new series promises another dive into the murky world of secrets and lies. The impeccable cast features Ruth Wilson as a woman whose world is shattered by a mysterious explosion, and Emma Thompson as the shrewd, retired detective she hires to find the truth. Herron’s genius lies in his ability to blend intricate plotting with world-weary wit and profound character insight. If this series captures even half the magic of its predecessor, it will be a resounding success.
October’s offerings feel like a reflection of the season itself: a little darker, a little more complex, and rich with stories that linger long after the credits roll. It is a month for settling in and paying close attention.
