The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max, and More in October 2023

If you're looking for timely Halloween costume ideas, you can't get much more timely than the October TV schedule. Whether you take inspiration from the pirates of Our Flag Means Death, the flagrantly rich and horrible siblings of The Fall of the House of Usher, or the colorfully dressed socialites of The Gilded Age, you have plenty to work with — unless you're a member of SAG-AFTRA. Not bad for a month that's admittedly a little light on programming.

Our guide to the best TV in October is divided into three sections: the best shows and movies to watch this month, the best shows to watch by streaming service, and a calendar of TV highlights. Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it below. 

Last month's guide: The Ultimate Guide to What to Watch on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max, and More in September

The best shows and movies to watch in October

Our Flag Means Death Season 2 (Oct. 5, Max)

It's time to set sail again. The David Jenkins-created pirate comedy became a sleeper hit when it premiered in 2022, developing a voracious fan base thanks in no small part to the unexpected friendship turned romance between affluent gentleman swashbuckler Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and infamous bad boy Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). The end of Season 1 saw their relationship torpedoing before it could even really begin, leaving them both heartbroken as Season 2 begins. As they set off in their own separate directions, Stede keeps busy by captaining The Revenge while Blackbeard is wreaking havoc wherever he goes. Ah, pirate love. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] [Review]

Bargain (Oct. 5, Paramount+)

When Noh Hyung-soo (Jin Sun-kyu) stepped into a hotel room to meet Park Joo-young (Jun Jong-seo), the last thing he expected was to be blindfolded, tied up, and have his body parts auctioned off. Joo-young helps run a human organ trafficking ring, and Hyung-soo is her latest victim. As if this predicament isn't unfortunate enough, Hyung-soo is hit with another disaster: An earthquake strikes, and he's now trapped in a building with hungry buyers who were vying for his kidney just moments earlier. The Korean drama Bargain, which adapts a short film of the same name from 2015, promises to deliver a horrific punch to the gut. It's already collected accolades including Best Screenplay at Canneseries Festival, and gained more critical recognition with its North American premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. -Kat Moon [Trailer]

Lupin Season 3 (Oct. 5, Netflix)

Staying undercover is an easy task for Assane Diop (Omar Sy): He's a seasoned gentleman thief and the master of disguises, after all. But keeping out of the public eye may prove a little more challenging when he's the most wanted man in France. That's the case for Assane in Lupin Season 3, thanks to his sworn nemesis Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre) who framed him for murder. The first two seasons were most delightful to watch when Assane suavely deceived the rich and the powerful and swiftly evaded their pursuit. He is like a magician with a neverending arsenal of tricks, and the curtains are about to rise for what's bound to be a mesmerizing third act. -Kat Moon [Teaser] 

Totally Killer (Oct. 6, Prime Video)

October is the month when streaming services put out a bunch of horror films, and every year we all get excited for them only to be disappointed when the films end up being bad. It happens every time without fail, no matter how often we delude ourselves into thinking that maybe this is the year it will change. But (Tobias Funke voice) maybe this year will be different. This Blumhouse comedy-horror film from Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe) stars Kiernan Shipka as Jamie, a teen who travels back in time to 1987 to stop a murderous rampage before it happens. And it actually looks kind of good! As a bonus, this one also stars the great Olivia Holt as Jamie's teenage mom. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Fall of the House of Usher (Oct. 12, Netflix)

If anyone can adapt one of Edgar Allan Poe's timeless works, it's Mike Flanagan. The mind behind Netflix's recent string of atmospheric and eerie horror hits The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, Flanagan is rounding up his recurring band of actors to stage a modern take on Poe's 1839 classic The Fall of the House of Usher. But rumor has it the series will also lean into other Poe properties, evidenced by the "Nevermore" tagline and Carla Gugino's ominous raven-inspired shapeshifting demon. The series will seemingly take inspiration from the infamous Sackler family for the story of the ruthless Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), founder of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, who must face his past when his heirs start to die at the hands of a mysterious figure. In other words, this Halloween's theme is karma. -Hunter Ingram [Trailer] [Review]

Lessons in Chemistry (Oct. 13, Apple TV+)

Brie Larson leads this 1950s period piece, developed by Lee Eisenberg and based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus, about a chemist fighting an uphill battle to be taken seriously as a woman in her field. When she's fired from her lab, she takes a job hosting a TV cooking show, where her no-nonsense attitude and scientific know-how make her a hero for housewives across the nation. The cast also includes Lewis Pullman as a fellow scientist; the two of them might share some chemistry. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer] [Review]

Shoresy Season 2 (Oct. 27, Hulu)

I've watched Season 1 of Shoresy four times. (Relax, it's only six episodes long.) That's a nod to my love of the series, but also to the layered, rapid fire humor that takes multiple viewings to truly wrap one's head around. Creator, star, and bona fide TV genius Jared Keeso took the formula he crafted that made Letterkenny so popular and applied it to a serialized comedy about a bunch of hockey doofuses in northern Canada that shows the true love of sport and team camaraderie better than any sports comedy before it (looking right through you, Ted Lasso). There aren't many shows that can start with gags about taking a crap in a lake (an aquadump, in the show's parlance) and then leave you bawling as an epic season on the rink comes to a close. All of Shoresy's juvenile humor wouldn't mean much without what truly scores for Shoresy: the unfettered appreciation of emotion, whether it be the anticipation of the drop of the puck, the adrenaline of an on-ice brawl, or the swell of a town rallying around a squad of toothless goons. Unwrap a 'stick and get ready to watch Season 2 four times. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Fellow Travelers (Oct. 27, Showtime)

An intense, decades-spanning romance anchors Fellow Travelers. Hawkins Fuller (Matt Bomer) is a slick charmer who advances his career in politics by keeping his private life locked up tight; Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey) is the eager young idealist who gets under his skin, just as Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn kick off their Lavender Scare crusade against "subversives and sexual deviants" in the government. Created by Oscar nominee Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) and based on Thomas Mallon's novel of the same name, the historical limited series stretches from the height of 1950s McCarthyism to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, chronicling a period of American history that is both unique and threatening to repeat itself. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

The Gilded Age Season 2 (Oct. 29, HBO)

Great gowns, beautiful gowns. TV's most deliciously low-stakes spectacle is back, with all of our favorite actors — Carrie Coon! Christine Baranski! Nathan Lane! — returning for another season of high society sniping. Season 2 includes such scandalous issues as Bertha (Coon) being rejected for a box at the Academy of Music, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) secretly teaching at a school for girls, and Ada (Cynthia Nixon) beginning a saucy new courtship. You'll gasp, you'll titter, you'll start bookmarking photos of fascinators. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

What's on Netflix, Max, Hulu, Amazon, and more in October

Netflix's best new shows and movies in October

October is notorious for being the scariest month on the calendar, and nothing is scarier than the soulless, profit-chasing monsters who run pharmaceutical companies. Netflix's new shows and movies in October feature a pair of highlights that attack pill pushers, first with the genuinely scary miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher, from horror maestro Mike Flanagan, the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. Later this month, it's the decidedly less scary Pain Hustlers, a poorly reviewed movie about a conspiracy at a pharma company that's only being highlighted because of its megawatt stars, Emily Blunt and Chris Evans. Also of note this month is the teen drama Everything Now and the latest seasons of the French thriller Lupin and the animated comedy Big Mouth. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix in October, plus everything coming to and leaving Netflix in October.

More on Netflix:

• The best shows on Netflix right now
• The best movies on Netflix right now
• The new TV shows and movies on Netflix in September

HBO and Max's best new shows and movies in October

Hope you've got your sea legs, because the second season of Our Flag Means Death, the Taika Waititi-Rhys Darby pirate romantic comedy, is about to wash ashore. Season 2 of the opulently kooky The Gilded Age is also arriving at the end of the month (just in time for Halloween, since there's nothing scarier than fighting with a lady in a statement hat), and a smattering of HBO documentaries will premiere during the month, including The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring and AKA Mr. Chow. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on HBO and Max in October, plus everything coming to HBO and Max in October.

More on HBO and Max:

• The best movies on Max right now
• The best shows on Max right now
• The new TV shows and movies on HBO and Max in September
• HBO Max review: Everything to know about the streaming service

Hulu's best new shows and movies in October

It's officially Halloween season, and Hulu is not about to let us forget it. The platform's Huluween extravaganza is returning for another year, with the lineup boasting a number of creepy premieres, including series like the new Goosebumps (which will premiere simultaneously on Disney+) and a new season of the American Horror Story spin-off American Horror Stories, plus movies like the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman. For anyone not into being scared, have you tried laughing? You will once you watch the Canadian hockey comedy Shoresy, which returns for its second season at the end of the month. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on Hulu in October, plus everything coming to Hulu in October.

More on Hulu: 

• The best TV shows on Hulu right now
• The best movies on Hulu right now
• The new TV shows and movies on Hulu in September
• How much does Hulu cost? Plans, pricing, channels, and more

Amazon Prime Video's best new shows and movies in October

This Halloween, you can expect a granola bar or an onion when you go trick-or-treating at Amazon Prime Video's house, because the streaming service just doesn't seem big on the season of spooks this year. Unlike other streamers, there are barely any new horror movies or shows to watch on Prime Video, except for one: the time-traveling horror-comedy Totally Killer, starring Kiernan Shipka as a teen who goes back to 1987 to save her mom and her friends from a murderer. What's wrong, Jeff Bezos? Did someone egg your house because you passed out Mounds? Other highlights include the third season of Upload, and over on Freevee, Season 2 of Bosch: Legacy walks the beat. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video in October, plus everything coming to Prime Video in October.

More on Amazon:

• The best movies on Amazon Prime Video right now
• The best shows on Amazon Prime Video right now
• The new TV shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video in September
• Amazon Prime Video pricing, channels, and deals
  

The best new shows and movies everywhere else in October

Sharpen your pencils and get ready for Lessons in Chemistry. Actually, scratch that — for this lesson, you'll need measuring cups and sticks of butter. Brie Larson's Lessons in Chemistry comes to Apple TV+ on Oct. 13. Over on Paramount+, the Korean drama Bargain will reel you in on Oct. 5. The time-traveling second season of Loki premieres on Disney+ that same day. And at the end of the month, the Josh Hutcherson-starring horror film Five Nights at Freddy's lands on Peacock.

More on Apple TV+, Peacock, Disney+, and Paramount+:

• The best shows and movies on Apple TV+ right now
• The best shows on Peacock right now
• The best movies on Peacock right now
• The best shows on Paramount+ right now
• The best shows on Disney+ right now
• The best movies on Disney+ right now
• How to get a Paramount+ free trial and deals

October TV calendar highlights

Sunday, Oct. 1
Bob's Burgers (Season 14, Fox)
Django (Season 1, Netflix)
Family Guy (Season 22, Fox)
Heist 88 (Film, Showtime)
The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring (Documentary, HBO)
The Simpsons (Season 35, Fox)

Monday, Oct. 2
Appendage (Film, Hulu)

Tuesday, Oct. 3
Found (Season 1, NBC)

Wednesday, Oct. 4
Beckham (Docuseries, Netflix)
Chucky (Season 3, Syfy/USA)
Louis Tomlinson: All of Those Voices (Documentary, Paramount+)
Magnum P.I. (Season 5 Part 2, NBC)
Quantum Leap (Season 2, NBC)
The Spencer Sisters (Season 1, The CW)
Sullivan's Crossing (Season 1, The CW)

Thursday, Oct. 5 
Bargain (Limited Series, Paramount+)
Loki (Season 2, Disney+)
Our Flag Means Death (Season 2, Max)

Friday, Oct. 6
Fair Play (Film, Netflix)
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (Film, Paramount+)
Totally Killer (Film, Prime Video)

Tuesday, Oct. 10
Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (Film, Prime Video)

Wednesday, Oct. 11
The Greatest Show Never Made (Docuseries, Prime Video)

Thursday, Oct. 12
Doom Patrol (Season 4 Part 2, Max)
The Fall of the House of Usher (Limited Series, Netflix)
Frasier (Season 1, Paramount+)
Transplant (Season 3, NBC)

Friday, Oct. 13
The Burial (Film, Prime Video)
Creepshow (Season 4, Shudder)
Goosebumps (Season 1, Disney+/Hulu)
John Carpenter's Suburban Screams (Season 1, Peacock)
Lessons in Chemistry (Limited Series, Apple TV+)
Shining Vale (Season 2, Starz)

Saturday, Oct. 14
Murdaugh Murders: The Movie (Limited Series, Lifetime)

Sunday, Oct. 15
Rick and Morty (Season 7, Adult Swim)

Monday, Oct. 16
FBoy Island (Season 3, The CW)

Wednesday, Oct. 18
Living for the Dead (Season 1, Hulu)

Thursday, Oct. 19
Bodies (Limited Series, Netflix)
The Burning Girls (Season 1, Paramount+)
Everyone Else Burns (Season 1, The CW)
Neon (Season 1, Netflix)
Run the Burbs (Season 1, The CW)
Son of a Critch (Season 1, The CW)
Wolf Like Me (Season 2, Peacock)

Friday, Oct. 20
Bosch: Legacy (Season 2, Freevee)
Old Dads (Film, Netflix)
The Pigeon Tunnel (Documentary, Apple TV+)
Upload (Season 3, Prime Video)

Sunday, Oct. 22
AKA Mr. Chow (Film, HBO)
Fear the Walking Dead (Season 8 Part 2, AMC)

Monday, Oct. 23
30 Coins (Season 2, HBO)

Wednesday, Oct. 25
The Challenge (Season 39, MTV)

Thursday, Oct. 26
American Horror Stories (Season 3, Hulu)
The Vanishing Triangle (Season 1, Sundance Now)

Friday, Oct. 27
The Enfield Poltergeist (Limited Series, Apple TV+)
Five Nights at Freddy's (Film, Peacock)
Pain Hustlers (Film, Netflix)
Shoresy (Season 2, Hulu)

Sunday, Oct. 29
Fellow Travelers (Limited Series, Showtime)
The Gilded Age (Season 2, HBO)