7 Shows We Can't Wait to Watch This October
VisionQuest, Crystal Lake, Dexter: Resurrection, The Terminal List and more. Here are the 7 shows we are most excited for this October, with premiere dates and official trailers.
October is the month that gets everyone excited about TV, and this year it's not holding back. We've got a synthetic hero on the run, the origin of horror's most famous mother, a Navy SEAL with nothing left to lose, a serial killer who doesn't need to leave his cell to ruin your life, and the return of TV's favorite messy couple. Your watchlist is about to get a lot longer.
Here are the 7 shows we're most looking forward to this October, in order of release, so you can plan your month one premiere at a time. Every show comes with its official trailer. Grab the popcorn.
1. VisionQuest
Oct 14VisionQuest
White Vision (Paul Bettany) tries to reclaim his memories and his humanity. When a bounty is put on his head, he goes on the run with a mysterious teenager, Thomas Shepherd, as Ultron (James Spader) comes back from the dead.
This is the one Marvel fans have been waiting for since WandaVision. VisionQuest closes out the trilogy that started there and continued with Agatha All Along, and it brings back two legends at once: Paul Bettany as Vision and James Spader as Ultron. Just seeing those two in the same frame gives us chills.
What has us most excited is the idea at the heart of the show. Vision is hiding out and talking to the AI voices built into his programming (J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H. and Ultron himself) to figure out who he really is. Add a bounty hunter named Paladin (Todd Stashwick) and Thomas Shepherd, a teenager who may be the reincarnation of Vision's son, and you've got the most personal Marvel story in years. Showrunner Terry Matalas gave us Star Trek: Picard Season 3, so we trust him with a character who is part machine and all heart.
2. Crystal Lake
Oct 15Crystal Lake
A prequel to Friday the 13th. After young Jason Voorhees drowns at Camp Crystal Lake, his mother Pamela (Linda Cardellini) slowly comes apart, and two strangers arrive in town to force her to face her past.
Everyone knows Jason. But before the hockey mask, there was Pamela Voorhees, and Crystal Lake finally tells her story. Linda Cardellini takes on the role, and from the trailer alone, she looks ready to give us one of the great horror performances of the year.
This isn't just a slasher. A24 is producing, and the showrunner calls it a paranoid, psychological thriller with a 1970s feel, built on character and grief more than gore. They even filmed at the real camp from the original 1980 movie in New Jersey. Dropping all eight episodes right in the middle of spooky season? Perfect timing for a horror binge.
3. Phony
Oct 20Phony
After a car accident, teenager Sonny Cooke (Sam Nivola) becomes convinced that his mom Ellen (Connie Britton), who is also his high school principal, has been replaced by an impostor.
Here's our wildcard, and it might be the most original idea on this list. Imagine waking up in the hospital and being absolutely sure your mom isn't really your mom. Now imagine she's also the principal of your school. That's Phony, a dark comedy mystery that keeps you guessing whether Sonny is onto something or losing it.
Connie Britton is perfect casting, warm enough that you want to trust her and just strange enough that you can't. Creator Nick Paley made Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and Drew Goddard is an executive producer, so expect something both heartfelt and seriously weird. We're in.
4. The Terminal List: Season 2
Oct 21The Terminal List (Season 2)
After a terror attack in London, James Reece (Chris Pratt) is pulled out of hiding and offered a full pardon to hunt down his former ally Mo Farooq, uncovering a conspiracy that stretches from Moscow to Langley.
James Reece is back. Season 1 was a brutal revenge story, and Season 2 goes global. Based on Jack Carr's True Believer, this time Reece is hunting someone he once trusted, and the trail runs through London, Morocco, Moscow and right back to the CIA.
Chris Pratt is joined again by Tom Hopper, Constance Wu and Luke Hemsworth, and newcomers include Olga Kurylenko and Gabriel Luna. The show is known for its real military detail, with veterans working behind the scenes, and that grounded intensity is what makes it hit. All eight episodes drop at once, so clear your weekend.
5. Nobody Wants This: Season 3
Oct 22Nobody Wants This (Season 3)
Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) are finally living together, and now they have to figure out all the firsts of building a real life as a couple.
After all the scary and intense picks on this list, you're going to need something cozy, and nobody does cozy chaos like Joanne and Noah. The will they, won't they is over. Season 3 is about what happens after you commit, and honestly, that's where the best comedy lives.
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody still have some of the best chemistry on TV, and Timothy Simons, Jackie Tohn and Justine Lupe are all back. The new guest list is stacked too: Sarah Silverman, Andrew Rannells, Avan Jogia and Steven Weber, plus a cameo from creator Erin Foster herself.
6. Nocturne
Oct 30Nocturne
Detective Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber) leaves Philadelphia for a quiet Pennsylvania town, until serial killer Jurek Walter (Stephen Graham) targets his family. To find a missing victim, Jonah sends FBI agent Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz) undercover to face the killer.
If you love a dark, slow burn thriller, mark this one in red. Liev Schreiber, Zazie Beetz and Stephen Graham in the same show is the kind of cast that makes you hit play without reading the description. Graham as a calculating serial killer? That's terrifying in the best way.
The show is based on the bestselling Lars Kepler novels The Sandman and Lazarus, and Tim Van Patten (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire) directs the first two episodes. It wraps up on Christmas Day, which feels like a very twisted holiday gift.
7. Dexter: Resurrection, Season 2
Oct 30Dexter: Resurrection (Season 2)
Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) faces a midlife crisis, failing eyesight and two new killers: the New York Ripper (Brian Cox) and the Five Borough Killer (Dan Stevens).
We saved the dark passenger for last. Michael C. Hall is back as Dexter, and this season gives him two serial killers to deal with at once, played by Brian Cox and Dan Stevens. That's a heavyweight lineup. Uma Thurman returns as Charley, Jack Alcott is back as Harrison (now an NYPD officer, which feels like a very bad idea for the Morgan family), and Krysten Ritter is set to guest star.
Our favorite detail? Dexter is losing his eyesight. A killer who depends on precision, suddenly unable to see clearly, is the kind of twist that can make a great season. It lands the night before Halloween, which is exactly where it belongs.
Your October Watch Calendar
| Date | Show | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 14 | VisionQuest | Disney+ |
| Oct 15 | Crystal Lake | Peacock |
| Oct 20 | Phony | Hulu |
| Oct 21 | The Terminal List, Season 2 | Prime Video |
| Oct 22 | Nobody Wants This, Season 3 | Netflix |
| Oct 30 | Nocturne | Apple TV |
| Oct 30 | Dexter: Resurrection, Season 2 | Paramount+ |
Your Turn
Which one are you watching first? Are you team Vision, team Pamela, or are you just here for Joanne and Noah? Come tell us in our Discord. Once we've watched these, we'll be back with our official What If Visions scores.
