The Most Anticipated TV Shows of October 2023

Aside from Mike Flanagan’s latest, the most exciting shows in October aren’t of the frightening variety, unless you’re scared of fboys and hormone monsters. Standout series that premiered in the midst of the pandemic, like Our Flag Means Death and The Gilded Age, return with new episodes (and more hats!), while promising new shows from Shea Serrano and Lee Eisenberg make their debuts. But there are plenty of tricks and treats in store, as Tom Hiddleston dons Loki’s horns again, Matt Bomer romances Jonathan Bailey, and Megan Thee Stallion heads to Bridgeton Middle School.

Here, you’ll find a list of the 10 must-see shows of October, brought to you by the fearless Primetimer staff. Scroll to the end to find even more notable premieres (no costume required).

Our Flag Means Death Season 2, Max

Premieres October 5

David Jenkins’ bawdy romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the Golden Age of Piracy returns next month, as effervescent and absurd as ever. Stede (Rhys Darby) and Ed a.k.a. Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) may be on the outs, but watching star-crossed lovers find their way back to each other is the best part of any rom-com. They’ll face some serious obstacles along the way, and who’s to say which will prove more daunting: repairing their broken trust, or taking on a British navy more determined than ever to stamp out piracy on the high seas. But there’s no doubt that OMFD will captivate viewers once more in its second season. — Danette Chavez

Loki Season 2, Disney+

Premieres October 5

It's fair to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both the feature films and TV series, is in a bit of a slump. Secret Invasion, the last Disney+ series set inside the MCU, was a big disappointment. But one of the few Marvel properties with some goodwill at the moment is Loki, which displayed some real creativity and storytelling daring in its twisty first season. However, that first season ended with Tom Hiddleston's Loki facing off against "He Who Remains," a variant of Kang the Conqueror, who looks to be a big part of Season 2. That gets tricky as Kang is played by Jonathan Majors, whose trial for domestic assault charges could start any day now. Marvel has yet to make a decision as to how it will proceed with the Kang character, but for the moment, he looms like a storm cloud over Loki. — Joe Reid

Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, Prime Video

Premieres October 6

Can a group that meets exclusively online be considered a cult? That's the question at the heart of Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, Prime Video's three-part docuseries about the group that claims to help members find their ultimate soulmate. Director Marina Zenovich (The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin) takes a deep dive into Twin Flames Universe and controversial founders Jeff and Shaleia Divine, who turned a series of YouTube videos into a million-dollar business. Though Jeff and Shaleia declined to participate, the docuseries features in-depth interviews with investigative journalist Alice Hines, who met the couple while writing a 2020 article for Vanity Fair, and ex-members who claim the founders pressured them to change their sexual orientations and gender identities. Together, they paint a damning portrait of an unethical, fraudulent organization that continues to prey on vulnerable people looking for the most basic of all things: human connection. — Claire Spellberg Lustig

The Fall of the House of Usher, Netflix

Premieres October 12

Mike Flanagan is at it again. After the wholly original (if Stephen King-esque) Midnight Mass and the Christopher Pike adaptation The Midnight Club, the horror auteur will once again return to the realm of gothic literary horror with his adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. True to form, Flanagan's series looks to both update and expand the source material. The titular Usher family is a Sackler-esque clan of eccentric villains, while other characters have been imported from various other Poe creations. The cast is typically vast and impressive, with Mary McDonnell, Mark Hamill, and Carl Lumbly joining Flanagan veterans like Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Samantha Sloyan, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Henry Thomas, and Kate Siegel. — JR

Lessons in Chemistry, Apple TV+

Premieres October 13

Just a few months after Jury Duty premiered to rave reviews, creator Lee Eisenberg makes a hard pivot with Lessons in Chemistry, a period drama based on Bonnie Garmus' novel of the same name. The 1950s-set limited series stars Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, an extraordinary chemist consistently boxed in by gender discrimination and the societal expectations of the era. Elizabeth has always been a loner, but when she meets fellow chemist Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman), she believes she's met her match — until tragedy strikes, leaving her adrift in a world that doesn't seem to understand her. Fans of the book know that Elizabeth is a tricky character, but Larson effectively brings her aloofness to the screen in one of the better book-to-TV adaptations to debut this year. — CSL

FBoy Island Season 3, The CW

Premieres October 16

Summer may be over, but there’s still time to book a trip to FBoy Island. The canceled Max series finds new life at The CW, which will also produce the FGirl Island spin-off, but centers on the same old dilemma: how to distinguish between an fboy and a nice guy. The first two seasons of the show pointed to just how difficult, and occasionally pointless, that can be; after all, the two dozen men who compete get to decide for themselves whether they’re the former or the latter. But host and executive producer Nikki Glaser will be on hand once more to help the three women “marooned” on FBoy Island find a meaningful connection, or perhaps just some fun in the sun. Let’s just hope Casey finally learns to stay away. — DC

Neon, Netflix

Premieres October 19

Shea Serrano’s Very Good Year continues — on the heels of Primo and Miguel Wants to Fight comes Neon, a comedy about friendship, fame, and reggaeton. Tyler Dean Flores stars as Santi, a multi-hyphenate performer who hopes to one day be as big as Daddy Yankee while living in a 2009 Toyota Corolla with his friends Ness (Emma Ferreira) and Felix (Jordan Mendoza). Their journey to the top — or, more likely, some place near the middle — is chronicled by Serrano and his co-creator Max Searle, who’s also worked on FXX’s Dave. Flores shines as the dreamer of the group, who might not be able to see what compromising his musical vision for succession looks like until it’s too late. Luckily, Santi has Ness and Felix to keep him grounded and on the path to stardom. — DC

Big Mouth Season 7, Netflix

Premieres October 20

Big Mouth is heading to the big leagues in Season 7. After six seasons at Bridgeton Middle School, the comedy's hormone-ridden teens face their greatest challenge yet: high school. As they navigate their burgeoning adulthood, Nick (Nick Kroll), Andrew (John Mulaney), Missy (Ayo Edebiri), and the rest of the gang make new friends (and foes) and encounter unfamiliar Hormone Monsters. In true Big Mouth tradition, a handful of stars join the cast to voice these new characters, including Megan Thee Stallion, Padma Lakshmi, and Billy Porter, while Lin-Manuel Miranda lends his talents behind the scenes as the composer of an original song. Season 7 marks the penultimate season of the animated comedy, which will end on a historic note as Netflix's longest-running scripted series — and the one with the most masturbation jokes. — CSL

Fellow Travelers, Showtime

Premieres October 29

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Ron Nyswaner is the driving force behind this adaptation of Thomas Mallon's novel, which follows the decades-spanning romance between two men during the McCarthy era. Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey play State Department officials whose love affair presents a problem during the paranoid anti-Communist days of the Cold War, when "sexual subversives" within the government were the subject of witch hunts and forced to live double lives. The eight-episode limited series, which is said to span from the 1950s to the 1980s, will also star Allison Williams. And just from the looks of one preview scene, Bomer and Bailey's relationship seems very hot — JR.

The Gilded Age Season 2, HBO

Premieres October 29

More often than not, the stakes of The Gilded Age boil down to whether or not Carrie Coon — as Bertha Russell, a delightful upstart prone to making the more uptight women around her clutch their fabulous brooches — will get to attend or throw a party (okay, and the growing tensions between New York’s old- and new-money families). And the results are as riveting as a Succession board meeting or a dragon fight on HBO’s fantasy spin-off. In Season 2, Bertha’s practically itching for a fight with the doyennes of New York City, including Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy). With Morgan Spector by her side as George Russell, the proto-wife guy, she might be able to take them all on. Nathan Lane returns, along with much of the Season 1 cast, to warn Bertha of the battle ahead. — DC

Other Notable October Premieres

The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring (HBO): Docuseries premiere, October 1
The Simpsons (Fox): Season 35 premiere, October 1
Bob’s Burgers (Fox): Season 14 premiere, October 1
Found (NBC): Series premiere, October 3
Chucky (Syfy): Season 3 premiere, October 4
Beckham (Netflix): Docuseries premiere, October 4
Quantum Leap (NBC): Season 2 premiere, October 4
Sullivan's Crossing (The CW): Series premiere, October 4
The Spencer Sisters (The CW): Series premiere, October 4
Lupin (Netflix): Part 3 premiere, October 5
Bargain (Paramount+): Series premiere, October 5
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Paramount+ With Showtime): Feature film premiere, October 8
Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul (Netflix): Docuseries premiere, October 11
House of Villains (USA): Series premiere, October 12
Frasier (Paramount+): Series premiere, October 12
Goosebumps (Disney+): Series premiere, October 13
Everybody Loves Diamonds (Prime Video): Series premiere, October 13
Shining Vale (Starz): Season 2 premiere, October 13
Creepshow (Shudder): Season 4 premiere, October 13
Murdaugh Murders: The Movie (Lifetime): Part 1 premiere, October 14
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim): Season 7 premiere, October 15
Pantheon (Prime Video): Season 2 premiere, October 15
Billy the Kid (MGM+): Season 2 premiere, October 15
Élite (Netflix): Season 7 premiere, October 20
Milli Vanilli (Paramount+): Docuseries premiere, October 24
American Horror Stories (Hulu): Season 3 premiere, October 26