October TV Calendar

The following list provides the dates of the season premieres for all of the returning and debuting major network series as well as a few returning cable network shows along with a number of made-for-TV movies and/or mini-series that will air during October:

October 2 – The new NBC drama Ironside will debut at 10 PM

Show Synopsis: In the gritty world of the NYPD, no one’s tougher than Det. Robert Ironside (Blair Underwood); he’s a fearless cop who won’t stop until the guilty are brought to justice. He and his trusted, handpicked team of specialists, including Virgil (Pablo Schreiber), Holly (Spencer Grammer) and Teddy (Neal Bledsoe) as well as his former partner Gary (Brent Sexton) and boss Det. Ed Rollins (Kenneth Choi), will do whatever it takes to solve New York’s most difficult and notorious crimes. As a detective, Ironside’s instincts are second to none, and those around him have to stay on their toes if they want to keep up because when his spine was shattered by a bullet two years ago, Ironside swore he’d never let a wheelchair slow him down. Nothing gets in his way.

October 2 – The CW will air a special Arrow: Year One at 8 PM

October 3 – The darkly humorous half-hour BBC series A Young Doctor’s Notebook will debut on Ovation at 8 PM

Show Synopsis: Based on the book by Mikhail Bulgakov, this series focuses on the experiences of a newly graduated young doctor (Daniel Radcliffe from the Harry Potter franchise) who lands a post at a small hospital in a remote village during the Russian Revolution. The story is told through the eyes of the doctor’s older, opiate-addicted self (Jon Hamm) as he narrates the action from his own notebooks. The series premieres this summer, only on Ovation.

October 3 – The Vampire Diaries will air its season premiere on The CW at 8 PM followed by the debut of its spin-off series The Originals at 9 PM

Show Synopsis: The spin-off centers on the Mikaelson siblings, otherwise known as the world’s original vampires: Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Holt). Werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) is pregnant with Klaus’ child; and now Klaus must take down his protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), who is now in charge of New Orleans, in order to re-take his city, as he originally built New Orleans.

October 3 – The recap special “Scandal: The Secret Is Out” will lead off the night on ABC followed by a new Grey’s Anatomy at 9 PM and then the season premiere of Scandal at 10 PM

October 5 – The HBO TV Film Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight will debut at 8 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: The film goes behind the closed doors of the United States Supreme Court as its nine justices – Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (Frank Langella), Hugo Black (Fritz Weaver), William O. Douglas (Harris Yulin), John Harlan II (Christopher Plummer), William Brennan, Jr. (Peter Gerety), Potter Stewart (Barry Levinson), Byron “Whizzer” White (John Bedford Lloyd), Thurgood Marshall (Danny Glover) and Harry Blackmun (Ed Begley, Jr.) – decide the outcome of Muhammad Ali’s landmark appeal. Justice Harlan, a respected jurist with 15 years on the Court, finds himself at odds with the Court’s status quo after his perspective is challenged by the contemporary ideals of his new clerk, Kevin Connolly (Benjamin Walker).

October 5 – The Hallmark Movie Channel movie The Mystery Cruise will debut at 9 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Based on the book “The Santa Cruise” by New York Times best-selling authors, Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, this back door pilot centers on best friends and impending partners, Alvirah Meehan (Gail O’Grady), a lottery winner turned amateur sleuth and Regan Reilly (Michelle Harrison) a private investigator. After the two heroines rescue the diamond-collared pooch of a wealthy socialite, they set off with their spouses to join Regan’s mom, Nora Reilly (Colleen Winton), a world famous mystery writer, on a luxurious three-day cruise around the San Juan Island off the coast of Washington, the setting for a mystery game created to promote the release of Nora’s latest book.

NOTE: Should this backdoor pilot succeed the series based on the movie will air on the Hallmark Channel sometime in 2014.

October 6 – Drop Dead Diva will be back with the final five episodes of its current resurrected season on Lifetime at 9 PM followed by the new drama Witches of East End will debut at 10 PM

Show Synopsis: Inspired by the Melissa de la Cruz best-selling novel, the series centers on the mysterious Beauchamp family: free-spirited artist Joanna (Julia Ormond) and her two grown daughters, wild-child bartender Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) and shy librarian Ingrid (Rachel Boston), both of whom are unaware that they are gifted (and cursed) with a magical birthright: they are witches. The cast includes Mädchen Amick, Eric Winter, Jason George and Virginia Madsen.

October 6 – The PBS 7-part mini-series The Paradise will debut at 9 PM

MINI-SERIES SYNOPSIS: Based on Émile Zola’s beloved classic novel, Au Bonheur des Dames, The Paradise revolves around the lives of the people who live and work in the department store, The Paradise, each bound in their own way by the power of the world they live in, and the pasts that follow them there. The cast includes Joanna Vanderham as lead character Denise Lovett and Emun Elliott (Game of Thrones) as Moray.

October 7 – The CW shows Hart of Dixie and Beauty And the Beast will return with their season premieres at 8 and 9 PM respectively

October 8 – The Originals will move to its regular time slot on Tuesday nights at 8 PM followed by the season premiere of Supernatural on its new night at 9 PM

October 9 – The new DirecTV series Full Circle will debut at 9 PM

Show Synopsis: The series follows 11 people whose lives are unknowingly intertwined. Each episode features a restaurant-set conversation between two characters, one of whose storylines will continue in the next outing during a discussion with a new character. The cast includes David Boreanaz, Kate Walsh, Julian McMahon, Billy Campbell, Keke Palmer, Ally Sheedy, Minka Kelly and Robin Weigert.

NOTE: Two half-hour episodes will air back-to-back each week.

October 9 – The season premiere of Arrow will air at 8 PM followed by the debut of the new series The Tomorrow People at 9 PM

Show Synopsis: The show is about the next evolutionary leap of mankind, a generation of humans born with paranormal abilities known as the Tomorrow People. Stephen Jameson (Robbie Amell) stands at the crossroads between the world we know and the shifting world of the future. Up until a year ago, Stephen was a “normal” teenager until he began hearing voices and teleporting in his sleep, never knowing where he might wake up. Now, Stephen’s issues have gone far beyond the usual teenage angst, and he is beginning to question his sanity. In desperation, Stephen decides to listen to one of the voices in his head, and it leads him to his first encounter with the Tomorrow People – John, Cara and Russell – a genetically advanced race with the abilities of telekinesis, teleportation and telepathic communication. The cast includes Luke Mitchell, Peyton List, Aaron Yoo, Mark Pellegrino and Madeleine Mantock.

October 9 – The new season of American Horror Story: Coven will air on FX at 10 PM

October 10 – The new ABC spin-off series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will debut at 8 PM

Show Synopsis: In Victorian England, the young and beautiful Alice (Sophie Lowe) tells a tale of a strange new land that exists on the other side of a rabbit hole. An invisible cat, a hookah smoking caterpillar and playing-cards that talk are just some of the fantastic things she’s seen during this impossible adventure. Surely this troubled girl must be insane, and her doctors aim to cure her with a treatment that will make her forget everything. Alice seems ready to put it all behind her, especially the painful memory of the genie she fell in love with and lost forever, the handsome and mysterious Cyrus (Peter Gadiot). But deep down Alice knows this world is real, and just in the nick of time the sardonic Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) and the irrepressible White Rabbit (John Lithgow) arrive to save her from a doomed fate. Together the trio will take a tumble down the rabbit hole to this Wonderland where nothing is impossible. The cast includes Emma Rigby as the Red Queen and Naveen Andrews as Jafar.

October 12 – The Hallmark Channel movie Signed, Sealed & Delivered will debut at 9 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: This film introduces a dedicated quartet of civil servants in the Dead Letter Office of the U.S. Postal System who transform themselves into an elite team of lost-mail detectives. Their determination to deliver the seemingly undeliverable takes them out of the post office into an unpredictable world where letters and packages from the past save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves, and change futures by arriving late, but always miraculously on time. The intrepid team is led by the charming and handsome, but idiosyncratic, Oliver (Eric Mabius) who still considers the stamped and mailed letter to be the gold standard of human communication. His hapless team of lost letter experts, free-spirited Rita (Crystal Lowe) and oddly-intuitive Norman (Geoff Gustafson), are thrown for a loop when a beautiful, no-nonsense technophile named Shane (Kristin Booth) is mistakenly transferred to their inner sanctum. Shane inspires the lovable crew to step up in a risky and unorthodox way, beginning with a chance to clear the name of a wrongfully accused man and reconnect him with the love of his life. Will this dead letter make the truth come alive?

NOTE: This is another back-door pilot for the network and if it is given a greenlight, the series could air sometime in 2014.

October 13 – The Walking Dead will return for another season on AMC at 9 PM

October 13 – The UP made-for-TV movie The Wedding Chapel will air at 7 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Uninspired and newly single painter Sarah (Emmanuelle Vaugier from Lost Girl) is down on her luck and wants nothing more than to get away from her problems. When she decides to take a trip to visit her mom, she becomes involved in a mission to save a local church in danger of being closed down. Determined to help preserve the historic building, Sarah embarks on a mission that not only gives her a new outlook on life, but enables her mother to rekindle a long lost love. The cast includes Shelley Long (Cheers) and Mark Deklin (GCB).

October 16 – The BBC America movie Burton and Taylor will debut at 9 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Actor Dominic West (The Hour) and actress Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech) will star as Hollywood’s most famous volatile on-again-off-again lovers, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

October 17 – White Collar will air its season premiere on the USA Network at 9 PM followed by the return of the final six episodes of Covert Affairs at 10 PM

October 17 – The new CW drama Reign will debut at 9 PM

Show Synopsis: Hidden between the lines of the history books is the story of Mary Stuart (Adelaide Kane), the young woman the world would come to know as Mary, Queen of Scots. Queen of Scotland since she was six days old, the teenage Mary is already a headstrong monarch at the very beginning of her tumultuous rise to power. Arriving in France with four close friends as her ladies-in-waiting, Mary has been sent to secure Scotland’s strategic alliance by formalizing her arranged engagement to the French king’s dashing son, Prince Francis (Toby Regbo). But the match isn’t signed and sealed, it depends more on politics, religion and secret agendas than affairs of the heart. The cast includes Alan Van Sprang, Anna Popplewell, Caitlin Stasey, Celina Sinden, Jenessa Grant, Megan Follows and Torrance Coombs.

October 19 – The Lifetime movie Missing at 17 will debut at 8 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: When a 17-year-old girl, Candace, runs away from home to look for her biological mother Callie, she meets a young man, Toby, who helps her in her search. When Candace doesn’t return home, her adoptive mother Shawna desperately begins to look for her. Candace finds Callie and also discovers she has an older brother Vance, but Callie doesn’t give her estranged daughter the warm welcome the girl was hoping for. As Candace unknowingly gets pulled deeper and deeper into danger through Toby’s criminal lifestyle while trying to connect with her biological mother, Shawna eventually joins forces with Callie and Vance to rescue Candace. The cast includes Tricia O’Kelley, Ayla Kell, Marin Hinkle, Alex Carter, Micah Alberti and Gary Hudson.

October 19 – The Hallmark Channel movie When Calls the Heart will debut at 9 PM

MOVIE SYNPOSIS: Based on the book series by Janette Oke, the movie tells the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (newcomer Poppy Drayton), a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom post in a small prairie town in the Western Frontier in Canada led by two strong coal miner widows, Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin) and Frances Tunnecliffe (Jean Smart). The cast also includes Daniel Sharman, Stephen Amell and Maggie Grace.

NOTE: This movie has been picked up to series by the Hallmark Channel and will have its TV series debut sometime in 2014 with Erin Krakow (Army Wives) taking over the lead role and Daniel Lissing (Last Resort) joining the cast.

October 19 – The Starz 5-part movie Dancing on the Edge will debut at 10 PM after the season finale of The White Queen

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Inspired by true accounts of the phenomenal Duke Ellington Band mingling with the future Duke of Windsor Edward VIII in Europe, the mini-series takes place in London during the early 1930s, illustrating the journey of a group of Black jazz musicians – the Louis Lester Band – as they steadily rise to stardom. The cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years of a Slave), Matthew Goode (Brideshead Revisited), Jacqueline Bisset, John Goodman (Roseanne), Janet Montgomery (Human Target), Jenna-Louise Coleman (Doctor Who), Anthony Head (Buffy) and Angel Coulby (Merlin).

October 20 – The made-for-TV movie Saving Westbrook High will debut at 7 PM on the cable network UP

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: Manny Cortez is uprooting his family – wife Teresa and daughters Selana, 14 and Gabriella, 12 – so that they can go to Westbrook High where his beloved late father was the football coach. Soon after the Cortez family moves into the Westbrook school zone, it is announced that Westbrook High will close due to budget reasons. Long known for being a wonderful environment with special teachers, the staff, students and parents decide to fight back – Westbrook High is worth saving. Charismatic English Literature teacher Elijah Bennett leads the charge for the teachers but has to deal with the new principal, Dr. Christine Walker, who has very different views on education and the value of protesting the school board’s decision. Elijah and Christine were students together at Westbrook many years ago and despite their differences there is a bond and some sparks. Perhaps most passionate about saving the school are the students, especially shy and insecure Jasper, who emerges as a leader. Selana joins the cause and learns why her father was so passionate about this school and her education. The cast includes Esai Morales (Caprica), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Eureka), Loretta Devine (Grey’s Anatomy) and Coby Ryan McLaughlin (The Secret Life of the American Teenager).

October 22 – Awkward will be back with new episodes on MTV at 10:30 PM

October 22 – The Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars will air at 8 PM on ABC Family followed by the debut of the new spin-off series Ravenswood at 9 PM

Show Synopsis: After opting to stay in Ravenswood to help out new pal Miranda (Nicole Gale Anderson from Beauty And the Beast), Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) begins to rethink his decision, especially after he meets Miranda’s cold and unwelcoming uncle Raymond (Steven Cabral). Caleb also has some unpleasant interactions with local resident Luke (Brett Dier), who is struggling to deal with a recent family tragedy and its ensuing scandal, which has also swept up his twin sister Olivia (Merritt Patterson). Unnerved by what they witnessed the night of a party, and besieged by strange and supernatural occurrences, Caleb and Miranda begin to investigate this bizarre town. Their first ally is Ravenswood teen Remy (Britne Oldford), who has a keen insight to the town’s peculiar history and has started connecting some troublesome dots. These five teens have no idea how connected their lives are and the plans that Ravenswood has in store for them.

October 25 – The Hallmark Channel movie The Hunters will debut at 8 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: This is a modern-day-fairy-tale-adventure adaptation of the Joshua Williamson comic book “Mirror Mirror” (based on the magical mirror from “Snow White”) that will focus on Carter and Jordyn Flynn (Dan Payne and Michelle Forbes), who aren’t the average mom and dad. For them, a typical workday can take place anywhere in the world, raiding ornate museums and evading pursuing authorities as Hunters, protectors of powerful fairy tale artifacts that are anything but make believe. While they take their jobs seriously, they’re just as concerned about the welfare of their two sons, 21-year old Paxton (Robbie Amell) and 16-year old Tripp (Keenan Tracey), who are unaware of their parents’ true line of work. When Carter and Jordyn disappear after being intercepted by the mysterious Mai during one of their missions, the boys learn the truth about their parents and their lineage from the Flynns’ young assistant Dylan (Alexa Vega). They turn to old family friend Mason (Victor Garber) for help but they soon discover that the deceitful Mason is after what the Flynns were trying to protect – an enchanted mirror that has the ability to grant any wish.

October 25 – Grimm will air its season premiere on NBC at 9 PM followed by the debut of the new series Dracula at 10 PM

Show Synopsis: It’s the late 19th century and the mysterious Dracula (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night – useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: He hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife (Jessica de Gouw). The cast includes Katie McGrath, Nonso Anozie, Thomas Kretschmann, Victoria Smurfit, Robert Bathurst, Ben Miles and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

October 25 – The CW teen series The Carrie Diaries will air its season premiere at 8 PM

October 25 – Strike Back: Origins, the original series that spawned the Strike Back series, will debut on Cinemax at 10 PM

October 26 – The Good Witch’s Destiny, the sixth movie in the franchise, will debut on the Hallmark Channel at 9 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: All Cassie Nightingale (Catherine Bell) wants for her birthday is for her family and friends to be together. While her husband Jake (Chris Potter) suggests an intimate dinner at a fancy restaurant in their hometown of Middleton, Cassie would rather have a party at The Grey House, with all her loved ones in attendance. And since Jake’s kids, Brandon (Matthew Knight) and Lori (Hannah Endicott-Douglas), are growing up with lives of their own, it might be their last chance to unite as a family for a long time. Meanwhile, Grandpa George’s (Peter MacNeill) new wife Gwen (Libby Lennie) discovers that her prodigal son Drew (Robin Dunne) has returned to Middleton after a five-year absence with plans to get married. When a business deal turns bad, however, it jeopardizes Drew’s impending nuptials and sets him on edge.

October 26 – The Lifetime movie The Husband She Met Online will debut at 8 PM

MOVIE SYNOPSIS: When hotel event planner Rachel breaks up with her boyfriend John for cheating on her, she decides to go looking online for a new boyfriend. In the expanse of cyberspace, she meets a charming, wealthy man named Craig, who at first, seems perfect. He’s attractive, fun, romantic, and he’s been successfully running his mother’s global real estate company while his mother, Doris travels the world. But Craig is far from perfect. He’s obsessive and controlling, and once he sets his sights on Rachel, he has no plans of ever letting go. The cast includes Jason Gray-Stanford and Meredith Monroe.

Mark your calendars!