My Top Choices for October TV

It’s that time of the month again.

The time to take a look at next month’s programming options, ranging from the major networks to the cable networks and over to streaming services.

There are a lot of viewing options for dramas, movies, specials and more coming to the small screen in October – just take a look at our October TV calendar here.

In the meantime, I want to share what I am most looking forward to watching next month.

MOVIES, MOVIES, MOVIES

Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield and Rosa Salazar star in the Amazon Prime movie Play Dirty on October 1. The movies will focus on an expert thief who rolls out the biggest heist of his life. Parker (Wahlberg), along with Grofield (Stanfield), Zen (Salazar) and a skilled crew, stumble onto a score that pits them against the New York mob.

The Apple TV+ movie The Lost Bus will debut on October 3, starring Matthew McConaughey as a school bus driver, who has to navigate a bus carrying children and their teacher (America Ferrera) to safety through the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.

Nikki DeLoach and Warren Christie star together again in a Hallmark Channel movie. This time around, in Home Turf, set to debut on October 4 at 8 PM, DeLoach stars as Cassidy, the president of a small college, whose life is thrown for a loop when freshmen on the football team move into her home. Can Logan (Christie), the handsome coach, help smooth things over?

Madelaine Petsch, from Riverdale, will executive produce and star in the Amazon Prime movie Maintenance Required on October 8. Her character, Charlie, is the owner of an all-female mechanic shop, who is forced to reevaluate her business when a flashy corporate competitor moves in across the street.

The Netflix movie The Woman in Cabin 10 will debut on October 10. The movie is based on the 2016 novel, focusing on a journalist (Keira Knightley) who covers the maiden voyage of a luxury cruise ship. During the voyage she is convinced she witnessed a passenger being thrown overboard, despite all guests and crew being accounted for. The ensemble cast includes Guy Pearce, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hannah Waddingham, David Ajala, David Morrissey, Daniel Ings and Kaya Scodelario.

An even bigger ensemble cast will be featured in the other Netflix movie, A House of Dynamite, that will debut on October 24. That cast includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke, Malachi Beasley, Brian Tee, Brittany O’Grady, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Willa Fitzgerald, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Kyle Allen and Kaitlyn Dever. The movie focuses on what happens when a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

RETURNING DRAMAS

Among the returning dramas that will be back for new seasons for the 2026-2027 TV season on the major networks, as well as a couple streaming series, for which I am most eager to see include:

9-1-1 on ABC on October 9 at 8 PM
Matlock on October 12 at 8:30 PM on CBS (this is a special night and time, by the way)
Watson on CBS on October 13 at 10 PM (which is a new night for the show this season)
NCIS, NCIS: Origins and NCIS: Sydney on CBS on October 14 all evening long
The Diplomat on Netflix on October 16
Fire Country on CBS at 8 PM on October 17 (its one-time timeslot until the following week)
Tracker on October 19 at 8 PM on CBS
Nobody Wants This on October 23 on Netflix

NEW DRAMAS

There are more than a dozen new dramas set to debut in October, but my top choices are the following:

9-1-1: Nashville on ABC at 9 PM on October 9

The spin-off series, set in Nashville (naturally), will focus on the dedicated emergency responders, who balance their high-stakes careers with the drama of a powerful local dynasty, where personal lives and professional duties collide. The cast includes Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Juani Feliz, Hailey Kilgore, Hunter McVey and Michael Provost.

The Last Frontier on Apple TV+ on October 10

The drama will focus on Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke), the lone U.S. marshal in charge of the quiet, rugged barrens of Alaska. His jurisdiction is turned upside down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with far-reaching and devastating implications. The cast includes Dominic Cooper, Haley Bennett, Simone Kessell and Alfre Woodard.

Sheriff Country on CBS at 9 PM on October 17

The spin-off series finds Morena Baccarin starring as straight-shooting sheriff Mickey Fox, the stepsister of Cal Fire’s division chief Sharon Leone (Diane Farr from Fire Country). She investigates criminal activity while she patrols the streets of small-town Edgewater, contending with her ex-con father, Wes (W. Earl Brown), who is an off-the-grid marijuana grower, and a mysterious incident involving her wayward daughter. The series also stars Matt Lauria, Christopher Gorham and Michele Weaver.

Down Cemetery Road on Apple TV+ on October 29

When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Tucker (Ruth Wilson) becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm (Emma Thompson). Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead. The cast includes Adam Godley, Adeel Akhtar and Tom Riley.

FINALES

Lastly, the following shows will come to an end after successful (mostly) summer runs on their respective networks or streaming service:

Outlander: Blood of My Blood on Starz on October 10 at 8 PM
The Rainmaker on the USA Network on October 17 at 10 PM
NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount+ on October 23

Once you’ve had a chance to look at our October TV calendar – which, yes, focuses on dramas, movies and specials (sorry to those of you who are comedy and reality TV lovers out there), let us know what you are looking forward to watching throughout next month.