My Top Choices for October TV

There are loads of TV options airing all throughout October on linear TV and streaming ranging from new dramas to returning favorites and plenty of made-for-TV movies. There is always a lot to choose from no matter what you like to watch.

Here are my top choices for next month:

RETURNING DRAMAS

October is the time of year for linear TV to kick into high gear with new episodes of their returning shows; and while there are a lot of linear TV options starting later this week, there are only a few that I am really looking forward to watching. Those include the following dramas on CBS:

Marshals and Tracker on October 4; and,
Sheriff Country and Fire Country on October 9

Then you have the returning dramas that either air on cable TV or on streaming that will be back with a brand new season, including the following:

Blue Skies on October 1 on UP Faith & Family
The Diplomat on Netflix on October 15
The Rainmaker on the USA Network on October 16
The Terminal List on October 21 on Amazon Prime
Nobody Wants This on Netflix on October 22

NEW DRAMAS

Then there are the new dramas set to debut throughout October. There are a “lucky” 13 next month, and out of those, I want to watch the following:

Some TV viewers may remember the Canadian import Private Eyes that aired from 2016 through 2021. Well, Angie Everett and Matt Shade are back with a brand new – aptly (or not) – called Private Eyes: West Coast. It will debut on CW on October 5 with Cindy Sampson and Jason Priestley reprising their roles. Now they are in Victoria, British Columbia for a fresh start, tackling new cases with a different circle of friends.

For the cast alone, the new CBS drama Cupertino, which will debut on October 8, it’s worth checking out the series. Mike Colter plays a lawyer who is being cheated out of his stock options by his former employer, a tech startup. Refusing to back down, he joins forces with another recently fired attorney (Rachel Keller) to represent those taken advantage of by the tech elite and help them fight back in a high-stakes battle against the Goliaths controlling Silicon Valley. As for that cast I mentioned, they include Busy Philipps, Joe Morton, Steven Pasquale and Hamilton star herself Renee Elise Goldsberry.

The long-awaited Marvel-themed drama VisionQuest (the spin-off from WandaVision) will debut on Disney+ on October 14. Vision (Paul Bettany), rebooted and having escaped from those who sought to weaponize him, has been in hiding. Searching for new meaning, he consults the AI personas embedded in his programming, including F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), J.A.R.V.I.S. (James D’Arcy), and the infamous Ultron (James Spader). His discreet existence ends when a bounty placed on his head thrusts him on the run with Thomas Shepard (Ruaridh Mollica), a mysterious boy who may be Vision’s son, reincarnate. As Vision evades capture, he must confront his nature, resist Ultron’s influence, and unravel the enigma that is his young companion if he’s to survive.

MOVIES, MOVIES, MOVIES

While there are a ton of holiday movies ready to start airing all over linear TV and streaming – including a plethora of Christmas movies on more networks than just the Hallmark Channel – my top choices for October are as follows:

A Knight to Remember on the Hallmark Channel on October 3, starring Julie Gonzalo and James Trevena. The storyline has been done countless times, of course, but every once in a while even the most familiar trope is ripe for the watching. The movie is about a statue of an English knight that arrives in Chicago for an art exhibit. While cleaning the statue, museum conservator Emily impulsively kisses the statue, bringing him to life.

Then you have the small screen movie inspired by the classic toy cars: Matchbox: The Movie. Sure, it might seem ridiculous, but when you put John Cena in the lead role, it just might be worth watching for the fight sequences and the laughs. The movie will debut on Apple TV on October 9 and focuses on what happens when a group of former childhood friends (including Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Arturo Castro and Teyonah Parris) reconnect. Their reunion, naturally (or not), takes a wild turn as they stumble upon a dangerous international plot and, of course, they must save the world. Corey Stoll and Danai Gurira co-star.

I have two words for you: Stanley Tucci. Do I have everyone’s attention now? Tucci will star in the Amazon Prime movie Masterplan that is set to debut on October 16, playing a master thief, who enlists two strangers (Victor Belmondo and Simona Tabasco) for a Louvre heist targeting the Mona Lisa. Soon enough they are revealed to be his children and siblings who must cooperate to pull off history’s greatest art theft.

FINALES

Lastly, there are over a dozen dramas coming to an end in October, and out of all of those I am most interested in seeing how the following come to a close:

Lanterns on HBO on October 4
The Ark on Syfy on October 14.

Make sure to check out our full October TV calendar – showcasing specials, movies and dramas – which will be posted before the end of the month, and let us know in our comments section which programming options are most intriguing to you.

[Featured Image Photo Credit: Disney+/Marvel]