October TV preview: A new HBO satire, Cate Blanchett, and What We Do In The Shadows’ final bow

It’s not quite Halloween season without a new horror show to feast on. And next month, Peacock gets credit for debuting two freaky projects: Teacup from producer James Wan and a Satanic panic-fueled thriller. Meanwhile, FX’s vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadow launches its sixth and final run. And over at HBO, Veep’s Armando Iannucci thankfully returns to EP a sardonic comedy about making a superhero movie. What’s more, the fall network TV lineup continues to take shape with a Young Sheldon spin-off, Reba McIntire’s latest, and the return of Abbott Elementary. Here is The A.V. Club’s guide to what to watch in October.      

The Franchise (HBO, October 6) 

The great Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Thick Of It, Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge) and Sam Mendes are two of the executive producers of this HBO comedy, a behind-the-scenes look at a disastrous superhero-film shoot. The cast is pretty promising, boasting the likes of Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, and Spaced’s Jessica Hynes, as is the dialogue. (To quote one particularly memorable line from the trailer: “Everything’s exploding at a million miles an hour, and the movie is a scrotum resting on a razor’s edge.”) [Tim Lowery]

La Máquina (Hulu, October 9) 

Y Tu Mamá También and Emmys-night buds Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna team up for this Spanish-language drama, which follows a famed Mexican boxer (Bernal) as he gears up for one last fight with the help of his manager/BFF (Luna). But things take a bloody, thrilling turn when an anonymous caller tells the titular pugilist he has to throw the match. Daredevil scribe Marco Ramirez acts as showrunner on the six-episode miniseries, and Baby Driver’s Eiza González, Jorge Perugorría, and Andrés Delgado round out the cast. [Tim Lowery]   

Teacup (Peacock, October 10) 

The Handmaid’s Tale’s Yvonne Strahovski swaps one scary story for another with Teacup, which arrives just in time for spooky season.  Strahovski leads the puzzle-box drama as Maggie Chenoweth, who lives on a Georgia ranch with her husband (Scott Speedman) when an unexpected and mysterious force attacks them, forcing the pair to band together with strangers for survival. At the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, showrunner Ian McCulloch said the pandemic isolation inspired the show’s writing. The cast includes Chaske Spencer, Kathy Baker, and Boris McGiver, and Teacup boasts James Wan as an executive producer. [Saloni Gajjar] 

Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft (Netflix, October 10)

Netflix gets in on that sweet, sweet Tomb Raider action with the animated show The Legend Of Lara Croft. Hayley Atwell takes on the challenge of the titular role here, with her version of Lara Croft going on perilous solo adventures, including a global pursuit to return a stolen Chinese artifact that shapes her identity as a hero. Created by Tasha Huo, the series takes place after the events of the Survivor video-game trilogy. The voice cast also features Allen Maldonado and Earl Baylon. [Saloni Gajjar]  

Sweetpea (Starz, October 10)

There’s nothing better than revenge—at least not for Sweetpea’s protagonist. Fallout’s Ella Purnell leads the British coming-of-age drama as Rhiannon Lewis, a wallflower who’s tired of being bullied and not taken seriously. So she plans to wipe out those who’ve wronged her, making a list and checking off names and becoming a serial killer in the process. The show’s six-episode first season co-stars Nicole Lecky, Jeremy Swift, Leah Harvey, and Calam Lynch. [Saloni Gajjar] 

Disclaimer (Apple TV+, October 11) 

The one and only Alfonso Cuarón writes and directs this psychological thriller for Apple TV+, which alone is enough to turn our heads, but the cast (which includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lesley Manville, and Sacha Baron Cohen) is nothing to scoff at either. The “seven-part event,” per the trailer (ooh, fancy), is based on Renée Knight’s 2015 book and centers on a celebrated journalist (Blanchett) who is sent an anonymously penned novel that spills her potentially devastating secrets. [Tim Lowery] 

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (CBS, October 17)

When CBS’ The Big Bang Theory premiered in 2007, who could’ve imagined that 17 years later, it would live on through a second spinoff? The whole universe expands with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,  which focuses on a complicated relationship that began in Young Sheldon. Sheldon Cooper’s 18-year-old brother, Georgie (Montana Jordan), is expecting a baby with Mandy (Emily Osment), who is 31. This sitcom follows the pair’s unlikely relationship as they go to Mandy’s family for help. Meanwhile, the Coopers make cameos as the season goes on, which means Zoe Perry, Annie Potts, and Reagan Revord drop in as guest stars. [Saloni Gajjar]  

Happy’s Place (NBC, October 18)

It’s a Reba reunion alright. Reba McIntire and Melissa Peterman team up with series creator Kevin Abbott for the feel-good family comedy Happy’s Place. McIntire plays Bobbie, who inherits and is excited to run her father’s restaurant—that is, until she realizes she has to split the place with her half-sister, Isabella (Belissa Escobedo), whom she never knew existed. Start placing bets now on which other Reba actors might show up. [Saloni Gajjar] 

Hysteria! (Peacock, October 18)

Surprisingly, a Satanic panic-themed series hasn’t graced our screens in the streaming era yet. All of that changes with the ’80s-set Hysteria! Created by Matthew Scott Kane, the eight-part thriller takes place in a small town named Happy Hollow, whose citizens are plagued by the vanishing of a beloved quarterback. To take advantage of the paranoia, a metal band lies about their Satanic prowess, turning them into targets. But what if something supernatural really is afoot? Hysteria!’s ensemble features Bruce Campbell, Julie Bowen, Garret Dillahunt, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, and Anna Camp. [Saloni Gajjar]  

Before (Apple TV+, October 25)

Billy Crystal is the latest in a slew of Hollywood stars to step into the small-screen world thanks to Apple TV+. In the 10-episode psychological thriller Before, he portrays a widowed child psychologist, Eli. The more time he spends with a new patient (played by Noah Jupe), the more he realizes they share a connection from his past. Before’s impressive cast includes Judith Light, Hope Davis, Sakina Jaffrey, and Rosie Perez. [Saloni Gajjar]  

More October premieres 

October 2
Joan (The CW)
The Last Days Of The Space Age (Hulu)
Where’s Wanda? (Apple TV+)

October 3
Found season 2 (NBC)
Gremlins: The Wild Batch season 2 (Max)
Heartstopper season 3 (Netflix)
The Legend Of Vox Machina season 3 (Prime Video)
Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU (NBC) 

October 8
Accused season 2 (Fox)
The Irrational season 2 (NBC)

October 9
Scamanda (ABC)
Abbott Elementary season 4 (ABC)

October 13
Tracker season 2 (CBS)

October 14
NCIS: Origins (CBS)

October 16
Shrinking season 2 (Apple TV+)

October 17
Ghosts season 4 (CBS)
Elsbeth season 2 (CBS)
The Pradeeps Of Pittsburg (Prime Video)
The Lincoln Lawyer season 3 (Netflix) 

Oct 18
Rivals (Disney+/Hulu)

October 21
What We Do In The Shadows season 6 (FX)
Poppa’s House (CBS)

October 24
Territory (Netflix)

October 27
Somebody Somewhere season 3 (HBO Max)
Lioness season 2 (Paramount+)

October 31
The Diplomat season 2 (Netflix)