Left: John Cho in Cowboy Bebop (Kirsty Griffin/Netflix); Top center: Reneé Rapp, Alyah Chanelle Scott, Pauline Chalamet, and Amrit Kaur in The Sex Lives Of College Girls (Photo: Jessica Brooks/HBO Max); Center left: Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld in Hawkeye (Photo: Disney+); Center right: Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell in The Shrink Next Door (Photo: Apple TV+); Right: Michael C. Hall in Dexter: New Blood (Photo: Seacia Pavao/Showtime)Graphic: Natalie Peeples
The spookiest night of the year is reserved for October, but this November, TV is resurrecting long-dead shows like Head Of The Class and Dexter, and trying to charm viewers with the hotly anticipated premieres of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop and Amazon Prime Video’s The Wheel Of Time. Paramount Plus reunites the castmates of the first season of The Real World: Los Angeles, who are alive and well, but have since yielded the spotlight to new generations of reality TV stars. And Paul Rudd gets frighteningly close to Will Ferrell in The Shrink Next Door.
November is full of moody programming, like the Lucy Hale-led Ragdoll, Showtime’s Yellowjackets, and the Italian dystopian thriller Anna. But there are plenty of brighter offerings, too, including Disney+’s Hawkeye starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld, new Mindy Kaling comedy The Sex Lives Of College Girls, and Marvel’s Hit-Monkey.
Note to desktop users: If you’d like to read this in a scrolling format, simply narrow your browser window.
Head Of The Class (HBO Max): Premieres November 4
The spookiest night of the year is reserved for October, but this November, TV is resurrecting long-dead shows like Head Of The Class and , and trying to charm viewers with the hotly anticipated premieres of Netflix’s and Amazon Prime Video’s. Paramount Plus reunites the castmates of the first season of The Real World: Los Angeles, who are alive and well, but have since yielded the spotlight to new generations of reality TV stars. And Paul Rudd gets frighteningly close to Will Ferrell in The Shrink Next Door.November is full of moody programming, like, Showtime’s Yellowjackets, and the Italian dystopian thriller Anna. But there are plenty of brighter offerings, too, including Disney+’s starring Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld, new Mindy Kaling comedy The Sex Lives Of College Girls, and .Note to desktop users: If you’d like to read this in a scrolling format, simply narrow your browser window.
Head Of The Class (HBO Max): Premieres November 4
The latest ’80s sitcom to be rebooted, reimagined, or revived, Head Of The Class originally centered on a group of overachievers whose most daunting lessons were the ones about life. This HBO Max revival from Bill Lawrence and alums Amy Pocha and Seth Cohen uses the same setup, right down to the unconventional teacher who gets all on a group of high schoolers. Robin Givens, who starred in Rich Eustis and Michael Elias’ original series, reprises her role as former Individualized Honors Program member Darlene, now a successful attorney. Darlene is every bit as involved in her teen son’s schooling, which means she’s bound to butt heads with Alicia Gomez (Isabella Gomez, following in the footsteps of Howard Hesseman and Billy Connolly), the new IHP teacher. But it probably won’t be long before they realize they both have the kids’ best interests at heart. [Danette Chavez]
Dexter: New Blood (Showtime): Premieres November 7
“I might still be a monster, but I’m an evolving monster.” So swears Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) in the trailer for Dexter: New Blood, a revival of the Showtime crime drama. The serial killer ended the original series run with a chance at a new life, which New Blood delivers on, and no, he’s not a lumberjack. Dexter now works at a sporting goods store in a small town, where he does his best to fit in and quell his urge to kill. The original series had , so at the summer 2020 TCAs, . The network’s even brought back former Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips to (hopefully) get the job done right this time. [Danette Chavez]
AMC+ is going for the gore with this original thriller. Ragdoll stars Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Nathan Rose, a newly reinstated detective who teams up with his boss Emily Baxter (Thalissa Teixeira) and fresh recruit Lake Edmunds (Lucy Hale, bidding goodbye to teen dramas) to hunt down a grisly serial killer. The suspect has murdered six people, dismembered them, and sewn the parts into the shape of one grotesque body (the eponymous Ragdoll). The detectives are taunted by the killer’s list of potential next victims, including Nathan. During the course of their investigation, the detectives fall under intense public and media scrutiny, bonding over highly unusual circumstances. Ragdoll will premiere exclusively on AMC+, with new episodes releasing every Thursday. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Shrink Next Door (Apple TV Plus): Premieres November 12
Based on the Bloomberg podcast of the same name, The Shrink Next Door focuses on the true story of Ike Herschkopf (Paul Rudd), who was convicted of violating professional standards and exerting undue influence over his patients, especially Marty Markowitz (Will Ferrell). It’s interesting to see the two Anchorman co-stars in such a different dynamic, guided by Michael Showalter’s direction and backed by Kathryn Hahn as Marty’s sister and Casey Wilson as Ike’s wife. At first Ike appears to be helping Marty onto the right path, but he soon starts overstepping, taking over his patient’s relationships, business—even his Hamptons beachhouse. Although it seems impossible to cast Rudd as an ultimately villainous character, The Shrink Next Door might just pull it off. [Gwen Ihnat]
Yellowjackets (Showtime): Premieres November 14
Showtime’s new drama evokes the spirit of Lord Of The Flies and Netflix’s short-lived The Society. Part psychological thriller, part survival drama, Yellowjackets centers on an all-female team of high school soccer players, who survive a plane crash deep in the Ontario wilderness. The teenage girls have no choice but to form savage clans to survive—no wonder the show is named after a predatory wasp. Twenty-five years later, the adult women are still coming to terms with their complicated shared past, which naturally returns to haunt them. Yellowjackets’ star-studded lineup includes Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Ella Purnell, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Sophie Thatcher, and Liv Hewson. [Saloni Gajjar]
Mayor Of Kingstown (Paramount Plus): Premieres November 14
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Mayor Of Kingstown was just a pun-titled parody of . The trailer for Taylor Sheridan’s (Yellowstone) new Paramount+ drama won’t easily disabuse you of that notion either, as it’s full of stock exchanges between characters about their ambivalent relationships with their hometowns, the elusiveness of justice, and how tough life is for vulnerable young women. But this gritty small-town/family drama isn’t about tracking down one (or even three) bad guys; its world is populated with people who are at best morally gray. And at the center is Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner, reteaming with director Sheridan), the eponymous mayor who runs a city caught in the gears of the prison industrial complex. Dianne Wiest, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Dillon, and Emma Laird co-star. [Danette Chavez]
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey (Hulu): Premieres November 17
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey is a Japanese snow monkey who is an expert assassin and marksman with martial arts skills. He first appeared in a Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited one-shot issue in 2010, followed by an arc in the Deadpool comics. Hulu’s animated take features Fred Tatasciore voicing the talented monkey, whose peaceful existence is shattered by the loss of his tribe; this act of violence turns him into a killer of killers. Now he wrestles with his nature and the evil acts he must commit against the Yakuza underworld in Tokyo, getting guidance from the ghost of world-weary assassin Bryce (Jason Sudeikis). Olivia Munn voices Akiko, a politician’s niece, and George Takei is honest police officer Shinji. The Hulu series is the first on-screen adaptation of this character, who has previously only appeared in books and video games. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Sex Lives Of College Girls (HBO Max): Premieres November 18
Mindy Kaling’s newest TV venture takes place in the fancy halls of the prestigious (and fictional) Essex College. The coming-of-age dramedy centers on four roommates: Bela (Amrit Kaur), Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet), Leighton (Reneé Rapp), Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott). They each explore their sexual identities in the midst of college pressures, from keeping up with classes to being an important part of the social circle, forming an unexpected friendship in the process. Kaling brings parts of her Dartmouth experiences to the show, as well as her signature quirky comedy, as seen in Never Have I Ever and The Mindy Project. The Sex Lives Of College Girls will debut with two episodes, followed by three new episodes on November 25 and December 2, leading up to the final two entries on December 9. [Saloni Gajjar]
Anna (AMC Plus): Premieres November 18
Italian filmmaker and author Niccolò Ammaniti adapts his book of the same name for the small screen. Anna is a dystopian story about a world ravaged by a virus called The Red Fever that kills adults, but spares children. One of the survivors is young teen Anna (Giulia Dragotto), whose only hope is a book left by her mother with instructions on how to continue living. But with each passing day, she discovers that the old rules don’t apply anymore, and she’ll have to make new ones as she goes along. All six episodes of season one will drop on November 18 on AMC Plus. [Saloni Gajjar]
Music Box: Jagged (HBO): Premieres November 1
HBO’s Music Box is an anthology of documentary films created by Bill Simmons to explore pivotal moments in the music world. After Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, And Rage, the docuseries returns with a new film, Jagged. Directed by Alison Klayman, it is meant to be an intimate exploration of singer Alanis Morissette and her groundbreaking 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. The film made its debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. However, , claiming that she was “lulled into a false sense of security” by the filmmakers. . [Saloni Gajjar]
Cowboy Bebop (Netflix): Premieres November 19
If you somehow haven’t seen the original anime, here’s the basic premise: Cowboy Bebop takes place in a future where mankind has long since left the Earth behind and migrated into outer space, with a lot of the law enforcement being handled by bounty hunters who call themselves “cowboys.” Three of these cowboys are Spike, Jet, and Faye, who are all lovable screw-ups hiding from their respective traumatic pasts by busting bad guys and hanging out on a spaceship called the Bebop. The anime is also loaded with funky jazz aesthetics, which the live-action show will be paying homage to while also doing some cool stylistic stuff of its own. The Netflix adaptation stars John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda. (And at some point.) [Sam Barsanti]
Wheel Of Time (Amazon Prime Video): Premieres November 19
Amazon Studios takes another crack at a fantasy epic with Rafe Judkins’ adaptation of , the 14-book series by Robert Jordan. The eight-episode first season begins with Moiraine Damodred’s (Rosamund Pike) search for the Dragon Reborn, who—wouldn’t you know it?—is this world’s last hope against the encroaching darkness. An Aes Sedai (wielder of the One Power), Moiraine finds a number of prospects, played by Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford, Barney Harris, Zoë Robins, and Josha Stradowski. didn’t exactly sweep viewers off their feet, but Wheel Of Time has a rich series and a plethora of characters to draw from, not to mention the backing of generations of book fans. Of course, it can be difficult to translate all that literary world-building for the small screen, even with a swelling budget. But it looks like Amazon’s going to keep betting on Judkins’ vision, as the series has already been renewed for a second season. [Danette Chavez]
Hawkeye (Disney Plus): Premieres November 24
Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye comic is one of the most character-defining runs in the history of superhero books, coming just after Jeremy Renner’s big-screen version of Clint Barton got a spotlight in The Avengers and telling a groundbreaking story about the relatively normal life of one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. More importantly, the Hawkeye books also helped establish Kate Bishop, the other Hawkeye introduced in Marvel’s Young Avengers books, as a fan-favorite hero who is actually cooler and better than the man Hawkeye in every single way. Hailee Steinfeld’s live-action version of Kate will make her debut in Disney+’s Hawkeye show, which will be loosely based on the Fraction/Aja comic and will also see the debut Alaqua Cox’s Echo . [Sam Barsanti]
The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles: Premieres November 24
It’s franchises on franchises on franchises at Paramount+, as —a spin-off of MTV’s The Real World—reunites yet another cast for some more middle-aged, interpersonal pyrotechnics. The cast of the second season of the original series is heading back to Los Angeles (which served as the setting for the 20th season as well), to live in the same Venice Beach house where, for the most part, they stopped being polite and started being real. Season two of The Real World saw the ouster of one cast member (David Edwards) and the departure of another (Irene Berrera-Kearns). Edwards and Berrera-Kearns are back, though, along with Tami Roman, Beth Anthony, Beth Stolarczyk, Glen Naessens (who replaced Edwards), and Jon Brennan. Original cast members Aaron Behle and Dominic Griffin won’t be back, though Griffin is rumored to make “an appearance.” [Danette Chavez]
True Story (Netflix): Premieres November 24
Kevin Hart takes a dramatic turn in this limited series, which he co-executive produces with Eric Newman (, ). True Story is inspired by Hart’s own life, his relationship with his older brother, . The multi-hyphenate stars as Kid, a fictionalized version of himself (but one who’s just as successful as the real Hart). Wesley Snipes plays Carlton, Kid’s big brother who might be older, but is far from wiser. The series begins with Kid making a tour stop in his (and Hart’s) hometown of Philadelphia. When a night out with his brother threatens to undo the life that Kid has built for himself, the stand-up comedian surprises even himself with what he’s willing to do to preserve what he has. [Danette Chavez]
Super Crooks (Netflix): Premieres November 25
Comic book writer Mark Millar is back on Netflix, this time with an animated series. Based on Millar and Leinil Yu’s 2012 graphic novel of the same name, Super Crooks is a 13-episode anime that follows a crew of eight small-time crooks recruited by Johnny Bolt (Kenjirô Tsuda) for their superpowers. They come together for one final heist. Their target: A ruthless super-powered crime boss in Spain. What can possibly go wrong? Super Crooks will also get the live-action treatment on Netflix; let’s hope it doesn’t turn out like Millar’s . [Saloni Gajjar]
The Beatles: Get Back: Premieres November 25
Anyone even slightly interested in The Beatles should be looking forward to Disney+’s Get Back, which offers an unprecedented, intimate look at the most popular rock band of all time. TheLord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson crafted the docuseries from nearly 60 hours of never-seen and beautifully restored footage of the Fab Four attempting to create an album’s worth of new songs in only a few weeks before their first live performance in over two years. Few insights have ever been offered this closely into the band’s creative process, especially in such a high-pressure situation with so much at stake, and it’s hard not to tear up when John Lennon stresses, “All we need is us.” Looks like the perfect binge-watch to quell any potential family fights over Thanksgiving weekend. [Gwen Ihnat]
The Hot Zone: Anthrax (Nat Geo): Premieres November 28
Season two of NatGeo’s anthology drama is led by Daniel Dae Kim and Tony Goldwyn. The gripping new episodes are set a week after 9/11, when the FBI began hunting the person sending letters laced with anthrax to media offices and Democratic senators, killing five and infecting 17 people in the process. Kim stars as Matthew Ryker, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation, and Goldwyn plays Bruce Edward Ivins, an American microbiologist whose assistance drew attention to himself as a possible suspect. The cast includes Dawn Olivieri, Harry Hamlin, and Dylan Baker. The Hot Zone: Anthrax will premiere with a three-night event over Thanksgiving weekend. [Saloni Gajjar]
Returning
season-two premiere, season-two premiere (11/4);season-three premiere, season-five premiere, season-two premiere (11/5); season-three premiere(11/8); season-two premiere (11/10); season-eight premiere, season-six premiere (11/16); season-two premiere (11/17); season-four premiere, 3: This Is Gus (11/18); season-two premiere (11/19); part two (11/23); season-three premiere, season-two premiere (11/24); How To With John Wilson season-two premiere (11/26);