It’s unclear who asked for it, but the infamous reality show The Surreal Life is making a comeback this month on VH1. The original series ran from 2003–06, throwing D-list (the D was for dysfunctional) celebrities like Corey Feldman, Ron Jeremy, and Vanilla Ice in a house together. Who’s got next? Basketball legend Dennis Rodman, alleged presidential liaison Stormy Daniels, and Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle). Peep the new Surreal Life trailer—if you dare.
This week’s recs include the climactic Halloween Ends, MLS Playoffs soccer action, new series The Watcher and High School, the return of space comedy Avenue 5, and the cautionary Barney doc I Love You, You Hate Me. Smash that remote button!
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What’s premiering this week
Halloween Ends | Peacock | Drama, horror
Movie premiere, Friday, October 14: The David Gordon Green–directed Halloween trilogy that began in 2018 finally concludes with Halloween Ends—it’s right there in the title. Picking up four years after Halloween Kills, Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) has finished writing her memoir, and Michael Myers appears to be long gone. But, when a murder in town sets off a new wave of terror, Laurie may have to make room for an epilogue. Halloween Ends is also in theaters on October 14.
MLS Playoffs | ABC, ESPN, FS1 | Sports, soccer
Coverage begins Saturday, October 15: The 2022 Major League Soccer Playoffs will feature 14 teams vying for a spot in the MLS Cup Final in November, including Western Conference top seeds LAFC and Austin FC, and Philadelphia Union and CF Montreal from the Eastern Conference. As detailed in CableTV.com’s How to Watch the MLS Playoffs guide, Hulu + Live TV is our choice for English-speaking viewers; fuboTV for Spanish-speaking fútbol fans.
What to watch on Netflix this week
The Watcher | Netflix | Drama, thriller
Series premiere, Thursday, October 13: Coming off his successful but controversial Dahmer – Monster: The Jefferey Dahmer Story, Ryan Murphy is back with another chilling Netflix tale based on a true story. When a couple (Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale) move into their new home, they begin receiving a series of increasingly disturbing and threatening letters from someone calling themselves “The Watcher.” The creepy IRL twist: The Watcher was never identified. Eek!
The Playlist | Netflix | Drama
Series premiere, Thursday, October 13: Another drama based on real events, The Playlist is a Swedish miniseries about the rise of Spotify and creator Daniel Ek (played by Edvin Endre, Vikings), who dared to take on Apple, Google, and Amazon. The series is made up of six hour-long episodes, which means Netflix will pay $0.005 per stream to The Playlist producers, who will recoup their expenses sometime in 2099 (a little Spotify artist-relations humor).
What to watch on HBO Max this week
Season 2 premiere, Monday, October 10: Like a Carnival Cruise in space, Avenue 5 was on a leisurely eight-week interplanetary jaunt when the ship veered off course, stranding the passengers and crew (including Hugh Laurie as the captain and Josh Gad as Avenue 5’s owner) for what could be years. Avenue 5 comes from the creator of Veep, and the series shares the same darkly comic outlook and disdain for incompetent authority. Tragedy + space = comedy.
Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo! | HBO Max | Animation, comedy
Movie premiere, Saturday, October 15: We’ve always known it, but Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo! is Velma’s official coming-out party—zoinks! When Velma (voiced by Kate Micucci) starts crushing on Coco Diablo (Myrna Velasco), the lesbian vibes are finally acknowledged. Unfortunately, Coco is the criminal mastermind who designs the masks worn by the enemies of the Scooby Gang. Can Velma reform the villainous vixen? Oh, those meddling kids.
What to watch on Hulu this week
Grimcutty | Hulu | Drama, horror
Movie premiere, Monday, October 10: Looks like we have another fright flick to add to our Best Horror Movies on Hulu list: Grimcutty is a terrifying internet meme that’s been brought to life by the overreactive hysteria of parents—subtle metaphor there. When teen Asha (Sara Wolfkind) realizes that the tall, hunched-over creature with a deformed pale face and stringy black hair isn’t Marilyn Manson, it’s up to her to stop the Grimcutty before it kills again.
Rosaline | Hulu | Comedy
Movie premiere, Friday, October 14: In this new twist on Romeo & Juliet, based on the YA novel When You Were Mine, Romeo was actually in love with Juliet’s cousin Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever) first. Does that make them star-crossed-crossed lovers? She may be determined to win Romeo back, but Rosaline, like the rest of us, knows how this is all going to end: with a terrible Baz Luhrmann film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, and a killer alt-rock soundtrack.
W2W wildcards of the week
I Love You, You Hate Me | Peacock | Documentary
Docuseries premiere, Tuesday, October 12: Purple dinosaur Barney was all about love and inclusion for the kiddies—so, of course, adults wanted to murder him. The star of PBS’s Barney & Friends (1992–2010) received many a death threat during its run; as one Barney costume performer says in the trailer, “They were gonna come and find me, and they were going to kill me.” I Love You, You Hate Me, however, doesn’t cover Baby Bop’s tragic macaroni and cheese addiction.
High School | Freevee | Drama
Series premiere, Friday, October 14: Before Tegan & Sara were pop stars, they were struggling high schoolers in ’90s Canada. The simply-titled High School, based on the Quin twins’ memoir, follows teenage T&S (played by twin TikTokkers Railey and Seazynn Gilliland) in their daily, awkward lives as they try to figure out who they are—classic high school drama. The eight-episode series was written and directed by Clea Duvall, and, of course, the music is on-point.
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