The last pick on W2W this week should be your first binge-watch: Sherman’s Showcase is one of the funniest comedies of the 2020s (even though it first aired on IFC in 2019), and you should smash that Hulu button right now for Season 1 and a special. Go ahead; the other shows aren’t going anywhere.
This week’s What to Watch recs include the return of 10-time Emmy winner The White Lotus, the first pitch of the 2022 MLB World Series, horror throwbacks Candyman and Jennifer’s Body on Paramount+, Prime Video thrillers The Devil’s Hour and Run Sweetheart Run, and the unexpected comeback of The Surreal Life. Grab that remote and play ball!
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What’s premiering this week
Season 2 premiere, Sunday, October 30: The first season of writer/director Mike White’s The White Lotus was meant to be a one-and-done limited series—but then breakout star Jennifer Coolidge and 10 Emmys happened. The new season follows Coolidge’s quirky Tanya character to another White Lotus resort in Sicily, joined by a fresh guestlist that includes Aubrey Plaza, F. Murray Abraham, and Michael Imperioli. The first of seven episodes premieres October 30.
MLB World Series | FOX | Sports, baseball
Coverage begins Friday, October 28: The best news about the 2022 MLB World Series: it won’t preempt The Simpsons’ annual Treehouse of Terror episode. This year’s standoff between the National League (Philadelphia Phillies) and American League champions (Houston Astros) may be decided by Game 4 on November 1 but could go to a November 5 Game 7—it’s only happened 40 times in the Fall Classic since 1909, NBD.
What to watch on Netflix this week
Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities | Netflix | Drama, horror
Series premiere, Tuesday, October 25: Guillermo Del Toro doesn’t direct any of the new anthology series Cabinet of Curiosities’ eight episodes, but he has brought in some heavy horror hitters, including Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), Vincenzo Natali (Cube), and Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight). In an unusual move for Netflix, two episodes will drop daily, culminating with a frightful finale Friday.
Deadwind | Netflix | Drama, thriller
Season 3 premiere, Saturday, October 29: During the lockdown of 2020, I binge-watched every “Scandinoir” (grim, snowbound crime dramas featuring troubled detectives set mostly in Nordic countries) show that was available to stream. My favorite was Deadwind, a Finnish series starring Pihla Viitala as Det. Sophia Karppi, a recently widowed hot mess who nonetheless gets the bad guy. In Season 3, she learns her husband’s death may not have been an accident, and I’m here for it.
What to watch on Paramount+ this week
Candyman | Paramount+ | Drama, horror
Movie, now streaming: Co-written by Jordan Peele, last year’s Candyman update sits high in our Best Horror Movies of 2021 list, and now it’s available on Paramount+. When Chicago artist Anthony (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) begins creating new works based on the Candyman legend, he unwittingly unleashes the hook-handed killer. This new Candyman infuses Black folklore into the narrative while amping up the flash and gore, making for the smartest horror flick of ’21.
Jennifer’s Body | Paramount+ | Horror, comedy
Movie, now streaming: Writer Diablo Cody followed up her 2007 hit Juno with a curveball in 2009: Jennifer’s Body, a high school horror comedy about a demonically possessed cheerleader (Megan Fox) who kills and feeds on her male classmates. Equally funny and frightening, Jennifer’s Body was a bomb upon release but is now considered a subversive gem and a “forgotten feminist classic” (Vox). Jennifer’s Body is now on Paramount+; #Bloodstream it hard.
What to watch on Prime Video this week
The Devil’s Hour | Prime Video | Drama, thriller
Series premiere, Friday, October 28: Lucy (Jessica Raine, Patrick Melrose) wakes up at 3:33 a.m. every morning with terrifying nightmares. Meanwhile, her son and her mother are acting strangely, and her house is filled with ghostly echoes. How does Lucy’s unraveling reality connect to creepy killer Gideon (Peter Capaldi, Doctor Who), who claims to be a time traveler and a fortune teller? Spooky. All six episodes of The Devil’s Hour premiere on October 28.
Run Sweetheart Run | Prime Video | Drama, thriller
Movie premiere, Friday, October 28: Run Sweetheart Run premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was set to hit theaters later that year—but you know what happened next. Now, finally, writer/director Shana Feste’s harrowing tale of a blind date from hell debuts as a Prime Video exclusive. Single mom Cherie (Ella Balinska) finds herself on the late-night streets of L.A., pursued by a violent psycho (Pilou Asbaek) whose initial charm was deceiving. Dating sucks.
W2W wildcards of the week
The Surreal Life | VH1, Paramount+ | Reality
Season 7 premiere, Monday, October 24: The Surreal Life was a 2003–2006 celebrity reality show on The WB (R.I.P.) and VH1. At the request of no one we know of, The Surreal Life is now back with Dennis Rodman (NBA legend), Stormy Daniels (adult film star), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle), Kim Coles (Living Single), C.J. Perry (WWE’s Lana), Manny MUA (YouTuber), August Alsina (R&B singer), and Tamar Braxton (Toni’s sister). Hey, it’s definitely a wildcard.
Season 2 premiere, Wednesday, October 26: With the exception of a Black History Month special in 2020, Sherman’s Showcase has been M.I.A. for three years—welcome back, Sherman! The fictional Sherman’s Showcase is a 47-season musical variety show hosted by Sherman (Bashir Salahuddin) and Dutch (Diallo Riddle)—who haven’t aged a minute in 40 years—as they introduce hilarious clips from yesteryear while hawking a 23-DVD box set. Righteous.
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