What To Watch This Week: Relax With Top 9 TV and Movie Picks (October 21–27)

New on TV this week

Binge or Cringe, CableTV.com’s ongoing effort to steer you toward stream-worthy shows (and away from wack TV), is back with a deep-ish dive into English Teacher, FX’s latest comedy. Should you take it in on Hulu? Find out.

This week’s What To Watch recs include the final season of What We Do in the Shadows, new comedy Poppa’s House, Kate Beckinsale spy thriller Canary Black, the return of Somebody Somewhere, and the tip-off of the 2024–2025 NBA season. Where’s the remote?

New on FX this week

What We Do in the Shadows | FX, Hulu | Comedy

Season 6 premiere, Monday, October 21: Why has the sixth and final season of What We Do in the Shadows been moved to Monday nights? American Sports Story, Grotesquerie, and The Old Man have taken up the real estate for the rest of the week—crowded fall at FX. As the season opens, Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), and Nandor (Kayvan Novak) realize that they were supposed to wake up their vampire roommate from a 20-year slumber … 30 years ago. Hey, at least he missed Twilight.  Watch trailer

New on CBS this week

Poppa’s House | CBS, Paramount+ | Comedy

Series premiere, Monday, October 21: Talk radio host Poppa’s (Damon Wayans) world is turned upside-down when his station hires Dr. Ivy (Essence Atkins) as a cohost to add a “female perspective” to his show. If you’re asking, “What’s radio?” or wondering if this is the ’90s, there’s more: Poppa’s adult son Junior (Damon Wayans Jr.) lives with him. It’s a standard setup, but Poppa’s House coasts on the undeniable comedic charms of the Wayans—maybe the network sitcom isn’t dead, after all. Watch trailer

Live on TNT this week

NBA | TNT | Sports, basketball

Coverage begins Tuesday, October 22, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT: The 2024 NBA season begins with the New York Knicks vs. the Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday on TNT. The rest of the 250+ game season will play out on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV, and TNT; fully invested ballers will also want to subscribe to NBA League Pass to get even more. Also, don’t forget your local regional sports network—it’s all in our How to Watch NBA Games guide.

New on Prime Video this week

Canary Black | Prime Video | Action, drama

Movie premiere, Thursday, October 24: While some of us still mourn the cancellation of her quirky dramedy Guilty Party (ahem), at least we still have Kate Beckinsale: Action Heroine. In Canary Black, she plays Avery Graves, a CIA agent who resorts to rogue tactics when her husband (Rupert Friend) is kidnapped by terrorists. The action-bait tagline “It’s not just a mission … it’s personal” should be a tip-off that Canary Black comes from Taken and Peppermint director Pierre Morel. Go, Kate!  Watch trailer

Want more new TV shows?

New on Netflix this week

Territory | Netflix | Drama

Series premiere, Thursday, October 24: When an Australian cattle baron dies, leaving no heir apparent to the largest ranch in the land, a power struggle erupts within the Lawson family for control. Complicating matters more, other barons, gangsters, miners, and Indigenous elders also want to take the cattle station. Territory, which certainly feels like an Australian Yellowstone, stars Robert Taylor, Anna Torv, Jay Ryan, Michael Dorman, and Sara Wiseman, with all six episodes dropping on October 24.  Watch trailer

New on Apple TV+ this weekend

Before | Apple TV+ | Drama, thriller

Series premiere, Friday, October 25: Child psychologist Eli (Billy Crystal) is adrift after the death of his wife (Judith Light) until he meets a troubled young boy (Jacobi Jupe) who seems to have a connection to his past. Psychological thriller Before also stars comedy/drama vets Rosie Perez and Hope Davis and now joins MGM+’s From in TV’s preposition-as-title annals. Two of 10 episodes stream on October 25. Watch trailer

Looking for your next binge-watch?

New on HBO this weekend

Somebody Somewhere | HBO, Max | Comedy, drama

Season 3 premiere, Sunday, October 27: For every mainstream hit like The Penguin, True Detective, and The Last of Us, there’s an obscure gem lurking the HBO crawlspaces, like Los Espookys, Ten Year Old Tom, and Somebody Somewhere. The acclaimed dramedy follows 40-something Sam (Bridget Everett) as she returns to her small Kansas hometown and struggles to fit in. But when she falls in with a local community of outsiders, she’s finally at home. Season 3 will be the bittersweet comedy’s last (boo). Watch trailer

New on Paramount+ this weekend

Lioness | Paramount+ | Drama

Season 2 premiere, Sunday, October 27: Previously known as Special Ops: Lioness, the Taylor Sheridan series is now just Lioness. (Apparently, Special Ops was just a temporary hook to get dudes to watch a show centered on women characters.) The series is based on a real-life CIA program that trains female recruits for undercover operations and features a stellar cast that includes Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, and Morgan Freeman. Season 2 adds Genesis Rodriguez (The Umbrella Academy), and two of eight episodes stream on October 27. Watch trailer

New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week

Carnage for Christmas (2024)

Billed as “a transgender holiday film,” Carnage for Christmas is a horror comedy currently sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes—not bad for a 19-year-old Australian filmmaker. Alice Maio Mackay’s fifth movie follows trans true-crime podcaster Lola (Jeremy Moineua) as she returns to her hometown for Christmas. She expected some local hostility but not a Santa-masked slasher on a killing spree. (Is he the urban legend The Toymaker come to horrific life? Can Lola stop him? Will Carnage for Christmas become your new favorite Halloween/Christmas movie?)  Watch trailer

• Carnage for Christmas (October 22)
• Classified (October 22)
• Daaaaali! (October 22)
• Food & Country (October 22)
• Ghost Game (October 22)
• Slay Ride (October 22)
• Taboo: Family Secrets (October 22)
• Transformers One (October 22)
• 1 Million Followers (October 25)
• Azrael (October 25)
• All You Need Is Blood (October 25)
• Darla in Space (October 25)
• Don’t Move (October 25)
• Frankie Freako (October 25)
• Hangdog (October 25)
• Trap (October 25)