The 23 Best TV Premieres Of October Are Not For The Faint Of Heart

Ripped from the headlines, this thriller stars Matthew McConaughey as a school bus driver that puts his life at risk, accompanied by a teacher (America Ferrera), to save 22 children from a California wildfire. Paul Greengrass (“United 93”) directs.

Starring Cillian Murphy and based upon the bestselling novella “Shy,” this film follows a teacher struggling with his own mental health while trying to shepherd a group of troubled teens. One of his students, Shy, is a young man also struggling between his past and his future, fighting demons of self-destruction.

The last project Norman Lear worked on before his death, this series follows Cameron (Miles Heizer), a closeted gay teen who enlists in the Marines in the 1990s. It’s based on Greg Cope White’s memoir “The Pink Marine.” The show was initially delayed in 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

A chilling documentary, this film dives into the cover-up at an Alabama prison where inmates are dying. The prisoners stop at nothing to let their truth be told.

Colin Hanks (son of Tom) directs this sweet documentary as a love letter to the legendary comedian and Canadian hero, John Candy. From home movies to interviews with his co-stars and family members, Hanks weaves a tale of a man who strove to bring joy to the masses while battling demons within.

Like a real-life “The Bear,” this culinary docu-series shows chefs in pursuit of an elusive Michelin Star, the most prestigious honor in the restaurant industry. Gordon Ramsay exec produces.

Adapted from the best-selling thriller by Ruth Ware, this film follows a journalist (Keira Knightley) who thinks she witnessed a murder onboard a luxurious cruise ship. When no one believes her, she becomes a sleuth, only to find herself in mortal danger.

Fans of Tim Robinson’s oddball sketch show “I Think You Should Leave” will love this equally awkward narrative series about a man who becomes obsessed with a workplace conspiracy. Lake Bell, Sophia Lillis and Lou Diamond Phillips co-star.

Back for a third season, this Maya Rudolph-fronted comedy series follows a woman who becomes a billionaire after her divorce. This season finds her dating and trying to spend all her money through her charity foundation, while also acting a bit clueless.

Based on the haunting and very recent true-crime story, this series follows a privileged Southern family with a trail of murder following them. Jason Clarke plays attorney Alex Murdaugh, with Patricia Arquette as his wife Maggie.

When a teen disappears, John Wayne Gacy becomes the prime suspect. What investigators will soon find out is that his roster of victims lands in the double digits. This series is based on the true crimes of a notorious serial killer and stars Michael Chernus, Gabriel Luna, James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland and Michael Angarano.

A hit in the UK, this thriller series follows a house cleaner whose relationship with her new wealthy employer takes a dangerous turn.

Dive into the life and career of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, as told by director Rebecca Miller, in this new documentary series. Interviews with the man himself, his family and his legendary colleagues, including Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cate Blanchett and Jodie Foster tell the behind-the-scenes tales of his impressive filmography and add insight into his life.

Shocking and raw, this documentary film uses body cam footage to tell the story of a violent day in a neighborhood. When an elderly woman opposes a group of children nearby, no one can predict just how far it will escalate.

Cooper Raiff has already earned accolades with his super indie films like “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” but now he writes, directs and stars in this series about co-dependent adult siblings and family drama. Lili Reinhart plays his sister, and the two also play the same parts in childhood flashbacks. Mark Ruffalo stars as their dad.

A remake of the 1992 film, this thriller follows a woman who is suspicious of her new nanny, who seems to be edging in on her family. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Maika Monroe, Martin Starr and Raul Castillo star.

In this limited series, Sam Claflin plays a psychologist haunted by ghosts, including his dead father (Bill Nighy). He soon becomes obsessed with cold case murders. The series was created by Harlan Coben and Danny Brocklehurst, though it is not based on any of Coben’s novels.

A hit in its first season, this rom-com series returns for another. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody play an interfaith couple — an agnostic and a rabbi — who must deal with different beliefs, world views and families to stay together.

Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow returns with this film about White House officials in crisis mode over a missile attack from an unknown source. The A-list cast includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Anthony Ramos, Jared Harris, Greta Lee, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jason Clarke, Kaitlyn Dever, Tracy Letts, Gabriel Basso and Moses Ingram.

Actor and director Ben Stiller turns the spotlight on his own family, namely his parents, legendary comedy duo Stiller and Meara. The documentary, pieced together with tons of archival footage of the couples’ life, reviews their careers and relationship, as well as what it was like to grow up with them.

A frightening prequel series to the two “It” movies, this chapter follows the parents of the movie kids as they first deal with the terror in the sewers in the 1960s. As this is based on Stephen King’s characters, be on the lookout for lots of other King-related Easter eggs. Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise.

From the writer of “Slow Horses” comes this series starring Emma Thompson as a private investigator looking into the disappearance of a young girl in Oxford. Ruth Wilson co-stars as her new client.

You’ve never seen Hedda Gabler like this before. Nia DaCosta (“Candyman”) adapts the classic Ibsen play with fresh eyes and a gender twist. Hedda (Tessa Thompson) is a wealthy socialite married to a man she doesn’t love. Over the course of one evening, she is reunited with a past love, which upends everything around her.