New on TV this week
The Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday, October 1, won’t be as consequential as Kamala Harris’ televised beatdown of Donald Trump last month, but it will be interesting to see how Minnesota Governor Tim Walz counters Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. Can the Coach suppress the urge to bring up the Couch? Let’s all refer to CableTV.com’s presidential debate watch guide and find out.
This week’s What To Watch recs include the premiere of HBO’s The Franchise, new series Murder in a Small Town and Nobody Wants This, new horror movies Salem’s Lot and Hold Your Breath, a Velma Halloween special, the VOD debut of Deadpool & Wolverine, and NHL hockey and WWE wrestling action. Get watching!
New on FOX this week
New series, Tuesdays: Big-city detective Karl (Rossif Sutherland, son of Donald) moves to a seemingly quiet northwestern burg, sparks a casual romance with local librarian Cassandra (Kristen Kreuk), and investigates homicides. If you ever wished that Virgin River had a higher body count, here’s Murder in a Small Town, a low-key crime drama where the weekly cases go down as easily as a solid, hoppy IPA. Like FOX’s only other new drama this season, Rescue HI-Surf, vibes and scenery are the priorities here. Watch trailer
New on Max this week
Salem’s Lot | Max | Drama, horror
Movie premiere, Thursday, October 3: The third overall adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot novel has been sitting on the shelf since 2021, only now arriving on Max after a theatrical release was nixed. The story remains the same: Writer Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns to his hometown of Jerusalem’s Lot looking for inspiration for his next project and soon finds that the town is being terrorized by a powerful vampire. Sounds like a book that could be turned into at least three screen versions. Watch trailer
New on Max this week
Velma: This Halloween Needs to Be More Special! | Max | Animation, comedy
Special, Thursday, October 3: Sorry, haters—Velma Dinkley isn’t (entirely) dead yet. At the end of the second season of Velma earlier this year, Velma (voiced by Mindy Kaling) was literally ghosted, but it was revealed that she could be brought back from the spirit realm by a magic spell on Halloween night. Will Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson), and Fred (Glenn Howerton) be able to take time out from primping for the annual Sexy Halloween Party to resurrect Velma? Ruh-roh!
New on Hulu this week
Hold Your Breath | Hulu | Drama, horror
Movie premiere, Thursday, October 3: In 1930s Oklahoma, Margaret (Sarah Paulson) becomes convinced that there’s an evil supernatural presence lurking in the region’s paralyzing dust storms, and she’ll go to desperate ends to protect her young daughter. Is the legend of the lung-seizing Grey Man true? And why wasn’t this movie titled The Grey Man? Or Dust to Dust? Oklahoma! also could have worked. Anyway … Hold Your Breath also stars Annaleigh Ashford and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear). Watch trailer
Want more new TV shows?
Live on NHL Network this weekend
NHL Global Series | NHL Network | Sports, hockey
Coverage begins Friday, October 4, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT: Still in the preseason, the National Hockey League’s 2024–2025 season doesn’t drop the puck stateside until next week, but the NHL Global Series gets underway this weekend with the Buffalo Sabres taking on the New Jersey Devils at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. On Tuesday, October 8, the NHL season officially begins with St. Louis Blues vs. Seattle Kraken, Boston Bruins vs. Florida Panthers, and Chicago Blackhawks vs. the brand-new Utah Hockey Club.
Live on Peacock this weekend
WWE Bad Blood | Peacock | Sports, wrestling
Coverage begins Saturday, October 5, 8 p.m./5 p.m. PT: Live from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, it’s WWE Bad Blood 2024. On the card: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (Hell in a Cell match), Damian Priest vs. Finn Bálor, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu, and the Women’s World Championship grudge match featuring Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley with “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio and his lush mullet dangling above the ring in a shark cage because why not? Watch trailer
Looking for your next binge-watch?
New on HBO this weekend
Series premiere, Sunday, October 6: Feeling that superhero movie fatigue? The Franchise, a behind-the-scenes dark-showbiz comedy about what is certainly/legally not a Marvel Cinematic Universe, is here for your relief. The eight-episode series comes from some of the writers and directors behind Veep, Succession, Avenue 5, and Skyfall. It stars Himesh Patel, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Isaac Powell, and Aya Cash, who comes with her own previous superhero experience as Stormfront on The Boys. Watch trailer
New on Netflix this weekend
Nobody Wants This | Netflix | Comedy, drama
New series, now streaming: Outspoken, agnostic podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and newly single rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) strike up an unusual romance in actress Erin Foster’s debut as a show creator, Nobody Wants This. Since its premiere in September, the 10-episode series has racked up accolades as an easy-breezy rom-com in the vein of Colin From Accounts, as well as countless nods to Bell and Brody’s past as 2000s TV teen icons (on Veronica Mars and The O.C., respectively). Sandy Cohen would approve. Watch trailer
New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
The long-awaited third installment of the Deadpool franchise is … a lot. When the Time Variance Authority (remember that from Loki?) enlists Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) to fix the multiverse, he sets out to find a not-dead version of his old pal Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in the timelines. From there, Deadpool & Wolverine explodes into an over-the-top-of-the-top inside joke about the various phases and studios of the MCU, bringing back several discarded superheroes (including Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Wesley Snipes’ Blade). D&W is now the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, an honor Disney doesn’t know how to process but will definitely cash in on. Watch trailer
- The 4:30 Movie (October 1)
- All Kinds of Love (October 1)
- Another Happy Day (October 1)
- Art Dealers (October 1)
- Butchers Book Three: Bonesaw (October 1)
- Cassino in Ischia (October 1)
- Come Home (October 1)
- The Curse of the Necklace (October 1)
- Deadpool & Wolverine (October 1)
- Down Below (October 1)
- Heightened (October 1)
- My Penguin Friend (October 1)
- Sebastian (October 1)
- Strange Darling (October 1)
- Treasure Trackers (October 1)
- The Killer’s Game (October 4)
- Krazy House (October 4)
- Little Bites (October 4)
- A Million Days (October 4)
- Operation Blood Hunt (October 4)
- The Problem With People (October 4)
- The Radleys (October 4)
- Red Rooms (October 4)
- Spin the Bottle (October 4)
- Take Cover (October 4)
- Things Will Be Different (October 4)
- The Veil (October 4)
- The Wait (October 4)