Here's what's worth streaming in October 2024: 'Heartstopper,' 'The Diplomat,' 'Shrinking' and more

By Mike Murphy

Hulu's 'What We Do in the Shadows' and Max's 'Somebody Somewhere' return for their final seasons

Fall is here, offering streaming customers the chance to turn a new leaf - or at least save a few bucks on their subscriptions.

While watchable shows still abound - you can take your pick from Apple, Netflix and Hulu, for example - we've come to that part of the year where there's nothing particularly prestige-y enough that demands to be viewed right now.

That should let consumers re-evaluate what they're streaming, and perhaps provide an opportune time to cancel a service or two.

And that's precisely where a strategy of churning - that is, adding and dropping services month to month - comes in. It takes some planning, but pays off in monthly savings. Keep in mind that a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of the month.

Each month, this column offers tips on how to maximize your streaming and your budget - rating the major services as "play," "pause" or "stop," similar to investment analysts' traditional ratings of buy, hold or sell - and picks the best shows to help you make your monthly decisions.

Here's a look at what's coming to the various streaming services in October 2024, and what's really worth the monthly subscription fee:

Apple TV+ ($9.99 a month)

Apple (AAPL) has yet another month with new dramas helmed by big-name Hollywood stars. And the previews look promising.

Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline star in "Disclaimer" (Oct. 11), a psychological thriller series written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón ("Children of Men," "Gravity"). Based on the novel by Renée Knight, Blanchett plays an investigative journalist who is sent a mysterious novel that threatens to expose her devastating secrets.

Billy Crystal stars in another thriller series, "Before" (Oct. 25), playing a widowed child psychologist who discovers he has a haunting connection with a troubled boy. Judith Light, Hope Davis and Rosie Perez fill out the cast.

There's also Season 2 of Bill Lawrence's uneven but mostly charming dramedy "Shrinking" (Oct. 16), about an unconventional therapist trying to move on from his grief, starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, and a trio of international offerings: "Where's Wanda?" (Oct. 2), a German dark comedy about parents who suspect their neighbors in their teen's disappearance; "Tu Tambien lo Harias" (Oct. 30), a Spanish crime drama about the aftermath of a deadly armed robbery; and the Korean documentary "The Last of the Sea Women" (Oct. 11), about a vanishing culture of women divers who harvest the sea.

Among returning series, "Slow Horses" ends its fourth season Oct. 9, the same day as the finale of "Bad Monkey." Both shows, though very different, run on vibes in the best possible way, and are among the year's most entertaining shows. There's also the Season 2 finale of the brilliant family drama "Pachinko" (Oct. 11) and new episodes every week of the French fashion drama "La Maison."

Catch up: Season 2 of "Silo" is coming in November, so now's a good time to catch up on the first season, which largely flew under the radar when it premiered last year. The dystopian drama about members of a futuristic community living in a giant underground silo who gradually unravel the mystery about why they're there wasn't perfect, but was well-acted and interesting in its compact world-building. A lot of questions were left unanswered though, with tantalizing hints of a much bigger universe, making Season 2's arrival something to look forward to.

Play, pause or stop? Play. Its big-name series can be hit or miss, but credit to Apple for taking big swings. There have been more hits than misses in recent months, and October looks to continue that streak.

Netflix ($6.99 a month for standard with ads, $15.49 standard with no ads, $22.99 premium with no ads)

Get ready, Netflix (NFLX) is turning on the firehose again.

Two cult favorites return, with Season 3 of the queer romantic drama "Heartstopper" (Oct. 3), which sees Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Conner) facing more heart-rending relationship challenges, and the YA drama "Outer Banks" (Oct. 10) starting its fourth season - which will annoyingly be split in half, with Part 2 coming in November - as the Pogues gear up for a new treasure-hunting adventure.

Netflix will try to blend "Succession" and "Yellowstone" with "Territory" (Oct. 24), a big-budget family drama about a dynastic Australian cattle ranch, starring Anna Torv ("Fringe") and Michael Dorman ("For All Mankind"); and there's Season 2 of the critically praised political thriller "The Diplomat" (Oct. 31), starring Keri Russell as an in-over-her-head U.S. ambassador to Britain. The action picks right up after last season's explosive finale, and Allison Janney ("The West Wing") joins the cast.

There's also "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft" (Oct. 10), an animated spin on the classic videogame; Season 3 of "The Lincoln Lawyer" (Oct. 17), the legal drama based on Michael Connelly's novels; and "Woman of the Hour" (Oct. 18), the based-on-a-true-story movie starring Anne Kendrick as an aspiring actress who meets a serial killer on "The Dating Game."

On the reality side there's "Chef's Table: Noodles" (Oct. 2), a spinoff of the drool-inducing docuseries; Season 7 of "Love Is Blind" (Oct. 2), with new episodes weekly; Season 5 of "Unsolved Mysteries" (Oct. 2); "The Menendez Brothers" (Oct. 7), a true-crime documentary that features interviews with both brothers that comes on the heels of Ryan Murphy's salacious new season of "Monsters"; "Dinner Time with David Chang: Holiday Edition" (Oct. 8), a live cooking event with the celebrity chef; "Starting 5" (Oct. 9), a behind-the-scenes NBA docuseries following Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum; "Simone Biles Rising: Part 2" (Oct. 25), showing the gymnast's 2024 Olympic journey; and "Martha" (Oct. 30), a documentary about Martha Stewart.

Netflix also has comedy specials from Ali Wong, "Single Lady" (Oct. 8), Rachel Bloom's "Death, Let Me Do My Special" (Oct. 15) and Hasan Minhaj's "Off With His Head" (Oct. 22); and is adding Season 1 of Showtime's addictive thriller "Yellowjackets" (Oct. 1), both seasons of Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson's brilliantly offbeat 2017 sitcom "Detroiters" (Oct. 15), and all six seasons of the addictive teen drama "Gossip Girl" (Oct. 31) . And don't forget new episodes of "The Great British Baking Show" every Friday.

Meet-cute: The Kristen Bell-Adam Brody series "Nobody Wants This" dropped in September, and it's a rare rom-com that's actually romantic and comedic. It doesn't hurt that the leads have dazzling chemistry, and the supporting cast - which includes Justine Lupe ("Succession") and Timothy Simons ("Veep") - is pitch perfect. Yes, it's predictable as it hits every rom-com trope, but its unfiltered charm and swoony banter is more than enough to overcome some tired cliches and stereotypes.

Play, pause or stop? Play. If you can't find something interesting in Netflix's massive library, you might not be human.

Hulu ($7.99 a month with ads, or $17.99 with no ads)

Hulu has the sixth and final season of the most consistently funny show on TV, FX's "What We Do in the Shadows" (Oct. 22), as Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) re-evaluates his life after a brief stint as a vampire, while his blood-sucking friends (Matt Berry, Natasia Demetrious, Kayvan Novak and Mark Proksch) mull over how little they have done in their time. It's truly amazing that a show this goofy and ridiculous also manages to be so heartfelt - touching even - when it comes to topics like love and friendship.

Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, the stars of "Y Tu Mamá También," reunite for the Spanish-language boxing drama "La Máquina" (Oct. 9), about an aging boxer whose manager sets up one last chance at a title - only to be told he must throw the fight. Other international fare includes "Rivals" (Oct. 18), a limited series based on Jill Cooper's bestselling novel about the drama and excess of the British social elite in the 1980s, starring Alex Hassell ("Cowboy Bebop"), David Tennant ("Doctor Who") and Aidan Turner ("Poldark"); and "Nemesis" (Oct. 16), a Dutch conspiracy-thriller series.

For scary season, there's the horror movie "Mr. Crocket" (Oct. 11), about a serial killer who also hosts a children's TV show; "Hold Your Breath" (Oct. 3), a horror movie set in the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma, starring Sarah Paulson ("American Horror Story") and Ebon Moss-Bachrach ("The Bear"); a "Solar Opposites" Halloween special (Oct. 14); a "Family Guy" Halloween special exclusive to Hulu (Oct. 14); and an "American Horror Stories Huluween Event" (Oct. 15).

Hulu also has network shows such as the season premiere of "Abbott Elementary" (Oct. 10); new episodes of FX's "English Teacher" (season finale Oct. 14), the hilarious high-school teacher comedy that's nothing like "Abbott" but can't help being compared to it (let's just say it's a lot more explicit, in every way); weekly episodes of "The Old Man" (finale Oct. 24) and "Only Murders in the Building" (season finale Oct. 29); and the concert documentary "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" (Oct. 25, also on Disney+).

Play, pause or stop? Play. "What We Do in the Shadows" is a must-watch, "Only Murders" and "English Teacher" are also worthy, and "La Máquina" looks intriguing. Besides, Hulu's library is extensive.

Disney+ ($7.99 a month with ads, $13.99 with no ads)

Disney (DIS) is deep into the Halloween spirit with new episodes of its supernatural Marvel spinoff "Agatha All Along" (finale Oct. 30). It's a campy, kooky and yes, altogether spooky ride with a terrific cast, led by Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone and Sasheer Zamata, and its playful take on the MCU is a welcome change of pace.

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10-01-24 2114ET

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