Watch List: 24 Shows and Movies to Stream in October 2021
By Ishani Nath
Image: CBC
Every month, Ishani Nath, pop culture expert, journalist and the most avid tv-watcher I have ever met, is sharing her top picks for new shows, movies and documentaries to stream on Amazon Prime Video, CBC Gem, Crave, Hayu Canada and Netflix Canada, plus the one older release she thinks you should check out. Here’s what she’s recommending this month.
I know I sound like a broken record, but honestly, how the heck is it October already? It feels like we were just getting into the summer swing of things, cautiously venturing out of lockdown and into the blazing sunlight. Reconnecting with friends and loved ones. Even taking a trip or two. And yet somehow, while we were distracted by all the things we had missed so dearly, the leaves turned and now fall is here.
The show I can’t shut up about: Reservation Dogs. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the half-hour comedy series follows four Indigenous teens who live on a reservation in eastern Oklahoma, but have big dreams of making it out to California. I am not kidding when I say that I have enjoyed each and every episode of this show, at times so much that I’ve rewatched them just to spend more time with this crew of characters. The humour and storytelling feel unlike anything else on TV—and there’s a reason for that. Indigenous people are one of the most underrepresented demographics on television, according to a 2019 Nielsen study. As Reservation Dogs star Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, who is from Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Territory, said at the Emmys: “It’s a good start which can lead us to the day when telling stories from underserved communities will be the norm, not the exception.” Reservation Dogs is available on Disney+ with new episodes dropping every Wednesday. Watch. This. Show.
In addition to Reservation Dogs, here are other exciting titles coming to Canadian streaming sites this October.
Amazon Prime Video
Black as Night (Premieres October 1)
A resourceful teenage girl leaves childhood behind when she battles a group of deadly vampires in Black as Night, an action-horror hybrid with a strong social conscience and a biting sense of humor. Fifteen years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, a new threat leaves its mark on the Big Easy in the form of puncture wounds on the throats of the city’s vulnerable displaced population. When her drug-addicted mom becomes the latest victim of the undead, 15-year-old Shawna (Asjha Cooper) vows to even the score. Along with three trusted friends, Shawna hatches a bold plan to infiltrate the vampires’ mansion in the historic French Quarter, destroy their leader, and turn his fanged disciples back to their human form. But killing monsters is no easy task, and soon Shawna and her crew find themselves caught in a centuries-old conflict between warring vampire factions, each fighting to claim New Orleans as their permanent home.
My Name is Pauli Murray (Premieres October 1)
Fifteen years before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat, a full decade before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned separate-but-equal legislation, Pauli Murray was already knee-deep fighting for social justice. A pioneering attorney, activist, priest and dedicated memoirist, Murray shaped landmark litigation—and consciousness—around race and gender equity. As an African American youth raised in the segregated South—who was also wrestling with broader notions of gender identity—Pauli understood, intrinsically, what it was to exist beyond previously accepted categories and cultural norms. Both Pauli’s personal path and tireless advocacy foreshadowed some of the most politically consequential issues of our time. Told largely in Pauli’s own words, My Name is Pauli Murray is a candid recounting of that unique and extraordinary journey.
I Know What You Did Last Summer, Season 1 (Premieres October 15)
Based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Lois Duncan, this teen horror series is a modern take on the book and the 1997 film, and follows a group of friends stalked by a brutal killer one year after covering up a car accident in which they killed a man.
Fairfax (Premieres October 29)
From the studio behind Big Mouth comes the smart, weird, and hilarious adult comedy about four middle school best friends on a never-ending quest for clout along Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles’ pulsing heart of hypebeast culture. The series takes a modern look at the timeless struggle to be cooler than you are and to fit in while standing out.
CBC Gem
What’s Your Ailment? (Premieres October 1)
Mental health is important! No one knows that better than comedian Maria Bamford. Now she’s opening up the discussion with fellow comedians and artists who share their own experiences. Join their funny, moving, and utterly candid conversations.
Sort Of (Premieres October 5)
Sort Of, from creators Bilal Baig (Acha Bacha) and Fab Filippo (Save Me), is a big-hearted CBC and HBO Max original series about Sabi Mehboob (Baig), a gender-fluid South Asian millennial who straddles various identities from bartender at a 2SLGBTQ+ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family. Sabi feels like they’re in transition in every aspect of their life, from gender to love to sexuality to family to career. When Sabi’s best friend 7ven (Amanda Cordner) presents them with an opportunity to live and find themself in the "queerest place in the galaxy," Sabi instead makes the decision to stay and care for the kids they nanny after their mom has a serious bike accident. Do they regret it? Sort of. A refreshing coming-of-age story, Sort Of exposes the labels we once poured ourselves into as no longer applicable... to anyone. Boasting a racially, culturally, trans and gender diverse team in front of and behind the camera, the groundbreaking series unapologetically represents and pushes against the walls of underrepresentation on TV to create space for queer people of South Asian, Muslim backgrounds; and of colour across Canada and beyond. While the series is a first in many respects, it's firstly entertaining to watch. (PS! Friday Things founder Stacy Lee Kong got a chance to chat with Bilal Baig ahead of Sort Of’s premiere—look out for their chat in the next Club Friday members’ newsletter! And if you haven’t already signed up, do that here.)
Firecrackers (Premieres October 8)
Firecrackers tells the story of Lou (Michaela Kurimsky, Succor) and her best friend Chantal (Karena Evans, Mary Kills People) as they plan to get out of their isolated, run-down town and move to a city far, far away. When Chantal’s unstable and possessive ex violates her during a night of partying, the girls decide to exact their revenge on him through a night of vandalism and debauchery. The consequences of their actions are devastating, threatening the girls’ chance at freedom.
Issa Rae as her Insecure character Issa Dee in a still from the show’s fifth and final season. (Image: Crave Canada)
Crave Canada
The Unusual Suspects (Premieres October 1)
This heist drama starring Miranda Otto (Riverdale) follows the theft of a multi-million-dollar necklace, and the women from different walks of life who come together to ensure that justice is served.
15 Minutes of Shame (Premieres October 7)
The HBO Max original documentary 15 Minutes of Shame is executive produced by Monica Lewinsky and Max Joseph (Catfish). The documentary is a timely, eye-opening roller-coaster ride through the world of public shaming. It examines social behaviour by embedding with individuals from across the U.S. who have been publicly shamed or cyber-harassed – while exploring the bullies, the bystanders, the media, psychologists, politicians, and experts in between.
Canada’s Drag Race, Season 2 (Premieres October 14)
The award-winning Crave Original series Canada’s Drag Race returns for its 10-episode sophomore season, and follows the journey of 12 fierce and fiery Canadian queens as they compete for the title of “Canada’s Next Drag Superstar.” Each episode tests the queen’s talents, and challenges them to master singing, dancing, acting, impersonations, costume making, and improvisation. Judging this season is a panel of four homegrown icons, including Brooke Lynn Hytes, Brad Goreski, Amanda Brugel and Traci Melchor, who are joined every week by a celebrity guest judge. One competitor is eliminated at the end of each episode, until one queen is left standing.
Succession, Season 3 (Premieres October 17)
The critically acclaimed series, depicting the hyper-wealthy and hyper-depraved Roy family, returns with guns blazing after its bombshell Season 2 ending. Ambushed by his rebellious son Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Logan Roy (Brian Cox) begins the new season in a perilous position. Scrambling to secure familial, political, and financial alliances, tensions rise as a bitter corporate battle threatens to turn into a family civil war. As fractures in the Roy family deepen, this season is rounded out with new players, including Adrien Brody (Chapelwaite), and Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies), both playing billionaire executives, and Sanaa Lathan (The Affair) as a high-profile lawyer.
Insecure, Season 5 (Premieres October 24)
Starring NAACP Image Award winner and six-time Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award nominee Issa Rae, the series follows African-American best friends as they evaluate their relationships, both new and old, in an effort to figure out who and what comes with them in this next phase of their lives. After four seasons of mirror raps, love triangles, polarizing fights, and awkward moments, Season 5 gives viewers one last chance for reflection and closure on the series most important relationships; Issa and Molly's friendship, and Issa and Lawrence's love.
Hayu Canada
Below Deck, Season 9 (Premieres October 26)
Set on the stunning waters of St. Kitts in the Caribbean, superyacht My Seanna welcomes back veteran Eddie, in a new role as first officer, alongside chef Rachel who is ready to redeem herself after a memorable last season.
Victoria Pedretti and Penn Badgley in You. (Image: Netflix)
Netflix Canada
The Guilty (Premieres October 1)
911 operator Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) works relentlessly to save a caller in grave danger—but soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out. Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Maid (Premieres October 1)
Inspired by the New York Times best-selling memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land, Maid follows the story of Alex, a single mother who turns to housecleaning to — barely — make ends meet as she escapes an abusive relationship and overcomes homelessness to create a better life for her daughter, Maddy. Seen through the emotional yet humorous lens of a desperate but determined woman, this series is a raw and inspiring exploration of a mother’s resilience.
On My Block, Season 4 (Premieres October 4)
Two years after going their separate ways, Ruby, Jamal, Monse and Cesar face new threats and must decide if their friendship is truly ride or die
My Brother, My Sister (Premieres October 8)
When their father's will forces them to live together, siblings Nik and Tesla — and Tesla's kids — try to overcome their differences to become a family.
The Baby-Sitters Club, Season 2 (Premieres October 11)
Based on the best-selling book series by Ann M. Martin, The Baby-Sitters Club is a contemporary dramedy that follows the friendship and adventures of seven friends as they start their own babysitting business in Stoneybrook, Connecticut. As demand for their club continues to grow, founders Kristy Thomas, Mary-Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer have now welcomed Mallory Pike and Jessi Ramsey to their ranks. With the new school year comes booming business, new relationships, personal journeys, and important lessons, but through it all the club is there for each other every step of the way.
Little Things, Season 4 (Premieres October 15)
From cohabitation to living long-distance, Kavya and Dhruv have weathered it all. But will their six years of history ensure a future together
You, Season 3 (Premieres October 15)
In Season 3, Joe and Love, now married and raising their baby, have moved to the balmy Northern California enclave of Madre Linda, where they’re surrounded by privileged tech entrepreneurs, judgmental mommy bloggers and Insta-famous biohackers. Joe is committed to his new role as a husband and dad, but fears Love’s lethal impulsiveness. And then there’s his heart. Could the woman he’s been searching for all this time live right next door? Breaking out of a cage in a basement is one thing. But the prison of a picture-perfect marriage to a woman who’s wise to your tricks? Well, that’ll prove a much more complicated escape.
Stuck Together (Premieres October 20)
When Paris goes into lockdown during the pandemic, the quirky residents of an apartment building must adjust to a new life — and one another.
Night Teeth (Premieres October 20)
A college student moonlighting as a chauffeur picks up two mysterious women for a night of party-hopping across LA. But when he uncovers their bloodthirsty intentions — and their dangerous, shadowy underworld — he must fight to stay alive.
Colin in Black & White (Premieres October 28)
This drama series from Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay explores Kaepernick's high school years and the experiences that led him to become an activist.