What are the biggest TV shows and web series coming to streaming in October 2023? Leading the pack this month are two returning fan-favourite shows that deal with multiverse-hopping shenanigans. First up, we’ll see Tom Hiddleston reprise his role as the God of Mischief and navigate across an alternate version of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) where no one recognises him. Loki season 2 premieres October 6 on Disney+ Hotstar. Chase that down with the ludicrous Rick and Morty season 7, as our alcoholic scientist grandpa prepares to hunt down his villainous multiverse counterpart that killed his family. It starts streaming October 16 on Netflix in India.
A new chapter of Mumbai Diaries fires things up on the local end, pitting the emotionally broken doctors at the BGH (Bombay General Hospital) against the cruel calamity of the Mumbai floods, as they struggle to save lives and fight their personal battles. The medical drama brings back its ensemble cast from the terror-ridden first season — Konkana Sen Sharma, Mohit Raina, and more — and drops October 6 on Amazon Prime Video. Then, Netflix has a survival drama lined up for us — on the glistening shores of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where a group of visitors get trapped and forced into cooperating with each other, only for the social order to start crumbling. Kaala Paani is out October 18.
Killers of the Flower Moon to Khufiya: The Biggest Movies Releasing in October
Other notable releases this month include Sultan of Delhi, a Hotstar Specials crime drama that chronicles the life of a young gangster, who works with Delhi’s biggest arms dealer to dominate the capital. Suparn Verma (The Family Man) co-directs some of the episodes, and it’s slated to release October 13 on Disney+ Hotstar. You can learn more about the aforementioned TV shows and more below, and also feel free to discover the complete list of upcoming web series at our entertainment hub. With that, here’s our TV guide to October 2023, covering releases on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Netflix.
Beckham
When: October 5
Where: Netflix
Touting never-seen-before footage, Netflix’s Beckham promises a candid look at the former professional English footballer — from his humble beginnings at Manchester United to turning into a legendary athlete, all the while facing public scrutiny as a sex icon who dated Spice Girls member Victoria. But his meteoric rise in popularity also came with setbacks such as a red card during the 1998 England v Argentina FIFA World Cup game, his locker room scuffle with Alex Ferguson, and people accusing him of having changed with fame. Academy Award-winner Fisher Stevens — who played the bumbling Hugo Baker in Succession — helms this four-part docu-series, featuring interviews with key figures from David Beckham’s personal and professional lives.
All episodes of Beckham drop October 5 on Netflix.
Everything Now
When: October 6
Where: Netflix
Netflix is back with another cheeky high-school British show with a dash of teenage angst. This time, we follow 16-year-old Mia Polanco — played by Talk To Me’s Sophia Wilde — who returns home after a lengthy battle with anorexia and is immediately thrust into the chaotic world of sixth form. Panic sets in when she realises that while she continued recovering in some dingy room, all her friends had moved on with their teen lives, gaining experiences that she could’ve shared. Fearing that her childhood is racing by too fast, she creates an ever-evolving bucket list of things to try and make up for all the time she lost.
Hand-in-hand with her three best mates — William (Noah Thomas), Becca (Lauryn Ajufo), and Cam (Harry Cadby) — Mia cleans up and dives headfirst into the world of neon-lit parties to get drunk, have her first kiss, break the law, karaoke, and confess feelings for her newfound crush (Jessie Mae Alonzo). It appears as though Everything Now will lean slightly into the gritty tone depicted in HBO’s Euphoria to touch upon the mental health issues in teenagers, stemming from poor body image to drug use, and even some failed upbringing drama. Debutant writer Ripley Parker helms this young adult series, which also ropes in Stephen Fry (A Bit of Fry & Laurie) as Mia’s doctor.
All eight episodes of Everything Now will be available to stream October 6 on Netflix.
Loki season 2
When: October 6
Where: Disney+ Hotstar
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been subject to some content drought this year, with Loki season 2 marking only the second live-action entry. After Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) stabbed the non-hostile He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) to death, splitting the timeline into 63 new multiversal branches, the God of Mischief Loki (Tom Hiddleston) finds himself in a timeline where no TVA member recognises him. That is until his body begins to randomly distort and plop him onto past and future events by way of time slipping. Partnered with an alternate version of TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson), Loki must now navigate through an ever-expanding multiverse to be reunited with his old team.
A version of Sylvie is working at McDonald’s now, Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) is a doctor, Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is strolling about elite parties in the past, and Kang the Conqueror appears as a stage magician, of sorts. Things are getting wild, and Loki is unable to keep up with everything as the mysterious force continues throwing him across timelines. The new season also brings in Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan as OB, a TVA agent archivist who also supplies our heroes with equipment for both time and multiversal travel. Some of it is broken, but it’s nothing some duct tape won’t fix! Unlike the movies, it’s also cool to finally see Loki using his full potential from sparkly magic blasts to creating horned mirror images of himself.
Loki season 2 debuts October 6 on Disney+ Hotstar. It will then follow a weekly release schedule, with new episodes coming out every Friday until November 10.
Mumbai Diaries season 2
When: October 6
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Nine months after the events of the 26/11 terrorist attacks, the crew at Bombay General Hospital face their next big challenge: a series of unprecedented torrential rainfalls that flood the entirety of Mumbai and bring the city to a standstill. As victims of the disaster keep getting rushed into the emergency rooms, our team of doctors led by trauma surgeon Dr. Kaushik Oberoi (Mohit Raina) and Chitra Das (Konkana Sen Sharma), face an identity crisis. Mumbai Diaries season 2 is largely focused on the resilience these doctors show in such times of crisis, despite limited resources and leaky ceilings, all the while worrying about their own families’ wellbeing at the back of their minds.
It’s also suggested that characters like Chitra will undergo more development in this upcoming chapter, delving into her past to reveal what made her the hard-boiled worker she is. Nikhil Advani returns as the director, with an ensemble cast comprising Tina Desai as Oberoi’s wife Ananya, who gets stuck in traffic as the water level continues to rise, while Natasha Bharadwaj returns as the first-year resident Dr. Diya Parekh.
All episodes of Mumbai Diaries season 2 will be up for streaming October 6 on Amazon Prime Video.
The Fall of the House of Usher
When: October 12
Where: Netflix
Mike Flanagan returns this spooky season with a modern-day take on the Edgar Allan Poe short story, The Fall of the House of Usher. After buying Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, ruthless siblings Madeline (Mary McDonnell) and Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) have turned it into a vast, wealthy corporate empire at the cost of some controversial practices. But when a mysterious shape-shifting woman from their youth, Verna (Carla Gugino), re-enters their life, the Usher heirs start dying one-by-one in brutal fashion, forcing the patriarch to face his past secrets. But she’s not the only person hellbent on overthrowing the Ushers, as the determined attorney Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly) has been warring with the family for over 30 years, coining them the name, ‘The Usher Crime Family.’
Meanwhile, the Ushers have an invincible lawyer Arthur Pym (Mark Hamill), an enigmatic force who investigates and cuts down loose threads with no questions asked. Flanagan reunites with actors he’s worked on in previous projects such as Midnight Mass and The Haunting series, starting with Rahul Kohli as Leo Usher, a video game patron and playboy who relies on drugs to numb the pain of his soulless reality. Then there’s Henry Thomas as the eldest son Frederick, Samantha Sloyan as the more suitable heir Tamerlane Usher, Crystal Balint as former model Morella Usher, Sauriyan Sapkota as the youngest child Perry Usher. Kate Siegel’s Camille L’Espanaye gets roped into the drama, running PR for the family and collecting dirt on everyone close to her.
All eight episodes of The Fall of the House of Usher are out October 12 on Netflix.
Lessons in Chemistry
When: October 13
Where: Apple TV+
Academy Award-winner Brie Larson plays a driven scientist in this drama, falling for her Nobel prize-nominated colleague Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman) and starting a family. But like science, life’s got different plans for us sometimes. And so, things fall apart, and she soon ends up a single mother and challenged by a 1960s patriarchal society when her seniors fire her from the job. All hope seems lost for former Dr. Elizabeth Zott until she’s approached by Walter (Kevin Sussman) with an offer to run her own cooking show. But ‘Supper at Six’ isn’t just any normal show, as she takes an unconventional approach to it by often dishing out witty remarks about how women are one of the most overlooked forces in the household.
Of course, the producers aren’t happy about injecting politics into kitchen activities, but the show as a whole begins to perform exceptionally well, inspiring countless housewives to work toward their dreams and understand their true worth. But at its core, Elizabeth wants to pursue science. Helping her on this crusade is Harriet Slone (Aja Naomi King), who herself struggles with running a family when the government decides to forcefully build a freeway through a black-populated neighbourhood. Lee Eisenberg — best known for the WeCrashed miniseries — helms Lessons in Chemistry, drawing from the eponymous Bonnie Garmus novel.
Lessons in Chemistry is out October 13 with a two-episode premiere, after which the remaining six episodes drop weekly until November 24.
Sultan of Delhi
When: October 13
Where: Disney+ Hotstar
Arjun Bhatia (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is a young refugee from Lahore, who’s learnt the meaning of survival and its complications at a very young age. Partnering with his gangster friend Bangali (Anjum Sharma), he works with Delhi’s biggest arms dealer Jagan Seth (Vinay Pathak) to climb the ranks and become the biggest power broker in the capital. But when past secrets about his family and love life start to unravel, he’s thrust into a gung-ho battle against local crime lords, cops, and the government. The creators are very secretive about the key plot device. Suparn Verma and Milan Luthria co-direct Sultan of Delhi, which also stars Mouni Roy (Brahmāstra), Anupriya Goenka (Padmaavat), and Nishant Dahiya (Raat Akeli Hai).
All episodes of Sultan of Delhi will be available to stream October 13 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Rick and Morty season 7
When: October 16
Where: Netflix
The alcoholic scientist Rick Sanchez plans on spending the entire seventh season hunting down Rick Prime, his villainous alternate version that slaughtered the former’s family. As you’d expect, his blubbering grandson Morty is tagged along on this mission — only this time, the pair are not alone. Turns out, Rick has assembled an elite crew including Birdperson, Gearhead, President Curtis (Keith David), and Mr. Poopybutthole to storm through the multiversal dangers that await them. There’s spaghetti topped with bloody sauce, robot ghosts, a buff Jerry (Chris Parnell), an Evil Dead reference, a hologram of Rick attending a therapy session, and a whole lot more. Keeping with tradition, there’s no telling what direction a Rick and Morty season will head into before debut.
The elephant in the room, of course, is co-creator Justin Roiland, who got fired from the show over misconduct allegations earlier this year. Roiland had voiced both Rick and Morty, alongside a bunch of side characters, up until now. With season 7, he’s been replaced by two unnamed voice actors, who in my opinion, have done a phenomenal job of sounding similar to the original. Adult Swim hasn’t revealed their names yet, but it seems like the pair would continue voicing the lead characters until season 10. Other cast members remain the same, with Spencer Grammer returning to voice Morty’s sister Summer and Sarah Chalke as his mom Beth.
Rick and Morty returns October 15 on Adult Swim and Max in the US and elsewhere. While there’s no official word yet, going by past seasons, season 7 should be out on Netflix India on October 16 — with new episodes dropping every Monday.
Watch the Trailer for Rick and Morty Season 7, Featuring New Voice Replacements
Rick and Morty season 7 comprises 10 episodes
Photo Credit: Adult Swim
Kaala Paani
When: October 18
Where: Netflix
It’s no secret that the walls of the Kaali Paani prison aren’t made of bricks, but rather thousands of kilometres of seawater that make any plans of escape feel like a pipe dream. But when a mysterious illness spreads across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, its inhabitants, isolated from the outside world, are forced into a fight for survival as they await a cure. Netflix hasn’t dropped a full trailer for this yet, but it’s implied that the social order crumbles, causing some of them to venture into the wilderness for answers and uncover a weird conspiracy surrounding some bizarre symbols and tribes in the region.
It reminds me a lot of Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness, where the survivors’ power dynamics would shift around when faced with real, life-threatening danger. Kaala Paani stars Ashutosh Gowariker (Lagaan), Mona Singh (Made in Heaven), Amey Wagh (Asur: Welcome to Your Dark Side), and Arushi Sharma (Jaadugar) in the lead roles — acclaimed filmmaker Gowariker returns to acting for the first time since 2006. Sameer Saxena, who rose to prominence with TVF Tripling directs the survival drama series.
All episodes of Kaala Paani release October 18 on Netflix.
Pluto
When: October 26
Where: Netflix
From the brilliant mind of mangaka Naoki Urasawa (Monster, 20th Century Boys), comes Pluto, a noirish tale set in a future where humans and robots live in harmony. That is until a string of advanced robots and their human allies are found murdered with horns attached to their heads, indicating that the crimes were committed by the same entity. Gesicht (Shinshu Fuki), a Europol robot detective whose arms can transform into cannons, picks up the task of finding the perpetrator, only to soon realise that he’s on the kill list himself. It’s a rather perplexing case since humans are physically incapable — and scared — of tearing robots to shreds, whereas every robot has been designed to never kill people.
For the uninitiated, Pluto draws from the legendary manga artist Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy — more specifically, ‘The Greatest Robot on Earth’ arc, with Urasawa taking its bright-coloured essence and turning it into a riveting murder mystery that often explores themes of post-war PTSD. Familiar characters like Atom/ Astro Boy will be making an appearance in the anime, alongside his sister Uran. Personally, I find the animation in this Netflix adaptation quite jarring, given the over-abundant use of CGI, but since Monster is my favourite anime of all time, I’m down to give this a try. Maybe I’ll get used to it a couple of episodes in.
All episodes of Pluto will be up for streaming October 26 on Netflix.