On average, a brand new or returning series or telefilm from the UK and Canada will premiere in the US every 1.6 days in October.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US channels and streaming services throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
Programs and dates are subject to change without prior notice.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
The Graham Norton Show: Season 26 (UK)
This hilarious, BAFTA Award-winning celebrity talk show is back for a new season. Joining Graham on his sofa for premiere night will be Oscar®-winner Dame Helen Mirren; comedian and actor Jack Whitehall; author, adventurer, and documentary maker Simon Reeve; and the one and only RuPaul. With music from Normani, who performs her new single “Motivation,” The Graham Norton Show: Season 26 premieres in the US on Friday, October 4, at 11 PM ET, on BBC America.
Creeped Out: Season 2 (UK-Canada)
Like a mashup of Tales of the Unexpected, Inside No. 9, and Black Mirror geared to younger viewers (but entertaining for adults, too), the new 10-episode season of this fantasy-horror-sci-fi-mystery anthology series features creepy apps, wishes gone wrong, and portals to another dimension, not to mention The Curious, the masked and mysterious story collector who appears in every episode. Creeped Out: Season 2, a Netflix Family series, premieres in the US on Friday, October 4, exclusively on Netflix.
In the Tall Grass (Canada)
Based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill, this horror thriller stars Laysla De Oliveira (Locke & Key) and Avery Whitted (The Vanishing of Sidney Hall) as Becky and Cal, siblings who go into a field of tall grass to rescue a young boy when they hear his cries for help. But they themselves become ensnared by a sinister force that quickly disorients and separates them. Cut off from the world and unable to escape the field’s tightening grip, they soon discover that the only thing worse than getting lost is being found. In the Tall Grass, a Netflix Film, premieres in the US on Friday, October 4, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Peaky Blinders: Season 5 (UK)
Opening on Black Tuesday, the new season of this BAFTA Awards winner for Best Drama Series finds the Shelbys grappling with the 1929 stock market crash and its impact on their enterprise. At the same time, head of the family Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy, Anna) confronts new threats to his power from younger family members as well as fascist rivals. Guest-starring Emmett J Scanlan (Safe), Elliot Cowan (Innocent), and Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones), Peaky Blinders: Season 5, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, October 4, exclusively on Netflix.
Press (UK)
Set in the fast-paced environment of the British newspaper industry, this six-part drama explores the current turbulent media landscape and the ethical dilemmas that journalists and editors face each day. Created and written by Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster), it stars Charlotte Riley (Dark Heart), Ben Chaplin (Apple Tree Yard), David Suchet (Agatha Christie’s Poirot), and Priyanga Burford (Fearless). Press premieres in the US on Sunday, October 6, at 10 PM ET, on PBS, as well as on the PBS Masterpiece channel on Amazon.
Mount Pleasant: Series 1 (UK)
This dramedy follows the life of Lisa Johnson (Sally Lindsay, Scott & Bailey) and her family, neighbors, and colleagues in Manchester. Costarring Daniel Ryan (Home Fires), Ainsley Howard (The Village), Bobby Ball (Not Going Out), and Pauline Collins (Upstairs Downstairs), Mount Pleasant: Series 1 premieres in the US on Monday, October 7, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Season 2 (UK)
Jo Joyner (EastEnders) and Mark Benton (Waterloo Road) return as Luella Shakespeare and Frank Hathaway, a former hairdresser and a former cop turned private investigators in Stratford-upon-Avon. In Season 2, the unlikely yet effective pair delve into murders after being hired to find a dog that is heir to a fortune, to follow a woman whose husband suspects her of cheating, and to find evidence of a solicitor’s client’s innocence, amongst others of their cases. Shakespeare & Hathaway: Season 2 makes its US SVOD streaming debut on Tuesday, October 8, on BritBox. (Video is from Season 1)
Code Blue: Murder (UK/Wales)
Narrated by actor Matthew Gravelle (35 Days), this documentary series shows how detectives on the South Wales Police Major Crime team solved two vicious murders. With extraordinary access to the investigators — from the first “Code Blue” call to the crime scene, through to the convictions of the killers — it follows the twists and turns of complex inquiries, the impact on victims’ families and friends, and the life-changing decisions made by the detectives as they build their cases. Each of the two episodes features the entire investigation of a different case. Code Blue: Murder premieres in North America on Friday, October 11, exclusively on BritBox.
Letterkenny: Season 7 (Canada)
Jared Keeso’s (19-2) award-winning TV-MA-rated comedy series (a favorite show of 2018) returns for its seventh season, which finds the Hicks — Wayne (Keeso), his sister Katy (Michelle Mylett, Bad Blood), and buddies Daryl (Nathan Dales, Supernatural) and Dan (K. Trevor Wilson, Satisfaction) — starting an agricultural call-in show. Letterkenny: Season 7, a Hulu Original, premieres in the US on Monday, October 14, exclusively on Hulu.
Interior Design Masters (UK)
In this new competition series, ten aspiring interior designers must transform a variety of spaces from dowdy to delightful in eight different challenges over eight weeks, as they attempt to win the grand prize of a design contract with a top London hotel. Hosted by Fearne Cotton and series judge Michelle Ogundehin, Interior Design Masters, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, October 18, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Tell Me Who I Am (UK)
This documentary centers on Alex Lewis, who lost his memory at age 18 after a motorcycle accident. He’s forgotten everything except his twin brother Marcus, whom he relies on to give him his memory back. But the idyllic childhood Marcus paints for Alex conceals a traumatic family secret. Now, after decades of hiding the painful realities of their past, they go on an extraordinary journey together to face the truth and to finally discover who Alex really is. Tell Me Who I Am , a Netflix Film, premieres in the US on Friday, October 18, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.) (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
Catherine the Great (UK-US)
Oscar® winner Helen Mirren (The Queen) stars as Russian empress Catherine the Great in this four-part historical drama, which follows the monarch’s passionate affair with Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke, Zero Dark Thirty) towards the end of her reign in the 18th century. (More details here.) Catherine the Great premieres in the US on Monday, October 21, at 10 PM ET, on HBO.
Countryfile: Autumn Diaries (UK)
In this factual series, presenter John Craven and his team bring to viewers the best seasonal stories from around the UK — celebrating autumn and all the changes this season brings — in locations ranging from the Lake District to the Forest of Dean. Country File: Autumn Diaries premieres in North America on Monday, October 21, exclusively on BritBox. (Video is from 2017)
Mount Pleasant: Series 2 (UK)
Joining the cast in the second season of this dramedy are Claire Goose (The Coroner), Robson Green (Grantchester), David Bradley (Harry Potter), George Sampson (Waterloo Road), and James Dreyfus (The Thin Blue Line). Mount Pleasant: Series 2 premieres in the US on Monday, October 21, exclusively on Acorn TV.
The Bay: Season 1 (UK)
Morven Christie (Grantchester) stars in this mystery-crime drama series as DS Lisa Armstrong. a Family Liaison officer in an English coastal town who is assigned to the case of the disappearance of young twins. The thing is, her personal connection to a member of the family could compromise the investigation and her well-being. Costarring Jonas Armstrong (Ripper Street), The Bay: Season 1, a BritBox Original series, premieres in North America on Tuesday, October 22, exclusively on BritBox.
The Cry (UK)
Adapted from the novel by Helen FitzGerald, this drama thriller stars Jenna Coleman (Victoria) and Ewen Leslie (Safe Harbour) as Joanna and Alistair, a couple whose infant son disappears while they are in Australia to visit family and to fight for custody of his daughter from his previous marriage. (More details here.) The Cry has its US linear TV debut on Wednesday, October 23, at 11 PM ET, on SundanceTV.
Britannia Awards 2019 (UK-US)
As the highest accolade presented by BAFTA Los Angeles, the Britannia Awards are celebrated annually by talent across the motion picture industry. Among this year’s honorees are Jane Fonda, Jackie Chan, Jordan Peele, newly-minted Emmy® winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Steve Coogan. The Britannia Awards 2019 has its World Premiere on Friday, October 25, as a “Live Now” title exclusively on BritBox. (Video is from 2018)
Agatha Raisin & the Haunted House (UK)
Based on M. C. Beaton’s best-selling “Agatha Raisin” novels, this popular mystery series’ third season kicks off with a Halloween-themed special that finds the eponymous London PR wiz-turned-Carsely amateur sleuth opening her own detective agency. But investigating a legendary haunted house to drum up business turns out to be spookier than expected. (More details here.) Agatha Raisin & the Haunted House, an Acorn TV Original, premieres in the US and Canada on Monday, October 28, exclusively on Acorn TV. (Video is from the series launch)
Baroness Von Sketch Show: Season 4 (Canada)
Renewed for Season 5, this award-winning, all-female sketch series provides an insightful, satirical look at our everyday modern lives by celebrating the absurd, mining the embarrassing, and offering a fresh, witty take on relatable moments such as crying at work, waiting in airport security lines, dealing with gossip-obsessed co-workers, co-parenting, and more. Baroness Von Sketch Show: Season 4 premieres in the US on Wednesday, October 30, at midnight, on IFC. (Video is from Season 3)
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS BEING ADDED TO STREAMING SERVICES
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Acorn TV and its digital channels, including the Acorn TV channel on Amazon.
No Tears (Ireland)
This gripping, award-winning legal drama miniseries is based on the true story about a group of women in Ireland who discover they were infected with Hepatitis C during childbirth from a contaminated blood product in the 1970s, and then fight fiercely against the authorities in the 1990s. Starring Oscar® winner Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) and IFTA winner Maria Doyle Kennedy (Corp + Anam), the four-part No Tears begins streaming Monday, October 21. (Photo courtesy of Acorn TV)
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and its digital channels, including the BritBox channel on Amazon.
Blandings (UK)
Based on the “Blandings Castle” stories by P.G. Wodehouse, this comedy series stars Timothy Spall (Hatton Garden) as Lord Clarence Emsworth, who’d rather be left in peace with his pet pig than deal with the antics of his relatives, friends, and enemies, who cause much disarray in his life. Costarring Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous) and Jack Farthing (Poldark), Blandings begins streaming Friday, October 18.
Taggart: Seasons 9-11 (UK/Scotland)
One of the UK’s longest-running series, this hard-hitting, action-packed Scottish police procedural-crime drama series follows the detectives in the Maryhill CID of the Strathclyde Police as they investigate murders in Glasgow. Season 11 features Mark McManus’ final appearance as DCI Taggart, before his passing in 1994. Taggart: Seasons 9-11 begins streaming Friday, October 25. (Video commemorates Taggart‘s 25th anniversary)
Jekyll & Hyde (UK-US)
Inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson‘s novella, this made-for-TV movie stars two-time Oscar® winner Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, The Cider House Rules) as Dr. Jekyll, a kind-hearted scientist whose self-testing of a drug turns him into Mr. Hyde, an uninhibited brute whose violent attacks make Jekyll a suspect of the police. Jekyll and Hyde begins streaming Tuesday, October 29.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Netflix.
Schitt’s Creek: Season 5 (Canada)
In the latest season of this Emmy®-nominated comedy series, the Rose family is finally thriving and ready to take things to the next level. Starring Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Dan Levy (Modern Family), and Annie Murphy (The Plateaus), Schitt’s Creek: Season 5 begins streaming Thursday, October 10.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Prime Video.
Unforgotten: Season 3 (UK)
In the latest season of this excellent mystery, the discovery of a 16-year-old girl’s remains prompts DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker, River), DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar, The Indian Doctor), and DC Jake Collier (Lewis Reeves, Crazyhead) to investigate. Their inquiries lead to a tight-knit group of four old school friends — played by James Fleet (The Vicar of Dibley), Alex Jennings (A Very English Scandal), Kevin McNally (TURN: Washington’s Spies), and Neil Morrissey (Line of Duty). Unforgotten: Season 3 begins streaming as a Prime Video offering on Monday, October 28.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Sundance Now and its digital channels, including the Sundance Now channel on Amazon.
Britain’s Bloody Crown
Presented by award-winning author, journalist, and historian Dan Jones (The Wars of the Roses), this four-part documentary reveals the true history of the Wars of the Roses. Through reenactments and Jones’s unique storytelling, it brings to life a tale of human frailties, rivalries, forced hands, and sheer luck that changed Britain and the monarchy forever. Britain’s Bloody Crown begins streaming Monday, October 14.
Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets
Acclaimed historian Dan Jones (The Plantagenets) presents this documentary about the Plantagenets and how the dynasty lasted more than 300 years. Using storytelling, reenactments, and historical documents, the four-part program reveals how the rulers — including Kings Henry II, Henry III, Edward II, and Richard II — were driven by greed, envy, love, hatred, revenge, the need for control, and the pursuit of power, and how they dealt with treachery and betrayals with murder and tyranny. Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets begins streaming Monday, October 21.
Midwinter of the Spirit (UK)
Based on Phil Rickman’s acclaimed novel, this supernatural thriller stars Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty) as Merrily Watkins, a vicar training with Huw Owen (David Threlfall, What Remains) to be a deliverance minister (aka exorcist). When the local police seek her help on a murder investigation, and her parish work puts her in contact with a man whose evil is palpable, Merrily finds herself battling supernatural terrors that threaten her and her daughter. Midwinter of the Spirit begins streaming Friday, October 25.
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Did you miss any of the new shows from previous days, weeks, or months? Check out the British TV Viewing Guide 2019 Archives to find out.
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For details about the October premieres of shows from Australia and New Zealand, visit The Down Under TV Place. For those about the debuts of original-language, English-subtitled programs from Europe, visit The Euro TV Place.
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