Trick or treating might not happen in neighborhoods across the US this month, but it’s certain that 22 new and returning British and Canadian series will premiere in the States.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US linear TV and streaming channels throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
Programs and dates are subject to change without prior notice.
Videos below may contain content that is not suitable for everyone.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
Code 404 (UK)
This police comedy set in the near future stars Daniel Mays (White Lines) and Stephen Graham (The Virtues) as elite undercover cops DI John Major and DI Roy Carver. Major is killed in the line of duty but, much to Carver’s shock, turns up a year later — resurrected by pioneering AI. But the software had some glitches, so Major 2.0 does, too. For further details, read this article. Code 404, a Peacock Original series, premieres in the US on Thursday, October 1, exclusively on Peacock TV. Update: New premiere date it Oct 8.
CripTales (US-UK)
Based on factual research and lived experience, and curated by Mat Fraser (His Dark Materials), this collection of short films features fictional monologues that capture life-changing moments for persons with disabilities. For further details, read this article. CripTales has its world premiere on Thursday, October 1, at 10 PM ET, on BBC America and the digital platforms of BBC America, AMC, IFC, SundanceTV, and AMC+. (Photo: Getty Images / iStockphoto / BBC America)
Gangs of London: Season 1 (UK)
Set in London, this critically-acclaimed crime drama tells the story of a city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that’s created when the head of London’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. Starring Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders), Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Humans), Colm Meaney (Hell on Wheels), Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones) Paapa Essiedu (Press), and Pippa Bennett-Warner (Harlots), Gangs of London: Season 1 premieres in the US on Thursday, October 1, with its first three (of ten) episodes on AMC+. New episodes will roll out weekly, and the series will air on AMC linear in early 2021.
The Salisbury Poisonings (UK)
This historical drama tells the story of how ordinary people showed extraordinary heroism when their city, Salisbury, became the center of a national emergency after the nerve agent Novichok was used in an assassination attempt, and hundreds of traces of the deadly agent were found across the city. For further details, read this article. The Salisbury Poisonings premieres in the US in its entirety on Thursday, October 1, on AMC+. It will air on AMC linear in 2021.
Britannia: Season 2 (UK)
Set two years after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD (in Season 1), the second season of this historical-fantasy drama finds the Celts and Druids trying to overthrow General Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey, The City and the City), both Cait (Eleanor Worthington-Cox, The Enfield Haunting) and Phelan (Julian Rhind-Tutt, Harlots) working to fulfill prophecies, and a dead man awakening… Britannia: Season 2 premieres in the US on Sunday, October 4, at 9 PM ET, on Epix.
COBRA (UK)
This political thriller finds Great Britain plunged into darkness following disruption from a geomagnetic solar storm. The Prime Minister, his Chief of Staff, and the COBRA committee — a team of Britain’s leading experts, crisis contingency planners, and most senior politicians — must come up with a plan to steer the nation through the storm and ensure the protection of its people while violence escalates across the country. Starring Robert Carlyle (Once Upon a Time), Victoria Hamilton (The Crown), David Haig (Killing Eve), and Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones), COBRA premieres in the US on Sunday, October 4, at 10 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings) and PBS Passport. It will also stream on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel starting October 5.
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (UK-US)
Celebrated naturalist David Attenborough reflects on the defining moments of his lifetime and the devastating changes he has seen in this documentary. The film addresses some of the biggest challenges facing life on our planet, and offers a powerful message of hope for future generations as Attenborough reveals the solutions to help save our planet from disaster. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, a Netflix Documentary, premieres in the US on Sunday, October 4, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Flesh and Blood (UK)
In this mystery-thriller, widow Vivien (Francesca Annis, Home Fires) finds romance with retired doctor Mark (Stephen Rea, Dickensian). Her adult children — Jake (Russell Tovey, Years and Years), Helen (Claudie Blakley, Grantchester), and Natalie (Lydia Leonard, Gentleman Jack) — grow suspicious, but as they try to find out more about Mark, years of secrets, lies, rivalries, and betrayals come to the surface and threaten to blow apart all they’ve held dear. Costarring Imelda Staunton (A Confession), Flesh and Blood premieres in the US on Sunday, October 4, at 9 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings) and PBS Passport. It will also stream on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel starting October 5.
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators: Season 3 (UK)
The new season of this fan-favorite light crime drama-mystery series finds Frank (Mark Benton, Northern Lights) and (Jo Joyner, EastEnders) investigating cases involving a rock star, a Shakespeare museum, a seemingly haunted pub, and more. Costarring Patrick McBride (Dracula), Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators: Season 3 premieres in the US on Tuesday, October 6, exclusively on BritBox.
Coroner: Season 2 (Canada)
Based on the “Coroner Jenny Cooper” novels by M.R. (Matthew) Hall, this mystery-crime drama’s new season opens with a fire that leads coroner Cooper (Serinda Swan, Graceland) to her toughest case yet. As she investigates suspicious deaths across Toronto, Jenny also deals with a new, unsettling habit: sleepwalking. Coroner: Season 2 premieres in the US on Wednesday, October 7, at 9 PM ET, on The CW.
Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones (UK)
This is the mostly-missing eighth serial of the fourth season of Doctor Who, first broadcast in 1967 and starring Patrick Troughton as the Doctor. The complete serial has been recreated in animation using available BBC film footage and still images, along with off-air recordings. In the story, the TARDIS arrives on Earth at a runway at Gatwick Airport, where the Doctor and his companions encounter sinister identity-stealing aliens known as the Chameleons. Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones premieres in the US on Wednesday and Thursday, October 7 and 8, at 8 PM ET, on BBC America.
The Graham Norton Show: Season 28 (UK)
He’s baaaack. He, of course, is Graham Norton, whose BAFTA Award-winning talk show returns with a new special featuring the best moments of last season and all-new episodes featuring the biggest celebrities — back on the red couch! — and the brightest conversations on telly. The Graham Norton Show: Season 28 premieres Friday, October 9, at 11 PM ET, on BBC America.
The Spanish Princess: Part II (UK-US)
Drawn from Philippa Gregory‘s global best-selling novels The Constant Princess and The King’s Curse, the second and final installment of this drama finds Queen Catherine’s (Charlotte Hope, Game of Thrones) struggle to produce an heir places her marriage and position at court at risk. She must battle to save her love with King Henry VIII (Ruairi O’Connor, Delicious) and to preserve the peace and prosperity of their reign. The Spanish Princess: Part II, a Starz Original Limited Series, premieres Sunday, October 11, at 8 PM ET, on Starz.
Baroness von Sketch Show: Season 5 (Canada)
In its final season, this critically-acclaimed all-female sketch comedy series continues to explore the angst and absurdity of modern life. Starring series creators and writers Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne, and Jennifer Whalen, Baroness von Sketch Show: Season 5 premieres in the US on Wednesday, October 14, at midnight, on IFC.
Des (UK)
David Tennant (Staged, Doctor Who) stars in this bone-chilling true-crime drama as Dennis Nilsen, one of the most infamous and prolific serial killers in UK history. Nilsen was a local civil servant who, between 1978 and 1983, met, befriended, and murdered fifteen young men and boys before he was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment. For further details, read this article. Costarring Daniel Mays (Line of Duty) and Jason Watkins (The Crown), Des premieres in the US on Thursday, October 15, exclusively on Sundance Now.
Top Gear: Season 29 (UK)
The new season of this motoring entertainment show sees hosts Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff, and Chris Harris tackle a giant carnival-inspired Wall of Death driving old insurance write-offs, hurtle down a ski slope in Cyprus in €30 (≈ $36) rental cars, and race around an empty Alton Tower Resort in the latest electrics. Top Gear: Season 29 premieres in the US on Sunday, October 18, at 8 PM ET/PT, on BBC America.
The Trouble with Maggie Cole (UK)
Set in the coastal town of Thurlbury, this dramedy finds local busybody Maggie Cole (Dawn French, Delicious) giving a journalist far more details (and embellishments) than he expected in a radio interview. In the days and weeks after the broadcast, Maggie sees the effects of her public gossip on the lives of people in the close-knit community. Costarring Mark Heap and Julie Hesmondhalgh, The Trouble with Maggie Cole premieres in the US on Sunday, October 18, at 8 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings) and PBS Passport. It will also stream on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel starting October 19.
Rebecca (UK)
Based on Daphne Du Maurier‘s classic novel, this psychological thriller stars Lily James (Cinderella) as widower Maxim de Winter’s (Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name) new wife. After arriving at his Manderley estate, she begins to settle into her new life, but soon finds herself battling the shadow of Rebecca, Maxim’s first wife, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas, The English Patient). Rebecca, a Netflix Film, premieres globally on Wednesday, October 21, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now at www.netflix.com/rebecca.)
Temple: Season 1 (UK) (Rescheduled from March)
Mark Strong (Deep State) stars in this British remake of Norwegian thriller Valkyrien as Dr. Daniel Milton, a surgeon determined to save his dying wife. To raise money to fund his research to find a cure, he agrees to treat cash-paying criminals and others who won’t go to regular medical facilities in an illegal secret underground clinic, where a Tube station employee (Daniel Mays, 1917) and a medical researcher (Carice van Houten, Game of Thrones) help him. Temple: Season 1, a Spectrum Original series, premieres in the US on Monday, October 26, exclusively on Spectrum Originals.
Ghosts: Season 2 (UK)
Picking up from the Season 1 finale, Season 2 of this comedy finds Alison (Charlotte Ritchie, Feel Good) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Enterprice) deciding to promote Button House as a wedding venue for income. But a photog inadvertently snaps a pic of Lady Button (Martha Howe-Douglas, Doctor Foster) and shares it on social media, prompting ghost hunters to flock to the manor house. The couple can take advantage of the situation by taking paid admissions, but Alison must first convince the ghosts to help. Ghosts: Season 2 premieres in the US on Tuesday, October 27, exclusively on HBO Max.
Truth Seekers (US-UK)
Created by series costars Nick Frost (Into the Badlands) and Simon Pegg (Mission: Impossible), along with James Serafinowicz and Nat Saunders, this supernatural comedy follows a group of part-time paranormal investigators who team up to uncover and film ghost sightings across the UK and then share their adventures on an online channel. However, their spooky experiences grow more frequent, more terrifying, and even deadly, and then they stumble upon a conspiracy that could trigger Armageddon. Costarring Emma D’Arcy (Wanderlust), Samson Kayo (Youngers), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), and Susan Wokoma (Year of the Rabbit), Truth Seekers, an Amazon Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, October 30, exclusively on Prime Video.
Mock the Week: Season 19 (UK)
Created by the minds behind Whose Line Is It Anyway? and hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain, this hilarious panel show returns for a new season featuring two teams of comedians taking a satirical swipe at the news and world events. Mock the Week: Season 19 premieres in the US exclusively on BritBox (date tba). (Video is from Season 17)
ADDITIONAL PREMIERE PROGRAMS TO CONSIDER
Soulmates (US)
Set 15 years from now, this sci-fi drama anthology series follows six individuals who discover the impact of a scientific discovery — a test that allows everyone on the planet to find their soulmate — on their lives. Already renewed for Season 2, this AMC Studios production features many British cast members, including Kingsley Ben-Adir (Vera), Darren Boyd (The Salisbury Poisonings), Georgina Campbell (Broadchurch), Sonya Cassidy (The Paradise), Tom Goodman-Hill (Humans), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), Steven Mackintosh (Wanderlust), and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Misfits), amongst others. Soulmates premieres Thursday, October 1, on AMC+, in advance of its linear debut on Monday, October 5, at 10 PM ET, on AMC.
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS DEBUTING ON STREAMING SERVICES
The Split: Season 2 (UK)
Following the events in the Season 1 finale, Season 2 of this drama finds divorce lawyer Hannah (Nicola Walker, Unforgotten) facing mounting pressures in her personal life while her new client’s very public, high-profile divorce could put the newly-merged Noble Hale Defoe on the map in a big way. The Split: Season 2 begins streaming Thursday, October 1.
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS BEING ADDED TO LINEAR TV
Titles in this section begin airing on the dates shown below on Ovation TV’s linear and digital channels (see links below).
Ovation TV (all times 7 PM ET on linear TV, check your cable system line-up for channel info)
- Death in Paradise: Season 1 (UK) — starting Thursday, October 1
- The Fall: Season 1 (UK) — starting Saturday, October 10
- Luther: Season 1 (UK) — starting Monday, October 12
- Death in Paradise: Season 2 (UK) — starting Thursday, October 15
- Death in Paradise: Season 3 (UK) — starting Thursday, October 29
Ovation TV’s Art House (ovationtv.com/watch/art-house & Ovation NOW app)
- Antiques to the Rescue (UK) — Thursday, October 1
Ovation TV’s Mystery Alley (ovationtv.com/watch & Ovation NOW app)
- McCallum: Season 2 (UK) — Thursday, October 1
- Midsomer Murders: Season 3 (UK) — Thursday, October 1
- Murdoch Mysteries: Season 11 (Canada) — Thursday, October 1
- Rebus: Season 3 (UK/Scotland) — Thursday, October 1
- Republic of Doyle: Season 3 (Canada) — Thursday, October 1
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 Acorn TV on Amazon.
Tales of Irish Castles (Ireland)
Hosted by Simon Delaney, this six-part series explores the great stories, legends, and characters associated with the most beautiful, notorious, and historical castles across Ireland — in Dublin, Trim, Blarney, Limerick, Carrickfergus, Kilkenny, Birr, and other locations. Tales of Irish Castles begins streaming Monday, October 5.
The Labours of Erica: Series 1-2 (UK)
A riff on the twelve labors of Hercules, this classic Britcom stars Brenda Blethyn (Vera) as Erica, a 40-something woman who, after learning her married lover has been cheating on her and then finding a diary she wrote as a teen, vows to undertake the “twelve things I am going to do before I am forty” — none of which she has done. The Labours of Erica: Series 1-2 begins streaming Monday, October 12.
Heavenly Gardens (UK)
In this two-part BBC program, actor and garden aficionado Alexander Armstrong (Hunderby) and garden designer Arit Anderson visit six spectacular sacred UK gardens that symbolize beauty, joy and hope — including those at The Bishop’s Palace in Somerset, Pluscarden Abbey in the Highlands of Scotland, Cambridge University, Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, Scone Palace in Perthshire, and Sudeley Castle in the Cotswolds. Heavenly Gardens begins streaming Monday, October 19.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and its digital channels, including BritBox on Amazon.
All Creatures Great and Small: Seasons 4-7 (UK)
In the final four seasons of this beloved dramedy classic, veterinary surgeon James Herriot (Christopher Timothy, Doctors) continues to handle the challenges of tending to the locals’ animals and winning over the community in late 1930s-early 1940s Yorkshire. All Creatures Great and Small: Seasons 4-7 begins streaming Thursday, October 1.
Agatha Christie Tribute
BritBox celebrates the Queen of Mystery by bringing four filmed adaptations of her works, plus a drama inspired by an event in Christie’s life, to the steaming service on Friday, October 9.
- Agatha (UK) — Inspired by the author’s two-week disappearance in 1926, this film exposes the mystery and the revenge she plotted against her faithless husband. Vanessa Redgrave (Howards End) and Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate) star as Agatha Christie and the man with whom she allegedly shared a mysterious romantic tryst.
- The Alphabet Murders (UK) — Based on The ABC Murders, this comedic film stars Tony Randall (The Odd Couple) as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who must stop a demented killer whose murders are committed in alphabetical order, beginning with the first victim’s initials, A.A.
- Murder at the Gallop (UK) — Based on After the Funeral, this film stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, who investigates what she believes is the murder of an eccentric man, who seems to have been frightened to death by his fear of cats.
- Murder Most Foul — Margaret Rutherford returns as Miss Marple in this film based on Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, in which the amateur sleuth auditions for a part with a theatre company to investigate a murder.
- Murder She Said — In yet another turn as Miss Marple, Margaret Rutherford stars in this movie based on the novel 4:50 from Paddington, in which the spinster sleuth goes undercover to track a killer on the night express.
Play for Today Collection (UK)
In honor of its 50th anniversary, BritBox is bringing the iconic, star-studded Play for Today anthology series to US viewers. This flagship BBC single drama strand, which includes original plays and adaptations of stage plays and novels, features productions directed by Mike Leigh (Mr Turner) and Michael Apted (“Up” series), and starring Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect), Nigel Hawthorne (Yes, Minister), and Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey), amongst others. The collection begins streaming Tuesday, October 13, and includes:
Abigail’s Party • All Good Men • Back of Beyond • Bar Mitzvah Boy • The Bevellers • The Black Stuff • Coming Out • A Cotswold Death • Country • The Elephants’ Graveyard • The Executioner • The Fishing Party • Funny Farm • The Hallelujah Handshake • Hard Labour • Home Sweet Home • Jessie • Just Another Saturday • Just A Boy’s Game • King • Kisses at 50 • Leeds United! • Nuts in May • The Other Woman • A Passage to England • Penda’s Fen • A Photograph • Rainy Day Women • The Slab Boys • Soft Targets • Still Waters • Who’s Who
My Family Secrets Revealed (UK)
In this factual series, a team of genealogical and historical experts helps members of the British public to connect directly with their family history for the first time. Through analyzing DNA, family trees, and birth and death records, the experts prove exciting connections (even a celebrity one), solve family puzzles about long-lost relatives, and reveal fascinating stories — from astonishing tales of scandal and forbidden love, to ones about family heroes and heartbreaking loss. My Family Secrets Revealed begins streaming Wednesday, October 21.
New Tricks: Seasons 1-6 (UK)
This fan-favorite mystery series follows DS Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman, At Home with the Braithwaites) and her team of three retired former detectives — Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong, Year of the Rabbit), Jack Halford (James Bolam, Born and Bred), and Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman, Minder) — as they investigate cold cases for the Met’s Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad in London. New Tricks: Seasons 1-6 begins streaming Tuesday, October 27.
The Turn of the Screw (1999) (UK)
Adapted from Henry James’s classic Gothic horror story, this TV movie stars Jodhi May (Emma) as an inexperienced governess hired to look after two orphaned young children at their uncle’s (Colin Firth, The King’s Speech) manor house. After glimpsing ghostly figures, she quickly believes that something malevolent is stalking the children — perhaps the spirits of the previous governess and her lover, who both died under curious circumstances. The Turn of the Screw begins streaming Friday, October 30.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Netflix.
Schitt’s Creek: Season 6 (Canada)
What a way to close a series — by sweeping the 2020 Primetime Emmy® Awards with 9 wins (out of 15 nominations), including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Eugene Levy, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Catherine O’Hara, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Dan Levy, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Annie Murphy, as well as Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Contemporary Costumes. Schitt’s Creek: Season 6 begins streaming Wednesday, October 7.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel.
Catherine the Great (UK-Russia-Ukraine)
Emily Bruni (Wallander) stars as Catherine in this docudrama that reconstructs the life of the girl who transformed herself from an obscure German princess into an astute Russian tsarina and the country’s most powerful regent. Catherine the Great begins streaming Friday, October 30.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below as no-additional-charge titles for Amazon Prime members on Prime Video.
The Great British Baking Show: Season 1 (UK)
For all intents and purposes, this competition series started a full-on national obsession with all things baking (including soggy bottoms!) on both sides of the pond. The Great British Baking Show: Season 1 begins streaming as a Prime Video title for one month starting Thursday, October 1.
Liar: Season 1 (UK)
This psychological thriller stars Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) as teacher Laura Nielsen and Ioan Gruffudd (Harrow) as surgeon Andrew Earlham. Their seemingly innocent date is followed by a series of volatile accusations and the unraveling of secrets and lies, until the truth ultimately reveals itself. Liar: Season 1 begins streaming as a Prime Video title for one month starting Thursday, October 1.
Mrs. Wilson (UK)
Ruth Wilson (The Affair) plays her grandmother, Alison Wilson, in this biopic drama inspired by the latter’s memoir. After Alison’s husband Alec (Iain Glen, Game of Thrones) dies in 1963 and leaves her a grieving widow with two sons, she is shocked when a woman shows up, claiming to be Alec’s wife. Alison is determined to prove the validity of her own marriage, but is instead led into a world of disturbing secrets. Mrs. Wilson begins streaming as a Prime Video title for one month starting Thursday, October 1.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Sundance Now and its digital channels, including Sundance Now on Amazon.
Interview with a Murderer (UK)
In this three-part true-crime documentary, world-renowned criminologist David Wilson conducts a series of interviews with convicted murderer Bert Spencer, long suspected in the infamous 1978 killing of a young boy. Interview with a Murderer begins streaming Tuesday, October 6.
Slings & Arrows: Season 3 (Canada)
As this award-winning dramedy starring Paul Gross (Tales of the City), Martha Burnes (Remedy), Stephen Ouimette (Mentors), and Mark McKinney (Superstore) concludes, the cast and crew of the New Burbage Festival struggle with the unfamiliar burden of success as they mount two vastly different productions: King Lear and a contemporary musical. But with the erratic lead actor, will they reach artistic heights or flop spectacularly? Slings & Arrows: Season 3 begins streaming Thursday, October 22.
Witches: A Century of Murder (UK)
In this two-part documentary, historian Suzannah Lipscomb (Hidden Killers) investigates the witch hunts that plagued Britain in the 17th century and examines common myths about their origin. Witches: A Century of Murder begins streaming Thursday, October 29.
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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 and 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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