This week is a TV finale-thon: Our Flag Means Death season 2, Invasion season 2, and the final season of Billions are all airing their last episodes this week. But don’t let all those departures worry you: There’s tons of TV to watch as the fall season continues to ramp up into premiere season.
We’ve got Pluto, the highly anticipated anime based on Naoki Urasawa’s acclaimed sci-fi manga (in turn based on Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy), premiering this week on Netflix. The third season of American Horror Stories (dubbed this year’s “Huluween Event”) debuts this week with four new episodes on Hulu. The second seasons of 30 Coins and The Gilded Age arrive this week on Max, while the new historical romance drama Fellow Strangers airs its first episode on Paramount Plus. That’s not even mentioning the new season of the Letterkenny spinoff Shoresy, or the debut of the new paranormal documentary miniseries The Enfield Poltergeist on Apple TV Plus.
Here are the most notable TV premieres to look out for this week:
New shows on Netflix
Life on Our Planet
Genre: Nature documentary
Release date: Oct. 25
This eight-episode nature documentary series from executive producer Steven Spielberg explores the many beautiful environments and species of Earth. As if the series’ impressive hybrid of computer-generated imagery and stunning live-action footage weren’t enough, the series is narrated by Morgan Freeman. What’s not to like?
Pluto
Genre: Sci-fi action thriller
Release date: Oct. 26 with all episodes
Showrunner/creator: Toshio Kawaguchi
Cast: Shinshū Fuji, Yoko Hikasa, Minori Suzuki
Set in a future where humans and robots live side by side, this eight-episode anime adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s 2003 manga follows a robot detective investigating a brutal series of robot and human murders. Inspired by Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, the series looks incredible in its trailer, with beautiful character designs and exciting action sequences.
New shows on Hulu
American Horror Stories: Huluween Event
Genre: Horror
Release date: Oct. 26 with all episodes
Showrunner/creator: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Cast: Lisa Rinna, Reid Scott, Laura Kariuki
Who doesn’t love a scary story? American Horror Stories returns with a special event of fright-inducing fun, with four new stories starring the likes of Lisa Rinna (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Reid Scott (Veep), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), and Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms).
Shoresy: Season 2
Genre: Comedy
Release date: Oct. 27
Showrunner/creator: Jared Keeso
Cast: Jared Keeso, Tasya Teles, Harlan Blayne
The beloved Letterkenny spinoff about a minor league hockey team returns, as Shoresy (Jared Keeso) hopes to lead the Sudbury Bulldogs to further glory.
New shows on Max
30 Coins: Season 2
Genre: Mystery horror
Release date: Oct. 23
Showrunner/creator: Álex de la Iglesia
Cast: Eduard Fernández, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Megan Montaner
This underrated HBO Europe production out of Spain told a fascinating, terrifying story in season 1, filled with anti-cardinals, spider babies, and plenty of Revelations (see what I did there?). Now, Paul Giamatti joins the crew. Fantástico.
Our Flag Means Death: Season 2 finale
Genre: Period romantic comedy
Release date: Oct. 26
Showrunner/creator: David Jenkins
Cast: Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Joel Fry
It’s all coming to a conclusion. The pirate fleet is in shambles, romance and heartbreak is in the air, and there’s just one episode left of this season of Our Flag Means Death. Will Stede and Ed find happiness? Will piracy as we know it end? Will the show get a third season? These questions, and more, hope to be answered.
The Gilded Age: Season 2
Genre: Historical drama
Release date: Oct. 29
Showrunner/creator: Julian Fellowes
Cast: Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson
HBO’s historical drama series about wealth and power at the turn of the 20th century returns for a second season. As Bertha Russell and Mrs. Astor continue to spar over their views of who should lead New York high society, George Russell is faced with his own challenge in the form of a brewing union dispute at his plant in Pittsburgh.
New shows on Paramount Plus
Fellow Travelers
Genre: Historical romance
Release date: Oct. 27
Showrunner/creator: Roy Nyswaner
Cast: Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Will Brill
Two men meet and fall for each other in 1950s DC, as McCarthyism rises and paranoia abounds. This is a miniseries, based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel.
New shows on Apple TV Plus
Invasion: Season 2 finale
Genre: Sci-fi thriller
Release date: Oct. 25
Showrunner/creators: Simon Kinberg, David Weil
Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Shamier Anderson, Shioli Kutsuna
It all comes to a head in the Invasion season 2 finale, with no word yet on a season 3 renewal. The penultimate episode finally revealed a little more information around the secrets of the alien portal, but many more questions remain to be answered.
The Enfield Poltergeist
Genre: Horror
Release date: Oct. 27
Showrunner/creator: Jerry Rothwell
Cast: Olivia Booth-Ford, Christos Lawton, Daniel Lee
Based on the real-life case that inspired The Conjuring 2, this documentary horror miniseries uses archival footage, original audio recordings, and dramatized reenactments to explore the story behind one of the world’s most infamous poltergeist cases.
New shows on Showtime
Billions: Season 7 finale
Genre: Drama
Release date: Oct. 27
Showrunner/creator: Brian Koppelman
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff
Bobby Billions beckons. But, Bobby Billions brazenly betrays bland businessman? Bobby Billions’ bounty builds. Bobby. Billions.