It goes without saying that Halloween content will be dominating the scene in October. One curated list of titles lists 35 scary chillers and thrillers alone. We’ll single them out before we’re done here and list a few more. But I wanted to draw attention to the changes to the HBO channels you can find if you have cable. HBO 2 is now HBO Hits. HBO Signature is now HBO Drama and HBO Comedy and HBO Latino say the same, but HBO Zone is now HBO Movies. And, if you recall, HBO Family is no more. It is all just subtle but continual changes at HBO.
A few quick points:
- Look Out For Pennywise
- And Tim Robinson While You’re At It
- Poland’s THE THAW Is Back for More
- Plus, Big Japanese Dramas like IGNITE
- And Halloween Horror!
- Plus, Demi Moore and SMILING FRIENDS.
HBO Original Series: The new drama of the moment is about to arrive, and the hope for WBD is that horror fans and Stephen King followers will rush like kids to the trick-or-treat bowl for the upcoming IP that the company wants to cash in on. IT: WELCOME TO DERRY, from Warner Bros. Television, debuts SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes of the eight-episode season will debut weekly, leading up to the season finale on Sunday, December 14. The series is developed for television by filmmakers Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti (IT, IT Chapter Two) and Jason Fuchs (IT Chapter Two, Wonder Woman) and is based on King’s “IT” novel. Andy Muschietti directs multiple episodes of this original series. Jovan Adepo, Taylour Paige, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, Rudy Mancuso, and Bill Skarsgård star in this prequel series to the movies. We treat you with the trailer.
After losing a few good ones, HBO comedies have been sparse. New offerings are on the horizon, and they all lead off with Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin’s THE CHAIR COMPANY. This HBO Original comedy series will debut SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 at 10:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes of the eight-episode season will debut weekly, leading up to the season finale on Sunday, November 30. It seems that after an embarrassing incident at work, a man (Robinson) finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy. Joining Robinson are Lake Bell as Barb Trosper, Sophia Lillis as Natalie Trosper, Will Price as Seth Trosper, and Joseph Tudisco as Mike Santini. Lou Diamond Phillips recurs as Jeff Levjman. We mused about this half-hour comedy a post or so back, but here is that trailer one more time.
We have little to add except the title and times of the premiere episode.
– Season 1, Episode 01 “Life Goes By Too F**king Fast, It Really Does.”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 (10:02-10:36 pm ET/PT)
After an embarrassing incident at work, a man (Tim Robinson) finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy.
Adult Language, Nudity, Strong Sexual Content
Sun, Oct 12 @ 10:02 pm EDT HBO; Sun, Oct 12 @ 10:02 pm EDT HBO Latino; Sun, @ Sun, Oct 12 10:36 pm EDT HBO Latino; Mon, Oct 13 @ 6:24 am EDT HBO; Mon, Oct 13 @ 6:24 am EDT HBO Latino; Mon, Oct 13 @ 11:39 am EDT HBO Latino; Mon, Oct 13 @ 11:39 am EDT HBO; Mon, Oct 13 @ 4:17 pm EDT HBO; Mon, Oct 13 @ 4:17 pm EDT HBO Latino.
LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER continues Season 12 in October on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 05 from 11:10-11:51 pm ET/PT. Lately, he has chatted up MAHA, the threats to Higher Education and Free Speech, including addressing Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. Over on REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, he keeps his gig going beginning FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03 (10:00-11:00 pm ET/PT). There are always plenty of New Rules & rants from this guy. Lately, he has talked with people like Kaitlan Collins (CNN’s White House correspondent), Charlie Sheen (noted actor & drug fiend), and Tom Homan (the administration’s Border Czar). Oliver & Maher will surely have plenty to bark about in the month ahead..Catch them before they get targeted on HBO weekly in October.
Original Series Exclusive to HBO Max: As for the loyal followers of that super dude PEACEMAKER, note that you have two installments to go. Our hero is hard-pressed to stay put in the alternate Earth, even though Earth 2 is not an ideal world to live in. And, curses, evil DC villain Lex Luthor is in play.
–Season 2, Episode 07 – “Like a Keith in the Night” Debut Date: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 02
– Season 2, Episode 08 – Full Nelson” Debut Date: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 09
Here is a preview for the 7th episode –
HBO International Titles: It was only a matter of time, and that time is upon us. On TUESDAY, OCTOBER 07, uploading to HBO Max is ONE DAY IN OCTOBER. It is a 7-episode anthology drama television series based on personal stories from the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. It was created and 
directed by Oded Davidoff for the Israeli production company called Yes. The U. S’s Fox Entertainment co-produced it. Fox head Fernando Szew calls the work “among the most powerful projects I’ve seen, let alone been involved with. Beautifully filmed, yet gut-wrenching, these are stories of people at their best in the midst of unimaginable, horrible circumstances. The survivors portrayed in this series allowed for their horrific experiences to be represented by wonderful talent — both in front of and behind the camera — which will invite the audience to ultimately feel their profound love of, and for, life.”The series was shot on location in Israel. Some cast members met the real-life survivors that they were portraying on screen.
The first set of installments of the series, each 60 minutes in length, was already presented on October 7, 2024, and the remaining three will debut on October 07, 2025. HBO Max will show all seven in their entirety, but here is a description of the first set:
–Episode 01 – “Trust”
Aya Midan (Naomi Lvov, pictured), a member of Kibbutz Be’eri, who during the attack fled with a young Bedouin from Rahat, Hisham Al-Qarnawi (Wael Hamdun). They hid together from terrorists while being forced to build mutual trust in order to survive.
–Episode 02 “Fog”
Three United Hatzalah volunteers, Avi Gian (Yuval Semo), Emanuel Skaat (Avi Azoulay) and Avi “DJ” Yodpolsky (Neve Tzur) set out in an ambulance on a dangerous journey to save lives on the morning of October 7 amid massacres and devastation.
–Episode 03 “Sunrise”
Gali Amar (Noa Kedar) and Amit Amar (Swell Ariel Or) are two young women who came to attend the Nova festival, and during the attack hid in a portable toilet cubicle. It moves from the point of view of Amit, who manages to think practically amid the terror, to Gali, who is stoned from drugs consumed at the party.
–Episode 04 “Gold”
Sabine Taasa (Yael Abecassis), a widow who lost her husband and son on October 7, attempts to rebuild her life.
Back in June of 2023, we mentioned the first season of a show called VGLY. It now returns to HBO Max for a second season. It hails from Mexico and is a drama series all about the competitive urban music scene. Everyone wants to be a big player. And our boy Vgly strives to be the best of the best when the show returns on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 09. Returning for its third season is the Polish crime drama THE THAW. Find it on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17. In it, widowed detective Katarzyna Zawiejais is still out there doing her thing. In it, widowed detective Katarzyna Zawiejais is still out there doing her thing. It all started when she began investigating the murder of a young woman and her newborn in Szczecin, Poland, while also coming to terms with the death of her own husband. She is still battling that out into Season Three. It must be one tough case and one tough show!
HBO & HBO Max Theatrical Movies: Three strong new movies get their debuts in the Saturday night primetime slot on HBO and on HBO Max the Friday prior. They are Bring Her Back, The highly buzzed about The Substance, and Sorry, Baby.
Leading us off is the A24 horror BRING HER BACK. It settles in on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 04 (8:00-9:46 pm ET/PT). A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother in this nerve-shredding possession horror from the breakout directors of Talk to Me, starring Academy Award-nominee Sally Hawkins. Rated R.
Actress Demi Moore demands your attention in the next movie, which debuts on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 (8:00-10:25 pm ET/PT). Do you remember all the buzz around MUBI Films’ THE SUBSTANCE? Demi Moore gives what many call a career-best performance as a former A-lister past her prime and suddenly fired from her fitness TV show. She is drawn to a mysterious new drug that transforms her into twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. What could go wrong? Yeah, even if you haven’t seen it, you’ve got to know that she is all messed up! Dennis Quaid co-stars.
The last title we’re given is SORRY, BABY, another A24 film. It stars Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, and Kelly McCormack and is written and directed by Eva Victor. Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on… for everyone around her, at least. When a beloved friend visits on the brink of a major milestone, Agnes starts to realize just how stuck she’s been and begins to work through how to move forward. Yeah, don’t we all? This is how she does just that. See it when it debuts SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30 (8:00-9:43 pm ET/PT).
HBO Documentary Films: Three interesting titles make it onto the schedule in this category. We lead off on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 (8:00-09:57 pm ET/PT) with a work called THE ALABAMA SOLUTION. In 2019, filmmakers Andrew Jarecki ( of THE JINX fame) and Charlotte Kaufman visit an Alabama prison to film a revival meeting. Off camera, incarcerated men whisper a message: terrible things are going on here and being kept secret. This sparks an immersive six-year investigation to discover the reality behind the walls of one of the nation’s deadliest prison systems. Through unprecedented direct access and video shot on contraband cell phones, the filmmakers learn from the men inside about a suspicious and violent death. The story unfolds in real time, revealing it isn’t an isolated incident and that the official version appears far from the truth. What follows is a shocking story of brutality, corruption, and a system in collapse. As the men fight for their own survival, they embark on a campaign of resistance against all odds.
The other two films are short subject titles but pack a huge message all the same. Debuting on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 (9:00-9:37 pm) is ARMED ONLY WITH A CAMERA: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF 
BRENT RENAUD. On March 13, 2022, filmmaker Brent Renaud was killed by Russian soldiers – the first American journalist to die while reporting on the war in Ukraine. His younger brother and collaborator, Craig Renaud, recovered Brent’s body and his final recordings from Ukraine and brought them back to their childhood home in Arkansas. As Brent’s journey to his final resting place unfolds, the film chronicles the years he and his brother spent covering some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts. It is unflinching, as journalism becomes one of the deadliest professions in the world. The other title is COUNTRY DOCTOR. Since 2010, over 140 hospitals in rural America have closed, leaving just one doctor for every 2,500 people. This short film follows Dr. James Graham in Fairfax, Oklahoma (population 1,263) as he fights to provide adequate healthcare for his community amid staff shortages and uncertainty for the future. It arrives on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28 (7:00-7:38 pm ET/PT).
HBO Original Specials: The next HBO Original Special is called AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH ADAM PALLY. It airs right before Maher’s show on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT). In his debut special, actor and comedian Adam Pally (Happy Endings) takes the stage in Brooklyn, NY, for a hilarious and highly entertaining musical evening. Featuring special guests, the show puts the comedian’s musical acumen on full display as he sings a mix of original and cover songs.
HBO Max Kids & Family: Sesame Street may be over and done on HBO Max, but the Sesame Workshop still has content to offer. We announce that the three-part special E. B. WHITE’S CHARLOTTE’S WEB, based on the timeless novel, will debut in its entirety on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 02, exclusively on HBO Max. Bringing to life once again one of the most cherished stories of all time, this animated retelling of Charlotte’s Web is from Academy Award winner Luke Matheny (Ghostwriter) and executive produced in collaboration with Sesame Workshop.
An acclaimed ensemble voice cast featured in the special, include Amy Adams as Charlotte, Elijah Wood as Adult Wilbur, Griffin Robert Faulkner as Young Wilbur, Jean Smart as Narrator, Cynthia Erivo as Goose, Natalie Chan as Fern, Danny Trejo as Gander, Randall Park as Templeton, Chris Diamantopoulos as Homer, Rosario Dawson as Edith, Ana Ortiz as Dolores, Tom Everett Scott as John, Leith Burke as George, Keith David as Old Sheep, Patricia Richardson as Widow Fussy and Dee Bradley Baker as assorted Animals
In this latest animated adaptation, this classic tells the heartwarming story of friendship, hope, and the power of simple acts of kindness through the bond between Wilbur, a gentle pig, and Charlotte, a wise and selfless spider who vows to save him.
“This adaptation has been years in the making, and every detail reflects our passion for E.B. White’s novel, which has touched generations,” said Kay Wilson Stallings, EVP, Chief Creative and Production Officer at Sesame Workshop. “With this extraordinary cast, we’ve created a retelling of this story that celebrates friendship, empathy, courage, and community. We can’t wait for families to fall in love with these characters all over again.”
The three-part special is produced by Sesame Workshop. Luke Matheny serves as showrunner, executive producer, and writer, alongside director Yurie Rocha. The stylized 3D rendering was brought to life by Guru Studios, the renowned Toronto-based animation powerhouse. Relive the specialness that is the story of one little pig and one caring spider.
And while you’re at it, get the kids in front of new installments of BUGS BUNNY BUILDERS and LU & THE BALLY BUNCH come FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, and more TEEN TITANS GO! on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24.
HBO Sports: No new sports content on HBO, but plenty of matchups on HBO Max in October. There are divisional playoffs with the MLB, NASCAR events, BIG 12 COLLEGE FOOTBALL, U.S. SOCCER action, and stick action on the big Ice in NHL games. ALL ELITE WRESTLING (AEW) also takes to the mat in the month ahead.
Other Shows On HBO or HBO Max: The Japanese Drama Collection on HBO Max has a healthy list of content that will be curated in October. HBO Max launches this new collection, which will be available to stream beginning FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17. The Collection includes – LOVE IS FOR THE DOGS (10 episodes), in which a top divorce lawyer and a young veterinarian – both disillusioned by love – clash upon meeting but form an unlikely connection when their dogs fall in love at first sight. LA GRANDE MAISON TOKYO (11 Episodes) is another, in which chef Natsuki Obana is left adrift after a scandal destroys his two-star Michelin Paris restaurant and his reputation. However, a chance encounter with a rival chef reignites his passion to continue. His culinary dreams. VIVANT (10 Episodes) tells the story of Yusuke Nogi, framed for losing billions who must team with a mysterious intelligence agent and a local doctor to clear his name, recover the money, and survive the drama that follows him. We can also highlight IGNITE (11 Episodes). The Peace Law Office thrives on 
seeking out potential conflicts in order to instigate lawsuits they are bound to win and build their coffers with. With lawyer Ryo Uzaki – whose father was blamed for a bus crash that also killed the head officer’s daughter -the empowerment to expose the truth and shatter the cover-ups becomes imperative in this dark legal drama.
Other titles in the Collection include: PLEASE DIE MY BELOVED, MR. MIKAMI’S CLASSROOM, WHO SAW THE PEACOCK DANCE IN THE JUNGLE?, LIGHT OF MY LION, UNTIL I DESTROYED MY HUSBAND’S OTHER FAMILY, BABY ASSASSINS EVERYDAY!, and TRUE BEAUTY: THE MOVIE.
And just in case you aren’t brave enough to tangle with the Japanese content, there is the return with new installments of Adult Swim’s SMILING FRIENDS arriving on MONDAY, OCTOBER 06.
If that collection isn’t enough or not your thing, then perhaps the Horror listing below is more to your liking. In celebration of this month’s upcoming debut of the highly anticipated HBO Original series IT: WELCOME TO DERRY on October 26, Director and Executive Producer Andy Muschietti, and Executive Producer Barbara Muschietti, have curated a terrifying list of their favorite horror titles available to stream this month on HBO Max. See below for The MUSCHIETTI HORROR PICKS COLLECTION, which are titles 
available to stream as of WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 01. 4×4, A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Beetlejuice, Carnival of Souls, Christine, Cronos, Drag Me to Hell, Eraserhead, Evil Dead II (1987), Eyes Without a Face, Gremlins, Hannibal, Hereditary, House, House of Wax (1953), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), It (2017), It Follows, It: Chapter Two, Los Cronocrimenes, Mama (2013), Night of the Living Dead (1968), Poltergeist (1982), Septimo (The 7th Floor), Talk to Me (2023), The Blob, The Cabin in the Woods, The Conjuring, The Exorcist, The Goonies, The Mummy (1959), The Shining and The Silence of the Lambs. There are other titles to be found in places like the TCM Hub on the streamer.
Next Month’s Tease: In the recent movie Saturday Night, she’s played comedy writer Rosie Shuster, and on TV has appeared in such HBO content as HIGH MAINTENANCE and as Leia in THE IDOL. She’ll get a lead role in an HBO show in November. Who is this actress and what is the HBO comedy she is starring in?
Last Month’s Tease: Last month was a picture clue –
This is one of the unlucky kids who will be seen in IT: WELCOME TO DERRY, which begins on October 26.
Final Clip: Here is a glimpse of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley (THE LEFTOVERS) in THE SUBSTANCE.
Enjoy HBO & HBOWatch!
