Arrgh! I was hoping that Paramount would NOT obtain Warner Bros. I was holding out that the Attorneys General would stick to their guns and break this merger. I was counting on some other less obnoxious bloke than Ellison would buy WB from that louse Zaslav and make it work for the longstanding studio and all its holds, like HBO. Even though I’ll grumble the whole way through this, I’ll at least keep posts like this going. Here are most of the highlights coming to HBO and HBO Max during the month of October.
A few quick points:
- We are going to WAR in the courtroom
- And Ramping Up the RAGE Again!
- A EUPHORIA & a BIG LOVE Star Team Up
- As LANTERNS Winds Down
- Plus, the Humor of Kate Berlant
- And Plenty of Halloween Horror
HBO Original Series: The newest title, starting right off the bat, is HBO and Sky Original’s legal drama series WAR. It debuts THURSDAY, OCTOBER 01 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Created by George Kay (“Lupin,” “Hijack”), and starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller, the series is co-produced by New Pictures and Observatory Pictures, with new episodes of the eight-episode season debuting weekly on Thursdays.
The series is a high-stakes, legal drama following the lives of London’s most powerful lawyers as firms Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne clash over a headline-grabbing legal battle, drawing ambitious young lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren (Archie Renaux of Alien: Romulus) into a ruthless world where ambition is currency, betrayal is strategy, and winning is everything.
Season one follows the explosive divorce of British tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson (Dominic West of THE WIRE) and international film star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller of Madden), as Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne stop at nothing to secure victory for their clients. Dominic West as Morgan Henderson, Sienna Miller as Carla Duval, Phoebe Fox as Serena Byrne and James McArdle as Nicholas Taylor, partners in life and business at Taylor & Byrne; Archie Renaux as Jonathan “Johnny” Warren; Nina Sosanya as Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi and Pip Torrens as St John Smallwood, their counterparts and fierce rivals at Cathcarts & Sons, alongside Celia Imrie, Nick Mohammed, Emma Laird, Aran Murphy, Archie Panjabi, Adrian Scarborough, Shaheen Jafargholi, Akiya Henry, Honor Swinton Byrne, Miles Jupp, Kartanya Maynard, Alexandra Mardell, Dylan Edwards, Mark Quartley, and Steve Furst.
Yes, with this show, HBO books original content for Thursday nights. Each season will feature a different litigation heading to war in the courtrooms. As this series is greenlit with a two-season order, the sophomore season is already taking form. Marisa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald, and David Harewood will star in the next headline-making legal battle, as their lawyers become embroiled in an explosive defamation case. Will you settle in for WAR?
– S1, Ep.01 “It’s Done”
Debut Date: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 01 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
As Morgan and Carla’s 10-year marriage hurtles toward divorce, their respective attorneys begin to ramp up their war rooms.
– S1, Ep. 02 “No More Nasty Surprises”
Debut Date: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 08 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
As Johnny starts his first day, each team attempts to gain the upper hand during mediation. Later, Serena tries to control the narrative.
– S1, Ep. 03 – “Chip Off The Old Block”
Debut Date: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
The HBO Original comedy series YOUTH continues its run in October. This is the Sharon Horgan series in which she plays Alex, a 50-year-old divorcee fighting to stay vital and youthful as she moves through life. The story picks up beginning SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04 (10:00-10:30 pm ET/PT) and concludes on November 01.
–S1, Ep04 ” Michael Man”
Debut Date: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04 (10:00-10:30 pm ET/PT)
Sam gives Alex the unsavory task of getting Malcom back as a client. Later, Alex leans on Michael at a family dinner.
–S1, Ep.05 “The Holiday”
Debut Date: OCTOBER 11 (10:00-10:30 pm ET/PT)
In Ibiza for Sam and Frank’s 10-year anniversary, Alex finds herself on a couples’ holiday with her ex-husband Lorcan and ex-fling Patrick, both of their new girlfriends, and Ruari as her plus one.
–S1, Ep. 06 “Desperate Measures”
Debut Date OCTOBER 18 (10:00-10:30 pm ET/PT)
The season finale of LANTERNS is presented SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT). Check out the trailer for the conclusion below. Note that the series has not had an official greenlight for a second season, so this saga could end here.
Both LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER and REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER offer new installments in October. Oliver’s gig begins the month on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04 (11:00-11:41 pm ET/PT) with the 25th entry of the 13th season, and Maher’s show resumes FRIDAY, OCTOBER 02 (10:00-11:00 pm ET/PT) with the 29th entry of the 24th season. As they each take bashes at the current administration who knows how long their respective shows will last under the new ownership. Time will tell.
Original Series Exclusive to HBO Max: The only fresh original content, meaning not imported from some other outlet like Adult Swim or Discovery ID, is THE HOWARD STERN SHOW. It uploads a new installment EVERY THURSDAY. There was talk that the Sirius XM podcast did not transition well into a televised program. Internal planning and logistics were cited as the issues, but Howard and company are still the same old bunch. There have been only two installments so far. Ep # 1 returned the staff to the studios to catch up on what they did over the summer in “Can’t Wait To See This On HBO,” then on September 24 dropped “The Sydney Sweeney Nudity Controversy”, in which they talk about that dustup and other topics like Judge Judy’s retirement. Ah, okay. The series resumes THURSDAY, OCTOBER 01. 
HBO International Titles: First, the new titles starting with THE TORMENT. It is a drama series that follows a disgraced journalist who returns to her hometown to investigate the unsolved disappearance of her childhood friend, unaware that it will uncover some dangerous and dark truths. It arrives on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 02, and oddly, that is all we know right now. On THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, we get the title CORREGIDORA: THE DARKEST NIGHT IN MEXICAN SOCCER. Produced by Pacha Films, this documentary series aims to offer a rigorous reconstruction of the events that occurred on March 5, 2022, at La Corregidora Stadium in Querétaro, during a soccer match. What was supposed to be a football match turned into a pitched battle between fans, both inside and outside the stadium. Images captured by spectators, media outlets, and security cameras quickly went viral, showing scenes of panic, physical assaults, and a brutal lack of control. The scale of the violence generated a wave of outrage both nationally and internationally, calling into question the authorities’ ability to guarantee security at mass events. On THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 comes THE FLORES MASSACRE, a documentary about a shocking crime in Flores, Argentina, and on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 is CANNIBAL POET.
The biggest news we have in this category is a new season of RAGE (Furia). The sophomore season of this HBO Original series, created and directed by Félix Sabroso and produced by Producciones Mandarina for HBO Max in Spain, premieres on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 09 on HBO Max and on HBO Latino. In the new storylines, we’ll see several women trapped in a market-driven system where everything is liable to become a lucrative spectacle. They’ll all have to face these harsh situations with the only weapon they have left: rage. The new season of this HBO Original series, created and directed by Félix Sabroso—who also co-writes the scripts with Juan Flahn and co-directs with Jau Fornés—will consist of eight 30-minute episodes. It stars Maribel Verdú, Carmen Maura, María León, Cecilia Suárez, Ana Mena, and Clara Sans. Claudia Salas and Ana Torrent reprise their roles as Tina and Rosa from Season One.
Also, 4 BLOCKS ZERO and PAOLO just got underway in late September.
HBO & HBO Max Theatrical Movies: HBO always loads up with plenty of movies, both classic and modern, for the Halloween season, but first we look at the theatrical newbies that make their way to the channel and its streamer. That means we draw your attention first to Evil Dead Burn, The Housemaid, The Death of Robin Hood, and The Invite.
Debuting on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 03 (8:00- 9:55 pm ET/PT)and on HBO Max the night prior is EVIL DEAD BURN. Is that a gruesome way to lead off the Halloween season? This New Line Cinema’s / Warner Bros. Pictures project makes its global streaming debut exclusively on HBO Max before it falls into rotation on the channels. This 2026 horror unleashes the franchise’s most savage and terrifying ride to date with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem. After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life live on… even in death. The film is directed by Sébastien Vaniček and written by Sébastien Vaniček and Florent Bernard. It stars Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, Hunter Doohan, Luciane Buchanan, Erroll Shand and Maude Davey. Take in the trailer, if you dare.
The creeps are replaced by seduction & scandal as we are offered THE HOUSEMAID next. HBO alums Sydney Sweeney (EUPHORIA) and Amanda Seyfried (BIG LOVE) , as I mentioned earlier, star in this one along with Brandon Sklenar, Michele Morrone and Elizabeth Perkins. It is billed as a wildly entertaining thriller based on the best-selling book byFreida McFadden and directed by Paul Feig. The film plunges audiences into a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie (Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the wealthy Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous — a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters’ closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end. This Lionsgate film debuts SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 (8:00-10:15 pm ET/PT) and on HBO Max the night prior.
THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD, an adventurous period piece, premieres the following weekend. Find it SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 (8:00-10:02 pm ET/PT) and on HBO Max the night prior. It stars Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood in a dark adaptation of the 17th-century ballad Robin Hood’s Death. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, the film also stars Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett, and Noah Jupe. It follows an aged Robin, who is tormented by his past killings as an outlaw and living in self-imposed exile. When he is wounded, Robin takes refuge in a priory, where he befriends the prioress and an orphaned girl. Comer is Sister Brigid and Muschietti’s Pennywise himself – Skarsgård plays Little John, the last of the Merry Men left alive. For those who need to know the legend’s end-of-days, A24 and HBO provide.
The lighter fare for the month doesn’t come until late. It is titled THE INVITE. In San Francisco, musician Joe (Seth Rogen) arrives home from his job as a jazz band teacher at a conservatory to discover his stay-at-home wife Angela (Olivia Wilde) has invited their upstairs neighbors, divorcée Pina (Penélope Cruz)and widower Hawk (Edward Norton), over for dinner at their apartment. Joe and Angela’s marriage is rocky, and they bicker constantly, most recently over the loud sex sounds they often hear from upstairs. Joe plans to confront the couple, but Angela, who is desperate to impress the neighbors, demands he keep calm and quiet. What ensues over the next 107 minutes is a discovery about each of the couples and what they take away from their little get-together. The attached trailer offers more. Find its debut on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 (8:00-9:47 pm ET/PT) and on HBO Max the night prior.
As of now, there is no indication of what lands in primetime on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, but you have to know that a slew of horror titles stack the content. Like an ole bag of bones let’s rattle off a few titles, shall we? Some classic titles to freak you out include the disturbing Freaks, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, House of Wax, Isle of the Dead, The Mystery of the Wax Museum, The Mummy, and The Return of Doctor X. Most of these titles can be found in the TCM Hub. Other titles include The Exorcist, Trick R Treat, Coraline, Little Shop of Horrors, ParaNorman, Poltergeist, and the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
HBO Documentary Films: The HBO Original three-part documentary series THE PET CEMETERY MURDERS: A GHOST STORY, directed by Philip Cairney (Being Beethoven), and produced by Emmy-winning Jonathan Chinn and Academy Award-winning Simon Chinn’s Lightbox (HBO’s The Princess and Tina), debuts SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Subsequent episodes will debut Sundays at the same time. What begins as an investigation into a 1985 murder turns into a haunting exploration of a community’s dark history of violence and bloodshed. Set in the rural bayou outside New Orleans, Louisiana, a harsh landscape steeped in supernatural lore and traditions, the story starts with the disappearance of Dorothy Lou Thompson – the owner of a pet cemetery that had been built on land long rumored to be cursed. Dorothy’s body eventually turns up wrapped in chains in the Mississippi River, raising questions about her past and the people around her. With no concrete evidence, the case goes cold until 2009, when Det. John Doran reopens the investigation, following up on old leads and digging into the case files.
– Episode 1
Debut Date: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 (9:00-9:46 p.m. ET/PT)
A decades-old Louisiana cold case involving the gruesome death of Dorothy Lou Thompson, the owner of a pet cemetery, gains traction after a startling account launches investigators down various haunting leads.
–Episode 2
Debut Date: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 (9:00-9:43 p.m. ET/PT)
Detectives make strides in Dorothy’s case and an unlikely witness emerges with a vexing admission.
–Episode 3
Debut Date: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 (9:00-9:53 p.m. ET/PT)
Although Dorothy’s murder gets solved, what was unearthed in her case is a trail of murders, mobsters, and a horrific history that still haunts this community.
It sounds dark and grisly and just perfect for October.
HBO Original Specials: Seamlessly weaving through personal stories and stream-of-consciousness epiphanies, Kate Berlant offers up razor-sharp reflections on everything from the moon to her destructive relationship to technology to the evolving nature of sexuality. It all unfolds in the HBO Comedy Special KATE BERLANT: PARMESAN. Filmed at the historic Plaza Nightclub in Los Angeles, her gig is a hilarious tour-de-force that skewers the many contradictions of modern life and the art of stand-up comedy itself. Catch it when it debuts FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 on HBO. Get a sample below.
HBO Max Kids & Family: A shell of its former self, but still trickling out content. Perhaps Paramount content will help? They do have Nickelodeon IP. BATWHEELS Season 3 begins SATURDAY, OCTOBER 03, more THE REGULAR SHOW: THE LOST TAPES on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, and more KRYTO SAVES THE DAY pop up.
HBO Sports: For a generation of football fans, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart was one of the most electrifying players of the 1990s. Nicknamed “Slash” for his ability to excel at 
multiple positions, Stewart helped redefine what was possible for an NFL quarterback. But just as he became one of football’s biggest stars, a malicious rumor upended his life. Through candid interviews with Stewart and others who witnessed his brightest and darkest moments, KORDELL STEWART: SLASH & BURN explores the personal toll of scrutiny beyond the football field while searching for the truth behind a story that followed Stewart for decades. A Skydance Sports presentation and NFL Films production. This HBO Sports Documentary lands on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27.
Other Shows On HBO or HBO Max: The Adult Swim import called GET JIRO arrives on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 04. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel from Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose published through DC’s iconic Vertigo imprint, this animated series transports viewers to a post-apocalyptic, near-future Los Angeles where culinary culture reigns supreme and the world’s most powerful figures are chefs. In this society where food is both currency and a demarcation of class, the mysterious sushi chef Jiro sets out on a quest for vengeance. Check the trailer.
Next Month’s Tease: In what show will you find the likes of Hector and Gladys Vere and Adelheid Weber?
Last Month’s Tease: We asked if you knew the actor who played Jimmy McNulty and if you were ready to take on his latest. McNulty was Dominic West’s character in THE WIRE, and he next hits the courtroom set for HBO’s WAR in October.
Final Clip: The true-life horrors of THE PET CEMETERY MURDERS: A GHOST STORY gets the final slot. Happy Halloween!
Enjoy HBO and HBO Watch!
