As spooky season comes to a close, the chills and thrills aren’t entirely gone; they’ve just taken on new forms in this week's new TV shows premiering on Netflix, HBO Max and other streaming services, as well as cable and broadcast channels.
"It: Welcome to Derry" drags us back to the cursed town that made clowns terrifying for a generation, while Kathryn Bigelow’s political thrill film "A House of Dynamite" lights the fuse on a global crisis. And in "Harlan Coben’s Lazarus," long-buried secrets arise to torment a forensic psychologist.
If you're not feeling spooky vibes, bask in the warmth and charm of "Nobody Wants This" season 2, which brings back Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as a religiously mismatched couple with sparkling chemistry. Here’s our guide on the top new TV shows to check out this week.
New TV shows
‘It: Welcome to Derry’ (HBO)
Thought you had seen the last of Pennywise? Not a chance. The grinning clown is back ... or maybe, I should say he's just getting started. Set in 1962, decades before the Losers Club ever stepped foot in the sewers, this prequel returns to Stephen King’s most cursed zip code: Derry, Maine. When a local boy vanishes, a new family discovers that the town’s darkness runs far deeper than they ever imagined.
Bill Skarsgård slips once more into that nightmare grin as Andy and Barbara Muschietti expand their "It" universe into a nine-part odyssey of dread, legend and lurking evil. Keep the lights on for this one.
Episode 1 premieres Sunday, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max
‘Nobody Wants This’ season 2 (Netflix)
Netflix’s hit rom-com is back and and guess what? Everyone really wants this. After their against-the-odds reunion, agnostic sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and charming rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) are jumping heart-first into life as a couple. But blending their worlds turns out to be a lot harder than falling in love, as faith, family and reality crash their honeymoon phase.
Season 2 leans into the funny, messy and uncomfortably real work of staying together. Creator Erin Foster widens the lens with fresh faces, including Miles Fowler, Arian Moayed, Alex Karpovsky, and Leighton Meester (Brody’s real-life wife), who introduce new hijinks to the table.
All 10 episodes streaming now on Netflix
‘Harlan Coben’s Lazarus’ (Prime Video)
Craving another Harlan Coben fix? Amazon’s got you covered with a twisted new thriller that’s equal parts eerie and addictive. Sam Claflin stars as Joel “Laz” Lazarus, a forensic psychologist pulled back into his family’s murky past after his father’s suspicious death.
What follows is a haunting maze of visions, buried secrets and long-cold murders that refuse to stay that way. With Bill Nighy as the late patriarch and Alexandra Roach in a key role, this limited series promises a sharp, unsettling ride that’ll keep you guessing and glancing over your shoulder.
All 6 episodes streaming now on Prime Video
‘Anne Rice’s Talamasca: The Secret Order’ (AMC)
The Immortal Universe just got bigger and bloodier. In AMC's third series inspired by Anne Rice, law grad Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton) learns his life has been quietly monitored by a shadowy agency keeping tabs on witches, vampires and everything that goes bump in the night.
Guided by the icy Helen (Elizabeth McGovern) and the magnetic Olive (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), Guy is thrust into a realm where ancient power plays meet very human peril. Eric Bogosian and Justin Kirk reprise their "Interview With the Vampire" roles, while William Fichtner, Celine Buckens and Jason Schwartzman bring fresh intrigue to this supernatural saga.
Episode 1 premieres Sunday, Oct. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC (via Sling, Fubo or YouTube TV) or AMC Plus
‘Mayor of Kingstown’ season 4 (Paramount Plus)
Jeremy Renner returns as Mike McLusky just as Kingstown’s about to boil over. Season 4 finds the city’s uneasy balance shattered, as new power players rush to fill the void left by the Russians, sparking a gang war that threatens to consume everything. Edie Falco’s hard-edged warden, Laura Benanti’s steadfast correctional officer, and Lennie James’ dangerously charming kingpin all turn up the heat.
With old grudges resurfacing and alliances cracking, Mike’s forced to hold the line once again. In Kingstown, law and crime are two sides of the same coin, and Mike’s the last one keeping it from flipping.
Episode 1 premieres Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3 a.m. ET on Paramount Plus
New movies
‘A House of Dynamite’ (Netflix)
Kathryn Bigelow is a master of difficult, but extremely relevant, cinema, and “A House of Dynamite” is the latest example. The Oscar-winning director behind “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty” returns with another unflinching political thriller that starts with one missile and ends with every nerve frayed.
Idris Elba stars as the U.S. president facing the unthinkable: a nuclear strike on Chicago with no clear culprit. Told in near real time, the film is tense, relentless and disturbingly plausible — the kind of movie that’ll keep you thinking for days afterward.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘The Hand That Rocks the Cradle’ (Hulu)
The cradle rocks again. Hulu remakes the 1992 psychological thriller for new generation, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Caitlin Morales, a suburban mom whose perfect life begins to fray when she hires a nanny named Polly (Maika Monroe).
Sweet smiles and lullabies hide sinister motives, and soon become manipulation and terror. Director Michelle Garza Cervera promises a story with gray-area characters and fresh surprises that honor the original while standing on its own.
Streaming now on Hulu
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