October 2015 TV premieres include nearly the entire CW fall lineup, including the excellent “iZombie” and superhero series “The Flash” and “Arrow.” Other fall premiere stragglers include “The Walking Dead,” “Homeland,” “The Knick” and “American Horror Story: Hotel.”
Quite a few new comedies debut this month, from ABC’s Ken Jeong starrer “Dr. Ken” to IFC’s hockey bro-based “Benders” and golden girl tale “Gigi Does It” to Hulu’s singles story “Casual” and Amazon’s 1980s set “Red Oaks.”
One of my favorite comedies, the sweet, insightful Aussie series “Please Like Me,” returns to Pivot on Oct. 16. And Amy Schumer’s first HBO special, “Live from the Apollo,” premieres Oct. 17.
On the drama side, I’m looking forward to BBC America’s new historical drama “The Last Kingdom,” about the creation of England, as well as new seasons of WGN America’s “Manhattan,” FX’s “Fargo” and Audience’s “Kingdom.” (I’ve already mentioned other shows I’m eager to see above. You guess which ones.)
Cinemax’s “Strike Back” airs its final episodes this month, and Syfy’s “Haven” begins its last 13 episodes.
On the streaming side, Crackle has the stop-motion animation series “Supermansion” about a group of super heroes. Acorn TV will debut the seventh season of the dramedy “Doc Martin,” which will guest star self-proclaimed series fan Sigourney Weaver. DramaFever has the North American premieres of several Asian series, including the Korean historical drama “Six Flying Dragons.”
Needless to say, October piles on the viewing for our already overtaxed DVRs. If you’ve given up traditional TV, the streaming world has a lot to offer, too. I’ll add more shows as I find them.
October 2015 TV premieres
(All times Central; check local listings)
Thursday, Oct. 1
7 p.m.
- “Bones,” Fox (season premiere)
8 p.m.
- “Sleepy Hollow,” Fox (season premiere)
- “The Blacklist,” NBC (season 3 premiere)
- “O.J. Speaks: The Hidden Tapes,” A&E (doc; “unique” access to the civil trial 20 years ago that found O.J. Simpson responsible for the wrongful deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman)
9 p.m.
- “Benders,” IFC (series premiere; friends bond playing on men’s ice hockey team; see video above)
- “Married,” FX (season 2 finale)
- “Review,” Comedy Central (season finale)
- “Fluffy Breaks Even,” Fuse (series premiere; following comic Gabriel Iglesias on the road)
9:30 p.m.
- “Gigi Does It,” IFC (series premiere; David Krumholtz plays elderly widow who discovers her dead husband had a secret bank account; see video below)
Friday, Oct. 2
2 p.m.
- “Live: Austin City Limits Music Festival,” Red Bull TV (through Oct. 4)
7 p.m.
- “The Jacksons: Next Generation,” Lifetime (docuseries premiere; focusing on Taj, Taryll and TJ—Tito Jackson’s sons and nephews of the Jackson 5)
7:30 p.m.
- “Dr. Ken,” ABC (series premiere; doctor with horrible bedside manner drives patients, coworkers and family nuts)
8 p.m.
- “Love at First Swipe,” TLC (series premiere; style expert Clinton Kelly and online dating guru Devyn Simone help women)
- “Step It Up,” Lifetime (docuseries premiere; former Miami Heat dancer and her elite dance company, the Young Contemporary Dance Theatre)
- “Mysteries at the Museum,” Travel (season premiere)
- “Sex in Public,” TLC (series premiere; therapist surprises people in public to discuss sex)
9 p.m.
- “Skee TV,” Fuse (series premiere; DJ Skee chats up celebrities, hosts live musical performances)
9:30 p.m.
- “#WhatSheSaid,” TLC (new episodes; commentary series)
10 p.m.
- “SXSW Comedy Night Two with W. Kamau Bell,” Showtime (special; comedy showcase from SXSW)
Saturday, Oct. 3
8 a.m.
- “Red Bull Art of Motion—Greece,” Red Bull TV (live parkour coverage; freerunning’s biggest contest)
10 a.m.
- “OK! TV Weekend,” Reelz (series premiere; Hollywood news, features)
7 p.m.
- “The Unauthorized Beverly Hills, 90210 Story,” Lifetime (movie; dramatization of the making of the 1990s hit)
8 p.m.
- “Night of the Wild,” Syfy (movie premiere; meteor strike causes dogs to attack owners)
10 p.m.
- “The Graham Norton Show,” BBC America (season 17 compilation special)
10:30 p.m.
- “Saturday Night Live,” NBC (season 41 premiere; Miley Cyrus hosts)
Sunday, Oct. 4
6 p.m.
- “50/50,” Travel (series premiere; 50-hour getaway worth $50,000 if contestants can drop everything and leave immediately)
7 p.m.
- “Madam Secretary,” CBS (season 2 premiere)
- “Home Fires,” PBS (“Masterpiece” premiere; women in English village face World War II; video above)
8 p.m.
- “The Good Wife,” CBS (season 7 premiere)
- “Homeland,” Showtime (season 5 premiere; see video below)
- “The Leftovers,” HBO (season 2 premiere)
- “Fear the Walking Dead,” AMC (season 1 finale)
- “Alaska: The Last Frontier,” Discovery (season 5 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “The Strain,” FX (season 2 finale)
- “The Affair,” Showtime (season 2 premiere)
- “CSI: Cyber,” CBS (season 2 premiere)
- “Naked and Afraid,” Discovery (season premiere)
Monday, Oct. 5
Streaming
- “Doc Martin,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere of Series 7; 2 episodes, followed by one following 6 Mondays)
- “Easy Living,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; Finnish crime drama about a wealthy man who turns to crime)
- “Six Flying Dragons,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; historical drama follows Lee Bang Won’s ascension as the third king of Korea’s Joseon Dynasty)
7 p.m.
- “The Weapon Hunter,” Smithsonian (series premiere; restoration expert Paul Shull finds, fixes and fires antique military weapons)
9 p.m.
- “Al Weiwei: The Fake Case,” PBS/WTTW (“POV” premiere; attempts to silence Ai Weiwei have turned him into China’s most powerful artist and activist)
Tuesday, Oct. 6
7 p.m.
- “The Flash,” CW (season 2 premiere; video above)
8 p.m.
- “iZombie,” CW (season 2 premiere)
- “Botched,” E! (season 2 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “The People’s Couch,” Bravo (season premiere)
- “Pretty. Strong.” Oxygen (docuseries premiere; look at Legends Football League’s Chicago Bliss)
- “WAGS,” E! (season finale)
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Streaming
- “Casual,” Hulu (series premiere; bachelor brother and single-mom sister move in together, coach each other in dating; video above)
Noon
- “Keep Your Tips Up,” Red Bull TV (series premiere; skier Sean Pettit documents his 2014-15 winter ski season)
7 p.m.
- “Arrow,” CW (season premiere)
- “Kevin From Work,” ABC Family (season finale; 2 episodes)
- “Kirby Buckets,” Disney XD (season 2 premiere)
- “Unsung,” TV One (season premiere; KC and The Sunshine Band, Lakeside, Kashif, Chantè Moore, H-Town, Jennifer Holliday, Nate Dogg)
8 p.m.
- “Supernatural,” CW (season premiere)
- “Expedition Unknown,” Travel (season 2 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “American Horror Story: Hotel,” FX (season premiere; this time the crazy happens in a hotel owned by Lady Gaga’s character)
- “Jay Leno’s Garage,” CNBC (series premiere; Leno talks cars)
- “They Took Our Child: We Got Her Back,” LMN (series premiere; children who were kidnapped tell their stories as adults)
Thursday, Oct. 8
Streaming
- “Supermansion,” Crackle (3 episodes premiere, followed by 1 weekly through Dec. 17; stop-motion animated series about Titanium Rex and The League of Freedom, a motley band of super heroes that has seen better days)
- “Because it’s the First Time,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; college freshman and his five friends hang out, but a budding love triangle could ruin things)
7 p.m.
- “The Vampire Diaries,” CW (season premiere)
- “Latin American Music Awards Red Carpet,” Telemundo (special)
8 p.m.
- “The Originals,” CW (season premiere)
- “Latin American Music Awards,” Telemundo (special)
9 p.m.
- “Haven,” Syfy (season 5B premiere)
9:30 p.m.
- “Billy on the Street,” truTV (season 4 premiere)
Friday, Oct. 9
Streaming
- “Red Oaks,” Amazon (series premiere; coming-of-age dramedy set in suburban New Jersey in 1985)
7 p.m.
- “Undateable,” NBC (hourlong live season premiere)
- “Reign,” CW (season premiere)
- “Invisible Sister,” Disney (movie; introvert’s science class project accidentally turns her sister invisible)
- “Million Man March 20th Anniversary” commemoration, TV One (specials include network premiere of “The Million Man March Story” doc and hourlong post-doc discussion on “News One Now”)
8 p.m.
- “America’s Next Top Model,” CW (season 22 premiere)
- “Unity—The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson,” PBS (PBS Arts Fall Festival premiere; Sheila E. hosts a concert special)
9 p.m.
- “Strike Back,” Cinemax (series finale)
- “The Enfield Haunting,” A&E (miniseries premiere; thriller based on a real-life haunting in northern London during the fall of 1977)
- “Death by Gossip with Wendy Williams,” Investigation Discovery (series premiere; six stories of harmless whispers turned into deadly acts)
- “Human Resources,” Pivot (season finale)
Saturday, Oct. 10
11 a.m.
- “The Knick,” HBO2 (season 1 marathon, network premiere)
- “Queen Mary VIP Tour,” Reelz (special; floating landmark near Los Angeles attracts VIPs and celebrities)
2 p.m.
- “Celebrity Motor Homes,” GAC (series premiere; Lance Bass, Salt N Pepa, Lady Antebellum open their motor home doors)
2:30 p.m.
- “LIVE: Red Bull Straight Rhythm,” Red Bull TV (special; supercross plus)
7 p.m.
- “The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story,” Lifetime (movie; dramatization of the making of the 1990s hit)
8 p.m.
- “Ominous,” Syfy (movie premiere; child brought back to life spooks his parents)
- “Prophet’s Prey,” Showtime (doc; cult leader Warren Jeffs)
- “Hell House,” Investigation Discovery (series premiere; homes that have witnessed harrowing crimes)
9 p.m.
- “The Last Kingdom,” BBC America (series premiere; in 9th century England, man fights to regain his lands; preview above)
- “Fatal Vows,” Investigation Discovery (season 4 premiere)
10 p.m.
- “Paul F. Tompkins: Crying and Driving,” Comedy Central (stand-up special)
Sunday, Oct. 11
6 p.m.
- “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC (season premiere)
8 p.m.
- “The Walking Dead,” AMC (season 6 premiere; 90-minute premiere; video above)
9 p.m.
- “90 Day Fiance,” TLC (season 3 premiere)
9:30 p.m.
- “Talking Dead,” AMC (season premiere)
Monday, Oct. 12
9 p.m.
- “Fargo,” FX (season 2 premiere; same cold weather, new story set in 1979)
Tuesday, Oct. 13
7 p.m.
- “Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration,” PBS (doc premiere; check local listings)
8 p.m.
- “Manhattan,” WGN America (season 2 premiere)
- “Married at First Sight: The First Year,” FYI (season 2 premiere)
- “The Real Trojan Horse,” PBS (“Secrets of the Dead” premiere; check local listings)
9 p.m.
- “Chicago Fire,” NBC (season premiere)
- “Killer Confessions,” Investigation Discovery (series premiere; true confessions from interrogation rooms)
- “Saving Hope,” ION (network premiere; Canadian medical drama returns to U.S., eventually with episodes not see here before)
- “Botched: Post Op,” E! (special)
Wednesday, Oct. 14
7 p.m.
- “Soul of the Elephant,” PBS (“Nature” premiere; Dereck and Beverly Joubert study elephants)
8 p.m.
- “Kingdom,” Audience (season 2 premiere; video above)
- “Baring It All: Inside New York Fashion Week,” ABC Family (doc; following industry insiders who are changing fashion)
9 p.m.
- “True Nightmares,” Investigation Discovery (series premiere; real-life horror stories)
Thursday, Oct. 15
8 p.m.
- “Surviving Evil,” Investigation Discovery (season 3 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Nathan For You,” Comedy Central (season 3 premiere)
- “Late Night Chef Fight,” FYI (season 2 premiere)
- “Evil Twins,” Investigation Discovery (season 3 premiere)
Friday, Oct. 16
7 p.m.
- “The Dirt,” Discovery (season premiere; Matt Rogers takes over as host of “Gold Rush” pre show)
- “Jessie,” Disney Channel (series finale)
7:30 p.m.
- “Truth Be Told,” NBC (series premiere; two couples are neighbors and best friends)
8 p.m.
- “Gold Rush,” Discovery (season 6 premiere)
- “Ghost Asylum,” Destination America (season premiere)
- “Play It Forward,” Showtime (“Sho Close Up” doc; portrait of NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez and his older brother Chris)
- “Kern & Hammerstein’s Show Boat in Concert with the New York Philharmonic,” PBS (“Live From Lincoln Center” premiere; lives, loves and heartbreaks of three generations of show folk on the Mississippi River, in Chicago and on Broadway)
9 p.m.
- “Please Like Me,” Pivot (season 3 premiere; video above)
- “The Knick,” Cinemax (season 2 premiere)
- “Satisfaction,” USA (season 2 premiere)
- “Neighborhood Sessions featuring Toby Keith,” TBS (music special)
Saturday, Oct. 17
8 p.m.
- “They Found Hell,” Syfy (movie premiere; college students accidentally teleport to hell, where bad things happen)
9 p.m.
- “Amy Schumer: Live from the Apollo,” HBO (standup special; Chris Rock directs)
- “Gabriel Iglesias Presents: The Gentleman Jerry Rocha,” Fuse (stand-up special)
Sunday, Oct. 18
8 p.m.
- “Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise,” Hallmark (movie; Stone agrees to consult on a Boston murder case)
9 p.m.
- “The Operatives,” Pivot (season 2 premiere; see video above)
11 p.m.
- “Comic Book Men,” AMC (season 5 premiere, two episodes)
Monday, Oct. 19
7 p.m.
- “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” CW (series premiere; single woman searches for her soul mate from high school; video above)
8 p.m.
- “Jane the Virgin,” CW (season 2 premiere)
- “Bizarre Foods,” Travel (season 9 premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Vegas Rat Rods,” Discovery (season 2 premiere)
Tuesday, Oct. 20
7 p.m.
- “The Doll Life,” Myx TV (series premiere; behind-the-scenes look at Japanese street fashion sub-culture called “Dolly Style” or “Lolita Style”)
Wednesday, Oct. 21
7 p.m.
- “Hellevator,” GSN (game show premiere; teams of 3 face psychological terror and scary challenges)
- “Pets: Wild at Heart,” PBS, check local listings (“Nature” premiere; 2-part series reveals how pets get in touch with their wild sides; see video at top of story)
8 p.m.
- “Do Not Disturb: Hotel Horrors,” Investigation Discovery (series premiere; crimes that happened in hotel rooms)
9 p.m.
- “Natural Born Outlaws,” AHC (series premiere; lesser known tales of famous criminals)
Thursday, Oct. 22
8 p.m.
- “Castro: The World’s Most Watched Man,” AHS (doc premiere; life of Fidel Castro through the eyes of the spies who have observed him for over a half-century)
Friday, Oct. 23
Streaming
- “Hemlock Grove,” Netflix (season 3 premiere)
8 p.m.
- “Billy Elliot the Musical,” PBS (“Great Performances” premiere; celebration performance from London’s West End)
- “Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank,” Showtime (doc premiere; behind-the-scenes at the public and private life of the legislator)
9 p.m.
- “Pacific Warriors,” Discovery (series premiere; kayak fishing)
Saturday, Oct. 24
6 p.m.
- “Revealed,” Fuse (series premiere; looks into backstory, creative process and life as these musicians: Trey Songz, Jason Derulo, Ciara, Nate Ruess, Bebe Rexha and Ed Sheeran)
8 p.m.
- “Da Vinci’s Demons,” Starz (season 3 premiere; all 10 episodes of the final season available to stream on Starz Play and Starz on Demand; video above)
- “The Hollow,” Syfy (movie premiere; 3 sisters face a mysterious creature when they move in with aunt)
Sunday, Oct. 25
6 p.m.
- “You Cast a Spell on Me,” ION (holiday movie; warlock loses powers when he kisses the woman of his dreams)
9 p.m.
- “Alaska Haunting,” Destination America (season 1 finale)
Monday, Oct. 26
Streaming
- “Bubblegum,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; four people whose lives revolve around a hospital and radio station become close)
7 p.m.
- “Fear: Buried Alive,” A&E (live special; 3 participants face their fears underground)
7:30 p.m.
- “Supergirl,” CBS (series premiere; Superman’s cousin dons her cape)
8 p.m.
- “How to Dance in Ohio,” HBO (doc premiere; young folks on autism spectrum spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills in preparation for a spring formal dance)
- “Street Outlaws,” Discovery (season premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Behind Closed Doors: Shocking Secrets,” Investigation Discovery (special; exploration of domestic abuse)
- “Cursed: The Bell Witch,” A&E (series premiere; man who believes he is a direct descendant of the Bell Witch curse attempts to stop the curse)
Tuesday, Oct. 27
7 p.m.
- “Fix My Mom,” Oxygen (series premiere; 5 mother-daughter pairs)
8 p.m.
- “Vampire Legend,” PBS (“Secrets of the Dead” premiere; check local listings)
9 p.m.
- “Wicked City,” ABC (series premiere; serial killer preying on single women is chased)
Friday, Oct. 30
Streaming
- “Answer Me 1988,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; latest installments of Korean romantic comedy)
7 p.m.
- “Pets: Wild at Heart,” PBS, check local listings (“Nature” finale; 2-part series reveals how pets get in touch with their wild sides; see video at top of story)
8 p.m.
- “Grimm,” NBC (season premiere)
- “I Am Giant: Victor Cruz,” Showtime (doc premiere; New York Giants wide receiver’s rise, injury, fall and comeback)
- “Exorcism: Live,” Destination America (special; the “Ghost Asylum” team and a psychic medium try to rid “The Exorcist” house in St. Louis of its demons)
- “Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton,” PBS (“Live From Lincoln Center” premiere; scores from such films as “Batman,” “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas”)
9 p.m.
- “David Tutera’s CELEbrations,” WEtv (season 3 premiere)
Saturday, Oct. 31
9 p.m.
- “Ash vs Evil Dead,” Starz (series premiere; chainsaw-handed zombie hunter Ash Williams from “The Evil Dead” movies returns)
- “The Returned,” Sundance TV (season 2 premiere; original French series returns)