10 TV shows for October: The Bear, Gangs of London, White Lotus...
There are plenty of new and returning shows to choose from this month.
- Disney+, Wednesday
Highly-rated US series starring Jeremy Allen White (Lip in the American version of Shameless) as a high-flying chef who is forced back to earth when he has to return home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop.
- Disney+, weekly
At last, the end is nigh for the long-running zombie series. After 11 seasons — including a milkingly drawn-out format of three instalments of eight episodes each for this final run — the series reaches a conclusion. It has been brilliant at times but is long past its sell-by date. Unfortunately, the humdrum fare of recent seasons suggests the show won’t be capable of providing the finale fans deserves.
- Paramount+, Saturday
The vampire novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist has already given us decent Swedish and American film versions, and now the creepy tale is getting a 10-part TV series. Set in New York, we see the trials and tribulations for a 12-year-old vampire whose father has to somehow find the blood she needs to survive.
- Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
Documentary on the Aer Lingus plane that left Cork Airport in 1968 and crashed into the sea off Co Wexford, with the loss of all 61 people onboard. Family members and aviation experts reflect on a tragedy for which no cause has yet been revealed.
- BBC Two, Oct 12
New three-part documentary series on the world’s richest man. We see how life hasn’t all been plain sailing for the South African who founded Tesla and SpaceX.
- Tues-Thurs (Oct 11-13), RTÉ One
Three families take part in a series showing how people in Ireland can reduce their carbon footprint. Obviously, the bigger picture is the climate emergency, but we'll also see practical steps that can help reduce our cost of living at a time when energy bills are rising at a frightening rate.
- TG4, Oct 18
The Breaking Bad offshoot had its finale recently on Netflix, but if you’re wondering what all the fuss was about, the Irish channel is launching season one. A bit of a Marmite show — some found it slow and boring; others claimed it was even better than the classic series that spawned it.
- Sky Atlantic/Now, Oct 20
The opening series excelled at claret-spattered scenes of brutal violence in its tale of the interconnections between the London underworld and ‘legitimate’ business. Several of the main characters didn’t survive the bloodletting of the first season, but there’s no shortage of new mobsters to replace them as the international heroin wars hot up again.
- Netflix, Oct 25
The Mexican filmmaker is a welcome addition to the pre-Halloween roster, and has contributed two of his own pieces to the eight episodes in this anthology series. We’re promised horror with a sophisticated touch.
- Sky Atlantic/Now, Oct 31
The Hawaii-set first season was one of the best shows on TV last year. Will it survive an almost totally-new cast and a transfer to Sicily, or will it take a True Detective-style nosedive? Jennifer Coolidge as troubled millionaire Tanya looks to be the only survivor from the opening series, but there are other familiar faces in the likes of Michael Imperioli (Christopher from The Sopranos).
