TAGGED AS: Amazon Prime, Cartoon Network, Netflix, Showtime, streaming
While this month marks the return of long-running favorites like Ray Donovan and The Man in the High Castle, it also excitingly welcomes new installments from series we’ve been missing for well over a year, The Crown and The End of the F***ing World among them! Catch up on why you should be bingeing these series and more below.
What it is: Based on the characters created by Tom Clancy in his famous “Ryanverse,” Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan came in hot and action-packed last August with John Krasinski front and center. Season 1 follows Krasinski as the titular Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who’s pulled from the safety of his desk job and into the field to help locate and detain an extremist on the rise.
Why you should watch it: Believe it or not, creators Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland give this iconic Tom Clancy character due justice by casting Jim from The Office. The action hero’s greatest asset is that he’s a well-intentioned, brainy everyman caught in circumstances way above his pay-grade. Here, Krasinski, who also serves as executive producer on the series along with Michael Bay, leaves his pencil-pushing behind, solidifying himself as a multi-hyphenate Hollywood force. Season 2 premieres Nov. 1 on Amazon Prime.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 6 hours (for the first season)
What it is: This unlikeliest of road-trip stories follows two teen outsiders named James and Alyssa. The latter is an angsty girl in search of adventure, and the former fancies himself a psychopath. On the one hand, James is ever-plotting Alyssa’s murder over the course of their trip to find her real father; on the other, he’s falling in love with her: What’s a 17-year-old to do?
Why you should watch it: If the title wasn’t a dead giveaway, this series is a bit crass, but it also wears its heart on its sleeve. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Charles Forsman, this very bingeable, eight-episode series from Channel 4 and Netflix is nihilistic, romantic, hilarious, and surprisingly…charming. We’ve all felt like outsiders at one point or another, and while maybe not to the point of psychopathy, it’s easy to root for James and Alyssa, as played wonderfully by Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden. Also of note: The series was such a hit abroad that it as nominated for the Best Drama Series BAFTA! Season 2 premieres Nov. 5 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 2.5 hours (for the first season)
What it is: Every mad scientist needs a sidekick – this one just happens to be his fretful and largely incompetent grandson. Rick and Morty follows scientist Rick Sanchez after he moves in with his daughter’s family, the Smiths, and as he involves them (and specifically grandson, Morty) on intergalactic, reality-jumping, time-bending adventures.
Why you should watch it: From the minds of Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, Rick and Morty is a show like you’ve never seen before. Brazenly dark and existential while also being charmingly unhinged and laugh-out-loud funny, the series’ 31 episodes will breeze by in no time. Season 4 premieres Nov. 10 on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 11.5 hours (for the first three seasons)
What it is: This Showtime series has been around for so long that it’s hard to define in all its glory. But at its core, it’s an hour-long dysfunctional family comedy-drama about six children (led through the first nine seasons by Emmy Rossum as Fiona) who were forced to grow up too fast while under the watch of their single, alcoholic father, Frank (William H. Macy).
Why you should watch it: It’s tricky to strike the balance between broad comedy and aching drama, but it’s a skill that Shameless has perfected since its 2011 debut. Credit where it’s due: Rossum is an absolutely fearless knockout who bested herself season to season. Sadly, Season 9 was her last with the Gallagher family, but it’s in all an excellent ensemble. You can’t help but love them – even when they don’t make it easy. Season 10 premieres Nov. 10 on Showtime.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 97.5 hours (for the first nine seasons)
What it is: Talk about a premise: The Man in the High Castle is created by Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files) and depicts a dystopian United States in a world where the very worst has happened: Nazi Germany won the Second World War and currently reigns supreme.
Why you should watch it: Fresh off Amazon’s Emmys-sweep with Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, now’s as good a time as ever to go back and discover some other standouts in the streaming service’s catalog. First thing we’d suggest is The Man in the High Castle. Epic and engrossing – not to mention timely – it takes viewers into an utterly foreign world that for some might hit a little too close to today’s political climate for comfort. Season 4 premieres Nov. 15 on Amazon Prime.
Where to watch: Amazon
Commitment: Approx. 30 hours (for the first three seasons)
What it is: While The Crown will ultimately chart Queen Elizabeth II’s life from her 1947 wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, through to the present day, seasons 1 and 2 of this sprawling royal drama cover the first half of that period through the early days of her reign. Golden Globe winner Claire Foy stars as the titular monarch.
Why you should watch it: Oh, how we’ve missed The Crown! As one of Netflix’s most decorated series, this period drama should be mandatory viewing for anyone with not just an interest in world history and the British monarchy, but an interest in first-rate prestige TV. Exquisitely acted, written, directed, and designed, The Crown was upon its premiere Netflix’s most expensive series to date – and it proves well worth the investment. Before the likes of Oscar winner Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter take the reins in the third season’s depiction of the Queen’s later years, catch up on Foy’s episodes – you won’t be sorry. Season 3 (its first new episodes since December 2017) premieres Nov. 17 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 20 hours (for the first two seasons)
What it is: Ray Donovan ranks as one of the finer character studies in recent memory, with Liev Schreiber playing the central Los Angeles–area “fixer” with smoldering grit and Jon Voight as his no-good ex-con father. Ray may be the man whom L.A.’s rich and famous call to get out of trouble, but upon the return of his father, Donovan, a family man himself, develops problems of his own.
Why you should watch it: When Ray Donovan premiered on Showtime in 2013, it promised the arrival of an exciting new anti-hero. It’s since stayed true to that promise and hasn’t let up, bringing us into the hidden underbelly of Los Angelean elite and slowly unveiling the many layers of a complicated and troubled man. Season 7 premieres Nov. 17 on Showtime.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 62 hours (for the first six seasons)
Thumbnail image courtesy of © Netflix, © Amazon Prime Video
