Binge Guide

15 TV Shows You Should Binge-Watch This October

Marvel's Daredevil, Ray Donovan, Black-ish, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend are among the month's top binge TV offerings.

by | September 27, 2018 | Comments

TAGGED AS: , , , , , , ,

There’s a lot to binge up on going into this month — so let’s get right to it, shall we? Below, catch our roundup of 15 series boasting Certified Fresh seasons that are returning in October.


Will & Grace -- (NBC)


What it is: Will (Eric McCormack) is a lawyer (and he’s gay); Grace (Debra Messing) is an interior designer (and she’s straight); they’re best friends who live in New York City, and they both have problems in life and love. Their zany sidekicks are Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally), the latter of whom happens to be pals with one Donald Trump.

Why you should watch it: Few series can claim to have brought the situational comedy into the modern age, but with its fresh, incisive, and most of all hilarious take on contemporary life in New York city — while featuring a pair of gay men and their best girlfriends to match — Will & Grace is one of the series that did. The best episodes of last season prove a) why NBC revived this hit series and b) why it’s still essential viewing all these years later. Season 10 premieres Oct. 4.

Where to watch: AmazonFandangoNOW, Google Play, HuluMicrosoftVudu

Commitment: Approx. 77 hours


Big Mouth 94% (Netflix)


What it is: Co-created by Nick Kroll and featuring the voice talents of comedy heavy-hitters like John Mulaney, Fred Armisen, Maya Rudolph, and Jenny Slate, Big Mouth is a coming-of-age series about awkward teens discovering their sexuality and more through the raging hormones of puberty.

Why you should watch it: We’ve seen plenty of naughty comedies in the past, but none of them excavate the triumphs and traumas of pubescent adolescence quite as fearlessly or uproariously as Big Mouth. Season 2 premieres in full October 5.

Where to watch: Netflix

Commitment: Approx. 5 hours


The Man in the High Castle 84% (Amazon)


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 that imagines 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 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 still hits a little too close to today’s political climate for comfort (the way that so many of TV’s very finest manage to do). Season 3 premieres October 5.

Where to watch: Amazon

Commitment: Approx. 20 hours


Fresh Off the Boat 94% (ABC)


What it is: Set in the 1990s and loosely adapted from celebrity chef Eddie Huang’s memoir of the same name, Fresh Off the Boat follows a first-generation Taiwanese family who picks up from their Chinatown home in Washington, D.C., and heads south to Orlando, Florida, where father Louis Huang (Randall Park) opens a country-western steakhouse.

Why you should watch it: A refreshing take on Asian Americans for the small screen? Check. Well-earned laughs from a trio of talented young actors? Check. A heaping dose of ’90s nostalgia? Check. And the combined powers of the hilarious Park and Constance Wu (now of Crazy Rich Asians fame)? Check and check. Need we say more? Season 5 premieres October 5.

Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, HuluMicrosoft, Vudu

Commitment: Approx. 22 hours


Doctor Who 90% (BBC America)


What it is: Considering Doctor Who is about nothing less than fantastical adventures through the space-time continuum, it’s difficult to sum up in a sentence or two. But just know that it follows an alien Time Lord who’s known as the Doctor (who’s been inhabited by a number of actors and now actresses over the years) and his companions — this season called her “friends.”

Why you should watch it: Doctor Who is making a case for being one of those timeless sci-fi properties that’s earned a devout following akin to Star Wars or Star Trek. The decades-spanning series always finds ways to one-up itself, and with Jodie Whittaker appearing as the first female Doctor this season, there’s never been a better time to jump aboard. Season 11 premieres October 7 — to get ready, we recommend you begin with the 2005 relaunch.

Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, MicrosoftVudu

Commitment: Approx. 90 hours


The Walking Dead 79% (AMC)


What it is: You don’t know what The Walking Dead is? You may want to check your pulse…

Why you should watch it: One of cable’s highest rated dramas returns with its season 9 premiere on October 7. Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard’s post-apocalyptic premise of zombies walking the Earth and ending mankind as we know it, the acclaimed series developed by creator Frank Darabont indulges in gore and “what if” fascinations. These are characters brought to life with bone-deep precision from a stable of some of TV’s greatest talents. You just never know when your favorite will bite the dust. (That’s admittedly part of the fun, too.)

Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, NetflixVudu

Commitment: Approx. 86 hours


Black Lightning 92% (The CW)


What it is: While he thought he had hung up his super suit and street-fighting days of yesteryear for good, Jefferson Pierce (now a school principal) comes out of “retirement” as Black Lightning as street gangs threaten his city.

Why you should watch it: If you’re a fan of the Greg Berlanti–led DC Comics universe on The CW, then you know what you’re in for here, and you’ll love Black Lightning. But this series goes one step further by being an awesome first of its kind, spotlighting not only black superheroes on the small screen, but LGBTQ ones, as well. Season 2 premieres on October 8.

Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, NetflixVudu

Commitment: Approx. 9.5 hours


The Flash 89% (The CW)


What it is: Grant Gustin is crime scene investigator–turned–crime scene vigilante Barry Allen (a.k.a. the Flash), a lightning-enhanced fastest man alive. The story follows Barry’s crime-fighting adventures with a group of friends with their own special abilities.

Why you should watch it: You don’t gain an adoring following like that of The Flash without bringing edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, lovable characters and story arcs, and pitch-perfect performances week to week. Season 5 premieres October 8.

Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, NetflixVudu

Commitment: Approx. 66 hours


Riverdale 81% (The CW)


What it is: Riverdale is the latest TV adaptation of the beloved Archie comics of yore — only this time, it gets the CW treatment as a murder mystery–thriller with live-action, and hot high schoolers played by KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, and Cole Sprouse.

Why you should watch it: We’ll say it: Riverdale ranks among the best teen dramas to come out of The CW since Gossip Girl, and it deserves the viewership and brand ubiquity to match. It’s the classic Archie we know with a heaping of sex appeal and a dash of True Detective. What’s not to love? Season 3 premieres October 10.

Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, Netflix, Vudu

Commitment: Approx. 25.5 hours


Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 98% (The CW)


What it is: Musical comedy series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend begins with our hero lawyer Rebecca Bunch quitting her job and moving across the country to live near her childhood boyfriend, Josh — whom she hasn’t spoken to in years. To say the least, it’s all uphill from there.

Why you should watch it: Whatever you do, don’t be put off by the series’ title — even if you’ve got one! Starring as Rebecca, Rachel Bloom is a musical genius, concocting show-stopping comedic melodies inspired by the best of Broadway and Top 40 week after week. And as if the comedy’s song-and-dance wasn’t entertaining enough, it’s buoyed by excellent performances and tight, creative scripts that tackle everything from broken hearts to mental health. Last season got especially dark, and we love it all the more for continuing to break the mold. Season 4 premieres October 12.

Where to watch: AmazonFandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, NetflixVudu

Commitment: Approx. 30 hours


Supergirl 88% (The CW)


What it is: Ever wonder what the other surviving Kryptonians (what few of them are left) are up to while Superman is out there saving the world? Well, turns out his cousin, Kara Zor-El (a.k.a. Supergirl) is up to just about the same thing. This is her story.

Why you should watch it: It took until the second season for this DC Comics series to really nail down its tone with star Melissa Benoist and crew, but there’s no doubt that it now ranks as one of the most formidable hour-long outings in the superheroic comics-to-screen universe. Plus some behind-the-scenes trivia: Benoist is fresh off a Broadway run as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. We love a multi-talented Supergirl! Season 4 premieres October 14.

Where to watch: AmazonFandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, NetflixVudu

Commitment: Approx. 45 hours


Arrow 86% (The CW)


What it is: How would your life change if you were stranded on an island for five years? It’s unlikely you’d turn into a caped crusader dead set on protecting his city with a bow and arrow, but to viewers’ delight, that’s exactly the case with billionaire Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell). Now he’s known as the Green Arrow.

Why you should watch it: Arrow is the series that first kickstarted the DC Comics universe for Berlanti and The CW, and for six seasons now, it hasn’t let up the fun. Season 7 premieres October 15.

Where to watch: AmazonFandangoNOW, Google PlayMicrosoft, NetflixVudu

Commitment: Approx. 102 hours


black-ish 92% (ABC)


What it is: Funnyman Anthony Anderson stars as Dre Johnson, a black, upper-middle-class family man who — in a predominantly white neighborhood, school, and culture — still wants his kids to retain a sense of black identity.

Why you should watch it: Creator Kenya Barris is one of those writers who just goes there. Even in what some would call the confines of network TV — which, incidentally, has been seen pushing up against him this last year — he conjures stories in the sitcom structure that are resonant, timely, and fearless. Plus, they’ll make you laugh, too! Tracy Ellis Ross and Anderson are especially show-stealing. Season 5 premieres October 16.

Where to watch: AmazonFandangoNOW, Google Play, HuluMicrosoftVudu

Commitment: Approx. 35 hours


Marvel's Daredevil 92% (Netflix)


What it is: Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is a blind lawyer who fights organized crime in New York City. He wears a suit during the day in the courthouse, but dons a mask when the fight continues at night and he becomes his vigilante alter ego, Daredevil.

Why you should watch it: As the first Marvel original series venture on Netflix, Daredevil had a lot buzz and high expectations to live up to. We’re glad to report that it did and then some. Certainly among the best-executed comic adaptations for TV to date, it’s gritty, character-driven, and entertaining. Watch the first two seasons followed by The Defenders season 1 before diving into Daredevil season 3, which premieres Oct. 19.

Where to watch: Netflix

Commitment: Approx. 34 hours


Ray Donovan 72% (Showtime)


What it is: Ray Donovan ranks as one of the finer character studies in recent memory, with Liev Schreiber playing the titular Los Angeles–area “fixer” with smoldering grit and Jon Voight as his no-good ex-con father. Ray may be the man 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 6 premieres October 28.

Where to watch: AmazonFandangoNOW, Google Play, HuluMicrosoftVudu

Commitment: Approx. 52 hours