7 things you have to watch on TV this weekend
Get set for Mike Flanagan's new horror series, Derry Girls' final season, Marvel's Werewolf By Night, and more
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Welcome to the weekend edition of What’s On. Here are the big things happening on TV from Friday, October 7, to Sunday, October 9. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekly What’s On will publish on Sundays.]
1. Mike Flanagan’s horror universe expands with The Midnight Club
Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Is it even spooky season if Mike Flanagan doesn’t drop a new horror drama? The Midnight Club, the new series from the creator of The Haunting Of Hill House and Midnight Mass, is based on Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel of the same name. It follows eight young hospice patients who meet up every night to swap scary stories. Strange things start happening when they start to die one by one. The cast includes returning Flanagan favorites like Samantha Sloyan, Zach Gilford, and Rahul Kohli.
2. It’s time to bid Derry Girls adieu
Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: There’s nothing like a fun teen comedy, and Derry Girls is exactly that. Lisa McGee’s brilliant and hilarious series follows a group of Catholic school girls as they navigate school, studies, and relationships amidst the backdrop of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The show ends with this third and final season.
3. Halloween month gifts us with another Hellraiser
Hulu, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: The David Bruckner-directed Hellraiser is the 11th film of the franchise. It chronicles a young woman struggling with addiction who comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, obviously unaware that its purpose is to summon a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension. The cast includes Jamie Clayton as Pinhead, as well as Odessa A’zion, Hiam Abbass, Goran Višnjić, Adam Faison, and Brandon Flynn.
4. Marvel is finally giving us Werewolf By Night
Friday, Disney+, 3:01 a.m.: Gael García Bernal steps into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the television special Werewolf By Night. It follows a secret cabal of monster hunters emerging from the shadows after the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial, they’re thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic that brings them face to face with a monster. Laura Donnelly, Kirk Thatcher, Al Hamacher, and Harriet Sansom Harris also star.
5. Lena Dunham presents Catherine Called Birdy
Prime Video, Friday, 12:01 a.m.: Lena Dunham writes and directs the comedy Catherine Called Birdy, adapted from Karen Cushman’s book of the same name. Bella Ramsay plays Catherine, the daughter of financially destitute Lord Rollo (Hot Priest Andrew Scott) in medieval England. Their bond is tested when he plans to marry her off to a vile, wealthy suitor. The ensemble includes Joe Alwyn, Billie Piper, Russell Brand, and Ralph Ineson. Here’s a snippet from The A.V. Club’s review:
Catherine Called Birdy wears its feminist and diversity bona fides lightly and with such skill that it masks, without ignoring, the dire predicament Birdy is actually in. Much of what transpires is a product of its time but by channeling her points through such a strong-willed and amusingly acerbic young heroine, Dunham establishes a sturdy connection to today.
6. Netflix begins K-drama Glitch
Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Get ready for another hopefully absorbing South Korean drama. Glitch centers on Hong Ji-hyo (Jeon Yo-bin), whose boyfriend of four years goes missing. When she teams up with a UFO enthusiast, Heo Bo-ra (Jin Ah-im), to investigate the case, they stumble into a wild conspiracy.
7. Mila Kunis is the Luckiest Girl Alive
Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.: Based on Jessica Knoll’s 2015 novel, Luckiest Girl Alive stars Mila Kunis as a 28-year-old editor named Ani Fanelli, who seemingly has a perfect life. It won’t surprise you to learn that she’s hiding a dark secret about a horrifying event from her teen years. And now, said secret threatens to crash her ideal life with her partner. The cast includes Scoot McNairy, Chiara Aurelia, Finn Wittrock, Jennifer Beals, and Connie Britton.
6 Comments
Definite Sunday afternoon binge watch of Derry Girls
If anybody is reading this who has not watched Derry Girls, stop reading this and go and watch Derry Girls.
“You have to watch” Luckiest Girl Alive… even though AVClub gave it a C+ in their review published just one hour later.
Hey, it was lucky to get a C+…
Okay, these all look fine I guess.
My question is, can you guys PLEASE stop using the phrase “spooky season”?
Werewolf By Night was an absolute delight. I loved everything about it: The “Special Presentation” introduction like CBS used to show back in the 1970s for one-off shows and holiday specials;The “cigarette burns” used to swap film reels – often indicating the end of an Act – along with the old face lighting techniques from the Universal monster films of yore;The way Jack Russell was introduced to the audience without his last name nor exposition of his origins;The use of B&W with a hint of color followed by the colorful world at the end like a reversed Wizard of Oz;and the fact that my 80-odd year old mother-in-law watched it twice in a row so we could translate the Latin and pick up the nuances of the scenery and performance – which has only happened once before.MIL thinks that Jack killed another Hunter so he could participate in the Hunt. It was never said, but the nuances of Jack’s facial expressions indicated some surprise at hearing “over 100 kills”. No more spoilers, just watch WBN for yourselves.