You can now enjoy Dune and its sandworms from home

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, October 21. All times are Eastern.

Top picks

Dune (HBO, 6 p.m.): Are movies better in the theater? Yes. Isn’t it exciting to watch a movie with a bunch of people again? Definitely. But also, if you now prefer your cozy chair at home over a crowded theater, Dune understands you. The sweeping epic arrives on HBO Max a day earlier than planned to coincide with its Thursday evening theatrical release.

In The A.V. Club’s review of Dune, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky writes, “It’s worth noting here that the actual onscreen title of [Denis] Villeneuve’s film is Dune: Part One. The script (by Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Eric Roth) covers only the first half of Frank Herbert’s novel, and the result ultimately feels like half of a movie. Fortunately, it’s an ambitious one, made with the same stylistic intelligence that Villeneuve brought to Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, his earlier forays into smart sci-fi. Having come a long way from his arthouse roots, he has emerged as one of our most reliable and talented directors of suspense and effects.”

Introducing, Selma Blair (Discovery+, 3:01 a.m.): This documentary, which premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, follows actor Selma Blair as she adapts to living with multiple sclerosis. Here’s Katie Rife on the film: “It’s serious, life-and-death stuff, and were it a little less intimate, it might feel exploitative. But Blair clearly trusts director Rachel Fleit, and repeatedly articulates her desire to serve as an advocate for people with disabilities while admitting that it took her a long time to even think of herself as ‘disabled.’ There are a few elements that are addressed but not deeply explored—the high cost of the treatment and the controversy surrounding the clinic where it was conducted, for example, as well as Blair’s rocky relationship with her mother. But when it does break the skin, so to speak, Introducing, Selma Blair goes all the way down to the bone.”

Regular coverage

What We Do In The Shadows (FX, 10 p.m.)

Wild cards

The Next Thing You Eat (Hulu, 12:01 a.m.): Celebrity chef David Chang explores the food of the future in this six-episode docuseries. He teams up with filmmaker Morgan Neville to trace what the seismic changes happening around us mean for the way we’ll eat in the future. Chang and a diverse cast of characters dive headfirst into what lies ahead, including robots, lab-grown fish, insect farms, and artificial intelligence calling all the shots.

Sex, Love, & Goop (Netflix, 3:01 a.m.): Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop is back, giving sex therapy advice to couples. Last year we told you not to watch the last Goop show, so consider this your warning about Sex, Love, & Goop, which focuses on real couples as they work with experts to explore their bodies and learn methods to enhance their relationships. The coaches are sexual health gurus, including a somatic sexologist, an erotic wholeness coach, and an intimacy coach.

Snoop And Martha’s Very Tasty Halloween (3:01 a.m.): BFF’s Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart host this baking competition. Teams of three bakers, dubbed “Scare Squads,” are tasked with baking and building a full-sensory Halloween world that people can explore. The catch? Their worlds must be inspired by the concept of fear.

The Girl In The Woods (Peacock, 3:01 a.m.): In this supernatural YA thriller, teenager Carrie (Stefanie Scott) escapes from her cultlike colony that guards the world from mysterious monsters hidden behind a door in the woods. She forges new friendships in order to fight back and face her demons. All eight episodes are now streaming.