This October, spooky content comes in quirky and terrifying flavors. On top of that, two of the most groundbreaking shows in recent years get second seasons, and a classic sitcom returns from the dead.
‘Our Flag Means Death’ (Season 2)
Despite the success of Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the pirate genre has not been much of a winner since the days of Errol Flynn. The idea of setting a queer romantic comedy on the high seas sounded ridiculous, but showrunner David Jenkins produced one of the funniest and most heartwarming shows of the last decade.
Starring Rhys Darby (“Flight of the Conchords”) and Taika Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows”) as legendary pirates Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard, the two buccaneers have a hilarious and torrid romance that is unforgettable.
Minnie Driver and Bronson Pinchot guest-star this season.
Watch it:First three episodes out Thursday, Oct. 5, on Max. Two episodes released weekly through Oct. 26.
‘Loki’ (Season 2)
“Loki” was arguably the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 shows, mixing time travel and a retro-futuristic setting with Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of the God of Mischief. Season 2 lands Loki back in the fray as the Time Variance Authority deals with the splintering multiverse.
Loki and his partner Mobius (Luke Wilson) travel back to Victorian England to investigate a variant of the era-hopping dictator, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Watch it:Premieres Friday, Oct. 6, on Disney +. Episodes released weekly through Nov. 10.
‘Totally Killer’
Director Nahnatchka Khan combines time travel with ’80s slasher tropes in this new flick.
Kiernan Shipka (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”) is Jamie, a teen girl whose mom is murdered by the Michael Myers-esque Sweet Sixteen Killer. She accidentally travels back to her mom’s high school when the original slasher spree happened, teaming with her mom (Olivia Holt) to prevent the massacre.
Watch it:Friday, Oct. 6, on Prime Video.
‘Frasier’
Kelsey Grammer played psychiatrist Frasier Crane across a whopping 22 seasons of “Cheers” and his own titular spin-off. You’d think there wouldn’t be much more to say, but Grammer is returning to his most famous role for a brand new version of “Frasier” on Paramount+.
This time, Frasier has come home to Boston (the setting of “Cheers”), where he takes up a college teaching gig. Considering the location, it’s almost certain that some of his old bar chums will drop in.
Watch it:First two episodes out Oct. 12. Episodes released weekly through Dec. 7.
‘The Fall of the House of Usher’
No one does haunted houses like Mike Flanagan. After “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” the master of macabre miniseries is tackling Edgar Allan Poe’s famous short story.
Longtime Flanagan collaborator Carla Gugino (“Gerald’s Game”) plays Verna, a character also based on Poe’s “The Raven.” In this series, the Usher family is re-imagined as a corrupt pharmaceutical dynasty who start to experience mysterious deaths.
Watch it:All eight episodes out Oct. 12 on Netflix.
‘Lessons in Chemistry’
When an ambitious female scientist in the 1960s is fired from her own lab, she takes to the airwaves as host of a cooking show to teach housewives about chemistry.
Brie Larson (“Captain Marvel”) stars as Elizabeth, the newly fired and pregnant scientist who turns patriarchy’s blow to her own career back against them. Based on the bestselling book by Bonnie Garmus, the show is a period drama with plenty of modern lessons to teach.
Watch it:First two episodes out Oct. 13 on Apple TV+. Episodes weekly through Nov. 24.
‘Living for the Dead’
When you mix “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” with “Ghost Hunters,” you get the new reality show “Living for the Dead.”
Five queer investigators (played by Alex Le May, Juju Bae, Ken Boggle, Logan Taylor and Roz Hernandez) travel America looking into haunted locations, telling the stories behind the people who live there. It’s a chance to shine some light on hauntings with a kinder, more modern lens, with the cast focusing on understanding the living and the dead.
Watch it:All eight episodes out Oct. 18 on Hulu.
Jef Rouner is a freelance writer.