It’s October, which means spooky season is in full swing. One of this weekend’s shows is the ideal program for Halloween. It’s a story set in the Friday the 13thfranchise, but it’s not what you expect. On Disney+, Vision makes his triumphant return to Marvel Television in a new adventure.
Sylvester Stallone is now a legitimate streaming star, with his crime dramedy returning to Paramount+ for a fourth season. Ethan Hawke is another movie star who has crossed over into television, with the second season of his excellent crime comedy heading to Hulu. Finally, my top pick of the week is a critically acclaimed Netflix show that recently won an Emmy.
All five shows will be available to stream in the U.S.
Crystal Lake
Travel back to the camp that started it all
Friday the 13th is the horror franchise that introduced one of the genre’s most iconic villains, Jason Voorhees. What many people forget about—and I’m guilty of this—is who the true villain of the first Friday the 13th movie is. It is not Jason. In fact, Jason doesn’t even put on the hockey mask until Friday the 13th Part III.Spoiler alert: The villain of Friday the 13th is Jason’s mother, Pamela Voorhees, and Crystal Lakeis her origin story.
The Peacock prequel begins in the early 1970s with Jason’s drowning. This is the inciting incident that sets Pamela on a villainous path.Crystal Lake aims to fill in all the gory details. This is a Friday the 13thshow, so I’m expecting some brutal kills.
All episodes ofCrystal Lakeare now streaming on Peacock.
VisionQuest
A different take on a Marvel series
Among all the Marvel shows on Disney+, WandaVisionhas always stuck out to me as its most ambitious. The sitcom homages, combined with the Westview mystery, remain among Marvel’s best storytelling. Five years later, Marvel now has a WandaVisionspin-off in VisionQuest,with Paul Bettany reprising his role as Vision.
After the events of WandaVision, Vision has been in hiding as he tries to piece his memories back together. In his Mindspace, he consults AI programs F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., J.A.R.V.I.S., and the notorious Ultron (James Spader). After a bounty is placed on Vision, he learns about Thomas Shepard (Ruaridh Mollica), who may be his son, Tommy Maximoff. VisionQuestcertainly tackles the power of AI, but the story between a father and son is worth seeing how it plays out. It’s the ideal show to watch beforeAvengers: Doomsdayin December.
The first two episodes ofVisionQuestare now streaming on Disney+. New episodes will be released on Tuesdays in the U.S.
Tulsa King season 4
Sly Stallone wants to build an empire
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Taylor Sheridan created a successful show at Paramount+. It’s happened so many times at this point, I can’t keep up. The one I’m referring to right now, Tulsa King, is not from the Yellowstoneuniverse. It’s a crime drama that incorporates much more humor than expected.
The real selling point is Sylvester Stallone as Dwight Manfredi, the mafia capo sent to Tulsa after his release from prison. By season 4, Dwight has become a major player in Tulsa and works to build his empire. Yet with empires come enemies, and Dwight has a lot of them, including politician Amanda Clark (Gretchen Mol). If you’re used to seeing Stallone as Rocky or Rambo, Tulsa Kingallows him to be an Italian gangster, a part that suits his skills.
Tulsa Kingseason 4premieres on Paramount+ on Oct. 16.
The Lowdown season 2
Another mystery in Tulsa
I would love to know the odds of having two shows on this list set in Tulsa. While FX’s The Lowdownisn’t about the mafia, it is a crime comedy with an eccentric Hollywood star in the lead role. That role belongs to five-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, who stars as “truthstorian” Lee Raybon.
If there’s anything Lee loves, it’s sticking his head into other people’s business. It’s a gift and a curse. In season 2, Lee teams with a public defender named Ginger (Betty Gilpin), who is looking into the disappearance of an inmate. If that weren’t enough of a challenge, Lee gets thrown a curveball when his father (Tommy Lee Jones) strolls into town. Hawke is always good. Pair him with talents like Gilpin, Jones, and Keith David, and you have one of the best shows on Hulu this month.
The first two episodes ofThe Lowdownseason 2are now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. New episodes will be released on Wednesdays.
The Diplomat season 4
Kate has more situations to defuse
The Diplomatis a throwback television show that feels like a disciple of The West Wing. It helps that showrunner Debora Cahn worked on The West Wingand brought that fast-moving and witty dialogue to The Diplomat.Keri Russell, one of the best actors working in television, stars as Kate Wyler, the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.
In season 4, Kate fights to prevent a war between the United States and Russia after the U.S. becomes entangled in a stolen weapon controversy. As always, Kate is also trying to save her marriage to Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), who is now the vice president. Meanwhile, President Grace Penn has her own marital problems with Todd Penn (Bradley Whitford). Oh, and that war with Russia looms. It’s one of Netflix’s best original series right now.
All episodes ofThe Diplomatseason 4are now streaming on Netflix.
More shows to check out in your spare time
I’ve been into sci-fi this year. Paramount+ has some excellent sci-fi shows, including Battlestar Galacticaand Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. If you’re in the holiday spirit, head to Netflix for fun spooky season shows like Stranger Thingsand The Midnight Club.
