Premiering TV Shows in November 2023

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Starts 17th November // Apple TV+

Official Synopsis: "Following the epic battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that levelled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, two siblings, following in their father's footsteps, uncover their family's connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw, taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga - spanning three generations - reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives."

Why you should watch it: It's Godzilla, come on! You would be forgiven for not recognising the name Monarch, but since 2017, they've been in the background of the recent Westernised Godzilla/titan movies. A shadowy organisation created in 1946, it has been tracking and studying MUTOs like Godzilla since the end of WW2. Legacy of Monsters is the backstory to this thread that has touched nearly all the lives in the recent Monsterverse. Kurt Russell stars, alongside his son Wyatt, who was recently seen as the not-quite-as-nice Captain America. Reviews are good so far, with big points given to the special effects. So if you've ever wanted a Godzilla film that lasted a couple of months, this is definitely the show for you! 

Beacon 23

Starts 12th November // MGM+

Official Synopsis: "The series takes place in the farthest reaches of the Milky Way and follows Aster, a government agent, and Halan, a stoic ex-military man, whose fates become entangled after they find themselves trapped together inside one of many Beacons that serve as a lighthouse for intergalactic travelers. Every Beacon is run by one highly trained human and a specialized Artificial Intelligence. Aster mysteriously finds her way to the lonely Beacon-keeper Halan, and a tense battle of wills unfolds. Halan begins to question whether Aster is friend or foe, as her ability to disguise her agenda and motives could make her a formidable opponent."

Why you should watch it: Lena Headey (yes, herself from Game of Thrones) stars in this high concept Sci-fi show, where she seemingly crashes into a Beacon, one of many outposts in space. But was it an accident? What is she looking for? Why is the Beacon operator, called a lighthouse keeper, so secretive? And why are there mercenaries with weapons on the station suddenly? Is it all connected? Based on a story by the same author as Silo, Beacon 23 offers lots of sci-fi space action, mystery and tension.

Culprits

Starts 8th November // Disney+

Official Synopsis: "After a high-stakes heist, a crew of elite criminals have gone their separate ways and have tried to leave their old lives behind. Past and present collide when a ruthless assassin starts targeting them one by one. Why are they being stalked, who is behind the mayhem, and will they be able to find one another in time to protect themselves and the people they love?"

Why you should watch it: A high octane thriller-caper sees a bunch of not-that-good-guys being picked off one by one after a heist. Who is doing it, and why? Everyone is a suspect when no one trusts the others. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Misfits) is Joe - who has done a very bad thing - while Gemma Arterton (recently in The King's Man) stars as Dianne and Suzy Eddie shows up as Vincent. If you like Ocean's Eleven, and almost any Jason Statham movie (cockney accents included), this one should be on your filter!

The Curse

Starts 12th November // Showtime

Official Synopsis: "Newly married couple Whitney and Asher are convinced they're helping to build communities - and save lives - by developing eco-friendly homes for 'Fliplanthropy', their socially conscious new reality show. But behind every on-camera renovation lies a path of off-camera destruction when a hostile makeover, a healthy dose of unreality and a pair of oblivious outsiders collide."

Why you should watch it: Showtime (already known for quirky shows - they gave us Dexter) have teamed up with A24 (who recently won the Oscars with quirky film Everything Everywhere All At Once) for this genre bending dark comedy. Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder play a middle class white (obviously) married couple in this take on a comedy, reality, social satire mash up, wherein they are seemingly cursed when they exploit people of colour for their own ends. Oh, and they are also trying for a baby, which always helps a bad situation.

Squid Game: The Challenge

Starts 22nd November // Netflix

Official Synopsis: "Four hundred and fifty-six players compete to win $4.56 million, the largest single cash prize in reality television and game show history breaking a previous record of $2,600,000 won by Andrew Kravis by winning The Million Second Quiz. Through a series of games, each player is pushed to their limits and forced to ask themselves how far they'll go to win."

Why you should watch it: While it's unlikely to be as brutal as it's fictional counterpart, Squid Game took the world by storm 2 years ago, so why not make it into a legit "game show"? While it will probably be fun, some of the games in the show lacked any actual tension, once the terrifying outcome is removed. And anyway, Mr Beast already did it, on a Youtuber's budget. His 25 minute video currently has over HALF A BILLION views, so there will be heavy comparisons between made for TV, and made for Youtube.

Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Starts 5th November // Paramount+

Official Synopsis: "The legendary lawman Bass Reeves, one of the greatest frontier heroes and one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River in American history. Reeves worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded - and is believed to be the inspiration for The Lone Ranger."

Why you should watch it: David Oyelowo (seen recently in Silo as Holston) leads this 'based on a true story' show as Bass Reeves, from growing up as a slave, to being a legendary 'peace officer', who captured over 3,000 dangerous criminals. Original marketed as a spin-off show from 1883, which itself is a prequel to Yellowstone, interestingly the show has distanced from its kindred, and is officially "not set in the same universe". Take that as you will…

Obliterated

Starts 30th November // Netflix

Official Synopsis: "An elite team is assembled from various branches of the US armed forces to stop a deadly terrorist network from blowing up Las Vegas. They complete the mission and celebrate with a night on the town, filled with sex, drugs, and alcohol. They discover that the bomb they neutralized was fake, so the team must fight through their intoxication to find the real one and save the day."

Why you should watch it: Hung over from a bender the night before, a crack team have to find and disarm a bomb - queue the action and slapstick in 24 meets The Hangover! It probably won't win any awards for quality, and it probably should have just been a movie, but if you're in the market for some cheap thrills and dumb fun, this might be worth checking out!

Returning TV Shows in November 2023

Invincible

Returns 3rd November // Network: Amazon Prime Video

Official Synopsis: "Seventeen-year-old Mark Grayson is just like every guy his age, except that his father is Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. As Mark develops powers of his own, he discovers his father's legacy may not be as heroic as it seems."

Why you should watch it: The good news: Season 2 currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's apparently good. Really good. The bad news: the season is split in two, with just four episodes coming this month, and the second batch of four not dropping until 2024. Booo. Despite the pandemic and the writers strike, it has been over two and a half years since Season 1 started, so extra time to wait feels harsh. Season 3 has been greenlit though, whenever that happens...

Fargo

Returns 21st November // Network: FX

Official Synopsis: "After an unexpected series of events lands Dorothy 'Dot' Lyon in hot water with the authorities, this seemingly typical Midwestern housewife is suddenly plunged back into a life she thought she had left behind."

For All Mankind

Returns 10th November // Network: Apple TV+

Official Synopsis: "In an alternate timeline, a Soviet cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov, becomes the first human to land on the Moon. This outcome devastates morale at NASA, but also catalyzes an American effort to catch up. With the Soviet Union emphasizing diversity by including a woman in subsequent landings, the US is forced to match pace, training women and minorities who were largely excluded from the initial decades of US space exploration."

The Crown

Returns 16th November // Network: Netflix

Official Synopsis: "The sixth season is set between 1997 and 2005 and will depict the premiership of Tony Blair, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the wedding of Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones, the deaths of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother, the early relationship of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles."

Ending TV Shows in November 2023

Fear The Walking Dead

Final Episode 26th November // Network: amc

Official Synopsis: "Morgan, Madison and the others they brought to the island are living under PADRE's cynical rule. With our characters demoralized and dejected, the task of reigniting belief in a better world rests with the person Morgan and Madison set out to rescue in the first place - Morgan's daughter, Mo. "