Based on the2007 novel by Thomas Mallon, this miniseries stars Matt Bomer (White Collar) and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) as two queer men in a love story that Forrest Gumps its way through the Vietnam War protests in the 60s, the disco era of the 70s and the Aids crisis of the 80s. Early reviews have been positive, with almost all of them noting how good the sex scenes are, if that’s something you’re into!/ Sam Brooks
The Buccaneers (on AppleTV+ from November 8)
A new limited-series adaptation of an unfinished Edith Wharton novel? Could we ever be so lucky? Apparently so, because that’s what AppleTV+ is bringing us with The Buccaneers. It’s the story of a group of American women in the 1870s who arrive in London and set off a predictable culture clash. The cast is mostly made up of newcomers but includes Kate Winslet’s daughter Mia Threapleton and Christina Hendricks of Mad Men and Good Girls./ SB
For All Mankind (season four on AppleTV+ from November 10)
For All Mankind isn’t just your dad’s favourite drama, it’s also one of the best shows on TV. It started as a fairly boilerplate alternate history depicting what might have happened if the Soviet Union had landed on the Moon first and the global space race never ended, but it has grown into a richly layered, moving series that also critiques America’s role on the world stage. It’s not too late to catch up and I’d highly recommend you do so./ SB
The notables
Robbie Williams (docuseries on Netflix from November 8)
We’ve had a harrowing run of documentaries reckoning with our treatment of female pop culture icons in the 90s, and now it is time for some of the lads to step up and stare into the middle distance in extremely shallow focus. David Beckham did it last month, now Robbie Williams is having a crack in an extremely similar-looking four-part Netflix series which I am absolutely dying for. Promising over 30 years of never-before-seen archival footage, there had better be a whole episode devoted to the Rock DJ video or I will rip off and eat my own gluteal muscle. / Alex Casey
House of Maxwell (docuseries on TVNZ+ from November 11)
If you thought Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes were wild, you’d be absolutely correct, but they’re only half the story of her notorious family, led by infamous newspaper baron Robert Maxwell. This three-part BBC documentary spans more than half a century, following fortunes built and lost, mysterious deaths and a descent into scandal and criminality that long preceded the Epstein fiasco./ SB
Guilt (on ThreeNow from November 10)
OK, this isn’t brand new (it came out in 2016) but it sounds like a fun watch for next weekend. It’s an American thriller in which Grace (Daisy Head, daughter of Anthony Head of Buffy fame) becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her roommate Molly, and is thrust into the media spotlight. Hoping to clear her sister’s name, Natalie (Emily Tremaine) leaves her life behind to go defend Grace, where she is assisted by ethically questionable lawyer Stan (Billy Zane). As they search for Molly’s real killer, the investigation tumbles through London society, leading to, yes, scandal and, yes, intrigue./ SB
Magic Mike’s Last Dance (on Neon from November 10)
Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike series rivals Oceans as the most fun popcorn franchise he’s smashed out in his incredible, hyper-prolific career. But regrettably, Last Dance is comfortably the worst of the trilogy. There’s too much talking, too much plot, too little horny stripping – it commits to neither the dusty thriller of the original nor the maximalist stage show feel of the follow-up and, while Salma Hayek is campily great as unsatisfied rich lady Maxandra Mendoza (incredible name), this suffers heavily by comparison to the immaculate Hustlers, which established a new state of the art for stripper movies. Rent that on Neon instead./ Duncan Greive
The Killer (on Netflix from November 10)
David Fincher’s latest debuted to mixed-but-positive reviews at Venice and stars Michael Fassbender as a hitman who gets embroiled in an international manhunt after a murder goes wrong. Tilda Swinton, Sophie Charlotte and Arliss Howard also star in what has been described, slightly bewilderingly, as a “samurai procedural”. (This is also available to watch in cinemas and by all accounts it fares much better in that space.)/ SB
BTS: Yet to Come (on Prime Video from November 9)
Before the band embarks on a two-year hiatus for required army services (and yes, that is a thing in South Korea), the biggest boyband in the world did their fanbase the kindness of filming a concert from their 2022 show in Busan, presented in a special cinematic cut. The concert features hits from across their career, including the first concert performance of Run BTS! Congratulations if that means anything to you. Scroll on if it doesn’t./ SB
