What to Watch on Netflix, HBO Max and Prime Video This October

John Steinbeck’s modern American classic gets a Netflix makeover. It seems as though literary adaptations, both classic and contemporary, are in vogue with production companies these days. It’s surprising that this monster of a novel has only had two prior adaptations, one in 1955 and one in 1981, before this Zoe Kazan seven-episode directorial.

Fun fact: the Netflix adaptation is directed by the granddaughter of the director of the original 1955 film. It stars Florence Pugh, Mike Faist, and Joseph Zada.

Release: October 1

For a world as high-pressured and, occasionally, glamorous as law, there seem to be very few prestige television shows about the profession. Aside from Suits (2011–2019) and How To Get Away With Murder (2014–2020), how many law-based shows can you name?

HBO Max’s new original series aims to change that. War, starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller, centres around a scandalous divorce case between a tech entrepreneur and his film star wife.

Release: October 1

Stephen King has always been a darling of the film and television adaptation game. The most recent of his works to be adapted was The Long Walk (2025), but his works have been filmed for the screen since the 1970s.

This Mike Flanagan directorial will be the fourth adaptation of Carrie, a novel about a bullied young girl who has telekinetic powers. Mike Flanagan is best known for his horror series like The Haunting of Hill House (2018) and Midnight Mass (2021).

Carrie drops all seven episodes at once, perfect for binging during the spooky season.

Release: October 7

Over a decade after her debut in the campy, coming-of-age film Student of the Year (2012), Alia Bhatt returns to the genre—this time as a producer. Don’t Be Shy! follows 20-year-old Shy Das (Aarushi Bajaj) who believes she has her whole life figured out but life, of course as it often does, has other plans for her.

Trapped between two boys and their affections, it seems like Alia Bhatt revisited some familiar lessons from her time as a student in the Karan Johar directorial. Worth the watch? Maybe. If anything, it’s nice to see a cast of completely unfamiliar faces for once!

Release: September 25