New on Netflix UK in October 2020 | What's coming up

In a year where just about everything’s been in a state of flux, there’s one thing that we’ve been able to count on – that Netflix will continue to keep us entertained with a steady flow of new TV series and films. October is no different, bringing one of the streaming platform’s most exciting slates of 2020 so far.

With Halloween on the horizon, there are some scary treats to look forward – with the much-anticipated series The Haunting of Bly Manor (loosely based on Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw) arriving towards the beginning of the month, while later prolific Netflix favourite Adam Sandler returns in Hubie Halloween.

There are a number of exciting new series set to make their debuts in October, with top picks including the first season of Lily Collins-starring drama Emily in Paris, the start of French drama La Révolution and a new limited series with Anya Taylor-Joy called The Queen’s Gambit.

We can also look forward to the release of David Attenborough: a Life on our Planet, a reflective piece from the much-loved broadcaster on climate change and the future of our world.

As for returning programmes, there’s no doubting the highlight: after capturing the attention of millions of viewers earlier this year – turning them into private investigators in the process – Unsolved Mysteries is back for another set of cases. What’s more, we can look forward to a third run of sci-fi spin-off Star Trek Discovery a day after it airs across the pond.

It’s also a bumper month for new original films, with a string of high-profile releases spread out throughout October. Highlights include Ben Wheatley’s take on Daphne DuMaurier’s classic novel Rebecca, Aaron Sorkin’s historical drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 and a new animated title called Over the Moon.

And that’s not even mentioning Mank – David Fincher’s new biopic about Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J Mankiewicz, which doesn’t have an official release date but is expected to arrive at some point in October, and new series Tiny Pretty Things and The One, also set to debut at an unknown date during the month.

Read on for our pick of the October list – and if you’re after September’s Netflix releases, we have that covered, too.

Thursday 1st October

The Aliens season 1 Channel 4 sci-fi drama from 2016 starring Michael Socha, Jim Howick and Michaela Coel

All Because of You (2020) After falling for a guest, an unsuspecting hotel staff becomes embroiled in a hostage scheme

Banana Russell T Davies’s Channel 4 comedy drama from 2015

Carmen Sandiego season 3 Third run for the animated kids’ series about the adventures of the titular thieving villain

Code Lyoko French animated kids’ series

Elsewhere (2020) Canadian comedy drama starring Aden Young, Parker Posey, Ken Jeong and Beau Bridges

Familiar Wife season 1 Romantic fantasy series from South Korea about the fates of a married couple who find themselves suddenly living very different lives

Food Wars season 2 Japanese teen anime series

Good Morning, Verônica season 1 New Brazilian crime series about a a police clerk who investigates two cases on her own after witnessing a suicide

Journey of an African Colony season 1 Docuseries delving into the untold stories and unsung heroes that paved Nigeria’s road to independence, based on the books by Olasupo Shasore

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood season 1 German drama about brewer Curt Prank, who uses brutal tactics on his quest to build a beer hall in 1900 Munich

Pose season 2 The second season of Ryan Murphy’s drama set against the backdrop of ball culture in New York

White Teeth season 1 Channel 4 comedy series from 2002 based on Zadie Smith’s novel

Ya Me Voy (I’m Leaving Now) Documentary about an undocumented immigrant who plans to return to Mexico after 16 years

Plus older films arriving on, or returning to, the platform:

Adaptation. (2002)

The Addams Family (1991)

Addams Family Values (1993)

A.M.I. (2019)

Beyond the Mat (1999)

Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire (2019)

Case 39 (2008)

The Conjuring (2013)

Corpse Bride (2005)

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Dennis the Menace (1993)

Dolphin Tale 2 (2014)

Friday the 13th (2009)

Gangster Squad (2012)

Generation Revolution (2016)

Gone Too Far! (2013)

House at the End of the Street (2012)

Hunger (2008)

Into the Storm (2014)

Kangaroo Jack (2003)

Labor Pains (2009)

The Last Tree (2019)

Life as We Know It (2010)

The Lucky One (2012)

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)

A Moving Image (2016)

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Paranormal Activity: the Ghost Dimension (2015)

Problem Child (1990)

The Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan 2: England Away (2013)

Rock On!! (2008)

Rocks (2019)

Selma (2014)

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

Skyline (2010)

Super 8 (2011)

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Tucked (2018)

28 Days (2000)

The Ugly Truth (2009)

A United Kingdom (2016)

Vampire Academy (2014)

White Chicks (2004)

Zarafa (2012)

Friday 2nd October

A Chaster Marriage Turkish romantic comedy

A Go! Go! Cory Carson Halloween Seasonal special for the animated children’s show about the talking car

Dick Johnson Is Dead! Documentary about director Kirsten Johnson’s dad – who has dementia – staging different ways in which he could die

Emily in Paris season 1 Romcom series starring Lily Collins as an American who has just landed her dream job in Paris

Oloture (2019) Nigerian crime drama in which a journalist goes undercover as a prostitute to expose human trafficking

Song Exploder: How Music Gets Made volume 1 Documentary series based on the music podcast by Hrishikesh Hirway looking at the creative process behind music-making

Vampires vs the Bronx (2020) Comedy horror film about a group of teenagers who are forced to protect their neighbourhood when vampires invade

Saturday 3rd October

Good Game: the Beginning (2018) Turkish teen sports film

Sunday 4th October

David Attenborough: a Life on our Planet Powerful new documentary from the natural historian, looking back on his 94 years on Earth and sending a desperate appeal for help in securing its future