Roasts and ghosts to sashays and corporate plays
With so many different streaming platforms and cable offerings to navigate, choosing what to watch has never been harder. To make things easier, here are our best tune-in tips for the week ahead.
MONDAY Roast Battle Canada
What’s funnier than a great standup routine? How about a couple of Canadian comedians battling it out with playful pokes and public embarrassment on the line? This CTV Comedy Channel original features comedians going one on one as they try to win over an expert panel that includes Russell Peters, Sabrina Jalees and K. Trevor Wilson. The jokes can be a little raunchy and the explicit language is definitely offensive, so be advised this show is for adults only.
CTV Comedy Channel, 10:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY Just Beyond
Inspired by the work of R.L. Stine, this eight-episode horror and comedy anthology series takes viewers on a ride beyond reality. Think “Goosebumps” meets “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” for a new generation. With episodes not being serialized, there is a new cast of characters in each. The premiere, “Leave Them Kids Alone,” depicts a boarding school for misbehaved girls and offers a strong ode to Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” both literally
and figuratively. The 30-minute length of each episode also means plot development happens quickly, making the show a fast and fun binge before Halloween.
Disney Plus
THURSDAY Canada’s Drag Race
Twelve fierce and fiery Canadian queens are ready to follow in the footsteps of Season 1 winner Priyanka by competing for the title of “Canada’s Next Drag Superstar.” The new season of the Crave original asks the queens to sing, dance, act and impersonate as they compete for the crown.
Crave, 9 p.m.
Project Runway
It’s hard to believe Project Runway will strut into its 19th season on Thursday. Once again, 16
designers will attempt to prove they have the designing chops to show a collection at New York Fashion Week. Christian Siriano returns to mentor the contestants, and this season’s challenges include designing an avant-garde look from faux fur, conceptualizing a new kind of cocktail dress and creating something that is “hauntingly chic.”
CTV Drama Channel, 9 p.m.
FRIDAY You
Friday is the day you have been waiting for as the highly anticipated third season of Netflix’s disturbing-but-enjoyable thriller drops on the streaming platform. The first season established Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) as a creepy bookstore manager who becomes obsessed with one of his pretty customers, willing to kill anyone on his way to her heart. Joe’s murderous intent only intensified in the show’s second season in which the lead character shockingly found his partner-in-crime by falling in love with Love (played by Victoria Pedretti). In the new season, the twisted lovebirds have already tied the knot and are raising their first child together. While that sounds homely enough, we wouldn’t have a third season if they just lived happily after, would we? Expect twists, turns and a whole lot of blood.
Netflix
I Know What You Did Last Summer
If you were a fan of the 1997 film that starred Jennifer Love Hewitt and saw a group of teenagers bound together by the events of a big secret, this is the series you didn’t know you needed until now. The Amazon original has the same plot line as the movie and is also based on Lois Duncan’s 1973 novel. It is, however, much darker. Just as the film established stars like Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Ryan Phillippe, the reboot features a cast of unknown stars ready to break out, including Madison Iseman (“Still the King”), Ezekiel Goodman (“Dragonfly”) and Brianne Tju (“Light as a Feather”).
Amazon Prime Video
The Four of Us
This German drama looks at what happens after the failure of a partner swap experiment. While the premise of four friends deciding to trade partners sounds salacious, the show’s deeper conversations about monogamy and the intricacies of relationships are where the movie truly shines. There are some offbeat moments that add levity as well.
Netflix
SUNDAY A Suitable Boy
Amid the cultural upheaval of 1950s India, a passionate literature student wrestles with familial obligation and the promise of romance as three different men attempt to win the heart of Lata Mehra (played by Tanya Maniktala). It is a limited BBC series that has been picked by the CBC.
CBC & CBC Gem, 8 p.m.
Succession
Closing out the week is the one we have been waiting the longest for. Two years after its bombshell second season finale aired in 2019, the Emmy Awardwinning drama about the hyper-wealthy Roy family returns. After initially being shunned by his father in his bid to take over Waystar Royco, Kendall (played by Jeremy Strong) knew his time would eventually come. In last season’s finale, it did. When Logan (Brian Cox) had to ask his son for help, Kendall used the misery his dad had inflicted on him as the motivation for his ultimate vengeance. On Sunday, we get to see the fallout.