What’s New On Netflix In October 2026? 9 Top Shows And Films To Stream

Some of Netflix’s most popular shows are returning to our screens this October.

In the coming weeks, users can look forward to more relationship drama in the rom-com Nobody Wants This and reality series Love Is Blind, gripping twists in The Diplomat and plenty of mystery in Lupin.

And that’s without getting into all of the new shows and films coming soon too.

The streamer’s take on East Of Eden has already been met with near-unanimous acclaim, with Netflix’s other offerings for this month including a star-studded action flick, romantic international drama, revealing documentaries and reality TV that’s guaranteed to have you shouting at the telly.

So, if you’re looking for something new to stream this October, these are our top picks of Netflix’s new and upcoming additions…

Tell me more: One of the most beloved stories in the history of American literature has been given a refresh in Netflix’s new miniseries.

Written by Zoe Kazan (whose grandfather helmed the original adaptation of East Of Eden back in 1955), this new version of the story pushes the antihero Cathy Ames into the forefront, with Oscar nominee Florence Pugh leading an impressive cast that includes Challengers’ Mike Faist and Girls’ Christopher Abbott.

Netflix says: “This fresh interpretation of Steinbeck’s masterpiece will explore the multigenerational saga of the Trask family, focusing new attention on its indelible antihero, Cathy Ames.”

Tell me more: Ben Affleck takes on double duty as director and star in this crime thriller about an LA mayoral candidate who finds himself at the centre of a kidnap plot in the middle of his campaign.

Besides Ben, the movie boasts an all-star cast that includes Kerry Washington as his on-screen wife, as well as Gillian Anderson and Oscar nominee Steven Yeun.

Netflix says: “When their son is kidnapped, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife find themselves drawn into a web of deception.

“As they scramble to raise the ransom payment, they’re forced to make choices – and reveal secrets – that could tear their world apart.”

Tell me more: In this gripping new K-drama, set in the early 1930s, Kim You-jung takes the lead as Gyeongseong’s most successful con artist and pickpocket, who agrees to take on a life-changing mission to go undercover in a bid to steal secrets from the Japanese colonial government.

What she’s not banking on, though, is falling for the son of the very man at the centre of her plot.

Netflix says: “Hoping for freedom, Gyeongseong’s top pickpocket infiltrates the Japanese colonial government to steal secrets – only to fall for her target’s son.”

Tell me more: We’re 11 seasons in now – you know the drill.

Love Is Blind invites an array of singletons from all walks of life to move into “pods”, where they spend their days dating one another in the hopes of forming lasting connections. The catch? They can’t actually see each other physically until they’re ready to get engaged.

Once someone has gotten down on one knee, cameras follow the newly-formed couples on their journeys to the altar, as hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey continue to ponder whether love really is blind.

In this new season, the US edition of the show heads to Boston for the first time, with our hopefuls including “a beekeeper who’s buzzing at the thought of falling in love” “a bouncer at Southie’s busiest bar”, “a retired baseball player who hopes to knock this experience out of the park”, “a NICU nurse with a weakness for tattooed athletes”, “two women who immigrated to the United States as children” and a “skin-care guru who’s breaking her personal rule about never dating Boston men”.

Netflix says: “Singles who want to be loved for who they are have signed up for a less conventional approach to modern dating, and will choose someone to marry without ever meeting them. Over several weeks, the newly engaged couples will move in together, plan their wedding, and find out if their physical connection matches their strong emotional bond developed in the pods.

“When their wedding day arrives, will real-world realities and external factors push them apart, or will they marry the person they fell blindly in love with?

“Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, this addictive social experiment will uncover whether looks, race, or age do matter — or if love really is blind.”

Tell me more: As effective a political thriller as a domestic drama about the struggles of high-power couples, sleeper hit The Diplomat is back for a new run of episodes.

In this next chapter, The Diplomat merges these two ideas even further, with the strained “special relationship” between the US and UK mirroring the marriages of our two central pairs.

Netflix says: “In season four of The Diplomat, two marriages threaten to eat each other alive. One catastrophic moment shatters the fragile peace Kate Wyler brokered between the US and UK, as well as the crumbling marriage she’s trying to save.

“While she fights to stem the bleeding, President Grace Penn and VP Hal Wyler’s conspiracy to steal Russia’s most powerful weapon hurtles the United States toward war.

“Kate and Todd, at best an uneasy pair, unite to stop the Grace-Hal alliance from upending the balance of power abroad and at home.”

Tell me more: Back in the early 1970s, Stanford University organised a controversial “social experiment” in which ordinary people were moved into a prison setting and monitored over a two-week period to explore their reactions and what they say about power, society and social hierarchies.

More than 50 years later, Netflix is recreating this study and filming the whole thing for a special series only they could pull off. The New Stanford Prison Experiment is sure to incite plenty of debate and controversy as it asks big questions about our power structures in the modern world.

Netflix says: “In this bold reimagining of one of history’s most controversial social experiments, 30 willing participants enter a real prison and are randomly assigned as guards or prisoners.

“Thrust into a system of power, hierarchy, and control, they’ll discover whether ordinary people inevitably conform to the roles they’re given – or whether empathy, morality and individuality can withstand the forces pushing them in the opposite direction.

“As the pressure builds and the balance of power begins to shift, the central question feels more urgent than ever: Does power corrupt?”

Tell me more: Now into its third season, Nobody Wants This reintroduces Joanne and Noah at an uncharacteristically stable point in their relationship, moving in together as Kristen Bell’s character continues studying for her conversion to Judaism.

In the new episodes, we see our central couple throwing themself into all of the highs and lows that come along with a new relationship – while their social circle continues to bring the chaos and drama that have now kept us tuning in since season one.

Netflix says: “After recommitting to each other at the end of last season, Joanne and Noah are moving into a home — and a relationship — that finally feels solid, embracing every exciting ‘first’ that comes with building their life together.”

Tell me more: After becoming a surprise international hit during the pandemic, French crime thriller Lupin is now back for a fourth outing.

Following the conclusion of season three, we’re reintroduced to Assane four years later at an especially low ebb – he’s still in prison, and as far as he’s concerned, his crime-fighting alter-ego is no more.

Suffice to say – it doesn’t last…

Netflix says: “Assane is still in prison. For him, Lupin is no more: he wants to serve out his sentence and keep the promise he made to his son to go and meet their family in Senegal. But his plans are turned upside down by a mysterious announcement signed by Lupin: multiple museums are to be hit with simultaneous heists!

“In spite of heightened security, the thefts go off as planned. Assane proclaims his innocence, but everything points to his guilt. A camera even shows him in one of the museums during a robbery in which Captain Belkacem is seriously injured. To prove his innocence and unmask the copycat, Assane must escape and don the Lupin costume once more!”

Tell me more: Maria Bamford is truly one of one – but you could say she’s never quite got the recognition she deserves.

Celebrated by fans for her surreal approach to comedy and frank approach to themes and ideas where many are afraid to tread, this documentary explores Maria’s life story, her rise in the comedic world and exactly what led to her becoming your favourite comedian’s favourite comedian – with contributions from some of the form’s most prolific voices.

Netflix says: “Beloved for blurring performance and personal crisis, Maria Bamford unpacks the mental health journey behind her fearless comedy in this documentary.”

Tell me more: In October 2023, the world was left reeling from the news that Friends actor Matthew Perry had died at the age of 54. Three years later, those who knew him best have come together to celebrate his life and legacy in a one-off documentary.

Netflix says: “Told through intimate testimonies from close family and friends, this documentary event reveals the real Matthew Perry – generous, funny, vulnerable, larger than life – and the battles he fought to become the man behind the icon.

“A raw record of a life lived in full, and the honesty that became his greatest legacy.”

Tell me more: Luke Littler became an unlikely household name in the 2020s when, at just 17 years old, he became the youngest world champion in the history of darts.

Fans of shows like Squid Game: The Challenge and Wonka’s The Golden Ticket will love this unique challenge event, in which willing hopefuls from around the UK try to pit their own darts skills against the former champ’s in a bid to secure half a million quid.

Netflix says: “Beat Luke Littler is a high-stakes live darts event, anchored by Gary Lineker that pits ambitious amateurs against the world number one: all for a chance to win £501,000.

“The groundbreaking live special will see 20 competitors from across the nation and beyond step up to the oche for the ultimate sporting challenge. With Richard Osman as the Expert Analyst on the night; the rules are simple: one night, one chance, and one perfect leg of 501.”