New to Neon in October

It’s a vintage month for comedy on Neon, with the most anticipated newcomer being HBO showbiz satire The Franchise (October 7).

Named after the crew of an unloved franchise movie, it promises to shine a light on “the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking – because every f*ck-up has an origin story”.

Oscar-winner Sam Mendes, who executive produced with Veep’s Armando Iannucci, directed the premiere; Himesh Patel, Richard E. Grant, Daniel Brühl, Lolly Adefope and Jessica Hynes star.

Starz’s dark comedy drama Sweetpea (October 10) stars Fallout’s Ella Purnell as a wallflower who commits murder to seek attention while Brilliant Minds (October 2) is a popular but conventional if well-reviewed NBC medical drama starring Zachary Quinto (Heroes, Star Trek) as a revolutionary neurologist.

Neon also has S2 of Funny Woman (October 16), which originally aired on TVNZ 1, S6 of What We Do in the Shadows (October 23) and S3 of Somebody Somewhere (October 29).

Other TV highlights include:

• Call the Midwife S1-11 01
• DCI Banks S1-5
• Sanditon S1-3

October 4

• Sherwood S1

October 6

• The Diplomat S1

October 8

• Found S2
• Smother S1

October 10

• The Irrational S2

October 15

• All American: Homecoming S3

October 17

• FBI S7
• FBI: Most Wanted S6

New movies include: