What's New To Watch On Netflix In October 2025? 11 Best TV Shows And Films
As the evenings get darker and colder, we can feel the glow of Netflix calling us in more and more as we settle down after work.
Thankfully, aside from Halloween parties, various spiced lattes and the beginnings of our Christmas prep, there’s also a whole lot of new TV shows and films to keep us distracted in the weeks ahead.
This October, Netflix has something for everyone whether you want crime thrillers, political intrigue or fantasy to provide some much-needed escapism. Plus, there’s the return of some of Netflix’s most popular shows of the last few years to look forward to.
Here are our top picks of what to stream this October…
Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Streaming now)
Tell me more: Ryan Murphy is back with another terrifying take on a true crime story. The third instalment in the unsettling anthology series centres on Ed Gein, the infamous grave robber and serial killer, with the new set of episodes exploring his life story, as well as his legacy in Hollywood.
Given last season’s divisive take on Lyle and Erik Menendez’s story, expect yet more controversy from this latest iteration of Monster, which features Charlie Hunnam in the lead role, alongside a supporting cast that includes Laurie Metcalf, Tom Hollander and Olivia Williams.
Netflix says: “Driven by isolation, psychosis, and an all-consuming obsession with his mother, Gein’s perverse crimes birthed a new kind of monster that would haunt Hollywood for decades.
“From Psycho to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to The Silence of the Lambs, Gein’s macabre legacy gave birth to fictional monsters born in his image and ignited a cultural obsession with the criminally deviant.
“Ed Gein didn’t just influence a genre – he became the blueprint for modern horror.”
Steve (Streaming now)
Tell me more: Based on Max Porter’s bestselling novel Shy, Steve tells parallel stories of a head teacher, played by Cillian Murphy, and a troubled teen, Shy.
Cillian’s character is the leader of a school for boys with societal and behavioural difficulties that is being threatened with closure.
Tim Mielants, who previously directed Cillian in last year’s Small Things Like These, explores men’s mental health in a moving glimpse into two troubled souls.
Netflix says: “Set in the mid-90s, Steve is a reimagining of Max Porter’s Sunday Times bestseller Shy.
“The film follows a pivotal day in the life of head teacher Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amid a world that has forsaken them.”
Victoria Beckham (9 October)
Tell me more: After the success of Netflix’s David Beckham documentary in 2023, the platform is now turning its attention to his wife, popstar-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham.
The three-part documentary, directed by Nadia Hallgren, charts her rise to fame and follows Victoria as she prepares for her most ambitious Paris Fashion Week show to date.
Alongside following Victoria and her husband David, the doc series will also interview Tom Ford, Roland Mouret and Anna Wintour, to help give an insight into the former Spice Girl’s life.
We’re hoping for more viral moments like David calling out Victoria’s posh background in his own Netflix doc.
Netflix says: “Victoria Beckham paints a rare, nuanced portrait of a woman who has continually reinvented herself in the public eye.”
The Woman In Cabin 10 (10 October)
Tell me more: Keira Knightley takes the lead in this psychological thriller, based on a book by crime novelist Ruth Ware, playing a journalist whose trip on a super yacht is disturbed by murder, who finds that no one believes her story.
Co-starring Guy Pearce and Hannah Waddingham, this film promises to be a chilling tale of one maiden voyage gone wrong.
If you were a fan of the Thursday Murder Club over the summer, this could be the October watch for you.
Netflix says: “While on a luxury yacht for a travel assignment, a journalist witnesses a passenger tossed overboard late one night, only to be told that she must have dreamed it, as all passengers are accounted for.
“Despite not being believed by anyone onboard, she continues to look for answers, putting her own life in danger.”
The Diplomat (16 October)
Tell me more: Keri Russell returns to The Diplomat in her Emmy-nominated role as Kate Wyler, the recently appointed US ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The thriller, which co-stars Allison Janney and Rufus Sewell, left audiences on a cliffhanger last season after the president was found dead. This time around, Bradley Whitford joins the cast, reuniting with his former West Wing co-star, Alison Janney.
Netflix says: “When we pick up for season three of The Diplomat, Kate has just accused vice president Grace Penn of hatching a terrorist plot and admitted she’s after the VP’s job.
“But now the president is dead, Kate’s husband Hal may have inadvertently killed him, and Grace Penn is the leader of the free world.”
The Perfect Neighbour (17 October)
Tell Me More: The Perfect Neighbour uses police bodycam footage to explore the simmering tensions between neighbors, which sparked a US-wide debate over Florida’s controversial laws. Director Geeta Gandbhir sensitively traces what happened after Ajike Shantrell Owens died and the conflict he had with his children and his killer.
What Netflix Says: “The Perfect Neighbor explores a tight-knit community experiencing relentless harassment by a neighbor whose hostility escalates into a fatal crime.”
The Twits (17 October)
Tell me more: The Twits is the first in a series of Roald Dahl stories adapted for Netflix – and the first time this underrated story has been brought to life on screen.
Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke and Jason Mantzoukas lend their voices to the adaptation, which reimagines the characters as two miserable – but powerful – amusement park owners, who find themselves in conflict with the human and animal communities.
Music legend David Byrne also contributed three original songs to the soundtrack.
What Netflix Says: “A hysterically funny, wild ride of a film (chock-full of the Twits’ beloved tricks — from the Wormy Spaghetti to the Dreaded Shrinks), The Twits is also a story for our times about the never-ending battle between cruelty and empathy.”
Nobody Wants This (23 October)
Tell me more: Our favourite Hot Rabbi returns in the long-awaited second season of the romantic-comedy Nobody Wants This.
Kristen Bell returns as an unreligious sex podcaster, who falls for Adam Brody’s dishy rabbi in the sharply-observed rom-com. The second season follows what happens after the happy-ever-after, as the pair try to make their different lifestyles work together.
Adam’s real-life partner, Leighton Meester, joins the cast in season two as Kristen’s arch-nemesis, with Seth Rogen also due to make a cameo.
Netflix says: “First comes love, then comes life. The last time we saw agnostic podcast host Joanne and unconventional (hot) rabbi Noah, their unmatched chemistry surprised everyone in their lives, including her sister Morgan, his brother Sasha and sister-in-law Esther, and even themselves.
“Their spark proved stronger than all of the obstacles trying to keep them apart. Now, they’re back and fully committed to merging their lives – and loved ones — together. But their differences still exist and can’t be ignored. The challenge now is not just falling in love against all odds, but staying together in spite of them.”
A House Of Dynamite (24 October)
Tell me more: Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow returns to the movie world after eight years away with another tense political thriller.
Written by Noah Oppenheim and starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, A House Of Dynamite is an edge-of-your-seat, heart-in-your-throat film about the United States government’s attempt to cope with an impending nuclear strike.
Netflix says: “When a single, unattributed missile is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.”
Ballad Of A Small Player (29 October)
Tell me more: Director Edward Berger’s follow-up to last year’s Oscar-nominated Conclave is an adaptation of Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel.
Ballad Of A Small Player follows a down-and-out gambler, Doyle, as he tries to claw his way out of debt amongst the neon lights of Macau. Starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, the film follows Doyle as he escapes debt and finds a kindred spirit.
Netflix says: “Amid the glittering casinos of Macau, a gambler running from his past – and his debts – becomes fascinated by an enigmatic woman at the baccarat table.”
The Witcher (30 October)
Tell me more: With as much off-screen drama as on, The Witcher returns for a fourth season with Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia.
In the penultimate series of the fantasy adaptation, the show will deal with Geralt’s quest to find Ciri and Yennefer, and see Ciri integrate with her newfound family, The Rats.
What Netflix Says: “After the Continent-altering events of season three Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies.
“As their paths diverge and their goals sharpen, they encounter unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good…”