Welcome to what to watch, where we take you through what's on the box in October.
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what → welcome → October
This month brings a heartbreaking story of charity betrayal from the UK and an Australian horror-comedy about killer gnomes.
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month → bring → gnomes
Plus, Mike Flanagan has a go at rebooting Carrie and Catherine Zeta Jones gets to pull out her Welsh accent for Kill Jackie.
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Jones → have → Jackie
Here's what we're watching this month.
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we → watch → what
Believe in Magic tells the story of Megan Bhari and her mother Jean O'Brien, founders of a UK charity supporting seriously ill children and their families.
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Believe → believe → children
The organisation, built in 2012 around the story of Megan's own battle with a brain tumour, raised hundreds of thousands of pounds and was praised for its work.
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organisation → build → work
Megan was dogged in her efforts to promote the organisation.
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Megan → dog → organisation
In 2015, Jean reported that Megan’s condition had worsened.
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condition → report → 2015
Pleading for funds as part of a Save Meg appeal, she gave little detail on Megan’s care and treating doctors.
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she → plead → care
It prompted suspicion from members of the charity’s community who said they “smelled a rat”.
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they → prompt → rat
One mother’s doubts led her to dig deeper into the charity, as well as Megan and Jean’s claims.
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doubts → lead → charity
What she and other parents found was explosive.
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found → find → What
The charity was investigated and ultimately shut down.
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charity → investigate → ?
No spoilers here, other than to say, at times it's hard to keep your jaw off the floor at what is an unbelievable and ultimately tragic story.
Perfect for: Lovers of true-crime stories like Inventing Anna, Catfish or Apple Cider Vinegar.
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what → say → Anna
Where to watch: The first episode premieres on ABC TV and iview on Tuesday, October 13.
Carrie
What's it about?
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it → watch → What
There are few stories in the modern horror canon that are more revered than Carrie.
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that → be → Carrie
Modern adaptations of the girl with telekinesis haven't fared ,as well, with the 1999 sequel, The Rage, the 2002 TV movie and 2013's modern reboot all being resoundingly poo-pooed, but if there is one thing Hollywood will do it's capitalise on established IP.
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it → fare → IP
Which is how we arrive at Carrie (2026) an extended miniseries helmed by Mike Flanagan, who has proved himself very handy at adaptations with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.
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himself → arrive → Manor
All the familiar beats are here, just transported to high school in 2026.
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beats → transport → 2026
Carrie (Summer H Howell) is now not just an outcast, but a complete recluse kept prisoner in her home with her overly religious mother (Samantha Sloyan, a Flanagan fave who is born for this role).
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who → keep → role
They're both exposed to the world after the untimely death of Carrie's construction worker father, who is a new addition to the story.
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who → expose → story
So the timid teen is even more raw when she's pushed into the cruel world of bullies with smartphones.
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she → push → smartphones
King's original story is pretty tight, so Flanagan pads the eight-episode run time by expanding on some overlooked details about a coven of similarly gifted girls, which gives off the hint that the director is sniffing out a season two.
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director → pad → season
Carrie purists might revolt, but Mike Flanagan fans remain fed.
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fans → revolt → ?
Perfect for: those who like a very expanded horror universe.
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who → like → universe
Where to watch: Carrie is streaming on Prime Video now.
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Carrie → watch → Video
This gritty mystery drama follows detective Antigone "Tig" Pollard (Anna Torv, The Newsreader) as she tries to solve a brutal sexual assault on a schoolgirl, revealing small-town secrets and dredging up her own past in her pursuit of the truth.
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she → follow → truth
Given the subject matter, Dustfall makes for uncomfortable viewing at times, but it dares you to not look away.
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it → give → you
It's also punctuated by charming lighter moments which will likely feel distinctly familiar for anyone who grew up in regional Australia.
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who → punctuate → Australia
Dustfall spotlights layered female characters through Tig's often-complicated relationships, with her lifelong friend Shayna (Alice Ansara), her force of nature mother Olivia (Juliet Stevenson); and victim-survivors Edie (Zoe Phillips) and Maya (Gemma Chua-Tran).
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Dustfall → spotlight → nature
Tig's also navigating a blossoming romance with local Mitch (Ben Knight), learning the ways of her detective partner Remi (Bert La Bonte), and can't escape Andy (Peter Fenton), the much older local rock star who has held an unsettling power over her since her teenage years.
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who → navigate → years
Each episode leaves you wanting more, with a genuinely gripping storyline that builds in intensity until the very end, delivering a shocking but satisfying twist.
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that → leave → twist
Based on Vikki Petraitis's novel The Unbelieved, Dustfall features stellar performances from a cast of established and up-and-coming actors and is bound to open doors.
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Dustfall → base → doors
Perfect for: Those who want their next bingeworthy series with a side of sharp social commentary that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
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credits → want → you
Where to watch: All episodes of Dustfall are streaming now on ABC iview.
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episodes → watch → iview
If you like your Australian comedy zany and silly
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you → like → comedy
, then you might have just been handed your favourite show of the year in Gnomes.
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you → hand → Gnomes
Senior Sergeant Arnold Kipps (Asa Butterfield) is perfectly happy acting as the big dog top cop in the tiny regional town of Nompton.
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Kipps → act → Nompton
His peaceful, if not a bit under-respected, life is interrupted when his ex-partner and old flame Ellie McKay (Megan Smart) comes down from the city to announce that Arnold's station is to be shut down due to lack of activity and they're only keeping one local police officer on.
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they → respect → officer
And this is before an evil gnome queen is unleashed during prep for the annual gnome festival and animates all the garden gnomes in town into vicious killers.
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queen → unleash → killers
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
