November is just around the corner, and so is the holiday season. If you want to make your TV and streaming plans for the coming month, we’ve got you covered!
November offers an impressive array of titles including adventure, crime, comedy, feel-good stories and more. From the epic adaptation of the endearing book All The Light We Cannot See, to Taylor Sheridan’s Western drama, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, airing on Paramount+.
Big favorites also return this month with new seasons. Of particular note is the Emmy-winning series The Crown, which finally reaches its final installment. We will also enjoy the second season of the holiday comedy The Santa Clauses, starring Tim Allen.
On the other hand, Netflix’s mega-hit Squid Game premieres a spin-off series. Soon we will be able to see Squid Game: The Challenge, a visceral reality show with the biggest cash prize in the history of the genre.
Without further ado, we are here to share with you a list of series you won’t want to miss in the coming weeks.
All the Light We Cannot See
Netflix | Limited Series | Release date: Thursday, November 02
Great news for fans of historical fiction! Anthony Doerr’s imaginative and intricate novel, All The Light We Cannot See, is coming to Netflix soon.
Set in France during World War II, All The Light We Cannot See is a story of courage, hope and human connection. It revolves around teenagers Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl who takes refuge at her uncle’s home in Saint-Malo after the invasion of Paris by Nazi Germany, and Werner Pfennig, a bright German boy who is recruited into a military school for his skills in radio technology.
The novel follows Marie-Laure and Werner as their paths come together.
Here is the official synopsis of the adaptation, provided by Netflix:
“Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, All The Light We Cannot See is a groundbreaking limited series that follows the story of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl and her father, Daniel LeBlanc, who flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond to keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis. Relentlessly pursued by a cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel soon find refuge in St. Malo, where they take up residence with a reclusive uncle who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the resistance. Yet here in this once-idyllic seaside city, Marie-Laure’s path also collides inexorably with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner, a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts, who instead shares a secret connection to Marie-Laure as well as her faith in humanity and the possibility of hope.”
The four-part series will release all of its episodes in one batch, so audiences will be able to binge watch it. All The Light We Cannot See will air nearly 10 years after the publication of the hit novel.
Steven Knight, creator, writer and director of Peaky Blinders for the BBC has been tasked with writing the limited series.
Daily Dose of Sunshine
Netflix | Season Premiere | Release date: Friday, November 03
Daily Dose of Sunshine is a South Korean Netflix series directed by Lee Jae Gyoo and written by Lee Nam Gyu and Kim Da Hee. Lee Jae Gyoo most recently directed the hit horror series All of Us Are Dead.
Daily Dose of Sunshine is a medical drama about the many types of incidents that take place on a psychiatric ward. The show follows nurse Jung Da Eun (Park Bo-young) as she interacts with people who are deeply emotionally scarred.
The series is based on a webtoon titled Morning Comes to Psychiatric Wards Too and documents the real-life experiences of a psychiatric nurse. Daily Dose of Sunshine promises to make us reflect on the importance of mental health and the work of caregivers.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Paramount + | Limited series | Release date: Sunday, November 05
Created by Chad Feehan and executive produced by Taylor Sheridan and David Oyelowo, Lawmen: Bass Reeves is a 6-episode limited series about the first black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi.
This Paramount Plus original series stars the chameleon-like David Oyelowo and follows the life journey of Bass Reeves (Oyelowo), his rise from slavery to become the greatest frontier hero in American history.
Reeves is known to have killed 14 outlaws and arrested more than 3,000 over the course of his career in a 75,000-square-mile region of Indian Territory (present-day Kansas and Oklahoma). Interestingly, it is believed that his exploits served as inspiration for the character of the Lone Ranger.
The official description of the series states that:
“Lawmen: Bass Reeves will bring the legendary lawman and outlaws of the Wild West to life. Reeves (Oyelowo), known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory. The synopsis adds “Lawmen: Bass Reeves is an anthology series with future iterations to follow other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have shaped history.”
The show will debut its first two episodes on November 5 on Paramount +.
The Santa Clauses
Disney + | Season 2 | Release date: Wednesday, November 08
The Santa Clauses is back in November 2023 to give us all an early Christmas present.
In the second Disney+ installment, Scott (Tim Allen) continues his role as Santa Claus after his retirement plans were thwarted when he failed to find a worthy successor in the first season. Now that Scott and his family have managed to save Christmas and restore order to the North Pole, Scott turns his attention to training his son Calvin (Austin Kane) to take over the “family business” as Santa Claus when the time comes.
However, Calvin faces stiff competition from Magnus Antas (Eric Stonestreet), known as The Mad Santa, who reigned during the 14th century and now wants to be king again.
“I am Santa, the rightful Santa,” Stonestreet exclaims in the trailer. “The Santa who occupies the North Pole now is a fraud!” As can be seen, Magnus Antas returns to the North Pole, determined to take down Scott and claim his “supposed” crown.
Tim Allen returns to don the red coat and white beard to play Santa Claus in season two. He is joined by Elizabeth Mitchell, Austin Kane, Elizabeth Allen-Dick, Devin Bright, and Matilda Lawler. Actors Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and Eric Stonestreet will also be part of the cast.
With a total of six episodes, the second season of The Santa Clauses will conclude on December 6.
The Crown
Netflix | Season 6 – Part 1 | Release date: Thursday, November 16
It’s almost time to say goodbye to the fascinating fictional biopic of the British Royal Family.
Created by Peter Morgan, The Crown focuses on the life and times of England’s longest-reigning monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth. Throughout its five seasons, the filmmakers have been able to blend family drama with monumental historical events with ease.
Netflix has announced that the show’s sixth season will be released in two batches. The first part, consisting of four episodes, will air on November 16. The second part, consisting of six episodes, will air on December 14.
The sixth and final installment narrates the events that took place between 1997 and 2005. It will reflect the last days of the life of Princess Diana of Wales, the beginnings of the relationship between Prince William and Kate Middleton, and the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles.
It will undoubtedly be a bittersweet goodbye for fans.
Squid Game: The Challenge
Netflix | Season Premiere | Release date: Wednesday, November 22
Squid Game, Netflix’s most-watched series of all time – with more than 1.6 billion hours of viewing in its first month – returns to the streamer with a controversial new format.
Netflix is keeping the excitement of Squid Game alive by introducing a reality competition series, titled Squid Game: The Challenge. It is a 10-episode competition show co-produced by Studio Lambert and The Garden.
The reality series is inspired by Hwang Dong-hyuk’s harrowing Korean drama and will show us hundreds of contestants fiercely competing to win a mind-blowing monetary prize. Although Squid Game: The Challenge is far from deadly, the competition promises to be just as heated as the original events.
The official program description reads:
“As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them. The stakes are high, but in this game the worst fate is going home empty-handed.”
As in the South Korean drama, a total of 456 players will compete to win the final cash prize of $4.56 million. Squid Game: The Challenge not only boasts the largest cast in reality TV history, but also the biggest cash prize in the history of the genre.
The reality show will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, November 22 and will air weekly through December 6.