Showtime has announced the movies, TV shows and sports programming coming to the service in October. The Showtime October 2021 lineup includes the psychological drama Wakefield, which explores the fine line between sanity and madness.
The four-part documentary series Buried, which follows the story of Eileen Franklin’s long-repressed memory of her childhood best friend’s murder, will also launch.
The Showtime October 2021 slate also features the return of the Bodega Boys with the mid-season premiere of Desus & Mero. Political documentary series The Circus and crime drama series American Rust will continue with all new episodes throughout October as well.
The Wall Street favorite Billions will air its season finale Sunday, October 3; the second season of acclaimed comedy series Work in Progress will bow Sunday, October 10; and The L Word: Generation Q will close its second season Monday, October 11.
This month on Showtime Sports, Bellator MMA‘s first-ever event in Russia with Fedor vs. Johnson will debut on Saturday, October 23 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. Featuring the raw and candid autobiography of the talented and perennially misunderstood nine-time NBA All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, Passion Play: Russell Westbrook will premiere Friday, October 15.
The must-see rematch between No. 1-ranked Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (32-9) and No. 2-ranked Michael “Venom” Page (19-1) will hit Friday, October 1 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Subscribers also will have access to Showtime‘s premium movie collection. This October, the streamer highlights LGBTQIA+ stories with hit films, including Milk, Moonlight, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Summerland and more!
You can view the Showtime October 2021 originals, followed by the full schedule and streaming collections, below.
SHOWTIME OCTOBER 2021 ORIGINALS
BILLIONS
Season Finale Sunday, October 3
In the second half of season five, the presence of powerful billionaire Mike Prince sends ripples through Axe Capital and gives Chuck Rhoades a potential new weapon in his fight against Bobby Axelrod. Alliances form, get ripped apart and form a new, and everyone from Taylor to Wendy gets roped into the conflict, which comes very close to destroying all they hold dear.
BURIED
Docu-Series Premiere Sunday, October 10
Buried is a four-part documentary series about how one woman’s long-repressed memory of her childhood best friend’s murder sparked a national debate about the power and limitations of memory in the court of law. The legal thriller spotlights the reverberations of this first criminal case based on a recovered memory and analyzes how fallible and malleable the mind can be. It follows the gripping story of Eileen Franklin who, while playing with her young daughter, suddenly had a memory of witnessing the rape and murder of her childhood best friend, 8-year-old Susan Nason, which led to a re-opening of a case that had gone unsolved for nearly 20 years.
And in a shocking twist, when Eileen came forward with her memory, she told the police that she remembered the murderer was her own father George Franklin. The docuseries reveals the consequences of that fateful assertion of the subconscious and the infinite questions it sparked about the accuracy and reliability of unearthing traumatic events in the court of law. Through riveting first-person testimonials of family, neighbors, memory experts, law enforcement, mental health professionals and many others, Buried explores the impact of Eileen’s memory on not only the Franklin family but also the legal and mental health communities at large.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Season Finale Sunday, October 10
The second season of Work in Progress, a half-hour comedy series helmed by Abby McEnany and Lilly Wachowski, continues to follow the character of Abby, a 46-year-old self-identified fat, queer dyke. In the final episodes of the season, Abby and Julia Sweeney venture into unchartered waters; meanwhile, Abby finds herself ending one relationship just as she begins a new one.
THE L WORD: GENERATION Q
Season Finale Monday, October 11
Based on the groundbreaking drama series The L Word, season two of The L Word: Generation Q continues to follow the intermingled lives of Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), Dani Nùñez (Arienne Mandi), Micah Lee (Leo Sheng), Sarah Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), Sophie Suarez (Rosanny Zayas), Gigi Ghorbani (Sepideh Moafi) and Angelica Porter-Kennard (Jordan Hull) as they experience love, heartbreak, setbacks and success in L.A.
In the final two episodes of the season, everyone finds themselves at life-changing crossroads: tensions rise between Bette, her ex-wife Tina and their daughter Angie; Shane struggles with a secret, while Alice questions how open she should be about her personal life; Sophie is forced to confront some harsh realities about Finley; Dani finds comfort from Gigi when her personal and professional life is thrown into further turmoil; and Micah navigates his changing relationship with Maribel.
DESUS & MERO
Mid-Season premiere Sunday, October 17
DESUS & MERO, the network’s first-ever late-night talk show, will continue to air weekly on Sunday and Thursday nights from New York City. Each episode of DESUS & MERO features co-hosts Desus Nice and The Kid Mero who give their take on the day’s hot topics and chat with guests about pop culture, sports, music, politics and more.
WAKEFIELD
Series Premiere Monday, October 18
Wakefield is a psychological drama that shines a comedic light on what happens when the sanest individual working in a psych ward begins to lose his grip. The series is inspired by show creator Kristen Dunphy’s personal experiences, which follows Nik Katira, who after years working as psych nurse at Wakefield, is exceptionally good at his job.
With a gift for soothing the afflicted and reaching the unreachable, he’s the most stable person in what tends to be a pretty crazy place. But right now, as his own sanity is slipping, the question is … why? Tackling the complexity of mental illness with humor and heart, Wakefield explores the fine line between sanity and madness, powered by an intriguing psychological mystery.
BACK TO LIFE
Season Finale Monday, October 18
Season two of Back to Life picks up three weeks after the season one finale, and six weeks after Miri leaves prison. She is optimistic about her future. Her probation officer, Janice, has gotten her a trial shift at the supermarket; she and her neighbor, Billy, have been spending more time together; and she’s found her hair crimper. However, Miri’s not talking to her mother Caroline after discovering she was having an affair with Miri’s ex-boyfriend, Dom, and she’ll need a lot of shifts at the supermarket before she can afford to move out.
She’s also avoiding her best friend, Mandy, after learning that Mandy’s secret affair with Lara’s father John Boback led to Lara’s death all those years ago. Things are about to get a whole lot worse with the arrival of Lara’s mother Norah. Still grieving her daughter, it’s clear her presence will ensure Miri cannot escape her past.
AMERICAN RUST
New Episodes Sundays
Based on Philipp Meyer’s celebrated debut novel, American Rust, starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney, is a compelling family drama and a timeless story of wanting a brighter future while being held prisoner by the past. The story of survival and transcendence is told through the eyes of Del Harris, the complicated and compromised chief of police of a Pennsylvania Rust Belt town full of good people making bad choices. When news of a murder rips through the town, Harris must decide the lengths he is willing to take to protect the son of the woman he loves.
THE CIRCUS
New Episodes Sundays
The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth returns for an eight-episode run this fall. The acclaimed weekly docu-series, now in its sixth season and nominated this year for two Emmy Awards, is hosted by John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, Alex Wagner and Jennifer Palmieri.
With COVID-19 resurging, Afghanistan in chaos, Joe Biden’s sweeping domestic agenda on the line in Congress and the Republican Party still in thrall to Donald Trump and his Big Lie about 2020 election fraud, The Circus once again takes viewers behind the scenes and beyond the headlines at a moment when American politics is more convulsive than ever — and the stakes for the country have never been higher.
SPORTS
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Saturday, September 18 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
Undefeated 122-pound world champions are set to square off in a highly anticipated matchup as WBC champion Brandon Figueroa and WBO champion Stephen Fulton Jr. meet in a title unification bout headlining a three-fight card from Park Theater in Las Vegas. The Showtime Championship Boxing telecast is the first part of a special combat sports doubleheader that also features Bellator MMA 266: Davis vs. Romero immediately following the conclusion of the live boxing event.
BELLATOR MMA 267: DOUGLAS LIMA VS. MVP 2
Friday, October 1 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
A must-see rematch between No. 1-ranked Douglas “The Phenom” Lima (32-9) and No. 2-ranked Michael “Venom” Page (19-1), where the stylish striker from London will look to avenge the lone blemish on his record in front of his home crowd. A women’s featherweight fight will serve as the co-main event when No. 5-ranked Leah McCourt (5-1) meets Jessica Borga (3-3) at The SSE Arena, Wembley in London.
PASSION PLAY: RUSSELL WESTBROOK
Friday, October 15
A raw and candid autobiography of the talented and perennially misunderstood nine-time NBA All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook is told through intimate moments captured with the NBA star and those closest to him. The documentary pulls back the curtain on a side of Westbrook, which he never has allowed anyone outside his inner circle to see: He’s a caring and loyal family man driven and inspired by the tragic loss of childhood friend and fellow Olympic teammate Khelcey Barrs.
Through rare footage and extensive interviews, Passion Play explores Westbrook’s journey from his humble beginnings to becoming a singular athletic force that defies his critics’ notions about how the sport of basketball should be played.
BELLATOR MMA 268: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX SEMIFINALS
Saturday, October 16 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
Light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (14-2) will defend his world championship against Julius Anglickas (10-1), while current Bellator Heavyweight World Champion Ryan Bader (28-6) will face No. 2-ranked light heavyweight Corey Anderson (15-5) in the co-main event. Plus, catch a 155-pound bout between No. 3-ranked lightweight Benson Henderson (28-10) squaring up against Brent Primus (10-2).
In addition, a featherweight battle pitting Henry Corrales (18-6) against Vladyslav Parubchenko (16-2) is set to kick off the main card action. Both semifinal matchups for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix will top the card at the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.
BELLATOR MMA 269: FEDOR EMELIANENKO VS. TIM JOHNSON
Saturday, October 23 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
BELLATOR MMA’s first-ever event in Russia is about to get even bigger on Saturday, October 23 as Bellator 269: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Johnson officially adds five more scintillating matchups. If the return of Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko wasn’t enough, two more of his countrymen will join him on this stacked Showtime-televised main card.
Russian superstar and No. 6-ranked lightweight Usman Nurmagomedov (13-0) will take on Patrik Pietila (11-8), while former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov (22-1) will make his highly anticipated return to action against No. 8-ranked heavyweight Said Sowma (7-2) in the co-main event of the evening.
NEW MOVIES
A look at the movies that will be available as part of the Showtime October 2021 lineup.
54 (Director’s Cut)
7 Days in Entebbe
A Little Game
A Perfect Man
A Raisin in the Sun
A Royal Night Out
Agent Revelation
American History X
Antiquities
Anywhere with You
Before Sunrise
Before Sunset
Blue Caprice
Boogie Nights
Cold Comes the Night
Crash
Dances with Wolves
Dangerous Liaisons
Demolition Man
Enemy of the State
Finding Forrester
Forrest Gump
Game 6
Grace and Grit
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Higher Learning
Homicide
It’s Me, Sugar
Les Misérables
Major League
Michael Jackson’s This Is It
Midnight Express
Mighty Aphrodite
Mr. Brooks
Nebraska
Nowhere Boy
Open Water
Open Water 2: Adrift
Open Water 3: Cage Dive
Orson Welles in Norwich
Outbreak
Paradise Cove
Passenger 57
Pearl Harbor
Pleasantville
Point Break
Raging Bull
Reign Over Me
Revolver
Road House
Rollerball
Rose: A Love Story
Shampoo
Six Minutes to Midnight
The China Syndrome
The Devil’s Advocate
The Fighter
The General’s Daughter
The Guard
The Odessa File
The Station Agent
The Wolf of Wall Street
Unlocked
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
When Joan Kissed Barbra
Yours, Mine & Ours (2005)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 2
North Hollywood (Premiere)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 3
High Life
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 4
The Hollars
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 6
The Carnivores
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 9
Come Play (Premiere)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 10
Nightcrawler
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 14
Harry and the Hendersons
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 20
American Pie
American Pie 2
American Pie Presents: Band Camp
American Pie Presents: Beta House
American Pie Presents: The Book of Love
American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile
American Wedding
Apollo 13
Babe
Babe: Pig in the City
Big Fat Liar
Blues Brothers 2000
Broken Arrow
Carlito’s Way
Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power
Death Becomes Her
Deja Vu
Fried Green Tomatoes
High Plains Drifter
Mamma Mia!
Man on Fire
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mercury Rising
Milk
National Lampoon’s Animal House
Phenomenon
Ruthless People
Scarface
Schindler’s List
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Slap Shot
Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice
Slap Shot 3: The Junior League
U-571
The Best Man
The Blues Brothers
The Bone Collector
The War of the Roses
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 21
Free Fire
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 23
Minari (Premiere)
AVAILABLE OCTOBER 25
The Company Men
STREAMING COLLECTIONS
In addition to the Showtime October 2021 schedule, you can check out these collections next month.
BASEBALL FILMS FOR THE POSTSEASON
Bad Hombres, Bad News Bears (2005), For Love of the Game, Game 6, Major League
LGBTQIA+ STORIES
54 (Director’s Cut), About Cherry, Beyond the Opposite Sex, Body of Deceit, The Carnivores, Falling, Jules of Light and Dark, Lola, The Long Shadow, Make Up, Milk, Moonlight, My Tender Matador, On the Road, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Princess Diana, Freddie and Kenny: ‘One Normal Night’, Rafiki, The Retreat, Same Sex America, Semper Fi, Signature Move, The Siren, Sound of Violence, Summerland, Tucked, The Watermelon Woman, When Joan Kissed Barbra