What to Watch in October

There's a huge amount of worthwhile TV out there nowadays, so it can be hard to choose what to watch. But who better to recommend shows than the person who programs them? Lisa Tipton, WTTW’s Head of Programming and Pledge, constructs the WTTW schedule by searching through offerings from many different sources which include the national PBS network, the BBC, and independent filmmakers to put together a varied and engaging broadcast schedule. Each month, she recommends a few shows that she thinks you should watch.

Find all the ways to watch WTTW here. Many of the below shows are available to stream via the PBS app or will be once they premiere, especially by WTTW Passport members. 

Chicago Stories

The World's Fair of 1893. Toy Town. Skyscrapers. Home of the Irish. These are the four new Chicago Stories in our latest season of documentaries, premiering on WTTW and at wttw.com/chicagostories Fridays at 8:00 pm beginning October 2. Don't miss the engaging histories, or the deeper dives at wttw.com/chicagostories.

Politics

As the midterm elections approach in November, we have shows to help you understand both local and national elections. WTTW News hosts forums with the candidates in Illinois' race for governor and U.S. Senate Tuesdays, October 13 and 20 at 8:00 pm, respectively. (You can watch the forum of candidates for Chicago's school board president here.)

Frontline returns to voters first filmed in 2020 to see how their views have changed as another polarizing election approaches in American Voices 2026, Tuesday, October 13 at 9:00 pm. The investigatory series also looks at the Haiti Deportation Crisis on Tuesday, October 20 at 9:00 pm, as the Trump administration ends legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians who fled violence and natural disaster.

On Friday, October 16 at 9:00 pm, Washington Week with The Atlantic travels to Texas, home to a competitve U.S. Senate race, for an hour-long special about the issues in the midterms. 

Breaking the Deadlock again runs through a hypothetical scenario with experts on Tuesday, October 27 at 8:00 pm, with AI: Who's in Control?

Bucks County, USA looks at political division in America over four years and five parts through the lens of two teenaged best friends whose families are on opposite side of the cultural war in a purple county in a swing state, Pennsylvania. You can catch it various times on WTTW and WTTW Prime, or stream it any time via the PBS app.

Nature and NOVA

In a unique crossover, Sesame Street joins with Nature Wednesday, October 14 at 7:00 pm to go on an African safari, in Sesame Street and the Great Elephant Adventure, perfect for both kids and adults.

NOVA has a five-part Evolution series Wednesdays at 8:00 pm beginning October 14 that explores how the animals we know today evolved from creatures very different from their current forms.

Dramas and Mysteries

Don't worry: when The Marlow Murder Club, Marble Hall Murders, and Trespasses wrap up on October 11, we have more enthralling shows to replace them. It begins Sunday, October 18 with season 5 of Professor T at 7:00 pm, season 2 of Maigret at 8:00 pm, and the final season of The Gold at 9:00 pm to wrap up that real-life heist story. Don't miss our recaps of all of those if you need to catch up. Then we've got the new series Darby and Joan, featuring an unlikely English nurse and ex-detective duo in the Australian outback, Saturdays at 8:00 pm beginning October 31.