The onslaught of fall TV may be (mostly) over, but this is the era of peak TV — the well of new material isn’t running dry anytime soon. Still, thanks to the end of network premiere season, most of November’s offerings revolve around streaming and cable, from Netflix’s new comedy series to Starz’s attempt to channel both Vince Gilligan and Amy Sherman-Palladino. Here are the top ten events to line up on your DVR this month.
November 6: Master of None premieres on Netflix
The Internet is already frothing at the mouth for Aziz Ansari’s crack at a Louie/Girls-style dramedy about life as a struggling artist in New York, and with good reason: co-created with Parks and Recreation‘s Alan Yang, Master of None has both an impeccable comic pedigree and admirable diversity (Ansari’s already talked about how female writers informed the show’s point of view). With a Madison Square Garden special and a best-selling book already behind him, Master of None caps off a year for Ansari only Amy Schumer could claim to top.
November 7: Donald Trump hosts SNL
This is, as our own Sarah Seltzer has written, a terrible idea. Unfortunately, it’s also a terrible idea that will almost certainly succeed in its unstated but obvious goal of securing great ratings. We’re certainly curious to see how The Donald’s second hosting gig will play out now that he’s a reality celebrity masquerading as a politician and not just a reality celebrity masquerading as a businessman. At least there’s bound to be good McKinnon-as-Clinton material?
November 8: Flesh and Bone premieres on Starz…and streaming
Possibly the only series to include both Bunheads nostalgics and Breaking Bad devotees in its target demo, Flesh and Bone is a new ballet drama from Moira Walley-Beckett, the writer-producer who won an Emmy for a lil’ Breaking Bad episode called “Ozymandias.” What’s also interesting about Flesh and Bone, though, is Starz’s release strategy; the premium cable network will both air episodes week by week and drop all eight installments on its website at once. TV wonks will be watching this strategy’s success or failure closely, adding yet another group to Flesh and Bone‘s built-in audience.
November 8: Getting On gets one last ride at HBO
The quietly excellent comedy about aging and elder care is going out as it lived: solidly, hilariously, but with little fanfare. If nothing else, this is the show that landed Niecy Nash an Emmy nomination for a role infinitely better suited to her talents than whatever Ryan Murphy’s having her do on Scream Queens. But of course, Getting On was plenty else, and there’s still time for new viewers to come on board before its third and final season wraps up.
November 12: Lifetime unfurls Project Runway Junior
Kids’ reality shows aren’t exactly a safe bet; for every Master Chef Junior, there’s a Kid Nation waiting to happen. But that’s what makes them so fun to watch! Co-hosted by Tim Gunn and judged by a panel that includes Kelly Osbourne and Christian Siriano, PRJ is a pretty blatant attempt to jack MCJ‘s swag, but it’s also an intriguing premise (not to mention a test of the universal assumption that Tim Gunn can do no wrong).
November 13: Netflix teams up With Bob and David—and John Mulaney
Like HBO, Netflix was in the stand-up game long before it started cranking out Emmy winners, and its original comedy series thus far have included efforts from both talented newcomers (Bojack Horseman) and established talents in need of a platform (Arrested Development‘s Mitch Hurwitz). So it’s little surprise that the streaming service will debut two major comedy releases on the same day: the latest stand-up special from John Mulaney (it already hosts New in Town) and David Cross and Bob Odenkirk’s new sketch miniseries (don’t call it a Mr. Show revival). You’ll probably hear a *lot* about both on the podcast circuit in the next couple weeks.
November 20: Philip K. Dick adaptation The Man in the High Castle debuts on Amazon
Thanks to Amazon’s much-vaunted pilot season, we already have an idea of what Frank Spotnitz’s dystopian series will look like. Still, this “alternate history” of an America where the other side won World War II might be Amazon’s most intriguing show since Transparent—at least until Woody Allen’s first venture into TV drops. We’ll leave jokes about the irony of Amazon sponsoring a show about a dystopia when their workplace already is one to someone else, but just know that they’re inevitable.
November 20: The Marvel-Netflix alliance continues with Jessica Jones
Not that Netflix will ever tell, but from the looks of it, this spring’s Daredevil was a major success. Now it’s rolling out the second of its four superhero series, staring Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23‘s Krysten Ritter as a retired heroine with PTSD squaring off against the man who traumatized her. Ritter has some solid dramatic work behind her (see Breaking Bad and Listen Up Phillip), but Jessica Jones is her first, much-deserved showcase — and along with Supergirl, it makes up a mini-trend of female-led superhero shows. Let’s hope a full-blown trend is in the works.
November 22: J. Lo hosts the American Music Awards on ABC
They’re not the most prestigious of awards ceremonies (they’re voted on by fans) or the most buzzed-about (that’s the VMAs), but the AMAs still perform the essential function of such shows in 2015: putting a bunch of pop stars in a room together to make questionable decisions and subsequently be judged via social media. Plus, J. Lo as host can’t possibly be a bad thing.
November 24: Pretty Little Liars jumps Five Years Forward
In a tried-and-true attempt to reinvigorate a late-period show, Pretty Little Liars is kicking off the back off of its sixth season with a half-decade time jump. To tide viewers over until January, though, ABC Family — sorry, #FREEFORM — is airing a special covering just what happened over said five years. Just the dose of teen television your Thanksgiving week needs.