Louis Theroux’s Altered States
Britain’s foremost floppy-haired documentarian explores the unorthodox ways Americans deal with those landmark moments in life – birth, love and death – in a new three-parter. It begins with a sideways, if always empathetic, look at polyamory’s practice of open relationships, before tackling adoption agencies and end-of-life care in later episodes.
Sunday 4 November, 9pm, BBC Two
Limetown
Ahead of a Jessica Biel-starring TV remake, one of podcasting’s biggest hits returns for a second season. Part Serial, part sci-fi, it tells the story of a journalist’s reports into a dodgy research facility. Tune in to find out the meaning of the creepy phrase repeated on the trailer for season two: “Glass Joe made them swim.”
Podcast
Outlander
The lusty ratings-winner returns for a fourth season of time-travelling and prolonged swooning. This time around Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) are in North Carolina at the dawn of the American Revolution, while a formidable new villain enters the fray.
From Monday 5 November, Amazon Prime Video
The Heist
Created by the team behind Hunted, this reality gameshow has a similarly ambitious concept. It sees 10 real-life residents of the town of Thirsk carry out a local robbery and then attempt to hide the loot for a fortnight without being identified by detectives. If, like Hunted, you might question its authenticity, it makes up for it in sheer excitement.
Friday 9 November, 9pm, Sky1
Let’s Settle This: Big Narstie Will See You Now
After his successful Channel 4 chat show, a big year for Big Narstie continues with this BBC Three special, which sees the grime godhead solve debates and disputes Solomon-style from his Enfield barbershop. He and his staff will be providing advice for everyone from local brickies to celebrity guests, as well as settling spiky social media rows.
From Thursday 8 November, BBC iPlayer
The Walking Dead
The long-running zombie drama says goodbye to its biggest star as Andrew Lincoln – AKA Rick – hangs up his sweat-stained workshirt. But how will TWD handle his departure – with a respectful farewell or a flourish of entrails and gore? The show’s history suggests it may well be the latter.
Monday 5 November, 9pm, Fox
Westside
Structured reality Netflix-style, as nine up-and-coming musicians try to secure fame and fortune in Los Angeles. The soft-focus hues, heartfelt backstories and big, brash musical numbers suggest something closer to a real-life A Star Is Born than Real Housewives, but surely there will be some good old-fashioned drama to level things out.
From Friday 9 November, Netflix
Goodbye Big Brother: The Live Final
Goodbye or good riddance? Certainly, Big Brother is long past its early-00s peak, but its hard to deny the show’s weighty legacy. Eighteen years after its debut, Emma Willis crowns the final winning housemate before Channel 5 gives up the rights. Will another broadcaster step into the breach?
Monday 5 November, 10pm, Channel 5
Le Havre
Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki made this warm and whimsically funny drama as part of a projected “ports” trilogy. It has the ageing shoeshiner Marcel (André Wilms) taking Congolese teenager Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) under his wing, in a beguiling, beautifully shot portrait of a waterfront community that also plays as a delicate homage to French cinema.
Thursday 8 November, 2.05am, Film4
Arena: Make Me Up!
Easily winning the award for oddest TV show of the week is this edition of Arena created by Rachel Maclean. A critique of capitalism’s commodification of the female form, the multimedia artist’s film sees an anime-style naif named Siri negotiate a luridly coloured dystopia that’s part PC Music, part Handmaid’s Tale. All that, and there’s a talking sausage, too.
Sunday 4 November, 10pm, BBC Four
