What to Watch This Week: October 30 to November 4

From Harry Styles as a closeted 1950s cop to a new season of a documentary about Selena Gomez’s struggles with mental health, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week

1. Haunted Gold Rush – Sunday, Oct. 30, T+E | Series Premiere

T+EThis two-part, B.C.-filmed documentary follows a strong female force of paranormal investigators—Corine Carey, her sister Leanne Sallenback and family friend Kelly Ireland—as they make their way up the historic and mysterious Gold Rush Trail, widely considered to be something of a hotspot for paranormal activity. As it happens, Carey and her crew also possess otherworldly gifts and run their own ghost-hunting company, Beyond the Haunting Investigations, as they retrace British Columbia’s historic Gold Rush Trail, connecting with spirits that have been calling out for more than 150 years, just waiting for someone to listen.

2. The White Lotus – Monday, October 30, HBO Canada | Season Premiere

CraveYou never really know what might turn into a “water-cooler show,” but it’s fair to say that HBO’s The White Lotus definitely became the must-discuss series of 2021. Not only did it attract enough eyeballs over the course of its seven-episode first season to warrant a second, but the show walked away with 20 Emmy nominations spread out over 13 categories—and ended up winning 10 of them to become the most awarded program of the year.  

Season two takes the satirical anthology to a different destination, leaving Hawaii behind in favour of a Sicilian setting—once again following both the guests and the employees of the new location over the course of another seven episodes. Given that it’s an anthology, there’ll be precious few people carrying over to the new instalment, but rest assured that the producers made sure to bring back Jennifer Coolidge as wealthy socialite Tanya McQuoid-Hunt… and, yes, she’s married now, so Jon Gries will also be back as Greg, her husband. New faces in the mix? F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander, Michael Imperioli, Aubrey Plaza, Haley Lu Richardson and many more.  

“What’s funny is how many people are now like, ‘I was on vacation and it was so White Lotus!’ ” series creator Mike White told Entertainment Weekly. “I guess that’s why I wrote the show in the first place—not coming from money and then wanting to keep up with the ‘Joneses’ of Hollywood and going to the vacation spots that people go to, then you get there and you’re eavesdropping like, ‘Oh my God, the things that these people are talking about here!’ I feel like now there’s a lot more people who are eavesdropping on those kinds of conversations and having a similar train of thought.”

3. Inside Man – Monday, October 31, Netflix | Series Premiere

NetflixIn this four-part mystery from Steven Moffat (Sherlock, Doctor Who), an American prison inmate on death row (Stanley Tucci) is seeking redemption as he faces execution. Elsewhere, on a train in England, a journalist (Lydia West) is looking for a story, while in a quiet little British village, the local vicar (David Tennant) is picking up his son’s math tutor (Dolly Wells) from the station. All four become entangled in a dilemma that could lead one of them to murder.

4. Donna Hay Christmas – Wednesday, November 2, Disney+ | Series Premiere

Disney+You may not be familiar with Australian food stylist and author Donna Hay, but that’s about to change with the international debut of her at-home Christmas series.  

The Disney+ production follows Ms. Hay as she shares tricks and tips for the holidays, helping even the most kitchen-challenged among us plan the perfect feast. From a glazed ham to a delectable pavlova, Hay will offer time-saving techniques so that you can eat well and snap Instagram-worthy photos of your meal, but still spend ample time celebrating with friends and family.  

“I’ll up the deliciousness and reduce the fuss on all your Christmas favourites, including show-stopping desserts that will put the ‘wow’ in your Christmas celebrations,” she promises in a press release. 

5. Pamela’s Garden of Eden – Thursday, November 3, HGTV | Series Premiere

HGTV CanadaA particularly embarrassing chapter in Pamela Anderson’s life was recently dramatized in the unauthorized Hulu series Pam & Tommy, but now she’s taking control of the narrative in her very first HGTV series. Pamela’s Garden of Eden follows the actress’s journey as she returns to her hometown of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island to embark on a massive restoration of her family estate. The property encompasses three main areas—the Roadhouse, the Cabin and the “crown jewel,” the Boathouse on the shoreline—and Anderson has big plans for each, along with an ambitious timeline. As the synopsis explains, this series follows Anderson “as she takes a break from her Hollywood life and embarks on a massive restoration of her grandmother’s legacy property on Vancouver Island. A project this scale tests Pamela’s patience and her personal life as she tries to remain focused on her dream for the property: to embrace her family’s past and fulfill her vision for the future.”

6. The Suspect – Thursday, November 3, Sundance Now | Series Premiere

Sundance NowAuthor Michael Robotham’s novel about compellingly conflicted psychiatrist Joe O’Loughlin comes to TV with a five-part thriller presided over by Gangs of London writer Peter Berry.  

Aidan Turner (late of Being Human, the Hobbit flicks and Poldark) stars as the doc in question, nigh-unrecognizable in a bushy beard. When we meet him, he appears to have the perfect life: a loving wife and daughter, plus a wildly successful career. However, not all is as it seems… which is brought to light when a troubled former patient turns up dead. Forced to confront the biggest lie he’s ever told, Joe embarks on his own personal search for the killer, which entangles him in “an increasingly complex web of deceit,” as Joe fights to keep his life from completely unravelling.  

“A lot of the jobs [I’ve had] in recent years have been either fantasy or period or not contemporary,” Turner told Radio Times. “This felt different. And pretty refreshing, actually.” 

7. Enola Holmes 2 – Friday, November 4, Netflix

NetflixStranger Things breakout Millie Bobby Brown is back as Sherlock’s younger sister for a second film (which she again exec-produces). Now a detective-for-hire, Enola takes on the case of a missing girl, only to stumble into a larger conspiracy; naturally, she’ll need the help of her friends, mom and big bro to solve it. 

8. Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me – Friday, November 4, Apple TV+

Apple TV+Selena Gomez has had one amazing year, branching out from her day job as a massively successful pop star to join comedy veterans Steve Martin and Martin Short in the critically acclaimed Only Murders in the Building, picking up an Emmy nomination along the way—and let’s not leave out how she’s charming viewers in her chilled-out HBO Max cooking show Selena + Chef. Yet there’s a lot behind all that success and acclaim, which becomes evident as Gomez partners with director Alek Keshishian (Madonna: Truth or Dare) for this intimate documentary in which she candidly shares her struggles with mental health. “After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom,” describes the synopsis for Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. “But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.” 

A former child star on the Disney Channel, Gomez has been dealing with intense pressure her whole life, and promises to pull no punches in this doc. “Everything that I have gone through, it’s going to be there. I’m just making it my friend now,” Gomez says in a trailer that dropped on World Mental Health Day in support of global mental health education and awareness. “I know this is the beginning for me.”

9. My Policeman – Friday, November 4, Prime Video

Prime VideoIf you’ve ever jammed out to One Direction or caught one of the man’s solo tracks, you know Harry Styles has the goods when it comes to pop music. Still up in the air? His acting chops—especially after the publicity fiasco and less-than-stellar reviews that haunted his recently debuted flick Don’t Worry Darling. The good news: Styles already has another opportunity to prove the doubters wrong.  

My Policeman is based on Bethan Roberts’ 2012 romance novel and is set in the 1950s. There, in Brighton, England, we meet three characters: a policeman named Tom (Styles), a teacher named Marion (The Crown’s Emma Corrin) and a museum curator named Patrick (The Last Kingdom alum David Dawson). At first, it seems as though this is a love story between Tom and Marion, but as the narrative unfolds, we learn there is also much more to the relationship between Tom and Patrick.  

As we trace the story of these characters over the decades (into the present, where they’re played by Linus Roache, Gina McKee and Rupert Everett, respectively), what unfolds is a story of forbidden love, the trauma of hidden sexuality and the dangers of letting others define you.  

The movie had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where Styles revealed how these messages still hold up today. “The general themes are incredibly timeless,” he said during a press conference. “That’s why the film works. It’s incredibly relevant whatever time you set it in. People are able to see a part of themselves in each of the characters, and maybe not your favourite parts of yourself in the characters, which is the most beautiful thing about the story. Despite all the complexity and the deceiving nature between them, there is also a very real friendship. Their love is real. Not everything is black and white.”

10. Causeway – Friday, November 4, Apple TV+

Apple TV+In the directorial feature debut from Lila Neugebauer, Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence stars as Lynsey, a young soldier struggling to adjust to civilian life upon returning to her home in New Orleans after suffering a traumatic injury that’s left her grappling with PTSD. When she meets James (Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry), a local auto mechanic, the seemingly mismatched pair forge an unexpected and powerful bond, finding comfort and cure in their unlikely friendship.