November TV preview: HBO’s Dune prequel, Interior Chinatown, and a new NBC mockumentary

3 weeks ago 2

The year is winding down (somehow), but Fall TV certainly isn’t. November boasts a few major premieres, but none of them are bigger than Dune: Prophecy, HBO’s pricey-looking prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s movie franchise. Meanwhile, Taylor Sheridan drops another star-filled Western (and also the new season of Yellowstone), FX debuts its highly-anticipated adaptation of Say Nothing, and NBC goes back to the mockumentary with St. Denis Medical. There are plenty of returning goodies, too, like Starz’s Outlander and Apple TV+’s delightful dark comedy Bad Sisters. Here is The A.V. Club’s guide to what to watch in November.

St. Denis Medical (NBC, November 12)

NBC gets back into the mockumentary game with St. Denis Medical, a new sitcom from Superstore’s Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin. In the series, a documentary crew captures the whirlwind chaos of working in the ER of an underfunded Oregon hospital. The employees include overworked nurses (played by Allison Tolman, Mekki Leeper, and Kahyun Kim), senior doctors (Josh Lawson, David Alan Greer), various administrators, and the hospital’s executive director (Wendi McLendon-Covey). Expect to see a few familiar Superstore faces too. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Day Of The Jackal (Peacock, November 14)

Peacock gives Frederick Forsyth’s ever-popular novel a modern update in The Day Of The Jackal. In the thriller, Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch engage in a cat-and-mouse game as, respectively, a ruthless, elusive contract killer and a British intelligence officer who tracks him across Europe to try and stop him. Compared to the book’s setting of the 1960s Algerian War, this adaptation takes place in the here and now. The cast also features Ursula Cobreró, Chukwudi Iwuji, Charles Dance, and Richard Dormer. [Saloni Gajjar]

Cross (Prime Video, November 14)

Prime Video is turning into an unofficial home for Peak Dad TV with action dramas like Reacher, The Terminal List, and Citadel. It now adds Cross to this lineup. Based on the books by James Patterson, this thriller centers on the forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross (City On A Hill‘s Aldis Hodge), whose job entails hunting notorious killers by getting into their heads. He also juggles being a family man in the process. Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Melody Hurd, Ryan Egged, and Alona Tal co-star. [Saloni Gajjar]

Say Nothing (FX on Hulu, November 14)

Patrick Radden Keefe’s phenomenal, tough-to-put-down account of The Troubles, Say Nothing: A True Story Of Murder And Memory In Northern Ireland, gets the small-screen treatment thanks to FX on Hulu. Adapted by Josh Zetumer, the nine-episode miniseries follows IRA members and volunteers (played by Northern Irish and Irish actors like Lola Petticrew, Hazel Doupe, and Anthony Boyle) from the ’70s through the ’90s. And if the show’s trailer, fueled by The Stooges’ primal “Down On The Street,” is any indication, this one might just be a doozy. [Tim Lowery]

Dune: Prophecy (HBO, November 17)

The Bene Gesserit Voice is back in all of its glory in Dune: Prophecy. A prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s movies, the series is set 10,000 years before the rise of Paul Atriedes. It explores the origin story of the religious and political sisterhood of Bene Gesserit, primarily through the lenses of siblings Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams). Based on the trailer alone, expect visuals on an epic scale as Prophecy hops across planets, sandstorms, glaciers, and castles. (Plus, this should help tide us over as we wait for updates on Dune: Messiah.) The massive ensemble also includes Travis Fimmel, Mark Strong, Jihae, Tabu, Charitra Chandran, Jodhi May, and Chris Mason. [Saloni Gajjar]

Landman (Paramount+, November 17)

Taylor Sheridan’s reign continues with the Texas-set Western Landman. And this time around, the Yellowstone creator brings Billy Bob Thornton along for the ride. The actor portrays Tommy Norris, a crisis executive who battles roughnecks, billionaires, and suits to dominate the state’s oil industry. As is the case with any Sheridan joint, Landman’s ensemble is mighty, with Demi Moore, Jon Hamm, Ali Larter, Michael Peña, and Andy García joining Thornton. [Saloni Gajjar]

Interior Chinatown (Hulu, November 19)

Silicon Valley scene stealer Jimmy O. Yang stars in this adaptation of Charles Yu’s 2020 novel, which tells the tale of a struggling actor stuck doing slim roles like “Generic Asian Man,” “Background Oriental Male,” and “Delivery Guy” who stumbles upon a crime and is thrown into Chinatown’s underworld. The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, and Lisa Gilroy help round out the cast, and Taika Waititi directs the pilot. [Tim Lowery]

Get Millie Black (HBO, November 25)

Jamaican novelist and Man Booker Prize-winner Marlon James cooks up his first TV show, an HBO/Channel 4 limited series that chronicles a former Scotland Yard detective, Tamara Lawrance’s Millie-Jean Black, who makes her way back to Kingston to investigates missing-persons cases with her new partner (played by Gershwyn Eustache Jnr) and, eventually, an old colleague from across the pond (Game Of Thrones’ Joe Dempsie). The trailer for the limited series, which is directed by Jamaican-born Tanya Hamilton (The Deuce, Snowfall), is giving off some Mare Of Easttown vibes, albeit with a more vibrant backdrop. [Tim Lowery]

The Madness (Netflix, November 28)

“We all go a little mad sometimes” seems to be the tagline for Colman Domingo’s conspiracy-theory drama The Madness. In the thriller, he plays a notorious media pundit who finds himself in the center of a murder investigation deep in the Poconos. To clear his name, he has to connect with his estranged family members and figure out where his morality lies. Hailing from creator Stephen Belber, The Madness also stars Marsha Stephanie Blake and John Ortiz. [Saloni Gajjar]

A Man On The Inside (Netflix, TBD)

Mike Schur charts his next TV comedy (and a reunion with The Good Place’s Ted Danson) in A Man On The Inside, wich is based on the documentary The Mole Agent. The eight episodes see a retired, bored widower named Charlie answer an ad from a private detective that leads him to becoming an undercover spy himself at a San Francisco senior-living community. Several alums of the “Schur-iverse” star in the new series, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz, Marc Evan Jackson, and Eugene Cordero. [Saloni Gajjar]