What to Stream: October 16–22, 2026
A decision-ready guide to the October 16–22 Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Hulu arrivals, led by Sacrifice, The Death of Robin Hood, Tenzing and Phony, with current Rotten Tomatoes signals and explicit watch-or-skip verdicts.
Friday, October 16 carries most of this week's weight. Netflix puts up a star-heavy darkly comic thriller, HBO Max adds an A24 film and an HBO comedy special, and Apple TV+ releases a mountaineering drama that has already played in theaters. The window runs through October 22, when an HBO Original documentary series and the third season of a Netflix comedy land.
This guide covers US arrivals from October 16 through October 22, 2026. The Rotten Tomatoes figures below are a live snapshot read on October 15, 2026. "Not yet scored" means the title page showed no percentage at that moment, which is the ordinary state for a film that has not opened or a season that has not aired yet.
The week at a glance
| Title | Service and date | Format and time commitment | Rotten Tomatoes | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacrifice | Netflix, Oct. 16 | Feature film; 1h 40m; R | 38% critics (37 reviews); no audience rating yet 1 | Skip It |
| The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable | Netflix, Oct. 16 | Feature documentary; 1h 47m; R | 91% critics (11 reviews); fewer than 50 audience ratings 2 | Watch It |
| Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald | Netflix, Oct. 16 | Feature documentary; 2h 6m; R | No score yet; 0 critic reviews 3 | Watch It for Norm Macdonald fans |
| Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 | Netflix, Oct. 20 | Season 2; 10 episodes; TV-MA | Season 1: 100% critics (16 reviews); series audience 95%; season 2 not yet scored 4 | Watch It |
| Nobody Wants This Season 3 | Netflix, Oct. 22 | Season 3; 10 episodes; TV-MA | Series: 87% critics (112 reviews); 71% audience; season 3 not yet scored 5 | Watch It for rom-com viewers |
| The Death of Robin Hood | HBO Max, Oct. 16 | Feature film; 2h 3m; R | 69% critics (189 reviews); 56% audience (500+ verified) 6 | Watch It for the two leads |
| Kate Berlant: Parmesan | HBO Max, Oct. 16 | Stand-up special; runtime not announced | No score yet; 0 critic reviews 7 | Watch It for Berlant's comedy |
| The Flores Massacre | HBO Max, Oct. 22 | HBO Original documentary series; 3 episodes, all at once; Spanish | No Rotten Tomatoes page | Watch It for true-crime viewers |
| Tenzing | Apple TV+, Oct. 16 | Apple Original Film; 2h 5m; PG | 97% critics (37 reviews); fewer than 50 audience ratings 8 | Watch It |
| Where's Wanda? Season 2 | Apple TV+, Oct. 21 | Season 2; 8 episodes, weekly; TV-14 | Season 1: 100% critics (7 reviews); series audience 69%; season 2 not yet scored 9 | Watch It |
| Companion | Hulu, Oct. 18 | Feature film; 1h 37m; R | 93% critics (265 reviews); 88% audience (1,000+ verified) 10 | Watch It |
| Phony | Hulu, Oct. 20 | Hulu Original; 8 episodes, two at launch | No score yet; 0 critic reviews 11 | Watch It for mystery viewers |
Netflix: a Greek island gala, a Wu-Tang album and two returning series
Sacrifice — October 16
A cult led by Joan (Anya Taylor-Joy) takes over a charity gala on a Greek island and seizes three hostages for a ritual in this darkly comic thriller. Joan believes an extinction-level event arrives in three days unless the group makes three sacrifices to a nearby volcano. Chris Evans plays Mike Tyler, a movie star looking for a comeback; Vincent Cassel plays the billionaire hosting the gala and Salma Hayek Pinault plays his wife. John Malkovich, Charli XCX, Yung Lean, Ambika Mod and Sam Richardson are also in the cast. Romain Gavras directed and wrote the screenplay with Will Arbery, and the film shot in Greece, Bulgaria and Iceland. 12
The film runs 1 hour 40 minutes and is rated R. Netflix streams it on October 16 in the United States and France. 1213 Rotten Tomatoes records a 38% Tomatometer from 37 reviews and no audience ratings yet. 1
Chris Evans plays the movie star Mike Tyler in Sacrifice, which reaches Netflix on October 16. Image: Netflix.
Verdict: Skip It. Evans and Taylor-Joy carry the film, and 37 reviews have settled at 38%. The reviews name the same problem from different angles. Variety's Peter Debruge finds "some surprising laughs and thrills along the way" and then writes that "of all Gavras' cine-revolutions, this one is both most familiar and the farthest removed from our reality." Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com writes that the film "meanders its way to a disappointing ending." 1
The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable — October 16
Tarik Azzougarh, a Dutch-Moroccan fan performing as Cilvaringz, talked his way into Wu-Tang Clan's inner circle. He became the driving force behind Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, an album recorded in secret over six years and sealed in an ornate silver case. It sold at auction in 2015 for a reported $2 million, under terms barring any commercial release until 2103. Joanna Natasegara, who produced the Oscar-winning short The White Helmets, directed the documentary and makes her feature directing debut. It runs 1 hour 47 minutes and is rated R. 1415
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2026 and opened in a limited number of theaters on October 9. Netflix streams it on October 16. 214 Rotten Tomatoes records a 91% Tomatometer from 11 reviews and fewer than 50 audience ratings. 2
Verdict: Watch It. Eleven reviews is a small base for a 91%, and those reviews disagree about how even-handed the film is. The Observer's Wendy Ide calls the film "more than worth your time" even for viewers who have never heard a Wu-Tang track, while the Age's Jared Richards writes that the film is "let down by The Disciple's uncritical approach to Cilvaringz's version of events." 2 The subject holds up the film: a single copy of an album that exists as an argument about what music is worth.
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald — October 16
Judd Apatow directed this documentary on the comedian Norm Macdonald, built from archival footage, personal photos and home videos contributed by fans and friends. The film follows Macdonald from his years as the deadpan anchor of "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live to the comedy career that followed. It runs 2 hours 6 minutes and is rated R. 3
Netflix releases the documentary on October 16. 16 Rotten Tomatoes shows no Tomatometer and records zero critic reviews. 3
Verdict: Watch It for Norm Macdonald fans. No critic has published a review yet, so the case rests on the subject and the filmmaker. Apatow spent years on this one, and the material comes from the people who knew Macdonald rather than from a studio archive.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 — October 20
The anime returns to Night City with a new crew of mercenaries, an all-new voice cast and a reworked animation style. The second season tells a standalone story across 10 episodes, built around redemption and revenge in a city that runs on violence. The series is rated TV-MA. 17
Netflix releases the season on October 20. 17 Rotten Tomatoes gives season 1 a 100% Tomatometer from 16 reviews and puts the series audience average at 95% from more than 2,500 ratings; season 2 carries no score of its own yet. 4
Verdict: Watch It. The first season carries the strongest pair of scores any title in this guide can point to, and both rest on a real sample. Ten episodes is one weekend, and the new crew means the season stands on its own.
Nobody Wants This Season 3 — October 22
In this romantic comedy, Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) move in together, and the season follows the firsts of building a life in one house. Sasha (Timothy Simons) and Esther (Jackie Tohn) re-enter dating after their separation, and Morgan (Justine Lupe) gets pulled into it while her podcast takes off. Erin Foster created the series; Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan run it with her. The season runs 10 episodes and the series is rated TV-MA. 18
The full season arrives on Netflix on October 22. 18 Rotten Tomatoes puts the series at 87% from 112 reviews and 71% from more than 1,000 audience ratings. Season 1 scored 95% and season 2 scored 80%; season 3 has no score yet. 5
Verdict: Watch It for rom-com viewers. A 112-review average of 87% across two seasons is the steadiest signal on the Netflix slate this week, and the show's drift from 95% to 80% is worth knowing before the third season starts.
HBO Max: a violent Robin Hood, a comedy special and a Buenos Aires cold case
The Death of Robin Hood — October 16
Michael Sarnoski wrote and directed this medieval action drama. Hugh Jackman plays an ageing Robin Hood, gravely wounded after a battle he expected to be his last, and Jodie Comer plays the woman who takes him in and offers him a chance at salvation. Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett and Noah Jupe round out the cast. The film runs 2 hours 3 minutes and is rated R. 1920
A24 opened the film in wide release on June 19, 2026, and it has been available to rent digitally since late July. Warner Bros. Discovery lists the HBO Max premiere for October 16, which makes HBO Max the film's subscription home after its theatrical and digital runs. 1920
Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood in A24's The Death of Robin Hood, which reaches HBO Max on October 16. Image: A24.
Rotten Tomatoes records a 69% Tomatometer from 189 reviews and a 56% Popcornmeter from more than 500 verified ratings. The critics' consensus describes a "grim take on the merry legend" that "could use more levity in its quiver" while it "nails the target" on the humanity behind a folk hero. The audience summary credits Jackman and keeps the same warning about a "punishing pace." 6
Verdict: Watch It for the two leads. Critics and audiences disagree by 13 points here, and both sides point at the same two performances as the reason to sit through the violence. The Telegraph's Tim Robey calls the film "gruelling on multiple levels"; the Observer's Wendy Ide calls Comer "remarkable" and "reason enough to watch it." 6
Kate Berlant: Parmesan — October 16
Kate Berlant performs her first HBO comedy special, filmed at the Plaza Nightclub in Los Angeles. The material moves between personal stories and stream-of-consciousness digressions on the moon, her relationship with technology and the way sexuality is talked about now. Doron Max Hagay directed, and Berlant wrote and executive produced the special with Dave Kneebone, Janel Kranking and Naomi McPherson. 20
The special premieres on HBO and HBO Max on October 16. 20 Rotten Tomatoes has a page for it with no Tomatometer and zero critic reviews. 7
Verdict: Watch It for Berlant's comedy. Stand-up specials rarely collect reviews before they drop, and Berlant's stage work has built her following outside the format. One hour is the smallest commitment on this week's list.
The Flores Massacre — October 22
On February 17, 1994, a deliberately set fire destroyed the Bagnato family's house in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Matías Bagnato's parents, his two brothers and a family friend died; he was 16 and the only survivor. Fructuoso Álvarez González was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison in 1995, and he died in prison in April 2023. The series reconstructs the case through Bagnato's own account. It follows the decades of trials, threats and victim-rights claims that came after the fire, including Argentina's 2017 law expanding victims' standing in court. 2122
The documentary runs three episodes of 45 minutes, produced by 100 Bares, the company founded by Juan José Campanella. Campanella is an executive producer and appears alongside Bagnato in the series. Warner Bros. Discovery releases all three episodes on HBO Max on October 22. 2021 Rotten Tomatoes has no page for the series, so there is no critics' figure to quote.
Verdict: Watch It for true-crime viewers. The series is in Spanish with an Argentine cast of interviewees, and it carries a story most US viewers have never heard. Three 45-minute episodes make it one evening.
Apple TV+: a film, and a German comedy back for a second season
Tenzing — October 16
Jennifer Peedom directed this account of Tenzing Norgay, who reached the summit of Everest with Edmund Hillary in 1953. Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing and Tom Hiddleston plays Hillary; Willem Dafoe plays Colonel John Hunt and Caitríona Balfe plays the expedition secretary Jill Henderson. Luke Davies wrote the screenplay from the story he developed with Peedom, and See-Saw Films produced it. The film runs 2 hours 5 minutes and is rated PG. 23
Apple opened the film in a limited number of theaters on October 9 and streams it on Apple TV+ on October 16. 23 Rotten Tomatoes records a 97% Tomatometer from 37 reviews and fewer than 50 audience ratings. 8
Genden Phuntsok as Tenzing Norgay and Tom Hiddleston as Edmund Hillary in Tenzing, an Apple Original Film that reaches Apple TV+ on October 16. Image: Apple TV+.
Verdict: Watch It. This is the highest score in the guide, on 37 reviews. Variety's Owen Gleiberman credits Peedom with staging the climb "with a you-are-there authenticity that's breathtaking but never showy," and the Observer's Wendy Ide calls the film "a solid crowdpleaser." 8 Two hours five minutes, and the audience reviews are almost all from people who saw it in a theater.
Where's Wanda? Season 2 — October 21
The Klatts (Heike Makatsch and Axel Stein) thought their life had returned to normal when their daughter Wanda (Lea Drinda) is caught standing over a dead body. Proving her innocence takes the couple into the criminal underworld of their small German town. Leo Simon and Nikeata Thompson join the cast; Oliver Lansley created and wrote the series, and UFA Fiction produced it. 24
The season runs 8 episodes. Apple TV+ releases one episode on October 21 and a new episode each Wednesday through December 9. The series is rated TV-14. 24 Rotten Tomatoes gives season 1 a 100% Tomatometer from 7 reviews and puts the series audience average at 69% from fewer than 50 ratings; season 2 carries no score yet. 9
Verdict: Watch It. Seven reviews behind a perfect first season is a thin sample, and the audience figure is 31 points lower. The premise is the safer reason to start: a suburban couple investigating a murder, in German, at 45 minutes a week through December.
Hulu: a robot romance and a son who suspects his mother
Companion — October 18
Drew Hancock wrote and directed this science-fiction horror comedy, which stars Sophie Thatcher as Iris and Jack Quaid as Josh. New Line Cinema produced it with the team behind Barbarian. The film runs 1 hour 37 minutes and is rated R. 10
Warner Bros. opened the film in wide release on January 31, 2025, and it has been streaming on HBO Max since February 2025. Hulu adds it on October 18, after its theatrical run and an earlier streaming window on HBO Max. 1025 Rotten Tomatoes records a 93% Tomatometer from 265 reviews and an 88% Popcornmeter from more than 1,000 verified ratings. 10
Verdict: Watch It. Both scores rest on large samples and they agree, and the audience figure comes from more than 1,000 verified ratings. The critics' consensus calls it "a fiendishly clever contraption that doesn't rest on the laurels of its twists," and the audience summary credits Thatcher and Quaid with carrying the gore. 10 One hour 37 minutes.
Phony — October 20
In this mystery series, Sonny (Sam Nivola) wakes from a car crash and becomes convinced that the woman at his bedside is not his mother. Ellen (Connie Britton) is his only parent, his closest friend and the principal of his school, and nobody else in town sees what he sees. Nick Paley created the series, wrote the first two episodes and directed half the season; Anthony King co-runs it, and Drew Goddard executive produces. 20th Television produced it. 26
The season runs 8 episodes, and Hulu releases two on October 20 followed by a new episode each week through the finale on December 1. 2526 Rotten Tomatoes shows no Tomatometer and records zero critic reviews. 11
Verdict: Watch It for mystery viewers. No critic has reviewed the show yet, so the case is the premise and the cast. Britton playing a mother who may or may not be herself is the reason this one is worth a first episode.
Also new this week
- The Amateur (HBO Max, Oct. 17) — Rami Malek plays a CIA decoder who goes after the people who killed his wife in a London attack. Laurence Fishburne and Rachel Brosnahan are also in the cast. It runs 2 hours 3 minutes and is rated PG-13. 27 Rotten Tomatoes records 61% critics (198 reviews) and 87% audience (2,500+ verified), and the film arrives on HBO Max after earlier digital windows. 20 Watch It for thriller viewers.
- The Room Next Door (Hulu, Oct. 19) — Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language feature, with Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as two old friends who meet again after years apart. 1 hour 46 minutes, PG-13. 28 Rotten Tomatoes records 80% critics (203 reviews) and 75% audience (100+ verified). Watch It for drama viewers.
- Night Patrol (Hulu, Oct. 17) — Ryan Prows's Los Angeles horror film, in which an LAPD officer discovers that a police task force is hiding something that endangers the housing project he grew up in. 1 hour 44 minutes, R. 29 Rotten Tomatoes records 56% critics (54 reviews) and 36% audience (50+ verified). Skip It.
- Wolf Man (Hulu, Oct. 18) — Leigh Whannell's werewolf film, with Christopher Abbott as a father who turns on his family after an attack and Julia Garner as his wife. 1 hour 43 minutes, R. 30 Rotten Tomatoes records 47% critics (285 reviews) and 54% audience (1,000+ verified). Skip It.
- Heather McMahan: By a Thread (Hulu, Oct. 16) — a new stand-up special from the comedian. Unscored. Watch It for comedy-special viewers. 25
- The New Stanford Prison Experiment (Netflix, Oct. 21) — a modern version of the 1971 study, in which 30 people enter a real prison for two weeks. Unscored. Watch It for documentary viewers. 16
- Extraordinary Attorney Minami (Netflix, Oct. 18) — a Japanese remake of the 2022 Korean series about a brilliant rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum. Unscored. Watch It for courtroom-drama viewers. 16
- Money Trap: The Karun Treasure (Netflix, Oct. 16) — an action comedy series from Turkey. Unscored. Watch It for subtitled-comedy viewers. 16
- Six Kings Slam Season 2 (Netflix, Oct. 21) — the exhibition tennis event returns live. Watch It for tennis viewers. 16
What else the week brings
The services also fill out their libraries on these days. A library addition is an older title arriving on a service, and the distinction matters when a reader is looking for something new.
- Netflix adds Heat and The Fate of the Furious on October 16, both Blindspotting seasons on October 20, and Gladiator, Gladiator II, Emily and The Ides of March on October 21, plus Bottle Shock on October 22. 16
- Hulu adds the first season of Super Scam Me on October 18. 25
- HBO Max adds Anyone But You on October 20. 20
- Apple TV+ has no other original arriving inside the window; its next titles land later in October and November. 31
Bottom line
- For the week's biggest swing: Sacrifice on Netflix — Chris Evans and Anya Taylor-Joy, October 16, at 38% from 37 reviews.
- For the best-reviewed film: Tenzing on Apple TV+ — 97% from 37 reviews, October 16.
- For high scores on large samples: Companion on Hulu — 93% from 265 reviews and 88% from more than 1,000 ratings, October 18.
- For a returning series: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 on Netflix — October 20, after a first season that scored 100%.
- For ten episodes in one sitting: Nobody Wants This Season 3 on Netflix — October 22.
- For a documentary: The Disciple: A Wu-Tang Fable on Netflix — 91%, October 16, 1 hour 47 minutes.
- For a true-crime series: The Flores Massacre on HBO Max — three episodes, October 22.
- To avoid: Wolf Man at 47% and Night Patrol at 56%, both arriving on Hulu within two days of each other.
The Rotten Tomatoes metrics above reflect live scores recorded on October 15, 2026 and may move as further reviews and ratings arrive. Availability dates come from the platforms' own schedules and press announcements.
References
- 1Rotten Tomatoes — Sacrifice (2025)
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- 2Rotten Tomatoes — The Disciple (2026)
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- 3Rotten Tomatoes — Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald
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- 4Rotten Tomatoes — Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
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- 5Rotten Tomatoes — Nobody Wants This
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- 6Rotten Tomatoes — The Death of Robin Hood
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- 7Rotten Tomatoes — Kate Berlant: Parmesan
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- 8Rotten Tomatoes — Tenzing
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- 9Rotten Tomatoes — Where's Wanda?
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- 10Rotten Tomatoes — Companion (2025)
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- 11Rotten Tomatoes — Phony
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- 13Netflix — Sacrifice title page
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- 15Netflix — The Disciple title page
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- 16What's on Netflix — What's coming to Netflix in October 2026
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- 17Netflix Tudum — Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2
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- 18Netflix Tudum — Nobody Wants This season 3
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- 19A24 — The Death of Robin Hood
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- 20
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- 23Apple TV Press — Tenzing
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- 24
- 25Hulu Press — October 2026 schedule
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- 26Disney+ — All about Hulu's new mystery show, Phony
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- 27Rotten Tomatoes — The Amateur (2025)
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- 28Rotten Tomatoes — The Room Next Door
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- 29Rotten Tomatoes — Night Patrol (2025)
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- 30Rotten Tomatoes — Wolf Man (2025)
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- 31
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