November is not lacking for great shows to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and many of the other best streaming services. But, there are only so many hours in the month, and only so much money in your bank account. In fact, here’s why you might want to cancel Max in November, and maybe save your money for some Black Friday deals instead.
With your time and your budget in mind, we’ve picked what we think are 11 of the best shows launching on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus, Prime Video, and other streaming services in November. Highlights include the sixth season of The Crown (and the untimely end of Diana) to a Taylor Sheridan western to a game show based on Squid Game. We’ve thrown in a couple of animated series as well for a real melange.
So, as you get rid of those rotting pumpkins on your doorstep and get ready for Thanksgiving, here are the 11 best shows to stream in November.
All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix) Nov. 2
Based on the international best-selling novel by Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See is a sweeping drama set during World War II. It centers on two characters: Marie-Laure (Aria Mia Loberti) and Werner (Louis Hofmann). Marie-Laure is a blind French girl who takes shelter at her uncle’s house in Saint-Malo after Paris is invaded by German forces, and Werner is a highly intelligent German boy with a talent for repairing radios who is conscripted into the armed forces to help track down resistance members. In ordinary circumstances, these two people would never meet, but the brutal conflict sees their paths collide in ways that are surprising and devastating but also hopeful. Set across four episodes, All the Light We Cannot See will be essential viewing for readers of Doerr’s acclaimed novel. – RM
Invincible season 2 (Prime Video) Nov. 3
We’ll finally get to see what’s become of the super-powered father-son duo since that bombshell of Invincible’s season 1 finale. Prime Video’s adult animated series is the coming-of-age tale of Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun), the son of the most powerful superhero the world has ever known, Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons). When he turns 17, Mark develops powers of his own and must learn to control them while balancing his normal life and living in the shadow of his father. As Mark forges a path to be his own hero, he uncovers that his father may not be the shining white knight he appears to be. Since things take a seriously sinister turn at the eleventh hour in the last season, we’re excited (and more than a little terrified) to learn what’s in store next. – AS
Premieres Nov. 3 on Prime Video
Quiz Lady (Hulu)
Who hasn’t dreamed of winning big on a game show and using the prize money to fix their life? Anne (Awkwafina) is a trivia savant who knows the answers to all the questions asked on Can’t Stop the Quiz. When her dog is kidnapped as ransom for her mother’s gambling debts, Anne teams up with sister Jenny (Sandra Oh) to road-trip across the country to go on the show and get the cash they need. The journey is an emotional rollercoaster ride, as Anne is a tightly-wound stress ball and Jenny is a chaotic hot mess. But their mismatched personalities might just be a winning combination. – KW
Premieres Nov. 3 on Hulu
Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount Plus) Nov. 5
Executive produced by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and created by Chad Feehan, Lawmen: Bass Reeves explores the history behind monumental figure and the first Black U.S. Marshal in American history. Known for his bravery and commitment to justice, Reeves stood tall as a beacon of heroism in the post-Reconstruction era, capturing over 3,000 notorious criminals without sustaining a single wound. This series will look into Reeves’ history as a peace officer in the Indian Territory and bring it to the small screen to shine a light on one of history’s biggest unsung heroes. – BV
Premieres Nov. 5 on Paramount Plus
The Buccaneers (Apple TV Plus)
This period romance might feel like Apple’s attempt to clone Netflix’s Bridgerton, but it already has an underrated older sibling on the service: Dickinson. The Buccaneers takes on the unfinished Edith Wharton novel of the same title and gives it a cheeky, sometimes anachronistic spin like the poet dramedy did. The diversity in the casting definitely gives shades of Bridgerton, though. The story follows young American heiresses who head to London to find aristocratic husbands. The “dollar princesses” make quite the splash, even if some snobs look down at them as nouveau riche. Nan St. George (Kristine Froseth) manages to catch the attention of a duke (Guy Remmers), but she develops feelings for the title-less Guy (Matthew Broome). – KW
Premieres Nov. 8 on Apple TV Plus
For All Mankind season 4 (Apple TV Plus)
One of the best shows on television returns after another major time jump into the future. For All Mankind has raced through space and time over the course of three seasons, depicting an alternate version of history that diverged when the Russians beat the Americans to the moon. Now it’s 2003, the Happy Valley settlement on Mars has expanded and is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged, self-sustaining colony. The U.S. space program shifts focus to capturing and mining asteroids that are made of extremely valuable, rare minerals that could change everything. But other countries want in on the action, creating a tense atmosphere on both planets. – KW
Premieres Nov. 10 on Apple TV Plus
The Crown season 6 (Netflix)
You know a series is one of Netflix’s biggest hits when they split its seasons. The streamer did it with Stranger Things, The Witcher, You and now The Crown. The first part of season 6 will chronicle the final days of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki). Divorced from Prince Charles (Dominic West), she embarks on a romance with Dodi Fayed (played by Khalid Abdalla). Though she’s no longer technically a royal, Diana is hounded by paparazzi at every turn. The constant, unending attention gives her anxiety, which is perceived by her sons, teen Prince William (Rufus Kampa) and Prince Harry (Fflyn Edwards). When it all comes to a tragic end in a Paris tunnel, Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) faces a challenge that threatens the future of the monarchy. – KW
Premieres Nov. 16 on Netflix
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix) Nov. 17
For years, I didn’t realize Scott Pilgrim vs. the World had been a box office flop. It was a tour de force as far as my bubble of nerdy friends was concerned, and I must have seen it at least three or four times in theaters. But in the decade since, Edgar Wright’s live-action adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim comic series has developed one hell of a cult following, culminating in a glorious anime reimagining that lands on Netflix this month. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off has all the makings of a revival done right: Wright and O’Malley are once again at the helm, the entire original voice cast will reprise their iconic roles, and it’s all accompanied by music from Anamanaguchi, the band behind the Scott Pilgrim video game’s retro arcade sound. I’m beyond stoked. – AS
Premiers Nov. 17 on Netflix
Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix) Nov. 22
Squid Game season 2 is likely still years away, so Netflix is offering up Squid Game: The Challenge in the meantime. This gameshow spin on the juggernaut South Korean drama sees contestants compete in re-creations of the deadly schoolground games from the original series. Don’t worry, eliminated participants won’t be executed here, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be high stakes. 456 players will be competing to win $4.56 million, which is the largest single cash prize in the history of reality TV. While this lighthearted gameshow probably isn’t going to satisfy those desperate for the next full installment of the Squid Game universe, it does look pretty darn fun. Just be sure to note that episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge will be released weekly rather than the entire season dropping all at once. – RM
Premiers Nov. 22 on Netflix
Faraway Downs (Hulu) Nov. 26 – KW
Baz Luhrmann takes another shot at creating a TV show after the underrated 2016 musical drama The Get Down was canceled far too soon by Netflix. But he doesn’t start from scratch with this one — Faraway Downs is a retread of his 2008 film Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, which flopped at the box office. Luhrmann revisited his footage and emerged with a six-chapter miniseries. The sweeping romance follows English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) as she journeys to the Australian Outback to force her wayward husband into selling his struggling million-acre cattle ranch. But when he’s killed, she enlists the help of a rough-hewn cattle drover (Jackman) to protect the ranch. The story is told from the perspective of a young indigenous child named Nullah (Brandon Walters), whom Sarah takes under her wing. – KW
Premieres Nov. 26 on Hulu
Virgin River (Netflix)
Virgin River season 5 also gets the split-season treatment, with these two special holiday episodes following the first part that dropped in September. They will follow up on the astonishing info Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) learned as she and fiancee Jack (Martin Henderson) were decorating for Christmas — her father might be a resident of Virgin River. Turns out that Mel’s mom had an affair with a man in the small town that she coincidentally moved to after leaving Los Angeles. Mel grapples with the implications of this revelation, while also considering whether to try to get pregnant again or explore surrogacy or adoption. – KW
Premieres Nov. 30 on Netflix
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