TV or Not TV

TV or Not TV

TV highlights

What’s on TV, Oct. 11-17: ‘The Diplomat,’ ‘Treasure Island,’ MLB playoffs, WNBA Finals and more

New and noteworthy series, movies, sports events and specials on broadcast, cable and streaming this coming week

Matt Cooper's avatar
Matt Cooper
Oct 09, 2026
∙ Paid
Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell in “The Diplomat” (Netflix)

Sunday — Oct. 11

The NFL International Series continues with the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Jacksonville Jaguars; from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. (9:30 a.m. ET and 6:30 a.m. PT on NFL Network)

The National League Championship Series gets underway with the Milwaukee Brewers versus reigning World Series champs the Los Angeles Dodgers. (8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT on Fox and FS1; see MLB website for complete schedule)

Trash will be talked, drinks thrown, etc., when the reality TV franchise entry “The Real Housewives of Potomac” returns for an eleventh season. (8 p.m. Bravo)

A woman who faked her own death to escape an abusive relationship must come out of hiding when her ex sets his sights on her younger sister in the new TV movie “Her Only Way Out.” With Katy Wilson. (8 p.m. Lifetime)

A purported paranormal encounter provides the impetus for reopening a decades-old cold case in Louisiana in the three-part true crime docuseries “The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story.” (9 p.m. HBO)

Arrrrrr, matey! “Selma’s” David Oyelowo portrays pirate captain Long John Silver in a new six-part adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure tale “Treasure Island.” Hayley Atwell (“Marvel’s Agent Carter”) also stars. (10 p.m. MGM+)

TV or Not TV is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.


Monday — Oct. 12

Send in the clowns… The new documentary “Clown Panic” details how social media helped fuel a rash of sightings of sinister-looking clowns skulking about in unlikely locations in the U.S. and abroad in the summer of 2016. (Anytime, Hulu and Disney+)

The 2025 documentary “Free Leonard Peltier” reopens the case of the Native American activist convicted in the murders of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. (Anytime, Netflix)

Unusual suspects: Foul play ensues when Surrealist artists including Salvador Dalí and René Magritte attend a get-together at a lavish country estate in 1930s England in the limited series “This Is Not a Murder Mystery.” (Anytime, Acorn TV)

The Tampa Bay Rays face the Chicago White Sox or the Cleveland Guardians as the American League Championship Series also gets underway. (8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT on TBS, truTV and HBO Max; see MLB website for complete schedule)

If the yacht’s a-rockin’ don’t come a-knockin’ when the reality series “Below Deck” sails back in for a 13th season. (8 p.m. Bravo)

It’s a game of finders-keepers where the losers face possible prison time in new episodes of “Contraband: Seized at the Border.” (8 p.m. Discovery Channel)

Not one to toot his own horn: A Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader is celebrated in “Paquito D’Rivera — From Carne y Frijol to Carnegie Hall” on a new “Voces on PBS.” (10 p.m. PBS)

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to TV or Not TV to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2026 mattcooperlistings@gmail.com · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture