Thanksgiving is fast approaching, which probably means turkey and visits from your out-of-town relatives. If you need a break from family at any point, try escaping with a good binge-watch. This month’s new TV releases include a “Dune” spinoff, a Ted Danson romp and the final season of “Yellowstone.”
‘Like Water for Chocolate’
This miniseries from Salma Hayek is a new adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s 1989 novel “Like Water for Chocolate,” a period drama set during the Mexican Revolution and chronicling the impossible romance of Pedro and Tita. As her mother attempts to keep them apart, Tita pours all of her repressed feelings into her sumptuous cooking. “A nostalgia piece with a sense of humor, ‘Chocolate’ is refreshingly forthright even as it relishes magical realist excess,” said Lili Loofbourow at The Washington Post. (Nov. 3 on HBO)
‘Landman’
“Yellowstone” is ending this month (more on that below), but creator Taylor Sheridan has already cooked up something new for fans of his signature cowboy hat-clad “tough and gritty protagonists,” said BGR.com. “Landman” stars Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm and Demi Moore as players during the Texas oil boom. Based on the “Boomtown” podcast, the show’s official description calls it “an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.” (Nov. 16 on Paramount+)
‘Dune: Prophecy’
If you can’t get enough of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” universe (or dune-iverse), you are in luck: The box office-dominating film franchise is coming to the small screen in the form of a prequel. “Dune: Prophecy,” adapted by Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapke, provides an origin story for the Bene Gesserit, a mysterious sisterhood with superhuman powers; it is also partly based on the 2012 novel “Sisterhood of Dune,” written by Herbert’s son. “Dune: Prophecy” makes a “meal of the Sisters’ many strange visions, in some cases even eclipsing [Denis] Villeneuve’s interpretations of the Bene Gesserit’s internal powers,” said Mashable. Other reviewers have likened the result to a sci-fi “Game of Thrones” — and, hey, what’s wrong with that (Nov. 17 on HBO)
‘A Man on the Inside’
Buckle up for another unexpectedly moving comedy series courtesy of creator Mike Schur (“The Good Place”). “A Man on the Inside” stars Ted Danson as a retired widower who has lost his luster following his wife’s death. When he answers an ad from a private investigator seeking an assistant, he finds a new will to live; before he knows it, he is sneaking into a nursing home as an undercover mole, spicing up the lives of the lonely elderly. The story is based on “The Mole Agent,” a 2020 documentary about a real 83-year-old who went undercover in a Chilean nursing home. “I would say the purpose of this show is simply to discuss a subject that very few people discuss, which is aging,” said Schur to CBS News. (Nov. 21 on Netflix)
‘Yellowstone’ (Season 5 Part 2)
The conclusion of “Yellowstone” season five is the second Taylor Sheridan show on our November list — that son of a gun is prolific. The much-awaited final episodes of the series will not feature Kevin Costner, who was killed off following scheduling conflicts and apparent creative differences with Sheridan. But viewers are bound to tune in all the same, as the show about a Montana ranch owner and his family has broken ratings records for years. The season five premiere had 6.6 million viewers on broadcast TV. (Nov. 10 on Paramount Network)