Series Snapshot ~ 10/8/2026

By: [email protected] on Thu, 10/08/2026 - 12:11

Welcome to the Series Snapshot, a weekly deep dive into the shows topping the streaming charts.

This week, Netflix’s top show is the new miniseries East of Eden. Adapted from author John Steinbeck’s classic novel. East of Eden is a sprawling epic set between the American Civil War and World War I, loosely inspired by the biblical story of Cain and Abel. However, the new adaptation reframes antagonist Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh) as a deeply misunderstood trauma survivor, instead of an irredeemable villain. East of Eden consists of seven roughly one hour episodes, tracking its characters’ lives across several historical eras. The series has received an outpouring of positive praise for reexamining the story with fresh perspective and psychological nuance, and many are calling it a career best performance from Pugh. Christopher Abbott plays Cathy’s idealistic husband, Adam Trask, and Mike Faist is magnetic as Cathy’s half-brother, Charles. East of Eden also stars Hoon Lee, Ciaran Hinds, Joseph Zada, and Joe Anders, and was created by Zoe Kazan.

American Horror Story: 13 takes a second week at the top of Hulu’s charts, as its fast paced release schedule gives audiences plenty of content to watch. The season will switch from releasing three episodes to two, each Thursday until the finale on October 29th. 13 is a “greatest hits” of the series, featuring appearances from favorite characters over the show’s long run, which most fans have appreciated. Franchise legends like Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and Evan Peters, return as they make appearances in the eerie New York residential building, The Apollyon. Joey Pollari makes his AHS debut as Ben DeSoto, a hospice caregiver unknowingly hired to assist Satan in human form, the elderly Mr. Nas (Fedor Steer). Paul Anthony Kelly also makes his series debut after recently starring in creator Ryan Murphy’s Love Story as John F. Kennedy Jr. There’s a divide in critical reception: publications and critics rate the series highly so far, but some of the more dedicated fans feel frustrated by the barrage of cameos that sometimes break the show’s own rules. American Horror Story was created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk.

Over at HBO, Lanterns concluded with its finale on Sunday, locking in a perfect run as the most watched series of the week since it premiered on August 16th. Lanterns took the Green Lantern IP in a new direction with its true-crime thriller aesthetic, portraying Hal Jordan and John Stewart as intergalactic beat cops in rural Nebraska. The show boasted consistently strong ratings throughout its first season, but its finale episode was highly divisive, leaving many fans disappointed with loose threads and unsolved mysteries. HBO has yet to officially announce more seasons, but with the writer’s room hard at work, renewal is likely. There may be some delay as Warner Bros. Discovery begins the process of merging with Paramount Skydance. In the meantime, fans of the series can look forward to Man of Tomorrow next July, which will see Aaron Pierre reprise his role as John Stewart along with Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner. Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler, Kelly MacDonald and Garrett Dillahunt, and was Developed by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King.

Amazon’s Neagley has performed excellently, taking the top watched title for now the third week in a row. The Reacher spin-off’s staying power is even more impressive given its binge-drop release, which made the entire first season immediately available to viewers. Ratings remain high, and both critics and audiences continue to praise the series for its pacing, impactful action sequences, and performances, particularly that of Maria Sten, who is a tour-de-force as Frances Neagley. Where Reacher’s hero is an invincible macho-man, Sten brings cunning, precision, and vulnerability to the character that raises the stakes of every encounter. As of October 1st, Amazon officially renewed Neagley for a second season, and while scripts are already complete, they have not yet announced a tentative premiere date or production schedule. Using Reacher as a rough guide, season two will likely be released in late 2027 or early 2028. Neagley also stars Greyston Holt, Jasper Jones, and Adeline Rudolph, and was developed by Nick Santora.

To no one’s surprise, the massively popular Ted Lasso is Apple TV’s top show this week, airing its season finale yesterday. Season four has been a huge success, after taking a new directional arc with Ted coaching the Lady Greyhounds. Fans were quick to embrace the new changes, and after mourning the loss of a favorite character in this season’s penultimate episode, have largely approved of the finale, calling it a fitting button for several character arcs. Due to several intriguing cliffhangers, a fifth season is highly anticipated, but Apple has not released any details as to whether they’ll be going forward. Some critics have pointed out a few other plots that didn’t get enough time to breathe, which may get their day in season five if and when that comes to fruition. Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Annette Badland, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift, and was created by Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly.

Disney Plus’ new supernatural teen drama Coven Academy is the streaming winner this week, after premiering October 1st. Coven Academy follows three adolescent witches, Briar, Sasha, and Tegan, as they attend an elite magical boarding school in New Orleans, Louisiana. The three must learn to control their powers and defend the city from dark forces, while juggling the ups-and-downs of high school drama. Also there’s vampires. The series has an unusual, fast paced release format; its first season consists of twenty-one short episodes ranging from ten to twenty minutes in length. Coven Academy has performed extremely well with critics, earning a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences also rate the show highly, though admit it doesn’t escape relying on tropes of the genre. There’s no word from Disney as to whether Coven Academy will continue for more, but things are looking optimistic. Coven Academy stars Malina Weissman, Jordan Leftwich, Ora Duplass, Tiffani Thiessen and Devon Sawa, and comes from creator Tim Federle.