Series Snapshot ~ 11/5/2026

By: [email protected] on Thu, 11/05/2026 - 12:36

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

Netflix’s top show this week is a new docuseries, The One About Matthew Perry. Composed of three one-hour episodes, The One About Matthew Perry serves as an examination of the actor’s life, celebrity culture, and the burdens of stardom. While Matthew Perry was perhaps best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the massively successful sitcom Friends, the documentary focuses on his life outside of the series, and his co-stars are notably absent. Instead, viewers see interviews with Perry’s family, close friends and industry peers, with each episode focusing on a different phase of the late actor’s life and career. Part one explores Perry’s early years as a talented class clown, and the series continues to progress through chapters of his life, ultimately concluding with his tragic passing in 2023. The One About Matthew Perry also incorporates excerpts from Perry’s own memoirs, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, effectively making him the narrator of his own story. The series has been received excellently by critics and fans of Perry; while heartbreaking, most agree that it tastefully documents Perry’s life, struggles with fame and addiction, and exceptional talent. The One About Matthew Perry was created by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Mary Robertson.

Thanks to a highly successful string of true-crime episodes, ABC’s 20/20 continues to dominate Hulu’s weekly series charts. These new explosive, cinematic episodes have quickly locked into true-crime’s biggest demographics, and are able to trend quickly thanks to Hulu’s next day streaming availability. While typically morbid and gory, true-crime stories resonate with women, who tend to make up the majority of the genre’s fanbase, and 20/20 checks several boxes by being not only riveting and engaging, but also informative and educational. This week’s special, follows the hugely successful “Born to Kill” and “Suitcase Murders” episodes, this time tracking a family’s relentless investigation after their mother, Dee, mysteriously vanishes. Things take a dark and gruesome turn when her husband Dale’s internet search history is discovered, revealing queries for “chemical cremation” and “how to bury a 1000 lb propane tank”. Viewers and critics embraced the episode, highlighting excellent reporting from correspondent Linsey Davis, stunning bodycam footage recovery, interviews, and most importantly, meticulous care with victims and families, showing great sensitivity and restraint in discussing violent killers. ABC’s 20/20 is anchored by David Muir and Deborah Roberts.

For HBO, period drama series The Gilded Age takes the top spot after premiering the first episode of its highly anticipated fourth season on November 1st. Set in Manhattan during the late 1800s, The Gilded Age pits new money against old through a social war across fifth avenue. The old money old-guard of Caroline Astor and Agnes Van Rhijn (Donna Murphy, Christine Baranski) attempt to block the "nouveau riche” George and Bertha Russell (Morgan Spector, Carrie Coon) from climbing the rigid social ladder of New York’s Elite. The Gilded Age has received consistent praise for its stunning production design, opulent costuming and powerhouse cast, taking two Emmy awards and fifteen nominations. While earlier seasons have been called “slow burns”, season four’s premiere immediately launched into high-stakes drama, with quick pacing and major events condensed into its roughly one-hour runtime. Episodes will continue to be released each Sunday, leading up to the finale on December 20th. The Gilded Age also stars Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton, and Louisa Jacobson, and was created by Julian Fellowes.

At Amazon Prime Video, a new season of The Terminal List has pushed the series to the top of the streaming chart this week, ahead of Carrie and Neagley. The gritty military thriller follows Lieutenant Commander James Reece (Chris Pratt) as he pieces together a massive government conspiracy following the catastrophic elimination of his platoon. Based on the best selling novel from author Jack Carr, the Amazon adaptation received highly polarized reviews in its first season; critics were quick to pan the series as a bloated revenge fantasy with weak dialogue, but fans embraced it as an unpretentious, well-choreographed adventure. Season two, which is adapted from Carr’s second novel, True Believer, seems to be faring better, and expands the plot from localized corruption to an international theater with setpieces across the globe. Amazon released all eight episodes on October 21st, and while they haven’t officially confirmed a third season, the creative team has stated their intentions to continue adapting Carr’s novels. The Terminal List was created by David DiGilio and Jack Carr, and also stars Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch and Tom Hopper.

AppleTV subscribers made a major mood pivot- from feel good soccer series Ted Lasso to the new psychological crime thriller Nocturne, which premiered October 30th. Nocturne, based on the novels of Swedish husband-and-wife writing duo Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Ahndoril, begins with the reappearance of a young boy named Michael, who was presumed dead- showing up years after he and his sister were initially abducted. Detective Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber) must re-open the cold case to track down Michael’s missing sister, Felicia, before it’s too late. Evidence points to Lynn’s nemesis- serial killer Jurek Walter, (Stephen Graham) who remains behind bars, but somehow seems to be pulling the strings. While Nocturne’s premiere episode dabbled in a few genre tropes, critical reception overall was very positive, with room for the series to develop and improve with its weekly releases each Friday. Nocturne’s first season will conclude on Christmas Day, and is intended as a multi-season story spanning Ahndoril and Coelho’s novels. Nocturne also stars Zazie Beets, Bill Camp, Rory Culkin, and Poorna Jagannathan, and was created by Rowan Joffé.

Marvel’s VisionQuest takes a third week as the most watched series at Disney Plus, as its aggressive double-episode release schedule proves effective. The show’s growing popularity may also be thanks to the platform’s algorithmic recommendations, suggesting it to those who stream Marvel content, and viewers look forward to the finale episode scheduled for November 10th. VisionQuest concludes the “WandaVision Trilogy”, and while densely packed with exposition and requiring some prerequisite Marvel education to fully enjoy, receives high praise for its sharp dialogue and stunning visuals. Fans continue to commend the chemistry between Paul Bettany, who plays Vision, and James Spader, portraying an AI recreation of Ultron within Vision’s mind. VisionQuest rewards fans who enjoy the rich lore of the WandaVision series, but may deter those looking for a more casual, less focused watch. VisionQuest also stars James D’Arcy, Todd Stashwick, Ruaridh Mollica and T’Nia Miller, and was created for Television by Terry Matalas.