Premieres Thursday, Nov. 4: Aida Rodriguez: Fighting Words — The Puerto Rican/Cuban/Dominican comic explores her roots in a special that's part stand-up performance and part travelogue. Personally, I'm not agreeing to watch until Dave Chappelle reassures me she's funny. (HBO Max)
Dead & Beautiful — Before they can reach their 30s, five upper-class Asians discover they've been turned into vampires. Kinda makes everything Constance Wu was worried about literally pale in comparison, huh? (Shudder)
Frayed — As Season 2 begins, Sammy and her family are returning to England from Australia to escape the consequences of last season's deadly shooting. And thus do they become the first people ever to leave Australia for breaking the law. (HBO Max)
Gen:Lock — The futuristic cartoon returns for a second season of pitched battles against the forces of autocracy and totalitarianism. You know it's science fiction because they're using drones and tanks instead of taking a dump on Nancy Pelosi's desk. (HBO Max)
Head of the Class — Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Scrubs) executive-produces a reboot of the '80s sitcom about honor students and their committed teacher. What's changed? Well, for one thing, the lead character has become a woman. (No, not in the way that would upset Dave Chappelle.) (HBO Max)
Rap Battlefield — Buenos Aires is the setting for a musical drama about a young guy and girl who try to become big-time freestylers while navigating the teen landscape of love and social media. Can they learn to spit the sickest rhymes, or will Instagram make them feel too fat? (HBO Max)
The Siwa Dance Pop Revolution — This reality series about the formation of the next chart-topping outfit is being described as JoJo Siwa's version of Making the Band. Given what that show did for Lou Pearlman, expect Season 2 to show Siwa dying in prison. (Peacock)
Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi: Holiday Edition — Korean New Year and Cuban Christmas are among the immigrant traditions portrayed in a four-episode miniseries. As her own contribution, Lakshmi offers up a fruitcake made from Salman Rushdie's head. (Hulu)
Premieres Friday, Nov. 5: Animaniacs — Season 2 includes spoofs of Thundercats and Gladiator, as well as introducing some characters that were left on the cutting-room floor last time. Will we finally get to meet Yakko and Wakko's emphysemic brother, Big Tobakko? (Hulu)
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain— Benedict Cumberbatch plays the real-life English artist whose drawings helped goose the popularity of cats. Which is probably better than helping cat the popularity of geese, but you'd have to ask Lewis Carroll about that kind of stuff. (Amazon Prime)
Love Hard — This romcom about an L.A. lady who thinks she's met Mr. Swipe Right could be classified as a funnier version of Catfish. Listen, if you thought the original wasn't funny enough, somebody needs to teach you about schadenfreude. (Netflix)
Narcos: Mexico — Revisit the thrilling days of the '80s in a prequel series that depicts the embryonic years of the Guadalajara cartel. How embryonic? When they wanted to talk to the CIA, they had to call Directory Assistance. (Netflix)
Tampa Baes — The lesbian culture of Tampa Bay is the focus of an eight-episode reality series that pulls participants from downtown, St. Pete and Brandon. And now, the best joke you will hear all week: LEZ GO, BRANDON! (Amazon Prime)
The Unlikely Murderer — Five episodes dramatize the strange case of Stig Engström, who evaded justice for murdering Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. His novel alibi: busy cooking for the Muppets. (Netflix)
Premieres Sunday, Nov. 7: Father Christmas Is Back — John Cleese plays Santa in a comedy about four sisters who are reunited with their estranged father (Kelsey Grammer). Hey, if I'm going to ask Santa Cleese for anything, it isn't going to be a renewal of my relationship with Kelsey Grammer. What was next on their list, a sit-down meth dinner with Roseanne? (Netflix)
Premieres Monday, Nov. 8: Your Life Is a Joke — Maybe I spoke too soon about schadenfreude, because we're ending our week by going to its very source: An honest-to-goodness German (comedian Oliver Polak) gets to know a bunch of celebrities just so he can ridicule them for their pathetic existence. Wow, a cross between Don Rickles and Werner Herzog? Looks like Santa is real after all! (Netflix)
