The streaming landscape can seem… overwhelming, to say the least. I know that when I settle in for the night and want to queue up for something new and exciting, I often get a little freaked out by all the options and go to rewatch something comforting and familiar (right now it’s “Gilmore Girls,” and you’re not authorized to judge me). Still, we all need to branch out a little, and if you’re looking for something new Or something you’ve never seen before, there’s a lot of good stuff happening on HBO Max right now.
Whether you need something weird to watch for the Halloween season — as an honorable mention, “Bring Her Back” premiered on the streamer earlier in October and got a solid review from /Film’s Chris Evangelista, although it’s less “weird” and more “abjectly terrifying” — or you’re a fan of incredibly specific cringe comedy, I’ve got you covered. Here’s what you should see on HBO Max between October 13 and 19.
The chair company
Personally, I love Tim Robinson. I love his particularly bizarre delivery of lines, a skill honed by artists like him and greats like Catherine O’Hara (who can forget how she pronounces the word “baby” on “Schitt’s Creek?”). I like that all he has to do is squint, and it’s sort of funny. I love that he’s devoted his career to playing slightly off-putting weirdos who can’t, under any circumstances, admit they’re wrong. It should come as no surprise, with all of this in mind, that I’m vouching for “The Chair Company,” a new series from Robinson and frequent collaborator Zach Kanin, premiering Oct. 12 on HBO. (Chris Evangelista Also reviewed this series for /Film and was quite pleased with what he saw.)
Without spoiling the “twists” and “detours” of “The Chair Company,” something embarrassing happens to a normal middle manager named Ron Kasper (Robinson) at work that sends him into an uncontrollable tailspin…a situation that often happens to Robinson’s characters. Aided by Lake Bell (as Ron’s wife), “It” veteran Sophia Lillis and supporting turns from legendary comedian Jim Downey, acting veteran Lou Diamond Phillips and newcomer Joseph Tudisco, Robinson is surrounded by greats, and even if you worry that his schtick might wear thin in a half-hour comedy, don’t don’t worry at all and take a look at “The Chair Company”.
An intimate evening with Adam Pally
Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to attend a performance of what may or may not have been an early draft of “An Intimate Evening with Adam Pally” when he performed it at the Pebble Bar at 30 Rockefeller Center in the summer of 2023, and I am quite delighted that Pally and her weird and hilarious little special have arrived on HBO Max. Premiering Oct. 17, the special, which features Pally alone with a guitar, features the “Happy Endings” actor telling jokes and singing little songs. As he said in an HBO press release, “The special was born out of a deep desire to do something, anything, anything, and I couldn’t be more proud of it and grateful to HBO for giving me an incredible platform to make people laugh, play some music, and tell a few bubbameisters about it.”
You can certainly expect laughter, music, and even bubbameisters, and whether you’re familiar with Pally’s work or just learning about him for the first time, there’s something to love here for everyone. (Except maybe the children; it’s a little risky for children.)
Friendship
Sorry, I’m not sorry for doubling down on Tim Robinson’s content, but considering his other huge project — “I Think You Should Leave” — has its own home on another streamer, I highly recommend pairing “The Chair Company” with Robinson’s weird and wonderful 2024 film “Friendship.” Written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, who also serves as executive producer of “The Chair Company,” “Friendship” stars Robinson as Craig Waterman, an extremely strange guy who utters lines like “I heard there’s a new Marvel movie that’s supposed to be out.” nut” and barely flinches when his son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer) passionately kisses his mother and Ron’s wife, Tami (Kate Mara), directly on the lips. Everything changes for Craig when he meets his new neighbor, local meteorologist and avid fossil collector and adventurer Austin Carmichael (a perfectly cast Paul Rudd), and makes… a friend.
Craig, who is extremely weird, derails this friendship almost immediatelybut the efforts he makes even to try and winning Austin back are both crazy and strangely admirable. Once again, you to have to like Robinson for this movie, then try “The Chair Company”, then queue him up as a hunter. (Plus, it’s one of the best comedies of 2025, according to /Film.)
Stain
On October 19, the finale of HBO’s hit miniseries “Task” will air — so if you’ve been following this dark and twisted story, you’ll definitely want to tune in to see its conclusion. The producers of “Mare of Easttown,” including creator Brad Ingelsby, returned to HBO after that highly rated series for “Task” — and are heading back to the Philadelphia area, so prepare for plenty of thick Delaware County accents — to tell the story of FBI agent Tom Brandis (star Mark Ruffalo), who leads a task force to try to find the culprit behind a series of burglaries, all of which turned violent. The man behind these burglaries, Robbie Prendergrast (an excellent Tom Pelphrey), eludes Tom at almost every turn, leaving the agent frustrated and lost.
The cat-and-mouse game between Tom and Robbie is sure to culminate in some sort of gruesome but satisfying ending, so if you’ve been following “Task,” watch the finale. Otherwise, the entire miniseries will be available to binge after the final broadcast.
The bottom
After a somewhat miraculous Oscar run in 2024, writer-director Coralie Fargeat’s Mubi original “The Substance” is finally available on HBO Max starting October 10, and this film is perfect for both the Halloween season And a world where we value women solely based on their youth and appearance. As fitness and TV star Elisabeth Sparkle (a stunning Oscar-nominated Demi Moore) begins to fade, she decides to take the titular substance, which effectively splits her consciousness and allows her to inhabit the younger, “more beautiful” body of Sue (a hypnotic Margaret Qualley) for a week at a time. THE only rule One of the main reasons for this substance is that you have to return to your original body every seven days, then connect the younger body to an IV and keep it there. Naturally, Elizabeth – seduced and fascinated by Sue’s seemingly light and perfect life – disregards this vitally important rule.
Moore and Qualley are absolutely magnetic as two halves of the being who will eventually be known as Elisasue, and if you don’t know the absolutely crazy ending to “The Substance,” I’ll let you discover it for yourself. You definitely have to be okay with body horror, but really, “The Substance” is worth every awkward moment.
All of these are now streaming on HBO Max.
