ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-10-12 · by Velvet Winter, Ruth Barber, Georgia Hitch, and Hannah Story
Welcome to what to watch, where we take you through what's on the box in October.
asserted
what → welcome → October
This month brings a heartbreaking story of charity betrayal from the UK and an Australian horror-comedy about killer gnomes.
asserted
month → bring → gnomes
Plus, Mike Flanagan has a go at rebooting Carrie and Catherine Zeta Jones gets to pull out her Welsh accent for Kill Jackie.
asserted
Jones → have → Jackie
Here's what we're watching this month.
asserted
we → watch → what
Believe in Magic tells the story of Megan Bhari and her mother Jean O'Brien, founders of a UK charity supporting seriously ill children and their families.
asserted
Believe → believe → children
The organisation, built in 2012 around the story of Megan's own battle with a brain tumour, raised hundreds of thousands of pounds and was praised for its work.
asserted
organisation → build → work
Megan was dogged in her efforts to promote the organisation.
asserted
Megan → dog → organisation
In 2015, Jean reported that Megan’s condition had worsened.
asserted
condition → report → 2015
Pleading for funds as part of a Save Meg appeal, she gave little detail on Megan’s care and treating doctors.
asserted
she → plead → care
It prompted suspicion from members of the charity’s community who said they “smelled a rat”.
asserted
they → prompt → rat
One mother’s doubts led her to dig deeper into the charity, as well as Megan and Jean’s claims.
uncertain
doubts → lead → charity
What she and other parents found was explosive.
asserted
found → find → What
The charity was investigated and ultimately shut down.
asserted
charity → investigate → ?
No spoilers here, other than to say, at times it's hard to keep your jaw off the floor at what is an unbelievable and ultimately tragic story.
Perfect for: Lovers of true-crime stories like Inventing Anna, Catfish or Apple Cider Vinegar.
asserted
what → say → Anna
Where to watch: The first episode premieres on ABC TV and iview on Tuesday, October 13.
Carrie
What's it about?
asserted
it → watch → What
There are few stories in the modern horror canon that are more revered than Carrie.
asserted
that → be → Carrie
Modern adaptations of the girl with telekinesis haven't fared ,as well, with the 1999 sequel, The Rage, the 2002 TV movie and 2013's modern reboot all being resoundingly poo-pooed, but if there is one thing Hollywood will do it's capitalise on established IP.
asserted
it → fare → IP
Which is how we arrive at Carrie (2026) an extended miniseries helmed by Mike Flanagan, who has proved himself very handy at adaptations with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.
asserted
himself → arrive → Manor
All the familiar beats are here, just transported to high school in 2026.
asserted
beats → transport → 2026
Carrie (Summer H Howell) is now not just an outcast, but a complete recluse kept prisoner in her home with her overly religious mother (Samantha Sloyan, a Flanagan fave who is born for this role).
asserted
who → keep → role
They're both exposed to the world after the untimely death of Carrie's construction worker father, who is a new addition to the story.
asserted
who → expose → story
So the timid teen is even more raw when she's pushed into the cruel world of bullies with smartphones.
asserted
she → push → smartphones
King's original story is pretty tight, so Flanagan pads the eight-episode run time by expanding on some overlooked details about a coven of similarly gifted girls, which gives off the hint that the director is sniffing out a season two.
asserted
director → pad → season
Carrie purists might revolt, but Mike Flanagan fans remain fed.
uncertain
fans → revolt → ?
Perfect for: those who like a very expanded horror universe.
asserted
who → like → universe
Where to watch: Carrie is streaming on Prime Video now.
asserted
Carrie → watch → Video
This gritty mystery drama follows detective Antigone "Tig" Pollard (Anna Torv, The Newsreader) as she tries to solve a brutal sexual assault on a schoolgirl, revealing small-town secrets and dredging up her own past in her pursuit of the truth.
asserted
she → follow → truth
Given the subject matter, Dustfall makes for uncomfortable viewing at times, but it dares you to not look away.
asserted
it → give → you
It's also punctuated by charming lighter moments which will likely feel distinctly familiar for anyone who grew up in regional Australia.
asserted
who → punctuate → Australia
Dustfall spotlights layered female characters through Tig's often-complicated relationships, with her lifelong friend Shayna (Alice Ansara), her force of nature mother Olivia (Juliet Stevenson); and victim-survivors Edie (Zoe Phillips) and Maya (Gemma Chua-Tran).
asserted
Dustfall → spotlight → nature
Tig's also navigating a blossoming romance with local Mitch (Ben Knight), learning the ways of her detective partner Remi (Bert La Bonte), and can't escape Andy (Peter Fenton), the much older local rock star who has held an unsettling power over her since her teenage years.
asserted
who → navigate → years
Each episode leaves you wanting more, with a genuinely gripping storyline that builds in intensity until the very end, delivering a shocking but satisfying twist.
asserted
that → leave → twist
Based on Vikki Petraitis's novel The Unbelieved, Dustfall features stellar performances from a cast of established and up-and-coming actors and is bound to open doors.
asserted
Dustfall → base → doors
Perfect for: Those who want their next bingeworthy series with a side of sharp social commentary that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
asserted
credits → want → you
Where to watch: All episodes of Dustfall are streaming now on ABC iview.
asserted
episodes → watch → iview
If you like your Australian comedy zany and silly
asserted
you → like → comedy
, then you might have just been handed your favourite show of the year in Gnomes.
uncertain
you → hand → Gnomes
Senior Sergeant Arnold Kipps (Asa Butterfield) is perfectly happy acting as the big dog top cop in the tiny regional town of Nompton.
asserted
Kipps → act → Nompton
His peaceful, if not a bit under-respected, life is interrupted when his ex-partner and old flame Ellie McKay (Megan Smart) comes down from the city to announce that Arnold's station is to be shut down due to lack of activity and they're only keeping one local police officer on.
asserted
they → respect → officer
And this is before an evil gnome queen is unleashed during prep for the annual gnome festival and animates all the garden gnomes in town into vicious killers.
asserted
queen → unleash → killers
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
