Re-Imaginings & A Reboot: Here's The Latest In TV This Week From 'Frasier' To 'John Carpenter's Suburban Screams'

Celebrating Halloween is a tradition that many see as a monthlong one, using October to watch as many creepy films and TV shows as they can handle. For others, you just want to save that stuff until the end of the month, because there are many folks out there who aren't trying to have a knock at the door scare the life out of them.

Regardless of your preference, it's hard to find what shows to watch with all the different streaming services available to folks. Not only that, but the horror of having to look at those recurring payments in your bank account every month shouldn't need to happen. Ideally, most folks just want to understand what services are producing new programs that grab their attention and have a pilot episode that has the makings of a good show.

So let LAist be your guide, the map that'll get you out of that demonic camp or the weapon that'll keep Michael Myers away from you (at least until the sequel).

On LAist 89.3’s AirTalk, we're joined by television critics each week to give you a rundown of shows that'll help exorcise your TV-watching demons and keep you loving this style of storytelling every week.

For this week's list, not every show is a horror, but you should expect them all to be TV adaptations of pre-existing stories.

Listen here

This week, AirTalk’s Larry Mantle talked about the latest on television and streaming with Roxana Hadadi, television critic for Vulture.

This week’s shows include:

• Frasier reboot (Paramount+)
• John Carpenter's Suburban Screams (Peacock)
• Bodies (Netflix)

Frasier

Streaming on Paramount+

First Impression: Frasier Crane is back! After having lived in Seattle for some time, he’s back in his original stomping grounds of Boston to reconnect with family and start his next chapter as a professor at Harvard.

Lasting Impression: I must admit that I wasn’t that impressed by the show, for as beloved as it is, I just think the format of the show is quite dated. The classic live-studio sitcom elements are there for those who still enjoy them, as well as the quips and back-and-forths, but in watching it I’ve realized this show isn’t necessarily for me.

Frasier of course is the character holding this together, and it seems like Kelsey Grammar’s comedic timing is enough to get jokes to land, but I just don’t find the side characters holding up their ends of the bargain as much.

This is unfortunate to see but also not that all surprising, with folks’ like Larry David having been one perfect example of evolving his writing through "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The "Frasier" reboot seems more like a fresh start in terms of premise, but I think the new series is more of an extra helping for long-time fans.

Who's behind it: The show's creators are Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris. Cristalli has done a fair amount of writing in the past, having worked on all four seasons of the CBS program "Life in Pieces" and most recently he also had credits on Apple TV+’s "Acapulco."

Harris served as the showrunner for "Acapulco" and producer on the long-running sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."

When and where: Episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on Paramount+; Episode 3 releases Thursday, Oct. 19.

John Carpenter's Suburban Screams

Streaming on Peacock

First Impression: A show that uses true stories found in the suburbs of America, you’ll not only get dramatizations of the horrifying events but also hear from those who saw the situations first-hand.

Lasting Impression: The biggest selling point of this show is going to be John Carpenter, being a master of horror is a spectacle that'll have folks interested, even if it isn't on the silver screen. Dramatic re-enactments can vary in their style, I think the pairing of it with real-life perspectives on it is something I've certainly been a fan of in the past, at least when it comes to true crime television.

Who's behind it: The creator of this program is widely acclaimed horror director John Carpenter, who many of y’all should know from the original "Halloween" film and also, "The Thing." It’s also worth noting that outside of music videos, this is the first project he’s helped direct since his 2010 film, "The Ward."

When and where: All six episodes are now streaming on Peacock.

Bodies

Streaming on Netflix

First impression: A show based on the DC graphic novel of the same name, it follows detectives from different decades piecing together a crime that crosses timelines.

Lasting Impression: The show seemingly offers a dystopic feel, and although the trailer gives away part of the surprise, the world within it is so expansive that I can see people getting lost in the premise unfolding through each episode. I was getting a sense of curiosity that I hadn’t felt since playing the dystopic video game, Bioshock: Infinite, which brought together the concept of multiple timelines folding together in a mind-blowing way.

Who's behind it: The creator of the show is Paul Tomalin, whose credits include writing episodes of the crime drama "No Offence" and he also wrote an episode for the UK series, "Shameless."

When and where: All eight episodes releases Thursday, Oct. 19, on Netflix.