The Best Movies And Shows Coming To Paramount+ In October 2021

There are so many streaming services these days that it's hard to keep up on who has what, but that's why we're here! Paramount+ has all of the Paramount-related goodies, including Nickelodeon, "Star Trek," and Comedy Central shows. Whether you're looking to see what's headed your way or to decide whether you want to get a subscription, here's everything coming to Paramount+ in October. 

Comedian Eddie Murphy has been prolific in front of the camera, but he had only one serious turn behind it. That film was 1989's "Harlem Nights," a comedy about an illegal gambling establishment in Harlem in the 1930s, run by Sugar Ray (Richard Pryor) and his protégé, Quick (Murphy). They must contend with crooked cops, other criminals, and institutionalized racism, all in the name of making a buck and staying alive. Murphy also wrote the screenplay for "Harlem Nights," though there's plenty of improv from stars Pryor, Murphy, Redd Foxx, Arsenio Hall, Della Reese, and Danny Aiello. 

"Harlem Nights" is full of pretty crass humor, so it may not be for everyone. For those who can handle a bit of ribaldry, it's a terribly funny movie with something to say about the struggles of succeeding as a Black person in America. 

"Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" is the final "Star Trek" movie based entirely around the crew of the original Enterprise, and it's arguably the best "Star Trek" movie ever made. The crew of the Enterprise, including Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan), Dr. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelly), and Chekov (Walter Koenig) are all getting a little old for space travel. (Sulu, played by George Takei, has been given his own starship by this point, though he does help out his old Enterprise crew.) They're considered dinosaurs in Starfleet, but they still have one last important mission in them. 

When the Klingon moon Praxis is destroyed and the Klingon home world is sent into disarray, the Klingon Empire reaches out to attempt to broker peace with the Federation. Kirk and McCoy are framed for the murder of the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, and they must clear their names and expose the real killers in order to stop even more violence. 

"The Undiscovered Country" is a Cold War allegory, digging into just how difficult it can be to trust the people you formerly were at war with. The film also has some great meta-analysis about the real goals of "Star Trek" as a franchise, and it picks a bit of fun at itself along the way. (There's a brilliant bit where Kirk hooks up with a beautiful alien and McCoy quips "What is it with you, anyway?") 

Christopher Plummer stars as the main antagonist, a Shakespeare-quoting Klingon named General Chang. "Star Trek VI" is the perfect end to the story of the first Enterprise, and it sets up the franchise to continue in new ways. Kirk mentions that the Enterprise will be helmed by a new crew (the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" folks!) and he also changes the phrasing of the series' tagline, changing it from "where no man has gone before" to "where no one has gone before." Whether you're a die-hard "Trek" fan or have never seen a single episode, "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" is a perfect introduction. 

All four "Indiana Jones" movies are coming to Paramount+ in October, but the one I'm most excited for is the movie that kicked off the franchise, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, the movie is an action-adventure classic with thrills, laughs, and melting Nazi faces. Who doesn't love it when Nazis get their faces melted off like plastic left in the sun?

"Raiders" is set in 1936 and introduces us to an archeology professor named Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). He hears from a museum curator about a biblical artifact called the Ark of the Covenant, which can hold the key to all human knowledge. (Traditionally, the Ark was believed to be the container that held the original copies of the Ten Commandments that Moses brought down from Mount Horeb.) Jones travels the world to find clues about the artifact, eventually ending up in Morocco and fighting a band of Nazis and his old enemy Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) in order to reach the Ark. 

The movie is full of great quips ("Snakes? Why does it always have to be snakes?") and a lot of fun action. Ford is at peak movie-star hotness, co-star Karen Allen is gorgeous as his feisty old flame Marion, and the John Williams score is phenomenal. 

Once upon a time, in the heydey of MTV, there were two idiots with goofy chuckles and two brain cells to share between them. Their names? Beavis and Butt-Head. Mike Judge's animated creations would comment on MTV programming, including music videos and MTV series alongside making trouble around their town of Highland. Their unwitty witticisms eventually got them their own feature film in 1996. 

Teenage troublemakers Beavis and Butt-Head find themselves at the center of a national conspiracy when they meet a beautiful criminal named Dallas (voiced by Demi Moore). She promises the boys sexual favors if they take a bus trip to Washington D.C. for her, and they're completely on board. What they don't know is that she's sewn a stolen doomsday device in the back of Beavis' shorts, and scores of law enforcement are about to be after them. 

"Beavis and Butthead Do America" is a glimpse at how Judge viewed the nation in the mid-90s, with commentary on capitalism, politicians, and law enforcement. It also introduces us to Beavis and Butt-Head's potential fathers, whom they meet out in the desert one night. It's a silly, sometimes stupid movie, but it's also a fun blast from the past. 

Quite a few of the James Bond titles are coming to Paramount+ in October, including "From Russia With Love" and "License to Kill." Kids of the '90s and Nintendo nerds will be most excited for "GoldenEye," the 1995 Pierce Brosnan-starring Bond flick that also became a popular N64 video game. "GoldenEye" was Brosnan's first turn as 007, and it has an absolutely killer cast. Famke Janssen plays the villainess Xenia Onatopp, Alan Cumming as hacker Boris Grishenko, Sean Bean as the former 006, and of course, Judi Dench as M. 

"GoldenEye" is a very silly Bond movie that maintains the often-campy tone of its predecessors. While the rest of Brosnan's Bond entries aren't nearly as fun, "GoldenEye" is a secret agent shoot-em-up blast. 

PARAMOUNT+ ORIGINALS

10/7: New episodes of Rugrats Season 1

10/8: Madame X premieres

10/10: SEAL Team Season 5 premieres

10/10: Evil Season 2 finale

10/14: Guilty Party premieres

10/14: Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 finale

10/28: Star Trek: Prodigy premieres

10/29: Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin premieres

10/29: Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity premieres

LIBRARY SHOWS

October 6

Are You the One? (Season 7-8)

Basketball Wives (Season 8)

Ex on the Beach (Season 3)

Max and Ruby (Season 7)

Team Umizoomi (Season 3-4)

Tyler Perry's Young Dylan

October 13

AwesomenessTV (Season 1-2)

This Is Stand-Up

October 20

See Dad Run (Season 1-3)

Tosh.0 (Season 1-10)

Webheads (Season 1)

October 27

100 Things to Do Before High School (Season 1)

America's Hidden Stories (Season 2)

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making The Team (Season 14)

Jagger Eaton's Mega Life (Season 1)

Keep It Spotless (Season 1)

The Last Cowboy (Season 1)

Teen Mom 2 (Season 9)

LIBRARY MOVIES

October 1

54

A Walk on the Moon

Air Force One

Ali

All I Want For Christmas

Beavis And Butt-Head Do America

Biker Boyz

Boxcar Bertha

Boys And Girls

Class

Clifford

Code 46

Crimson Tide

Crocodile Dundee II

Dead of Winter

Dr. No

Flatliners

From Russia with Love

Get Over It

Gladiator

Goldeneye

Goldfinger

Grease

Harlem Nights

Head of State

House of Games

I Love You, Man

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Jackie Brown

Kate & Leopold

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life

License to Kill

Life Is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella)

Mad Max

Mean Creek

Minority Report

Racing with the Moon

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

Road Trip

Rugrats Go Wild

Rushmore

Saving Private Ryan

Serendipity

Shooter

Sleeping with the Enemy

Snatch

Species

Species II

Species III

Species: The Awakening

Spy Kids

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Sweet Land

Teen Wolf

The Crow

The Crow: City of Angels

The Crying Game

The Devil Inside

The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave

The Ghost and the Darkness

The Mask of Zorro

The Monster Squad

The Offence

The Perfect Holiday

The Queens of Comedy

The Saint

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Taking of Pelham 123

The Untouchables

Theater of Blood

Titanic

Total Recall

Vampire in Brooklyn

Vigilante Force

What About Bob?

Zodiac

Zoolander

October 4

Finding your Feet

October 11

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

October 19

Mommie Dearest

October 25

Come Away

The Marksman

Rango

SPORTS, NEWS & EVENTS

10/2: Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

10/2: SEC on CBS

10/3: NFL ON CBS Week 4 Doubleheader (check local listings)

10/7 & 10/12: Asian Football Confederation Men's World Cup Qualifiers

10/7, 10/10, 10/13: Concacaf Men's World Cup Qualifiers

10/10: U.S. Men's National Soccer Team vs. Panama

10/9: Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series

10/9: Beyond Limits

10/9: SEC on CBS – Georgia at Auburn

10/9: SEC on CBS Doubleheader (3:30 PM, ET and 8:00 PM, ET)

10/10: NFL ON CBS Week 5 (check local listings)

10/10: Professional Bull Riding competition

10/16: SEC on CBS Doubleheader (Noon, ET and 3:30 PM, ET)

10/16-10/20: Asian Football Confederation Champions League Quarterfinals and Semifinals

10/17: NFL ON CBS – Miami vs. Jacksonville from London (9:30 AM, ET)

10/17: NFL ON CBS Week 6 Doubleheader (check local listings)

10/19 & 10/20: UEFA Champions League Group Stage competition

10/19-10/21: UEFA Europa League Group Stage competition

10/19 & 10/20: UEFA Youth League

10/21: UEFA Europa Conference League Group Stage competition

10/21-10/26: UEFA Women's World Cup Qualifiers

10/23: WE NEED TO TALK

10/23: SEC on CBS

10/24: NFL ON CBS Week 7 Doubleheader (check local listings)

10/30: Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League

10/30: Beyond Limits

10/30: SEC on CBS – Georgia vs. Florida

10/31: NFL ON CBS Week 8 (check local listings)

10/31: NWSL Final Day of Regular Season

Throughout October: NWSL Regular Season competition

Throughout October: Italy's Serie A competition

Throughout October: Scotland Professional Football League competition

Throughout October: Brazil's Campeonato Brasileirão Série A competition

Throughout October: Argentina's Liga Profesional de Fútbol competition

Every Friday in October: Combate Global MMA Action