The Hotness, aka BUST’s Best Bets, is back! Editor Emily Rems chooses our pop culture picks for October and November 2017, including the return of Stranger Things and Lady Dynamite, a new Star Trek, and the New Orleans rapper Delish.
1. Stranger Things Season 2
Photo credit: Netflix
Light a votive candle for Barb and summon your D&D posse down to the basement on October 27 for Season Two of the creepiest show on Netflix. Will Byers may have been rescued, but a sinister entity is still stalking all the survivors of the Upside Down. You were right all along, Winona!
2. Inside Pussy Riot
Photo credit: Denis Sinyakov
Billed as a “groundbreaking immersive political theater experience,” Inside Pussy Riot will open in London this fall for a six-week run. Led by actors—including Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova—audiences will follow the feminist punk trailblazers from their original church performance, to the courtroom where they were tried, to the labor colony and solitary confinement cells where they were imprisoned for speaking out. Find out more at facebook.com/wearepussyriot.
3. Star Trek: Discovery
Photo credit: Dalia Naber/CBS
With its first eight episodes scheduled to air September 24 through November 5 on CBS, the latest Star Trek series is ready for launch. Discovery stars Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) as Starfleet First Officer Michael Burnham, marking the first time a Trek series lead has not been a captain. Joining her is Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou, and MRA trolls are freaking out that women of color are taking over their precious space opera—all the more reason to watch and make it a hit!
4. A Piece of Work Podcast
Photo credit: Ryan Muir
Fans of Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson will be delighted by her new podcast, A Piece of Work. Produced by MoMA and WNYC Studios, the 10-part limited series bills itself as “everything you want to know about modern art but were afraid to ask,” and features Jacobson contemplating challenging work with famous friends including Hannibal Buress, Tavi Gevinson, Questlove, and Samantha Irby.
5. Lady Dynamite Season 2
Photo credit: Netflix
The wonderfully weird Maria Bamford is back on Netflix this November with the second season of her brain-bending comedy series Lady Dynamite. Expect more surreal adventures in love, mental health, and show biz. Plus, hopefully, an encore of the feel-good hit from Season One, “Cradle the balls and work the shaft.”
6. Justice League
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Get ready Wonder Woman fans—November 17 is the day Gal Gadot returns to the big screen as everyone’s favorite Amazon in Justice League. This time, she’ll be battling bad guys alongside Ben Affleck as Batman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Henry Cavill as Superman, and Ezra Miller as the Flash. Pow!
7. Top of the Lake: China Girl
Photo credit: Lisa Tomasett/See-Saw Films/SundanceTV
Elisabeth Moss is reprising her role as Detective Robin Griffin in the second season of the beloved crime drama—landing on SundanceTV this fall. In this Sydney-set season, directed once again by the masterful Jane Campion, Moss is joined by Nicole Kidman and Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie.
8. “Black Excellence” Video by Delish
New Orleans rapper Delish (aka Delish Da Goddess) sets Vimeo ablaze with the creepy, intense video for her rapid-fire track “Black Excellence.” Alternately sporting a shaved head, a doll mask, and face paint, Delish is hypnotically aggressive. When she declares that she’s “startin’ up my own movement,” you’ll definitely believe it.
9. Earth Hates Me: True Confessions from a Teenage Girl by Ruby Karp
Little did we know when BUST co-founder Marcelle Karp left the mag in 2001 just before the birth of her daughter, that a scant 16 years later, that baby would already be a published author! Now a high school junior, Ruby Karp has written what is being billed as “the definitive guide to being a teen in the modern age,” advising readers on feminism, social media, navigating friendships, choosing colleges and careers, and more. Catch it in October.
10. A Bad Moms Christmas
In this holiday sequel to Bad Moms, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, and Kathryn Hahn are forced to contend with seasonal visits from their own formidable mothers, played by Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon. Buckle up for a comedy clash of the titans opening November 3.
By Emily Rems
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2017 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!
More from BUST
Week of Women: September 29-October 5, 2017
15 New Albums By Women You Should Be Listening To This October
Beyoncé’s “Formation” Scholarships Give Women The Green To Follow Their Dreams
