New releases · TV series
New TV series this week: Jastrab, Brothers, Coven Academy
Slovakia's JOJ opens a new Wednesday drama while Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+ roll out international titles, two of which have already split critics.
A roundup of new releases and their reviews. We have not seen, heard or read the works ourselves: the verdicts are those of the critics cited.
New TV week: a Slovak JOJ drama premieres alongside three international streaming titles, with mixed-to-positive early reviews for two of them.
- Jednotka Jastrab premieres on JOJ, 30 September
- East of Eden (Zoe Kazan) debuts on Netflix, 1 October
- Brothers (McConaughey/Harrelson) streams on Apple TV+ since 23 September, met with tepid reviews
- Coven Academy (Tim Federle) launches on Freeform/Disney+/Hulu, 1-2 October, praised by one critic
This week's television calendar runs from a new Slovak prime-time drama to a trio of international streaming premieres. JOJ launches Jednotka Jastrab against Markíza's revived SuperStar, while Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+ each add a new series, with critics already weighing in on the celebrity comedy Brothers and the teen-witch drama Coven Academy.3124
Slovakia and Czechia
In Slovakia, JOJ turns its Wednesday prime time over to a new domestic drama.3
Jednotka Jastrab
Jednotka Jastrab is an eight-episode series that JOJ slots into Wednesday nights, going up against Markíza's revived talent show SuperStar. According to reports, the series airs at 20:40, ten minutes after SuperStar's own 20:30 start, with episodes running roughly 50 minutes each.3
The show already had a life online before its television premiere: its first episode reportedly appeared on JOJ Play on 15 May, with that run closing on 3 July, ahead of the linear broadcast debut on 30 September.39
International
Three new international series arrive this week, from a Netflix literary adaptation to an Apple TV+ celebrity comedy and a Disney+ teen fantasy — two of which have already drawn critical notices.7124
East of Eden
Netflix's East of Eden, created by Zoe Kazan, premieres on 1 October. The streamer has confirmed the October launch date and released the first images ahead of the show's debut.7
Brothers
Apple TV+'s Brothers casts Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as fictionalised versions of themselves in a comedy built around the show's central conceit: that the two men may in fact be biological relatives, sharing what the series frames as a shared affliction — fame. The eight-episode season, told in half-hour instalments, is credited to McConaughey and Harrelson alongside writers David West Read and Lee Eisenberg, who came aboard late in production to replace Read.12
The premise draws on real-life details, from McConaughey's flirtation with a run for Texas governor to his tequila brand and university courses, woven into a loosely serialised, sitcom-style structure of weekly schemes rather than a tightly plotted arc. The series began streaming on 23 September.12
Coven Academy
Created by Tim Federle for Disney+, Coven Academy centers on Briar, an independent-minded young woman from New York who learns she possesses magical powers, as she and two other teen witches train to defend their city from age-old threats. Originally planned for Disney Channel, the supernatural comedy-drama instead becomes part of Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween slate before moving to streaming.45
The series premieres on Freeform on 1 October, with the full season landing on Disney+ and Hulu the following day, 2 October.4
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