What to Watch Tonight: Wednesday, October 7, 2026

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026 — Wednesday night is quietly becoming the best night of the TV week. Two genuine premieres drop on streaming today, reality television got its own awards ceremony last night in Manhattan, and broadcast is stacked end to end: NBC brings back its entire One Chicago franchise in a single three-hour block, HGTV doubles down on Las Vegas, and History’s pawn kings return for another season. Here’s the full rundown of what’s on — and what’s actually worth your time.

Streaming today: a little magic, and a big goodbye

Start with the gentlest thing on television. Small Prophets premieres today on Apple TV with its first two episodes, and it arrives with the kind of pedigree that makes British comedy nerds lean forward: it was created, written, and directed by Mackenzie Crook, the BAFTA winner behind Detectorists, and it already holds a perfect critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes after winning Best Series in the International Panorama competition at Series Mania back in March.

The premise is pure Crook — ordinary life tilted just a few degrees toward the magical. Pearce Quigley (also of Detectorists) plays Michael Sleep, a DIY store clerk still holding a candle for his darling Clea, who disappeared seven years ago. When his father Brian, played by Sir Michael Palin, shares an old family recipe involving rainwater, horse manure, and more than a little alchemy, Michael sets out to create homunculi: tiny magical spirits that can predict the future. He has exactly one question for them — whether he’ll ever see Clea again. He’s helped by his young coworker Kacey (Lauren Patel), with whom he bonds partly over their mutual dislike of store manager Gordon (Crook himself), while his nosy neighbors (Sophie Willan and Jon Pointing) try to figure out what on earth is going on in the garden shed. Paul Kaye rounds out the cast. The six-part series, which aired earlier this year on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, rolls out new episodes every Wednesday through November 4. One caveat for U.K. viewers: Apple TV doesn’t get it there until 2027.

On the other side of the emotional spectrum, Netflix drops Who Is Martin Mull? today — a 94-minute documentary that doubles as one of the most quietly moving tributes of the year. Mull, who died in 2024 at age 80, was the rare performer who could show up in a sitcom, a murder mystery, or a gallery show and look entirely at home in all three. The film is co-directed by the late Bob Saget, who began work on it in 2018 and appears in it posthumously, alongside Neil Berkeley, who helped complete the project after Saget’s own death in 2022.

The documentary’s thesis is that Mull’s most famous work — Leon on Roseanne, Willard Kraft on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Gene Parmesan on Arrested Development, Colonel Mustard in Clue — was all in service of his true passion: painting. Friends including Steve Martin, Tom Waits, David Alan Grier, Patton Oswalt, and the late Fred Willard tell the story of a man who opened for Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, guest-hosted The Tonight Show more than 30 times, and made his debut in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman back in 1976. If you only know the face, tonight is the night to learn the name.

Last night: reality TV threw its own awards show

While the streamers were loading today’s premieres, Manhattan was busy last night. Page Six’s second-annual “Virtual Reali-Tea” Awards took over the Edison Ballroom in Midtown on Tuesday, packing more than 60 reality stars under one roof — from the casts of Summer House and Selling Sunset to Housewives from practically every franchise.

The night’s biggest moment belonged to the women of The Golden Life: Sonja Morgan, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, and Dorinda Medley accepted the Golden Kettle Award — the show’s lifetime-achievement honor, presented by Tri-State Cadillac — from Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos. The five reality veterans, whose E! spinoff premieres October 20, delivered an acceptance speech Page Six described as iconic, with Morgan throwing some shade at her co-stars’ fact-checking habits.

The ceremony itself was a full variety show. Vanderpump Rules alum Scheana Shay opened the night performing her classic “Good as Gold” — fitting, since she was also nominated for Musician of the Year, an award that went to Luann de Lesseps, who performed as well. Next Gen NYC’s Ariana Biermann was named Breakout Star, with the award presented by Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Whitney Rose. Bravo’s Summer House had the strongest night of any single show: Kyle Cooke took “Hot-Tea of the Year,” Lindsay Hubbard and her daughter Gemma won “Best Dynamic Duo,” and Ciara Miller — who couldn’t make it because she was busy on Dancing With the Stars — won “Best Reunion Performance.” The night’s other winners included the newest Housewives franchise, The Real Housewives of Rhode Island, for Best Cast; Rosie Woods DiMare’s “slam pig” for Quote of the Year; Dolores Catania, Teresa Giudice, and Melissa Gorga for Best Return to Screen; and Meredith Marks for Style Icon of the Year.

Couldn’t make it to Midtown? Philo is the exclusive streaming partner, and the full show streams free on its ad-supported platform starting October 9. The event was sponsored by Tri-State Cadillac, CoverGirl, Philo, and Kahlúa, and hosted by VRT faces Danny Murphy and Evan Real.

DWTS: Mariah Carey Night sends Ciara Miller home

Speaking of Ciara Miller: last night was also “Mariah Carey Night” on Dancing With the Stars, and the Summer House star’s ballroom run came to an end — she was eliminated. Our culture desk has the full results, scores, and what went wrong in our companion piece on Mariah Carey Night, including how the VRT Awards honored her the same evening with that Best Reunion Performance award. A rough night, softened slightly by a teacup trophy.

Tonight on broadcast: One Chicago is back

NBC owns Wednesday nights, and it’s not even close. The entire One Chicago franchise returns tonight in its usual back-to-back-to-back block: Chicago Med season 12 at 8 p.m. ET, Chicago Fire season 15 at 9 p.m. ET, and Chicago P.D. season 14 at 10 p.m. ET, with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.

Med brings back Steven Weber, Jessy Schram, Luke Mitchell, Sarah Ramos, and Darren Barnet alongside stalwarts S. Epatha Merkerson and Oliver Platt. Fire returns Taylor Kinney, David Eigenberg, Joe Miñoso, Dermot Mulroney, Christian Stolte, Miranda Rae Mayo, Hanako Greensmith, Jocelyn Hudon, Brandon Larracuente, and Da’Vinchi. And P.D. — with Jason Beghe, Marina Squerciati, Patrick John Flueger, LaRoyce Hawkins, Benjamin Levy Aguilar, Arienne Mandi, and Amy Morton — heads into its 14th season with what Beghe calls a theme of “reinvention,” as Voight’s Intelligence Unit adjusts to a changing world of policing. Three shows, one Dick Wolf empire, zero reason to change the channel.

The Vegas doubleheader

Our home turf gets a double feature tonight. At 9 p.m. ET on HGTV, Sin City Rehab returns for season 2, and Alison Victoria is not playing it safe. The former Windy City Rehab star — whose first Vegas season pulled in more than 11 million viewers across linear and streaming — is back with a nine-episode run of bigger gambles, bigger egos, tighter timelines, and high-risk flips across the Las Vegas market. New episodes stream the next day on HBO Max, where season 1 is available to binge.

And on History, the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop opens its doors for another round: Pawn Stars premieres season 25 tonight, with Rick Harrison and Chumlee back behind the counter. The season opener is titled “The Flight Stuff.” Two hometown institutions, one night — the city that never blinks gets two hours of it on cable.

Also on tonight

ABC brings back Abbott Elementary for season 6 tonight — our full season 6 preview covers Gregory’s promotion to assistant principal, Melissa’s new role as union rep, and the 100th episode coming in week seven. If horror is more your speed, Mike Flanagan’s Carrie drops all eight episodes on Prime Video today — our binge guide has everything to know — and Apple TV+ wraps its biggest comedy of the decade with the Ted Lasso season 4 finale. Over on Hulu, Jamie Foxx’s Take Care of Yourself special lands today. The remote has never had this much range.