The It List: 'America's Big Deal' is 1st ever live shoppable competition TV series, Kate Beckinsale stars in dark comedy 'Guilty Party,' Coldplay drops new album and the best in pop culture the week of Oct. 11, 2021

The It List is Yahoo's weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for Oct. 11-17, including the best deals we could find for each. (Yahoo Entertainment may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.)

WATCH IT: Shark Tank has some competition with the new America's Big Deal

Here's the show that was bound to follow the creation of that other series featuring inventors pitching products to a panel of potential investors: It's a shoppable version of that, a live competition series in which viewers, by purchasing the merchandise offered to them, help decide which entrepreneur succeeds. The person who manages to have the highest sales during the episode wins the opportunity to make a deal with one of the big names that's involved: Lowe's, Macy's and QVC and HSN — who know a thing or two about moving merchandise on live television. The same companies also will have representatives on the panel, including former HSN star Joy Mangano, who fans of Jennifer Lawrence will recognize as the woman on which her 2015 movie Joy was based. Don't forget to grab your wallet before settling in for this one. — Raechal Shewfelt

America's Big Deal premieres Thursday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. on USA.

WATCH IT: The Haunting of Bly Manor will scare you red on Blu-ray

It’s Halloween season, and while Midnight Mass may be one of the most widely watched (and widely discussed) horror series at the moment, don’t forget its restless creator Mike Flanigan’s last offerings. There was 2018’s The Haunting of Hill House, followed by The Haunting of Bly Manor, which conveniently lands on Blu-ray this week. The spooktastic Bly Manor follows a young American woman (Victoria Pedretti) who has no idea how haunted the English countryside home she’s just moved into as au pair will ultimately prove. Get a sneak peek of the Blu-ray’s bonus content with the exclusive clip above. — Kevin Polowy

The Haunting of Bly Manor releases on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, Oct. 12. Buy it on Amazon.

STREAM IT: Jeremy Irons’s classic British series, Brideshead Revisited, celebrates its 40th anniversary

It may be hard to remember a time when Irons wasn’t a regular presence on the big and small screen. But the British actor was just a bit player until he starred in Brideshead Revisited, the landmark 1981 TV version of Evelyn Waugh’s celebrated novel. A sensation when it aired in its native land, and on U.S. televisions the following year, the 11-part serial rocketed Irons to prominence on both sides of the Atlantic. Arriving Oct. 12 on BritBox — 40 years to the day that it premiered in England — the sprawling story depicts the years-long friendship between commoner Charles Ryder (Irons) and openly gay aristocrat Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews), who is destined for a tragic end. When it first premiered, Brideshead Revisited was one of the first major shows to feature a gay character, and the relationship between Charles and Sebastian has been interpreted over the years as romantic. This exclusive clip from the second episode showcases their bond, as they pass many drunk nights and sunny days on the lavish grounds of Sebastian’s titular estate. — Ethan Alter

Brideshead Revisited premieres Tuesday, Oct. 12 on BritBox.

STREAM IT: Rule for Kate Beckinsale in Guilty Party

The British actress shouldn't only get to be funny on Instagram and late-night interviews. Beckinsale makes a rare foray into TV for this dark comedy from Funny or Die. While she's best known for playing a bad-ass action star in the Underworld franchise, here she's a down-on-her-luck journalist, Beth Burgess, trying to salvage her career. That brings her to prison — where she embarks on helping young mom, Toni Plimpton (Jules Latimer), who's convicted of maiming (!) and murdering her husband, but proclaims her innocence. Beckinsale's Beth finds herself in over her head contending with the prison system, gun-smugglers, clickbait culture, professional cancellation, the death of print media and marital woes, to name a few. She also has an editor from hell. The 10-episode pandemic project, which was originally supposed to star Isla Fisher, is helmed by Rebecca Addelman (Dead to Me, Ghosted, New Girl). — Suzy Byrne

Guilty Party premieres Thursday, Oct. 14 on Paramount+.

STREAM IT: Aquaman: King of Atlantis follows the animated adventures of DC’s aquatic superhero

Who sits on a throne under the sea? Aquaman: King of Atlantis of course! HBO Max’s new three-episode animated miniseries picks up where James Wan’s 2018 blockbuster left off, with Arthur Curry having fully embraced his legacy as Atlantis’s ruler and everything that comes with it… including the trident and bright orange suit. Wan is one of the executive producers of the cartoon, but don’t worry — this isn’t following cinematic continuity. Each brightly-colored 45-minute installment presents Aquaman (voiced by Cooper Andrews) with fresh challenges as he adjusts to royal life. Good thing he’s got the aid of fellow heroes Mera (Gillian Jacobs) and Vulko (Thomas Lennon), who aren’t about to let his reign crash on coral reefs so quickly. — E.A.

Aquaman: King of Atlantis premieres Thursday, Oct. 14 on HBO Max.

HEAR IT: Coldplay take their pop sensibilities to the Max

The space-themed ninth studio album from the veteran Britrockers surprisingly finds them collaborating with Midas-touched Swedish hitmaker Max Martin (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Pink, Katy Perry), whom the band has called “a true wonder of the universe.” Also on board are BTS, Selena Gomez and Jacob Collier for what is sure to be an out-of-this-world pure pop crossover. The band will celebrate Spheres at their iHeartRadio Album Release Party, which can be viewed Thursday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m ET/6 p.m. PT on The CW app or at cwtv.com. — Lyndsey Parker

Music of the Spheres by Coldplay is available Friday, Oct. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.

HEAR/READ IT: The Beatles’ Let It Be Special Edition album and Get Back book offer new takes on Fab Four’s finale

Let It Be arrived in 1970 as an album and a movie, the Beatles’ swan song project widely regarded as a glimpse into the internal strife that doomed the world’s greatest band. The new special-edition album and accompanying book (along with Peter Jackson’s epic six-hour remixed documentary coming to Disney+ in November) seek to change that perception, offering a more complete chronicle of the legendary “Get Back” sessions, including moments of pure joy and genius. The Let It Be boxed set, a must for Beatlemaniacs, is available in different configurations including the “super deluxe” six-disc collection stuffed with unreleased outtakes and jams; the shelved 1969 Get Back album; and an four-song EP featuring an alternate version of “Across the Universe” and a new mix of “Let It Be.”

"Get Back" by the Beatles puts fans inside the recording sessions behind the band's final album, <em>Let It Be</em>. (Photos: Courtesy of Callaway and Apple Corps)
"Get Back" by the Beatles puts fans inside the recording sessions behind the band's final album, Let It Be. (Photos: Courtesy of Callaway and Apple Corps)

And while the Beatles dreamed of paperback writing, their new hardcover art book isn’t too shabby: the Get Back tome contains hundreds of previously unseen images and band dialogue culled from 55 hours of film and 120 hours of sound recordings, including snaps of the iconic rooftop concert, the last time the Fab Four played live together. — Marcus Errico

The Get Back book releases Tuesday, Oct. 12 and Let It Be Special Edition is available Friday, Oct. 15 from Amazon and other retailers.

WATCH IT: Celebrate a filmmaking legend with Criterion’s Melvin Van Peebles collection

The Criteron Collection
(Image: The Criteron Collection)

On Sept. 22, the world lost a filmmaking titan when Melvin Van Peebles died at the age of 89. Just hours after his death was announced, The Criterion Collection’s Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films box set landed in our mailbox — clearly a sign from the Movie Gods that we were meant to celebrate Van Peebles’s groundbreaking filmography, and spread the gospel to you, too. The five-disc Blu-ray set includes some of Van Peebles’s most remarkable films — The Story of a Three Day Pass, Watermelon Man, Don’t Play Us Cheap and, of course, his magnum opus, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song — as well as his son Mario Van Peebles’s unforgettable 2003 docudrama Baadasssss!, about the making of Sweet Sweetback. A must-have for Van Peebles fans. — K.P.

Buy Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films on Amazon.

STREAM IT: 2 new members join The Baby-Sitters Club

In its second season, this delightful adaptation of Ann M. Martin's YA books features big moves for the members of the coolest club in Stoneybrook, Conn. Mary Anne and Dawn are moving in together, because of their parents' thriving relationship; Stacey is preparing to appear on the cover of a magazine; Kristy learns that her mom (played by Alicia Silverstone) is expecting a baby; Mary Anne and Logan are becoming an official couple; and Claudia, well, she continues to be exceedingly cool. Most importantly, Jessi and Mallory are joining the club full-time. No wonder Kristy calls it "the year when everything changed." — R.S.

The Baby-Sitters Club Season 2 premieres Monday, Oct. 11 on Netflix.

WATCH IT: All the Halloween you can handle on 4K Ultra HD

Shout! Factory
(Image: Shout! Factory)

There’s a new Halloween movie hitting theaters this weekend, and Halloween Kills is plump-full of Easter eggs (candy corn?), references and callbacks to the original movies (even Season of the Witch!). So what a perfect time to revisit Michael Myers’s first five killing sprees, and Shout!’s aptly named imprint Scream Factory has you covered. The distributor is releasing Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The REVENGE of Michael Myers on 4K Ultra this week with not only higher definition and posters, but all kinds of new bonus content. This should be enough to keep you occupied for October. — K.P.

Buy the Halloween movies on 4K Ultra HD from Shout Factory.

STREAM IT: What Happened, Brittany Murphy? recounts the star’s too short life

Nearly 12 years after Brittany Murphy died suddenly at the age of 32, a two-part documentary examines her life — which included turns in Clueless, 8 Mile, Girl, Interrupted and more — and the circumstances around her last hours alive. Back then, the Los Angeles County Coroner's department found that Murphy's death was caused by pneumonia, which had gone untreated, as well as anemia and a combination of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The doc, though, delves into the questionable history of Simon Monjack, the screenwriter Murphy married in 2007, and features interviews with Monjack's mother, brother and former fiancée, who alleges that he left her pregnant and abandoned after demanding that she deliver their baby in the United States. Producers also look at the decades before all this happened to uncover the real Murphy. Amy Heckerling, the director of Clueless, sums it up this way: "There was a kind of sweet, childish quality that she had that just breaks your heart." — R.S.

What Happened, Brittany Murphy? premieres Thursday, Oct. 14 on HBO Max.

READ IT: Prepare for a Spider-switch as Marvel Comics promises big changes for your friendly neighborhood wall-crawler

The Amazing Spider-Man #76 promises big changes for Marvel's wall-crawler (Photo: Marvel Comics)
The Amazing Spider-Man #76 promises big changes for Marvel's wall-crawler. (Photo: Marvel Comics)

Spider-Man no more? That certainly appears to be Peter Parker’s fate based on the dramatic cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #76. The image features the original Spider-Man lying in a hospital bed recovering from potentially mortal wounds he sustained in the previous issue, which also re-introduced notorious Spider-Clone, Ben Reilly, into continuity. If Peter is down for the count, will Ben claim his mantle? And just how is Miles Morales gonna feel if he does? This is all going to play out in the next story arc, Beyond, which is being overseen by an ace creative team that includes artist Sarah Pachelli and writer Zeb Wells. It's all happening, true believers! — E.A.

The Amazing Spider-Man #76 goes on sale Wednesday, Oct. 13 at major retailers and on Comixology.

HEAR IT: Adele makes it all look ‘Easy’

Hello from the other side! After a five-year hiatus, Adele is finally back with new music. A 21-second, instrumental-only snippet for her comeback single “Easy on Me,” practically broke the internet last week, but you can hear the entire thing on Friday, when the internet will likely explode. The piano ballad is a preview of the Grammy-sweeping reclusive chanteuse’s fourth album, which is rumored to drop sometime in November under the title 30. — L.P.

“Easy on Me” by Adele will be released on Friday, Oct. 15.

WATCH IT: Revisit Brad Pitt’s Nazi-killin’ business with Inglourious Basterds in Ultra HD

Sony Home Entertainment
(Image: Sony Home Entertainment)

Quentin Tarantino says he’s retiring soon, but hopefully he still keeps making movies with Pitt once every 10 years. In 2019 it was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which won Pitt his first (acting) Academy Award for playing stuntman Cliff Booth. And in 2009 it was Inglourious Basterds, which should’ve won Pitt an Oscar as WWII Nazi hunter Lt. Aldo Raine. “Nazi ain't got no humanity. They're the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin', mass murderin' maniac and they need to be dee-stroyed,” Raine memorably says before all hell breaks loose in Tarantino’s revisionist history hit. The ultra-violent delight hits 4K Ultra HD this week, with bonus features including extended and alternate scenes, interviews and more. — K.P.

Inglourious Basterds releases on 4K Ultra HD Tuesday, Oct. 12. Buy it on Amazon.

WATCH IT: Tim Roth and Vickey Krieps commune with the spirit of the master Swedish filmmaker in Bergman Island

The shadow of Ingmar Bergman looms large over the latest film from acclaimed French auteur Mia Hansen-L?ve. But that’s to be expected when the movie is called Bergman Island and takes place entirely on the Swedish isle of F?r? where Bergman made his home. Filmmaking couple Tony (Tim Roth) and Chris (Vicky Krieps) journey to the island to attend a conference and, more importantly, seek inspiration for their own respective movies. Chris is particularly in need of direction for her half-finished script, and as she explores Bergman’s old haunts, her film takes on its own ghostly life. Allusions to the Swedish director’s work are rife in Bergman Island, but the film also functions as an involving and playful meditation on the blurred line between life and art that you don’t have to be a Bergman fan to appreciate. — E.A.

Bergman Island premieres Friday, Oct. 15 in theaters and Friday, Oct. 22 on most VOD services; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.

HEAR IT: Finneas is in his Optimist prime

FINNEAS · A Concert Six Months From Now

After staying mostly behind the scenes working with his younger sister Billie Eilish as well as with Selena Gomez, Ashe, Tate McRae, Ringo Starr and Demi Lovato, the Grammy-winning producer finally releases his full-length debut album, Optimist. Optimistic singles like “A Concert Six Months From Now” and “What They’ll Stay About Us” are true anthems for the pandemic age in which they were written, proving once again that Finneas has his finger on pop’s pulse. — L.P.

Optimist by Finneas is available Friday, Oct. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.

— Video produced by Anne Lilburn and edited by John Santo