Witches, podcasters and Halloween. This week’s TV series

Showrunner Erin Foster, starring Adam Brody, Kristen Bell and Timothy Simons (season three on Netflix)

Joanne and Noah meet and quickly form a strong connection. She is a podcaster (agnostic in the first series, though she begins to waver later on) and he is a rabbi, who, like the rabbis in Isaac Singer’s stories, does not fit the stereotype of a man of faith. The ten episodes of this third series chronicle their life together – in the second series, Joanne was seeking faith so she could marry Noah (played by Adam Brody, Adrian’s brother). According to the rules, she was supposed to convert. But the conversion was taking its time. At the end of the second series, just as Joanne was about to utter the fateful words ‘I’m Jewish’, Noah cut her off: ‘I don’t care, you’re my soulmate, I’ll choose you every time’. About time! you might say. But they’re just so sweet.

by Anton Fuqua, Ellen Kuras, starring Kris Pratt, Taylor Kitsch and Constance Wu (second series on Amazon Prime Video)

The series is already in its second season. We have caught up with it, but the first season is also available on Prime Video. Each episode includes comprehensive recaps of previous instalments, so nothing is missed. In fact, there are often too many scenes and too many words (and even too many landscapes—the genre does not matter). The story begins in Syria. Commander James Reece (played by Chris Pratt) and his team are ambushed. The mission was a secret one, aimed at taking out a dangerous terrorist. The team is almost completely wiped out, and Reece returns to San Diego, California. He realises that his memories are rather muddled. And they don’t match the federal agents’ official version of events. Before getting himself checked out by a proper professional, Reece suspects a conspiracy.

by Kat Sandler, adapted from her play, starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Noah Reid (on HBO Max)

From Russian folklore comes a monstrous, ancient creature—let’s call her a witch—who flies on a mortar and wields a silver broom to sweep away paths in the woods, misleading travellers. She may abduct children or offer sound advice. This series retains the tangled web of superstitions. The action is set in Canada, where a private investigator arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of Henri Park, the wealthy heir to a major fishing company (played by Hudson Williams from "Heated Rivalry", who, like hockey, is Canadian). The local detective seems neither brave nor resourceful. There is also a university lecturer (Carrie-Anne Moss from “The Matrix”, another Canadian) who has a soft spot for younger men.

by Jesse McKeown, starring Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis and Charlie Heaton (on Netflix)

Canada once again, and the supernatural once more. The series is building up to Halloween. Before the Baba Yaga of Slavic folklore (see opposite), here we have the kraken, a terrifying monster that strikes fear into the hearts of sailors and fishermen. Josh Hartnett – known as Calvin in the series, wearing a woollen cap – lives in Newfoundland. He is still haunted by the death of his father, which occurred many years earlier under mysterious circumstances. After a long absence, his children return to visit him. Just as a gigantic iceberg has run aground on the coast, perhaps bringing the fearsome kraken with it. If only that were the only problem: the owners of the houses on the bay, which is perpetually shrouded in mist, would like to move the village to the other side of the island,