LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD: GEORGE HARRISON – Documentary, HBO – Premieres Wednesday October 5 (various times, also ON DEMAND)

This HBO two-part entry from Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese is an in-depth look at George Harrison’s life from his musical beginnings in Liverpool, through his spiritual quest in the late 1960s, to his battle with terminal lung cancer. Along with archival film clips, the documentary highlights interviews with those closest to Harrison, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, George Martin, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty, Phil Spector, Ringo Starr and Jackie Stewart.

PROHIBITION – Documentary series, PBS - Premieres October 2 at 8 p.m. (repeats on various stations, check local listings)

Documentary films and PBS are practically synonymous with filmmaker Ken Burns. This month, he delivers another multi-part series, sharing directing duties with his frequent collaborator Lynn Novick. Set against the backdrop of the flappers, speakeasies and bathtub gin of the Roaring Twenties, this series delves into the politics behind the now infamous 18th Amendment. The filmmakers also focus on the societal and moral changes in the American culture of the period, as well as some vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago – individual rights and responsibilities and the proper role of government.

GRIMM – New series, NBC – Premieres Friday October 21 at 9 p.m.

Grimm is a unique police thriller that asks the question: What if the age-old fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm weren’t fairy tales, but true stories? That’s the premise of this drama that pits a homicide detective against a slew of supernatural creatures from the underworld who are living amongst us and doing some pretty nasty things. The lead detective is a Grimm descendent who must hunt down these creatures to keep humanity safe. The pilot episode is a modern day version of “Little Red Riding Hood” that involves a killer going after young girls wearing red hoodies. The show is set in Portland whose lush forests and damp weather add to the eerie atmosphere.

HOMELAND - New series, Showtime – Premieres Sunday October 2 at 10 p.m. (repeats throughout the month, also ON DEMAND)

This series is from the creative team behind the long-running series “24,” so you can expect the same kind of clock-ticking suspense and paranoia. In this new thriller, Claire Danes stars as a CIA officer who suspects that a recovered war hero, played by Damian Lewis, may have turned and is now working as an Al-Qaeda agent plotting the next attack on American soil. The network promises that nothing is as it seems in this taut psychological thriller, which also stars Mandy Patinkin as a veteran CIA division chief.

HELL ON WHEELS – New series, AMC Network – Premieres Sunday, November 6 at 10 p.m.

Don’t be deceived by the title. While it may suggest modern-day truck drivers, it is, in fact, a period western. The show, set just after the Civil War at the beginning of the nation's Reconstruction, follows Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount, a former Confederate soldier who wants revenge on the Union soldiers that murdered his wife. His quest for vengeance sends him westward to Nebraska’s “Hell on Wheels,” the lawless towns that move with the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Things get complicated when a Native American tribe attacks those working on the railroad, determined to destroy the project because it is being built through their lands.