Apple TV+ Doubles Down While Dancing with the Stars Stumbles Offstage

The Suspension Everyone Is Talking About

Variety reports that Val Chmerkovskiy was pulled from Dancing with the Stars on October 17, following what Deadline describes as a Will Smith slap joke directed at judge Carrie Ann Inaba. The A.V. Club also covered the suspension, and all three outlets confirm the action was taken by the show's producers. The circumstances are the kind that tend to overshadow whatever actually happened on the dance floor that week.

Dancing with the Stars (/shows/dancing-with-the-stars-2005) holds a review score of 68 and has always thrived on the good-natured chaos of its format—Reality and Family genres, streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus. A backstage flare-up of this kind is unusual for a show that has spent two decades presenting itself as broadly inoffensive. Whether Chmerkovskiy returns later in the season is not yet confirmed by any source.

Apple TV+ Has a Very Good Week

Deadline reports that Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed has been renewed for a second season at Apple TV+. The comedy earned an 85 review score and starred Tatiana Maslany, according to the catalog. The A.V. Club also confirmed the renewal. Given that the show drew comparisons to titles like The Revenge Club and Margo's Got Money Troubles, it was clearly carving out a specific niche—dark-comic, high-stakes, propulsive—that Apple wants more of.

Also returning: Variety reports that Where's Wanda? has been picked up for Season 2. The German dark-comedy drama scored an 82 and streams exclusively on Apple TV+. Variety tied the announcement to MIPCOM, suggesting the platform is using the market to signal confidence in its international slate. The show sits alongside titles like Last Seen and Someone Has to Know in tone and structure.

Deadline additionally reports that Down Cemetery Road has added 12 new cast members for its second season on Apple TV+. Radio Times also covered the casting expansion. The show—an adaptation of Mick Herron's novel—earned a 78 review score and features Emma Thompson in a lead role, per the catalog. Fans of Fool Me Once or Agatha Christie's Seven Dials have found it familiar territory. Meanwhile, Screen Rant reports that Foundation is set to return in December 2026, though the report is attributed as reported rather than confirmed. Foundation streams on Apple TV+ and carries a 67 review score; its scale has always been more visually impressive than critically unanimous.

First Looks: Ghosts Gets Spooky, White Lotus Gets Cryptic

Entertainment Weekly published an exclusive first look at the Ghosts Halloween special on October 16, featuring Ben Feldman. Ghosts (/shows/ghosts-2021) holds an 80 review score and has distinguished itself from the British original through what critics describe as a charming tone and a strong ensemble. The show streams on Paramount+ and YouTube TV, among other platforms. A Halloween episode is about as logical a deployment of this cast as exists on television right now.

The same day, CBR, Screen Rant, and Collider all published first-look images for The White Lotus Season 4. The White Lotus (/shows/the-white-lotus-2021) carries the highest review score of any show in this week's news at 90, and the catalog describes it as a razor-sharp satire of wealth and privilege created by Mike White. Season 4 streams on HBO Max. The images themselves reveal little—which, for a show that traffics in dread and misdirection, is probably the point. Viewers drawn to The Resort or Palm Royale will find the aesthetic familiar, though White Lotus tends to operate at a sharper angle.

Quick Notes: Abbott Elementary Casts Three, Law & Order Shows Its Hand

Abbott Elementary, which holds the week's second-highest review score at 92, confirmed that Miranda Cosgrove, Edi Patterson, and Ali Wong are all set to guest star. No source outlet was listed in the event data, and no episode air date was provided. The mockumentary comedy streams on Hulu, Disney Plus, and HBO Max, among others. Guest casting of this caliber is a reliable sign that a show has enough cultural goodwill to attract performers who simply want to be part of it.

TV Insider released first-look photos for an upcoming Law & Order episode featuring James Badge Dale, confirmed on October 15. No air date was attached to the images in the confirmed event. Law & Order streams across a wide range of platforms including Peacock, Netflix, Hulu, and NBC, and carries a 75 review score. The show's half-century run means a new face in the cast rarely signals anything more dramatic than a solid hour of procedural television—which, for its audience, is entirely sufficient.