What to Watch the Week of November 5: Why The Golden Bachelor : The Women Tell All Is Must-See

John Fleenor/Disney; Everett Collection; Hallmark Channel

I know I keep saying every week that The Golden Bachelor is worth watching, but I mean it, and this week especially so. This Thursday is the “Women Tell All,” and while I normally couldn’t care less about the filler episode every season, this time it’s the exception. Nearly all the ladies from Gerry’s season reunite on stage, and my only complaint is that ABC didn’t make the episode a full two hours (it’s 74 minutes, but still).

I was there in person for the taping (which lasted around four hours), and it was the most emotional, fulfilling, inspiring, and hilarious afternoon/evening (and that was before Gerry joined Jesse Palmer in the hot seat!).

The women look amazing, but more than anything, you get to hear them talk about the experience and how it changed them in ways they could never have imagined. Kathy opens up about her husband’s passing (he died by suicide not long before they were to celebrate 46 years of marriage), and seeing her work through that pain and still embrace life is nothing short of inspirational.

“I didn’t find love with Gerry, obviously, but I feel so strong now and I feel that [collectively] we have given so many people hope,” Kathy told Glamour after the taping. “Get off the sofa, take those adventures. Be kind. See what’s out there because no one’s coming to your door. If you want change in your life, be the change. I know that more than I ever did before. We are 60 and above, and we are vibrant, relevant and have things to say.” Amen, sister.

Susan—who gets one heck of a fun surprise during the show—echoed Kathy’s sentiments in her chat with Glamour. “This was the most fabulous experience ever. I hope [viewers] realize it wasn’t just about us being on a TV show. It’s about us being alive and living our lives to the fullest, because a lot of people—especially after the age of 65—get down [on life] and kind of give up. But you can’t. We still have so much life in us, and that’s what I want everybody out there to realize. Get up and do whatever the hell you want to do.”

A lot of times the “Women Tell All,” or “Men Tell All,” serves as an audition of sorts for the contestants to go on Bachelor in Paradise, but I hope this episode serves as just another reason why ABC and Warner Horizon should do a spin-off featuring these women (the “ASKN” group and/or more of the ladies) living their lives, enjoying new friendships, and also being the sexual human beings they very much are.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering: Yes, you will get an answer to this past Thursday’s cliff-hanger in which Gerry nearly threw up before handing out his final rose to either Theresa or Faith. (He already handed one out to Leslie). Gerry will then sit down with the eliminated woman on the “Women Tell All” special, and that in itself is must-see TV. We’ll have an interview with her (either Theresa or Faith) following Thursday’s episode.

On that note, there are other TV and movies premiering this week (I know, crazy, right?). The Holdovers is destined to be a major awards contender, so that’s my pick for film of the week. As for TV, there are plenty of fun holiday offerings, but I’ll say it again: If you have yet to watch Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry (based on the best-selling book of the same name and starring Brie Larson, Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King, Kevin Sussman, and more), then please start. Episodes one through five are currently streaming (six is coming soon), and it’s absolutely worth your time, especially if you were a fan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and This Is Us, as well as Julia.

Read on for more, and I’ll see you back here next week for part one of the final season of The Crown, which completely exceeded my expectations.

Sunday, November 5

The Mountain Kitchen (Magnolia Network, and streaming on Max and discovery+): Self-taught cook Annie Starke hosts this new series in which she shares great eats and fun times indoors and over the fire at her family’s mountain ranch in Montana. And why do you want to see her family’s ranch, you ask? Well, her mom is icon Glenn Close, so that’s reason enough for me. Plus, the show is the perfect cozy entertainment this holiday season. 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT and streaming on Max and Discovery+

Friends (TBS): This is the fifth day of TBS paying tribute to Matthew Perry with some of the best Chandler Bing episodes. They’ll be interspersed with special tributes showcasing what he and Chandler meant to fans. The episodes include “The One With a Chick and a Duck,” “The One with the Cat,” “The One With the Cuffs,” ”The One With Chandler in a Box," “The One With the Embryos,” “The One With All the Rugby,” “The One With All the Thanksgivings," “The One Where Everybody Finds Out," “The One With the Cop,” “The One With the Proposal: Part 1,” “The One With the Halloween Party,” “The One With the Tea Leaves,” and “The One With the Sharks.” Starting at 6 a.m. ET

The Santa Summit (Hallmark Channel): Virgin River hunk alert! Benjamin Hollingsworth (who plays Brady in the Netflix hit romantic drama series) stars in this all new Hallmark movie opposite Hunter King (The Professional Bridesmaid, The Young and the Restless). The movie also features Cher’s brand-new holiday song, “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” from Cher’s Christmas album, available here.

Here's the official logline for The Santa Summit: “Jordin (King) and her two friends Ava and Stella decide to attend Santa Summit, a holiday event where everyone wears their best Santa suits and hops around town to participate in holiday activities. Ava pushes her girlfriends to go after finding out her crush Ben will be there. The three friends could use a night together to reconnect–with Jordin getting over a breakup and Stella in a work rut (and not in the holiday spirit), it’s been a while since they’ve gone out together for some fun. At the first stop Jordin meets Liam (Hollingsworth), a fellow reveler in full Kris Kringle gear, but they quickly get separated by a Santa stampede before exchanging names or numbers. Feeling a special connection and determined to find each other, Jordin and Liam continue their mutual search but miss by minutes at each location. As the night progresses, Jordin and Stella try to convince Ava to take a chance and confess her feelings to Ben, Stella gets a push to help her regain her Christmas spirit in an unexpected way, and their adventure turns out to be a not-so-silent night they’ll never forget.” 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT

Lost Women of Highway 20 (ID): This six-part series, narrated and executive-produced by Octavia Spencer, begins with the case of a missing 13-year-old girl and spirals into a decades-long true-crime odyssey. Inspired by the award-winning work of journalist Noelle Crombie, videographer Dave Killen, and photojournalist Beth Nakamura of The Oregonian, the series does a deep dive into the dark secrets of a ghostly Oregon stretch of US Highway 20, where many women and girls went missing, were raped, or were murdered from the 1970s to the 1990s. The documentary, which is directed by Arianna Lapenne, answers many questions. 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT

Monday, November 6

Stranger Things Day (Netflix social channels): It’s Stranger Things Day, so the streamer is looking back at the first four seasons, offering new teasers on their social channels, and unveiling limited edition merchandise online and in brick-and-mortar stores around the world. You can follow along on X @Stranger_Things, Instagram @StrangerThingsTV, and Facebook @StrangerThingsTV.

Tuesday, November 7

Glamour Women of the Year Awards (red-carpet livestream): Ubah Hassan and Brynn Whitfield from The Real Housewives of New York will be on hand to host the glamorous red carpet live from New York City. Guests include Women of the Year Millie Bobby Brown, America Ferrera, Brooke Shields, Quinta Brunson, Mary J. Blige, and many more. Stream here at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT

Dancing With the Stars (ABC/Disney+): It’s Music Video Night and the remaining eight couples will perform dances set to the songs of the most iconic music videos. It’s only appropriate then that Paula Abdul will be a a guest judge. Here’s the lineup: Alyson Hannigan and pro Sasha Farber will perform a quickstep to “Candyman” by Christina Aguilera; Xochitl Gomez and pro Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a jazz to “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani; Ariana Madix and pro Pasha Pashkov will perform a cha cha to “I’m a Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears; Lele Pons and pro Brandon Armstrong will perform a salsa to “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira; Charity Lawson and pro Artem Chigvintsev will perform a jazz to “All For You” by Janet Jackson; Jason Mraz and pro Daniella Karagach will perform a jazz to “Take on Me” by A-ha; Harry Jowsey and pro Rylee Arnold will perform a jazz to “It’s Gonna Be Me” by ’NSync; and Barry Williams and pro Peta Murgatroyd will perform a quickstep to “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John. 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT

Wednesday, November 8

The 57th Annual CMA Awards (ABC): Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will host country music’s biggest (and longest) night from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Expect appearances and performances during the three-hour show from Jelly Roll, K. Michelle, Little Big Town, Megan Moroney, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton, Tanya Tucker, Lainey Wilson, and more. 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT and available the next day on Hulu

Thursday, November 9

The Golden Bachelor: Women Tell All (ABC): Who gets the second rose, and why have we had to wait a whole week to find out?! Also, in case you’re wondering: here’s the schedule for the remaining episodes this season:

Thursday, Nov. 9: “Women Tell All,” and the conclusion of last week’s episode

Thursday, Nov. 16: “Fantasy Suites”

Thursday, Nov. 23: Recap special for Thanksgiving

Thursday, Nov. 30: Two-hour finale and “After the Final Rose” special

8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT and streaming the next day on Hulu

Rap Sh!t (Max): Season two of Issa Rae’s comedy series (she executive-produces) debuts with two episodes today. One episode will premiere weekly, culminating in the season finale on Thursday, September 21. In case you need a refresher, per Max: “Rap Sh!t follows two estranged high school friends, Shawna and Mia, who reunite to form a rap group. In their rise to fame, Shawna and Mia find themselves at a pivotal moment in their rap career as they are forced to decide if they will stay true to themselves or conform to the demands of the music industry.” Streaming

Friday, November 10

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+): In the sixth episode of the limited series, Elizabeth (Brie Larson) grapples with the complexities of her newfound fame. Meanwhile, Mad continues her covert mission to unravel her father’s past. For more on the series, click here. Streaming

The Holdovers (Focus Features): After a limited release, the awards-season contender is now in theaters nationally. Directed by Alexander Payne, the Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph film follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them—a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa)—and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Randolph). In theaters

Saturday, November 11

Christmas Island (Hallmark Channel): Rachel Skarsten and Andrew Walker star in this new Hallmark movie in which an airplane pilot and her passengers are stranded in a charming remote town over the holidays. As expected, love blooms and I’ll be watching. 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour senior West Coast editor and author of the NYT best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.

Originally Appeared on Glamour