TV Best Bets

Thursday, Oct. 6: MLB American League Division Series

AL Division Series Rich Gagnon/Getty Images

All Times Eastern.

Thursday, Oct. 6

Major League Baseball: American League Division Series
TBS, 4:30pm Live
TBS airs both best-of-five-game AL Division Series beginning today, with the wild-card winning Toronto Blue Jays at the top-seeded Texas Rangers, followed by the Boston Red Sox at the Cleveland Indians (8pm ET). The ALDS winners advance to the AL Championship Series beginning Oct. 14.

Grey’s Anatomy: “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker”
ABC, 8pm
A bickering family disrupts the hospital following a car crash during a funeral. Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) returns from New York and ends up caught in the middle of Alex (Justin Chambers) and Andrew (Giacomo Gianniotti). Ben (Jason George) takes on a new parenting role while Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) helps Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Maggie (Kelly McCreary).

iHeartRadio Music Festival — Night One
The CW, 8pm
The first night of the massive Las Vegas music festival includes scheduled performances from U2, Drake, Sia, Twenty One Pilots, Sam Hunt, Billy Idol and OneRepublic.

College Football: Temple at Memphis
ESPN, 8pm Live
The Temple Owls head to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to take on the Memphis Tigers in an AAC primetime matchup on ESPN.

Superstore: “Guns, Pills and Birds”
NBC, 8pm
When Amy (America Ferrera) assigns an uncomfortable Jonah (Ben Feldman) to the gun section of Cloud 9, Jonah abuses his right to refuse sale to anyone that causes concern, causing an open-carry protest to gather in the store. On principle, Glenn (Mark McKinney) attempts to purchase all of the store’s morning-after pills, but finds himself in a moral dilemma when he can’t afford them.

NFL Football: Arizona at San Francisco
CBS & NFL Network, 8:25pm Live
Thursday Night Football features an NFC West clash as the Arizona Cardinals head to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., to face the San Francisco 49ers.

The Good Place: “Category 55 Emergency Doomsday Crisis”
NBC, 8:30pm
Eleanor’s (Kristen Bell) eagerness to learn ethics from Chidi (William Jackson Harper) becomes the full-time job he never wanted. Meanwhile, Michael (Ted Danson) and Janet (D’Arcy Carden) focus their attention on a Neighborhood emergency.

Notorious: “Friends and Other Strangers”
ABC, 9pm
After a beloved rock star/humanitarian falls into a coma, Julia (Piper Perabo) puts her job on the line to air footage showing him taking advantage of a woman backstage at one of his concerts, while Jake (Daniel Sunjata) represents the woman who turned over the tape. Meanwhile, Louise (Kate Jennings Grant) is oddly unnerved by a story; Ella (Aimee Teegarden) helps Ryan (Ryan Guzman) track the source of mysterious photos sent to Julia; and an interview with Sarah’s (Dilshad Vadsaria) brother reveals stunning information about Oscar (Kevin Zegers).

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles
Bravo, 9pm
Season Premiere!
In a supersized 75-minute premiere episode, Madison Hildebrand returns and joins Josh Altman, Josh Flagg, and Brits James Harris and David Parnes as they face off in a fiercely competitive L.A. housing market. The superstar real estate agents have their eyes on big commissions and big changes in their personal lives.

Chicago Med: “Natural History”
NBC, 9pm
Maggie (Marlyne Barrett) takes Dr. Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss) to her family reunion, where he meets her sibling Denise (guest star Alexandra Grey) and uncovers deep-rooted family secrets.

How to Get Away with Murder: “Always Bet Black”
ABC, 10pm
Annalise (Viola Davis) presents the class with a high-profile murder case that may challenge even the Keating 5’s morals. Laurel (Karla Souza) makes a shocking discovery through an unlikely source.

Better Things: “Future Fever”
FX, 10pm
Both Sam (Pamela Adlon) and her teenage daughter Max (Mikey Madison) have a lot on their minds in the new episode “Future Fever.”

The Blacklist: “Miles McGrath”
NBC, 10pm
Red (James Spader) and the Task Force take extreme measures to hunt down one of Alexander Kirk’s allies, Miles McGrath (Tate Ellington), a “criminal incubator” who finances crimes for profit. Meanwhile, Liz (Megan Boone) learns more about her family.

Those Who Can’t: “Rod Man Out”
truTV, 10:30pm
Season Premiere!
Tammy’s interim principal! In the season finale, Principal Quinn (Rory Scovel) was arrested after exposing himself to a group of students in a prank gone wrong. Tammy (Sonya Eddy) calls a mandatory meeting a week prior to the start of school, but first Loren (Adam Cayton-Holland), Shoemaker (Ben Roy) and Fairbell (Andrew Orvedahl) give a hilarious review of their summers. The guys and Abbey (Maria Thayer) get a surprise when Rod (Kyle Kinane) returns to Smoot a sober man. But his new insufferable attitude forces the gang to do the unthinkable to get him back to his old self.

Friday, Oct. 7

The 13th
Netflix
After becoming the first ever nonfiction work to open the New York Film Festival, Ava DuVernay’s (Selma, Queen Sugar) documentary comes to Netflix and a limited theatrical run this month. The film, whose title refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that formally abolished slavery in America, chronicles the history of racial inequality in the United States.

The Siege of Jadotville
Netflix
Original Film!
This film depicts the 1961 siege of a 150-strong Irish United Nations battalion under Cmdr. Patrick Quinlan (Jamie Dornan) by 3,000 Congolese troops led by French and Belgian mercenaries working for mining companies. Guillaume Canet also stars as a French commander who sought to defeat Quinlan and his men.

College Football: Clemson at Boston College
ESPN, 7:30pm Live
A Friday primetime ACC matchup on ESPN has the Clemson Tigers heading to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on the Boston College Eagles.

MacGyver: “Awl”
CBS, 8pm
In the new episode “Awl,” MacGyver (Lucas Till) and the team are in Malaysia to extract a terrorist group’s money man, Ralph (guest star Oliver Cooper), who holds key intel to an impending attack. But the mission goes south when the man is shot, and now, with only a driver’s license and hand sanitizer available, MacGyver must keep Ralph alive in order to learn the terrorists’ plans.

iHeartRadio Music Festival — Night Two
The CW, 8pm
The second night of the music event includes scheduled performances from Sting, Usher, Britney Spears, Pitbull, Ariana Grande, Florida Georgia Line, Zedd, Tears for Fears and Cage The Elephant.

The Swap
Disney Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
When a text argument gets out of hand, Ellie (Peyton List) and Jack (Jacob Bertrand) magically swap bodies. Hilarity ensues as each tries to navigate the other’s complicated life: Ellie (as Jack) learns about brotherly bonding and hockey lingo, while Jack (as Ellie) has to decipher the girl code. With a rhythmic gymnastics championship and a spot on the varsity hockey team on the line, Ellie and Jack must figure out how to get back in their own bodies before the swap becomes permanent.

Dr. Ken
ABC, 8:30pm
Getting passed over for hosting the annual Welltopia HMO banquet has Dr. Ken Park (Ken Jeong) spiraling in tonight’s episode of Dr. Ken. Even worse is finding out that his sardonic boss, Pat (Dave Foley), nabbed the gig instead. “Pat says, ‘Maybe they wanted more thinking-man comedy, not desperate-man comedy,’” says Jeong. Ouch! Back on the home front, Ken’s preteen son, Dave (Albert Tsai), tries to shake an overly interested neighbor who stares at him through the kitchen window. “The stalker is played by my real-life daughter, Zooey,” Jeong says of his 9-year-old. The young Jeong doesn’t have any lines. “Zooey is a master of deadpan stares,” Jeong says. “I wrote this with her in mind. It turned out better than I expected.”

Hawaii Five-0: “He Moho Hou (New Player)”
CBS, 9pm
In the new episode “He Moho Hou (New Player),” FBI profiler Alicia Brown (guest star Claire Forlani) finds a body in her bed and is forced to join McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) in the hunt for the chess-piece killer. Elizabeth Röhm also guest-stars.

Z Nation: “Escorpion and the Red Hand”
Syfy, 9pm
More people flock to Murphy’s cult, while the others are stuck in the middle of a war.

Blue Bloods: “The Price of Justice”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “The Price of Justice,” Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Baez (Marisa Ramirez) are determined to get justice for a traumatized young woman who was held hostage, despite her resistance to press charges.

Quarry: “Coffee Blues”
Cinemax, 10pm
An unspeakable act of racial violence rocks Memphis and the Solomon family.

Van Helsing: “Coming Back”
Syfy, 10pm
Vanessa and Mohamad head into the vampire-controlled streets in search of Dylan, the daughter that Vanessa orphaned when she “died.” Back at the hospital, Cynthia is found dead, and Doc soon discovers that what looked like a suicide is actually a deliberate murder. Is there a killer among the group? On their return to the hospital, Vanessa is captured by vampires while Mohamad leads a new group of refugees to the hospital.

Saturday, Oct. 8

Academented Weekend
Comedy Central, beginning at 10:05am
Did you waste your college years studying? Comedy Central’s Academented Weekend features some of the most raucous coming-of-age comedies beginning Saturday with Justin Long and Jonah Hill in Accepted (2006) and continuing with The To Do List (2013), Sex Drive (2008) and Road Trip (2000). Sunday features an airing of the 1984 classic Revenge of the Nerds.

All-Star Halloween Spectacular
Food Network, 8pm
The biggest stars from Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel team up in Sin City for the ultimate Halloween adventure. First, Drew Scott and Tia Mowry team up against Jonathan Scott and Duff Goldman to create two life-sized haunted houses right on the Las Vegas Strip, full of over-the-top special effects, tasty treats and freaky concoctions. Travel Channel’s Adam Richman joins the fun, helping out both teams until it’s time for the public to name a winner, with that creative team winning money for the charity of their choice.

Devil’s Due
FXX, 8pm

In this 2014 horror film, a young married couple discovers their pregnancy is something darker when they begin experiencing odd behaviors and abnormal changes to body and mind. Allison Miller, Zach Gilford and Sam Anderson star.

Autumn in the Vineyard
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
Rachael Leigh Cook stars as a woman determined to turn Sorrento Farm into an award-winning winery. But when she has to rely on a rival to make her dream come true, she finds that romance is almost as intoxicating as wine.

Day of Reckoning
Syfy, 9pm
Original Film!
Some years ago the world experienced a “day of reckoning” where creatures came up from below and purged humanity of evil. Now it is happening again.

Versailles: “Mirror for Princes”
Ovation, 10pm
When the African Prince Annaba visits Louis at Versailles, Louis uses his wife Marie-Therese to gain access to the African territories. Meanwhile, Philippe’s wife, Henriette, is harassed by the unrelenting Chevalier de Lorraine.

Sunday, Oct. 9

The Simpsons: “The Town”
FOX, 8pm
When Homer catches Bart rooting for Springfield’s football rival, the Boston Americans, he plans a family “hate-cation” trip to Boston to show Bart that Boston is a terrible city. Rachel Dratch, Bill Burr, Dana Gould and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin provide guest voices.

NFL Football: N.Y. Giants at Green Bay
NBC, 8:20pm Live
It’s the first flexible schedule week of 2016 for Sunday Night Football, but it’s hard to imagine NBC passing on a visit to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., as Eli Manning and the N.Y. Giants take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Presidential Debate
ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, 9pm Live
In the second of three presidential election debates, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump will meet at Washington University in St. Louis. In this town meeting-style debate, half of the questions will be posed by citizen participants, while the other half will be posed by the moderators, ABC’s Martha Raddatz and CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Death al Dente: A Gourmet Detective Mystery
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9pm
Original Film!
San Francisco homicide detective Maggie Price (Brooke Burns) and former world-class chef Henry Ross (Dylan Neal) are on the case once again as the crime-solving odd couple. While investigating the murder of Henry’s friend, a well-known local chef found dead in his kitchen, they unravel an old family secret, Maggie deals with an apparent stalker, and her blooming relationship with Henry is threatened.

Divorce
HBO, 10pm
New Series!
Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church return to lead TV roles in this sharply funny, genuinely moving series from creator Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) and Parker’s Pretty Matches Productions (HBO introduced the pair!). Parker and Church costar as Frances and Robert Dufresne, a suburban New York couple who realize that middle age and varying disappointments have driven a wedge in their union. With Frances eager for a fresh start — Robert, not so much — and their social circle offering myriad opinions, the couple begins the divorce process, for better or for worse.

Insecure
HBO, 10:30pm
New Series!
Issa Rae, star of the web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and author of a New York Times bestseller of the same name, teamed up with Larry Wilmore to create this raucously funny social study. “It’s been portrayed throughout media over the years, and accepted by mainstream media — and even in other shows — that there’s this signature way to be black,” says Rae, who stars as Issa Dee. “Well, what does that mean if you are not that? Does that mean that I’m not black? Or does that mean that I don’t fit into this box? And then there’s what does it mean when other people who are also black question your blackness?”

Monday, Oct. 10

Freakish
Hulu
New Series!
This creepy new series follows 20 students whose day in detention gets a lot more intense when a local chemical plant suffers an accident. After coming out of their fallout shelter, the students find that those not in the bunker seem to be infected. All episodes are available today.

The Big Bang Theory: “The Cohabitation Experimentation”
CBS, 8pm
In the new episode “The Cohabitation Experimentation,” Amy (Mayim Bialik) suggests that she and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) move in together after a flood leaves her apartment uninhabitable.

Supergirl
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Supergirl ended its first season on CBS with a mysterious pod crashing in National City. Now that the superhero series has moved to The CW, series co-creator Andrew Kreisberg reveals, “The identity of the person in the pod is now confirmed as Mon-El,” who will be played by Chris Wood. Kreisberg also says that at some point this season, Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) will team up.

The Voice: “The Battles Premiere”
NBC, 8pm
The “battle rounds” begin, and the coaches enlist the help of the music industry’s top recording artists to offer their knowledge and skills as advisers. Miley Cyrus teams up with Joan Jett, Alicia Keys with Charlie Puth, Adam Levine with Sammy Hagar and Blake Shelton with Bette Midler. In this phase, the coaches pit two of their own team members against each other in a dueling duet. After the vocal face-off, each coach must choose which artist from their team is the strongest, and has the option of stealing losing artists from an opposing coach. Each coach has two steals during the battle rounds where their artists will proceed to the knockout rounds. Part 2 of the battle rounds airs tomorrow night.

2 Broke Girls: “And the Two Openings”
CBS, 9pm
Season Premiere!
As Season 6 begins with the two-part premiere “And the Two Openings,” Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) are partial owners of the diner, and waiting tables while putting the finishing touches on the Dessert Bar. Han (Matthew Moy) vows to get side jobs in order to repay the girls and get back full ownership of the diner. Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge) and Oleg (Jonathan Kite) prepare for the birth of their baby.

Lucifer: “Sin-Eater”
FOX, 9pm
Lucifer and Chloe investigate a gruesome murder after a video of the crime surfaces on social media. But when a second video appears, they realize they have a serial killer on their hands.

Conviction: “Bridge and Tunnel Vision”
ABC, 10pm
Hayes (Hayley Atwell) tackles the case that made Wallace’s (Eddie Cahill) career a decade before, in which three young white men, labeled the Prospect 3, confessed to raping and robbing a young black woman. Hayes takes it personally when the complex case reveals a major surprise and the press savages the victim’s character all over again.

Scorpion: “It Isn’t the Fall That Kills You”
CBS, 10pm
When Walter (Elyes Gabel) is accidentally launched into space in a rocket, he hallucinates about Paige (Katharine McPhee) as his oxygen runs low, and Team Scorpion works feverishly to find a way to bring him home in the new episode “It Isn’t the Fall That Kills You.”

Timeless: “The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln”
NBC, 10pm
Lucy (Abigail Spencer), Wyatt (Matt Lanter), and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) chase terrorist Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic) to the night of Lincoln’s assassination, where they’re horrified to learn that Flynn has linked up with history’s most notorious assassin, John Wilkes Booth (guest star Kelly Blatz). Putting aside a tragedy of her own, Lucy speculates that Flynn intends to send the fragile nation into chaos by making a bad thing worse, and a debate rages among the team: Should they alter history if it means changing it for the better?

POV: “From This Day Forward”
PBS, 10pm
Meet an American family coping with one of life’s most intimate transformations. Sharon Shattuck’s father came out as transgender, living as Trisha. Her mother stayed with him. Now Sharon wants to understand how the family survived intact.

Tuesday, Oct. 11

The Middle
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
In Season 8, the Heck kids are breaking out of their comfort zones and navigating new situations — which may or may not be very comforting to Frankie and Mike. Axl, now a senior in college, is helplessly in love with a local girl. College sophomore Sue changes her major to theater after catching the acting bug during her summer job at Dollywood. And new high-schooler Brick sees an opportunity to change his weird-kid status.

NCIS: “Love Boat”
CBS, 8pm
Viewers have seen how NCIS’s Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) fusses over computer accessories. So now imagine how the obsessive-compulsive, newly promoted senior agent is going to handle holding on to an engagement ring once he finally decides to pop the big question to live-in girlfriend Delilah (Margo Harshman) tonight.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”/ “New Girl” Crossover
FOX, 8pm
Two of FOX’s quirkiest comedies collide with back-to-back crossover episodes. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine: “The Night Shift,” Jake struggles with his first case back at the precinct, but when he encounters tourist Jess Day (New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel), he enlists her to help him find his suspect. Then, in New Girl: “Homecoming,” Jess and the gang head to New York, where Schmidt believes he is being honored at his high-school. Jess meets Detective Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg) and helps him on a case, which leads to a fateful encounter with Gina Linetti (guest star Chelsea Peretti) and Capt. Ray Holt (guest star Andre Braugher).

Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After?
Freeform, 8pm
New Series!
Find out what happened after the roses and romance for engaged Bachelor lovebirds Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell. As they prep to walk down the aisle, the happy couple adjusts to the reality of life without exotic dates and fantasy suites.

American Housewife
ABC, 8:30pm
New Series!
Mike & Molly’s Katy Mixon stars as Katie Otto, a lovable mom who struggles to raise her flawed family in wealthy Westport, Conn., an enclave of perfection. While Katie relishes “second breakfast” with her group of misfit parents and doesn’t care if her shirt has stains, she dreams of helping one of her children fit in a little more, while making her other two kids fit in a little less.

Fresh Off the Boat
ABC, 9pm
Season Premiere!
As Season 3 premieres in the Huang household, Eddie (Hudson Yang) and his preteen posse embrace the middle-school years, complete with girlfriends, mix tapes and school dances. Middle brother and fledgling tennis ace Emery (Forrest Wheeler) continues to thrive in school, and Evan (Ian Chen), the youngest, still enjoys the perks of being the baby of the family.

Real Husbands of Hollywood
BET, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Kevin Hart’s Season 1 nemesis, singer Robin Thicke, returns as the former’s hoped-to-be AA sponsee. We can already see them ruining the feng shui of Taco Tuesday.

No Tomorrow: “No Crying in Baseball”
The CW, 9pm
Xavier (Joshua Sasse) helps Evie (Tori Anderson) face her fear of failure, but their relationship hits a snag when his escaped convict cousin Jesse (guest star George Basil) wants to move in.

The Letter
Freeform, 9pm
New Series!
In each episode of this unscripted series, friends draw names and each writes an anonymous and brutally honest letter, outlining what the recipient needs to change to better his or her life. Then, each “reader” must follow every suggestion, rule and instruction found in the letter for one week. And at the end of each episode, the authors of the letters reveal themselves to their BFFs.

Channel Zero: Candle Cove
Syfy, 9pm
New Series!
Syfy’s new anthology series Channel Zero is based on a popular “creepypasta” (user-generated horror stories that are published and passed around the internet). The six-episode first season, Candle Cove, centers on one man’s obsessive recollections of a mysterious children’s television program from the 1980s, and his ever-growing suspicions about the role it might have played in a series of nightmarish and deadly events from his childhood.

The Real O’Neals: “The Real Thang”
ABC, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!
Castle’s Susan Sullivan will guest-star as the bold family comedy launches its second season. Executive producer Stacy Traub told reporters at this summer’s Television Critics Association tour that “in our premiere episode, we’re doing this bit where Eileen tells Kenny to ask maybe if all the gay people could tone it down a bit. So he picks up a rainbow bat phone and immediately gets Jane Lynch on the phone. And we have RuPaul and Tyler Oakley and Lance Bass.”

This Is Us: “Kyle”
NBC, 9pm
Rebecca (Mandy Moore) makes a surprise visit to Randall’s (Sterling K. Brown) home where she encounters his biological father, William (Ron Cephas Jones). Kevin (Justin Hartley) anxiously decides to take the plunge and move to New York to pursue a Broadway job, with the expectation that his sister, Kate (Chrissy Metz), will move with him. Toby (Chris Sullivan) is determined to get Kate out of Kevin’s shadow and prepares a special day where she is in the limelight. Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca take home their babies from the hospital and adjust to the new life of parenthood, while coping with the loss of their other child. Rebecca struggles to connect with their adopted child and searches for answers.

NCIS: New Orleans: “Man on Fire”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “Man on Fire,” a decorated petty officer is found dead inside a sports arena, and evidence leads Pride (Scott Bakula) and the NCIS team to a kidnapping case of a petty officer who was last seen in Mexico.

Chicago Fire: “The Hose or the Animal”
NBC, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) are on the lookout for a very unstable Grant (guest star Guy Burnet), who left Chicago Med without notice. Now that Dawson (Monica Raymund) is responsible for Louie, she questions her dangerous career path as a firefighter. Casey (Jesse Spencer) continues his work as alderman but his relationship with his political consultant, Susan Weller (guest star Lauren Stamile), cools.

Aftermath: “In Our Empty Rooms”
Syfy, 10pm
While their kidnapped daughter is taken in by a religious commune led by the mysterious Reverend Brother, the Copelands meet the only man with the cure to the plague.

Wednesday, Oct. 12

College Football: Appalachian State at Louisiana-Lafayette
ESPN2, 8pm Live
A Wednesday night Sun Belt Conference game on ESPN2 has the Appalachian State Mountaineers on the road to face the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.

Blindspot: “Condone Untidiest Thefts”
NBC, 8pm
After a prominent politician is almost killed during a rally, Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) and the team must work with U.S. Marshal Allie Knight (guest star Trieste Kelly Dunn) to take down a mob leader.

NHL Hockey
NBCSN, beginning at 8pm Live
Opening night of the NHL regular season on NBCSN has the St. Louis Blues at the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by the L.A. Kings at the 2016 Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks.

Nature: “Super Hummingbirds”
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Enter the fast-paced world of hummingbirds with help from high-speed cameras and breakthrough science. For the first time, see hummingbirds mate, fight and raise families. They are great athletes yet tender moms that are up for any challenge!

Speechless: “I-N-S—INSPIRATIONS”
ABC, 8:30pm
Things go haywire when JJ (Micah Fowler) and Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough) realize that strangers find them inspirational and offer them freebies. Meanwhile, Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) and Ray (Mason Cook) try to convince Maya (Minnie Driver) to take them to play paintball, even though the place isn’t accessible.

Modern Family: “Weathering Heights”
ABC, 9pm
Castle’s Nathan Fillion makes his much-anticipated appearance as Phil’s idol, TV weatherman Rainer Shine. Invited to appear on camera for a real-estate news segment, Phil (Ty Burrell) finally gets to meet his hero, but the big moment’s derailed when Shine takes a shine to Haley (Sarah Hyland). Meanwhile Jay (Ed O’Neill) offers input into Manny’s (Rico Rodriguez) college application, and Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) takes action when she grows weary of her dads’ houseguest, Dwight (Person of Interest’s Winston Duke).

Criminal Minds: “Taboo”
CBS, 9pm
Paget Brewster’s agent Emily Prentiss returns full-time to the BAU (replacing Thomas Gibson’s Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner). But don’t get your party hats out just yet. They still have to locate, and hopefully save, three kidnapped women.

Empire: “Cupid Kills”
FOX, 9pm
Things heat up between Cookie and Angelo (guest star Taye Diggs), so Lucious prepares to take him on. Meanwhile, Hakeem starts falling for Nessa, even though she might be into a different Lyon.

NOVA: “Super Tunnel”
PBS, 9pm
Follow an army of engineers and designers as they tackle the complex challenge of building Crossrail, a massive new subterranean railway deep beneath the streets of London.

black-ish: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Black Man?”
ABC, 9:30pm
A situation at work leaves Dre (Anthony Anderson) pondering how black people are perceived now versus when he grew up, so he joins the Homeowners’ Association, hoping to be more open-minded about his community. Meanwhile, Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) tries to spend more time with the kids before the new baby comes.

Designated Survivor: “The Enemy”
ABC, 10pm
When the truth behind the Capitol bombing is revealed, President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) faces both the prospect of war and brewing domestic concerns, tapping Emily (Italia Ricci) to monitor the home front. Alex (Natascha McElhone) gets more than she bargained for when she asks Hookstraten (Virginia Madsen) for help.

The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands
AXS TV, 10pm Live
A tribute to The Who is performed by The Who Generation of Orange, Calif.

Code Black: “Corporeal Form”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “Corporeal Form,” Willis (Rob Lowe) defies orders when he helps Mario (Benjamin Hollingsworth) and Heather (Jillian Murray) perform a radical procedure on a maintenance worker stuck under a boiler that exploded.

The Exorcist File: Haunted Boy
Destination America, 10pm
This is a chronicle of the 1949 exorcism of a 13-year-old boy that inspired the classic chiller The Exorcist.

Chicago P.D.: “Big Friends Big Enemies”
NBC, 10pm
When a car plows through a crowd of concertgoers and gunfire erupts, Lindsay (Sophia Bush) and Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) are on the scene. Unsure of the motive and concerned a terrorist group may be responsible, Voight (Jason Beghe) orders in Homeland Security, customs and the F.B.I. to assist.

Thursday, Oct. 13

Mascots
Netflix
Also premiering in select theaters this month, Christopher Guest’s (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show) latest mockumentary takes place in the ultra-competitive world of sports mascots competing for the most prestigious award in their field, the Gold Fluffy. Many of Guest’s regular troupe of actors star, including Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Fred Willard and Ed Begley Jr.

Grey’s Anatomy: “Falling Slowly”
ABC, 8pm
Alex (Justin Chambers) tries to do the right thing but still can’t catch a break. New parents Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April (Sarah Drew) adjust to their “new normal.” Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) try to sort out their relationships.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!
At the end of Season 1, the team semi‑accidentally blew up the Vanishing Point and the Time Masters, vanquished Vandal Savage and avenged Rip’s family. Executive producer Phil Klemmer notes, “The irony [is] that now there’s nobody left to police the timeline, and our ragtag bunch of time travelers who sort of signed up for this one‑off, saving the world, now are left holding the bag,” and as there are no Time Masters, lots of criminals have been unleashed across history.

Superstore: “Spokesman Scandal”
NBC, 8pm
When Cloud 9’s spokesman is accused of a heinous crime, Glenn (Mark McKinney) worries that he doesn’t know enough about his employees, and Dina (Lauren Ash) exploits his concerns by carrying out storewide drug testing.

NHL Hockey: Washington at Pittsburgh
NBCSN, 8pm Live
The 2016 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins raise their fourth banner to the rafters of the Consol Energy Center before their regular-season opener vs. the Eastern Conference rival Washington Capitals.

NFL Football: Denver at San Diego
CBS & NFL Network, 8:25pm Live
AFC West foes face off tonight in San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium as the Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos take on the Chargers on Thursday Night Football.

The Good Place: “What We Owe to Each Other”
NBC, 8:30pm
Eleanor (Kristen Bell) is enlisted to help Michael (Ted Danson) with an important task that could determine her fate in the Good Place.

Notorious: “Tell Me a Secret”
ABC, 9pm
Julia (Piper Perabo) learns about a college football player allegedly murdered by a young man who was accused on an anonymous message app. Jake (Daniel Sunjata) takes the case when he learns the suspect is the son of a longtime friend. Meanwhile, Levi (Raymond De Ocampo) is troubled by revelations from Oscar’s (Kevin Zegers) jailhouse interview.

Supernatural
The CW, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Season 11 concluded with the shocking return of Mary Winchester. In the new season, rocker/actor Rick Springfield will be making a multi-episode appearance, and Mark Pedowitz, the president of the CW, jokes, “Am I allowed to tell anybody that Lucifer jumps into his body?”

Chicago Med: “Brother’s Keeper”
NBC, 9pm
Several patients are discovered to have the same rare infection, prompting the hospital to bring in Dr. Charles’ (Oliver Platt) daughter Robyn (guest star Mekia Cox), an epidemiologist, to find the common link.

How to Get Away With Murder: “Don’t Tell Annalise”
ABC, 10pm
The Philadelphia Bar Association’s disciplinary board discovers damaging information about Annalise (Viola Davis), leaving a young client’s fate in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Frank (Charlie Weber) commits a shocking act, forcing someone close to him to deal with the fallout.

The Blacklist: “Gaia”
NBC, 10pm
As Red (James Spader) sets Liz (Megan Boone) and the task force on the trail of an eco-terrorist with a mysterious connection to Alexander Kirk, Tom (Ryan Eggold) takes matters into his own hands.

Dream On
PBS, 10pm
Political comedian John Fugelsang retraces the journey of Alexis de Tocqueville, who popularized the idea of the American dream in 1831, to find out whether that American dream is still alive today.

Falling Water
USA Network, 10pm
New Series!
In this mind-bending drama series from executive producers Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead), Blake Masters (Brotherhood) and the late Henry Bromell (Homeland), three unrelated people — Tess (Lizzie Brocheré), Burton (David Ajala) and Taka (Will Yun Lee) — slowly discover that they are dreaming separate parts of a single common dream. As they piece together their visions, they discover that their fates — and the fate of the entire world — may depend on their shared dream.

Those Who Can’t: “Foreskin in the Game”
truTV, 10:30pm
Shoemaker (Ben Roy) seeks emergency medical help for a very personal problem with a reverse circumcision, and Abbey (Maria Thayer) thinks she’s his best chance for fixing it. Fairbell (Andrew Orvedahl) takes on a role assisting Cattie, Smoot’s new principal; and Loren (Adam Cayton-Holland) is feeling pretty little left out.

Friday, Oct. 14

Goliath
Amazon
New Series!
Executive produced by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal), this series follows down-and-out lawyer Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton) as he seeks redemption. His one shot depends on getting justice in a legal system where truth has become a commodity, and the scales of justice have never been more heavily weighed toward the rich and powerful.

MacGyver: “Wire Cutter”
CBS, 8pm
In the new episode “Wire Cutter,” MacGyver (Lucas Till) and Jack (George Eads) partner with a Russian bomb programmer and his estranged handler to shut down a Soviet-era warhead in Moscow.

Hawaii Five-0: “Hū A’e Ke Ahi Lanakila A Kamaile (The Fire of Kamile Rises in Triumph)”
CBS, 9pm
In this new episode, Five-0 must find McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Alicia (guest star Claire Forlani) when they are kidnapped by the serial killer they’ve been hunting. Former NFL player Otis Wilson guest-stars as himself.

Gold Rush
Discovery Channel, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Discovery’s No. 1-rated show returns for its seventh season with a two-hour premiere tonight. Parker Schnabel, Todd Hoffman and Tony Beets are back, looking to find more gold than ever before.

Great Performances: “Grammy Salute to Music Legends”
PBS, 9pm
An all-star concert salutes the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement, Trustee and Music Educator award winners. Honorees include Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Herbie Hancock, Jefferson Airplane, Linda Ronstadt, John Cage, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Z Nation: “Little Red and the Wolfz”
Syfy, 9pm
10K, already injured and alone, is stalked by a pack of wolves.

Blue Bloods: “Mob Rules”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “Mob Rules,” Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Frank (Tom Selleck) want justice for Lt. Gormley (Robert Clohessy) after he is beaten by a mob outside his home. They enlist the aid of Detective Anthony Abetemarco (guest star Steve Schirripa), who has a personal connection to the neighborhood where the attack occurred.

Suspicion
Investigation Discovery, 10pm
Season Premiere!
From stalkers to criminal coverups and killers on the loose, the stories in Season 2 of Suspicion start building suspense from the moment something feels amiss. Emotional first-person interviews detail the endless twists and turns that come with following a dangerous hunch, leaving viewers anxious to learn who the culprit is until the very end.

Wolf Creek
Pop, 10pm
New Series!
Inspired by the cult horror film, this six-part event sees John Jarratt reprising his film role as murdering psychopath Mick Taylor, who wreaks havoc in the Australian Outback. This time, though, things are different, as a young American college student (Lucy Fry) survives Mick’s massacre of her family and sets out to hunt down the killer and avenge her loved ones.

Van Helsing: “Fear Her”
Syfy, 10pm
Vanessa, now in the clutches of Julius and his vampire brood, is forced to demonstrate her powers against someone from her past. Meanwhile, the refugees discover a serial killer among the other residents, and plot to wrestle control from Axel. In the aftermath, Mohamad is banished from the hospital.

Saturday, Oct. 15

College Football: Stanford at Notre Dame
NBC, 7:30pm Live
The Stanford Cardinal head to famed Notre Dame Stadium for a primetime clash with the Fighting Irish on NBC.

Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four
Investigation Discovery, 8pm
This award-winning film documents the struggle for exoneration of four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted of rape against two young girls.

Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Celebrated hip-hop artist Michel’le Toussaint — better known by her first name only — narrates this new biopic, which details her tumultuous life. Formerly tied to rap star Dr. Dre, with whom she has a son, and divorced from Death Row Records cofounder Suge Knight, Michel’le (played by Rhyon Nicole Brown, Lincoln Heights) triumphed over horrific abuse and adversity for the sake of herself and her kids. Newcomer Curtis Hamilton costars as Dr. Dre and R. Marcos Taylor reprises his Straight Outta Compton role as Knight.

Major League Baseball: National League Championship Series
FOX or FS1, Time TBA Live
FOX and FS1 split coverage of the best-of-seven-game National League Championship Series beginning with Game 1 tonight.

Pumpkin Pie Wars
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
Two warring grandmas have feuded for years at the annual pumpkin pie bake-off at the Chester County Harvest Festival. This year, the torch is being passed to their adult grandkids, who unexpectedly fall in love with each other. They embark on a secret romance and try to mend the rift between their families.

Stake Land 2
Syfy, 9pm
Original Film!
Nick Damici and Connor Paolo star in this sequel, in which vampires have evolved, and Mister must save a young woman from an evil brotherhood.

Versailles: “The Road”
Ovation, 10pm
Louis is troubled by Philippe’s rumored expertise on the battlefield, while Louise de Vallière is outshined in the court by the Madame de Montespan.