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Saturday, Sept. 30: ‘SNL’ Kicks Off Season With Ryan Gosling and Jay-Z

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All Times Eastern.

Saturday, Sept. 30

Saturday Night Live
NBC, 11:30pm Live
Season Premiere!
The 43rd season of the venerable late-night variety series will look a bit different — onetime cast members Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata are now gone — but on a familiar note, Alec Baldwin will be returning throughout the season to continue his Emmy-winning portrayal of President Donald Trump. Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049) hosts tonight’s season premiere, with musical guest Jay-Z.

Major League Baseball: Milwaukee at St. Louis
FS1, 4pm Live
The final Saturday of the MLB regular season includes a matchup of NL Central rivals as the Milwaukee Brewers visit Busch Stadium and the St. Louis Cardinals on FS1.

The Essentials: “The Bad and the Beautiful”
TCM, 8pm
Lana Turner and Kirk Douglas star in Vincente Minnelli’s Oscar-winning 1952 drama about a film producer who alienates everyone around him.

Halt and Catch Fire: “Who Needs a Guy”
AMC, 9pm
Joe (Lee Pace) and Gordon (Scoot McNairy) discuss Comet’s future. Donna (Kerry Bishé) takes a vacation. A new collaborator challenges Cameron (Mackenzie Davis). Bos (Toby Huss) and Diane (Annabeth Gish) make a life-altering choice.

Harvest Love
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
A widowed surgeon (Jen Lilley) visits her family’s pear orchard in hopes of taking a break from her overbooked life and reconnecting with her distant son. She starts to fall for the farm manager (Ryan Paevey), who is growing a new hybrid pear and teaches her the importance of her heritage.

Felipe Esparza: Translate This
HBO, 10pm
Actor/comedian Felipe Esparza (Superstore) stars in his first HBO standup special filmed at San Jose Improv in San Jose, Calif. The 2010 Last Comic Standing winner wrings laughs from his own experiences, tackling immigration, translating for his parents, dating single moms and more.

Versailles
Ovation, 10pm
Season Premiere!
The sexy and lavish international drama’s second season has already raised eyebrows in France and the U.K., and it makes its U.S. debut tonight. The dark side of Versailles is front and center this season as Louis (George Blagden) overcomes political and private obstacles that stand in the way of his growing power.

Released
OWN, 10pm
New Series!
Through a diary-like lens, Released presents autobiographical portraits of formerly incarcerated individuals as they walk out of the prison doors for the first time and during their first 90 days out of prison as each attempt to reconnect with their loved ones, establish their independence and begin the long, hard work of resurrecting their abandoned lives.

Sunday, Oct. 1

The Toy Box
ABC, 7pm
Season Premiere!
In its second season, the toy-inventor competition welcomes a new rotating panel of five kid judges per episode, featuring all-new faces and perspectives, plus returning Season 1 favorite Noah Ritter. The winning inventor’s toy will be made by Mattel, sold exclusively at Toys R Us stores nationwide and on toysrus.com, and score its creator a cash prize of $100,000. Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet hosts.

Bob’s Burgers: “Brunchsquatch”
FOX, 7:30pm
Season Premiere!
In an episode featuring animation inspired by fan-created artwork, Bob’s Burgers begins serving brunch to compete with Jimmy Pesto, but it quickly turns to chaos. Meanwhile, Tina, Gene and Louise decide to help Mr. Fischoeder’s brother hide from him.

Shark Tank
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The Sharks are back for a new season of the Emmy-winning reality show that aims to reinvigorate entrepreneurship in America. This season features a blockbuster lineup of guest Sharks: entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Richard Branson; Spanx owner Sara Blakely; Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel; Smartwater and Vitaminwater brand-builder Rohan Oza; and legendary baseball player and businessman Alex Rodriguez.

The Simpsons: “The Serfsons”
FOX, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau guest-stars in the Season 29 premiere. In a magical medieval world, Marge’s mother is turned into an Ice Walker and the only way for Homer to afford the cure is to force Lisa to use illegal magic. When the king discovers this, he kidnaps Lisa, and Homer must lead a feudal uprising to save her.

Outlander: “Of Lost Things”
Starz, 8pm
While serving as groomsman at the aristocratic estate of Helwater, Jamie (Sam Heughan) is reluctantly pulled into the intrigue of a noble British family. In 1968 Scotland, Claire (Caitriona Balfe), Brianna (Sophie Skelton) and Roger (Richard Rankin) struggle to trace Jamie’s whereabouts in history, leaving Claire to wonder if they will ever find him again.

Wisdom of the Crowd
CBS, 8:30pm
New Series!
Jeremy Piven (Entourage) stars in this new techno-drama as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who creates an app that crowdsources information he believes will help find his daughter’s murderer. The app revolutionizes detective work, but the new technology comes with many unexpected ramifications.

Ghosted
FOX, 8:30pm
New Series!
Security guard Leroy Wright (Craig Robinson, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and struggling paranormal author Max Jennifer (Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies) discover they’ve been handpicked to rescue a mysterious bureau’s missing agent — a mission that may entail the supernatural. And also explain what happened to Max’s vanished wife.

Fear the Walking Dead: “This Land Is Your Land”
AMC, 9pm
With the ranchers trapped and without hope, Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) is thrust into a position of leadership and forced to make life-changing decisions.

Alaska: The Last Frontier
Discovery Channel, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The Kilcher family embark on their greatest challenge yet: a complete overhaul of their homestead. They will need to use every piece of heavy machinery in their arsenal to repair age-old structures, improve their water system, revamp fences, construct new buildings and protect the animals.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians
E!, 9pm
Season Premiere!
It’s hard to believe the reality superstars have been doing their show now for 10 years, but it’s true. Tonight starts the family’s 14th season.

Family Guy: “Emmy-Winning Episode”
FOX, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Tired of not winning an Emmy, Peter embarks on his own “For Your Consideration” campaign for Family Guy by making the show more like Emmy-winning shows. Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Louis C.K., Bill Maher, Christina Pickles and the late Adam West lend their voices to the episode.

Chesapeake Shores: “The Royal Court”
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
After his band’s video goes viral, Trace (Jesse Metcalfe) receives offers from music executives, but tries to convince his band to give Mark Hall (guest star Jerry Trimble) another shot. Abby (Meghan Ory), Nell (Diane Ladd) and Megan (Barbara Niven) spend some family time together preparing a princess birthday party for Carrie (Kayden Magnuson).

Masterpiece: Poldark
PBS, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The third season of action-packed episodes starring Aidan Turner as charismatic Ross Poldark and Eleanor Tomlinson as his remarkable partner, Demelza, finds Poldark in revolutionary France, where the firebrands outdo even Warleggan for ruthlessness.

NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!
In the Season 9 premiere “Party Crashers,” Hetty (Linda Hunt) turns in retirement papers and then disappears. Executive Assistant Director Shay Mosley (new regular cast member Nia Long) arrives in Los Angeles to oversee the team and immediately makes staffing changes.

The Last Man on Earth: “M.U.B.A.R”
FOX, 9:30pm
Season Premiere!
Pamela (guest star Kristen Wiig) finds her place within the group as they all set sail for Mexico, avoiding the apocalyptic nuclear fallout in the United States. Their course derails a bit when they realize that none of them knows how to actually navigate a yacht.

Ten Days in the Valley
ABC, 10pm
New Series!
Kyra Sedgwick stars as TV producer Jane Sadler, whose young daughter disappears from their L.A. home in the middle of the night. Everyone Jane knows becomes a suspect in the disappearance — including Jane herself — but her drive to protect her many secrets (including addictions, sources and her work) clouds her desperation to find her daughter. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje stars as the detective leading the investigation into the child’s disappearance, and the actor reveals, “He doesn’t care if he has to turn in his badge to find justice, he will do it.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO, 10pm
Season Premiere!
It’s been six long years since we’ve seen a new episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Larry David was tired of hearing you whine about it. Season 9 of Curb premieres tonight, and we’ll find out what the characters have been up to during that five-year gap in the story. Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, JB Smoove and Cheryl Hines all return to the cast with a host of new and returning guest stars.

StarTalk
National Geographic, 11pm
Season Premiere!
Season 4 of the science-based talk show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson begins tonight. As always, the show features a panel of comedians and experts in conversation in front of an audience at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City. Guests this season include Alan Alda, James Cameron, Janelle Monáe, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Katy Perry and Katie Couric.

Monday, Oct. 2

TRL
MTV, 3:30pm Live
MTV revives its live music series, which was a mainstay of the network from 1998-2008. The daily series presents music videos and celebrity interviews before a live studio audience and will feature hosts including DC Young Fly, Erik Zachary, Amy Pham, Tamara Dhia and Lawrence Jackson.

The Big Bang Theory: “The Retraction Reaction”
CBS, 8pm
Leonard (Johnny Galecki) angers the university — and the entire physics community — after he gives an embarrassing radio interview in the new episode “The Retraction Reaction.”

Lucifer
FOX, 8pm
Season Premiere!
For Season 3, the supernatural drama, whose production moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles, introduces a few new faces to the cast, including Tom Welling (Smallville). The actor explains his character, Lt. Marcus Pierce, saying, “He’s a really strict, authoritative, ball-busting kind of guy who you may not like at the beginning, but hang in there a couple of episodes. At the end of the season, you’ll come to understand his true intention and mission as to why he’s in town. He’s really gonna mix things up.”

The Voice: “The Blind Auditions, Part 3”
NBC, 8pm
Vocalists compete to be selected by one of the coaches and fight for a chance to win the title of being named The Voice. Part 4 of the blind auditions airs tomorrow night.

9JKL
CBS, 8:30pm
New Series!
The inspiration behind this semiautobiographical comedy comes from a time when actor Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains) lived in the apartment next-door to his parents, while his brother and his brother’s family resided in a neighboring unit. The series draws from his real-life adventures (and misadventures), including eating late-night meals with his mom, watching his dad force-feed melon slices to a potential girlfriend, and making viral videos for his father’s estate-planning business. Linda Lavin and Elliott Gould costar as fictionalized versions of Feuerstein’s parents.

Penn & Teller: Fool Us: “Hanging Out With Penn & Teller”
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!
Magicians including Patrik Kuffs, Lamanske, Adam Wilber and Hector perform tricks that they hope Penn & Teller won’t be able to figure out.

The Gifted
FOX, 9pm
New Series!
Two parents take their mutant teenage children on the run and get some help from some familiar X-Men comic book heroes like Eclipse, Blink, Polaris and Thunderbird in this intense, action-packed drama. The X-Men’s struggle to gain acceptance has always served as an allegory for the plight of oppressed minorities. Executive producer Matt Nix says he was interested in how society today relates to groups people fear. “In the show, it’s not like fear of mutants comes out of nowhere,” he notes. “At the same time, the questions we ask are, ‘How much freedom are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of security? How far are we willing to go to trample on liberties to make the majority feel good?’”

Me, Myself & I: “The First Step”
CBS, 9:30pm
Darryl (Jaleel White) encourages recently divorced Alex (Bobby Moynihan) to get back into the dating scene in the new episode “The First Step.”

City of Ghosts
A&E, 10pm
This documentary follows the efforts of an activist group known as “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently.” The members joined together in 2014 after their homeland was taken over by ISIS. The film provides insider access to this group of citizen journalists as they risk their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.

The Good Doctor: “Mount Rushmore”
ABC, 10pm
Dr. Murphy’s (Freddie Highmore) attention to detail complicates his first day at St. Bonaventure Hospital. Meanwhile, Dr. Browne (Antonia Thomas) learns a valuable lesson about honesty when faced with a tough diagnosis for her patient.

Scorpion: “More Extinction”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “More Extinction,” Team Scorpion continues to work with their old nemesis, Mark Collins (recurring guest star Joshua Leonard), in order to prevent an extinction event that could end humanity.

Halloween Wars: Hayride of Horror
Food Network, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Food Network’s spooktacular competition series Halloween Wars returns for a new season, hosted by Epic Meal Time’s Harley Morenstein. This season, two teams made up of cake decorators, candy makers and expert pumpkin carvers face off over three nights creating delicious and scary treats that double as immersive worlds of Halloween horror in hopes of winning each episode’s $15,000 prize.

The Brave: “Moscow Rules”
NBC, 10pm
The team heads to Russia when CIA officer Cassie Conner (guest star Stacey Farber) is attacked by rebels in the area. Patricia (Anne Heche) and her team work to learn why Conner is so important for the rebels to take out, and Noah (Tate Ellington) reveals an unexpected connection to the case.

The Halcyon
Ovation, 10pm
New Series!
Set in 1940 at a bustling five-star hotel in the center of London society, this stylish British drama makes its U.S. premiere tonight. The series chronicles life through the prism of war and the impact it has on families, politics, relationships and work across every social stratum. In the premiere episode, Lord Hamilton (Alex Jennings) returns to the hotel just as a scandal threatens to engulf it. Steven Mackintosh, Olivia Williams and Matt Ryan also star in the series.

POV: “Swim Team”
PBS, 10pm
Maria and Michael McQuay have a son on the autism spectrum. When they had trouble finding social and recreational opportunities for him, they formed a competitive swim team for children with developmental disabilities. Teens on the team are trained with high expectations and have earned recognition and medals in local, regional and statewide competitions. This documentary follows the rise of three swimmers and captures a moving quest for inclusion, independence and triumph.

Tuesday, Oct. 3

NCIS: “Twofer”
CBS, 8pm
NCIS is called in to investigate when the body of a missing Navy lieutenant who disappeared over a year ago is located by a cemetery grounds crew. Laura San Giacomo guest-stars in the new episode “Twofer.”

MLB Playoffs: AL Wild-Card Game
ESPN, 8pm Live

The two American League wild-card playoff entrants square off in a one-game showdown to determine which team moves on to the AL Division Series beginning Oct 5.

The Middle
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The family-centric comedy starring Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn returns for its ninth and final season, wrapping with a storyline that series co-creator Eileen Heisler told Entertainment Weekly “will be true to our show. It’s an end that fans will like.”

Finding Your Roots: “The Impression”
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Comedian Larry David and politician Bernie Sanders discover they have more in common than they thought as they trace their roots from 1940s Brooklyn back to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.

Fresh Off the Boat
ABC, 8:30pm
Season Premiere!
The Huang family returns for Season 4 in a new time slot — and hopefully a new house. In the Season 3 finale, Louis made crooner Michael Bolton his business partner and convinced the family to bail out of their rental so Evan could attend private school, upending everyone’s life. Does the new season bring a fresh start — or just trying to get back to normal?

black-ish
ABC, 9pm
Season Premiere!
For Season 4, black-ish moves to a new day and time, and in the musical season premiere, the Johnson family attends the twins’ Columbus Day school pageant. When Dre notices historical inaccuracies, he decides to raise the awareness of the lesser-known holiday of Juneteenth, which celebrates the official end of slavery in America.

Machinima’s Chasing the Cup: Injustice 2
The CW, 9pm
Follow some of the country’s top eSports players as they train, travel and compete for the Injustice 2 Pro Series Finals, where they hope to win the championship and the $250,000 grand prize.

Killer Instinct With Chris Hansen: “The Odds Are Murder”
Investigation Discovery, 9pm
In a high-stakes game, poker club owner Paul Horn paid the ultimate price — his life. Investigators reveal four suspects in his murder — his roommate, the club’s manager, the croupier and Paul’s business partner. All had motive and opportunity to kill, but which one took the ultimate gamble and pulled the trigger?

This Is Us: “A Manny-Splendored Thing”
NBC, 9pm
The entire Pearson family visits Kevin (Justin Hartley) on set in Los Angeles for a Manny taping. Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) confronts his demons in the wake of his fight with Rebecca (Mandy Moore).

Face Off: Game Face
Syfy, 9pm
Season Finale!
Find out who wins the latest installment of the special effects makeup competition series.

The Mayor
ABC, 9:30pm
New Series!

In this uplifting new comedy series, young aspiring rapper Courtney (Brandon Micheal Hall) runs for mayor of his small town as a publicity stunt, then is shocked when he wins the election. The series also stars Community’s Yvette Nicole Brown and Glee’s Lea Michele.

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World
ABC, 10pm
New Series!
Humanity has a new (albeit unlikely) hero when struggling 30-something Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter) is informed that he’s the “last of the righteous” and has the power to save humanity. And although he won’t reveal if his character is getting divine messages or is just losing his mind, Ritter shrugs and says, “Kevin’s gonna give it a shot, but I think that ‘Probably’ is there for a reason. At this point, it seems like a little bit of a long shot, but he’s going to try.”

NCIS: New Orleans: “The Asset”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “The Asset,” Pride (Scott Bakula) and his team join forces with FBI Director Isler (guest star Derek Webster) after a Russian operative with intelligence on sleeper agents disappears in the U.S.

Grave Mysteries: “Killer Chemistry”
Investigation Discovery, 10pm
When a beloved and accomplished chemistry professor at Northeastern State University is found murdered in the remains of a house fire, detectives hope to track down her killer by examining her history of using an online dating site.

Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
NBC, 10pm
Seemingly innocuous comments Lyle (Miles Gaston Villanueva) previously made about his parents come back to haunt him when detectives Zoeller (Sam Jaeger) and Linehan (Cliff Chamberlain) begin to interview the brothers’ friends and acquaintances. Erik (Gus Halper), overcome by guilt, makes a shocking confession to his psychologist, Dr. Jerome Oziel (Josh Charles).

Queen Sugar
OWN, 10pm
Midseason Premiere!
To welcome back its acclaimed series, OWN has dedicated tonight and tomorrow for its two-part midseason premiere. In the upcoming episodes, Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner) receives an unexpected visit from her mother (Sharon Lawrence), and the two finally have a revealing heart-to-heart about Charley’s upbringing. Darla (Bianca Lawson) takes a huge step in mending her family estrangement by reaching out to Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe). Meanwhile, Aunt Violet’s (Tina Lifford) condition worsens, and Micah (Nicholas L. Ashe) finally comes to terms with his emotions surrounding his traumatic encounter with a police officer.

Wednesday, Oct. 4

iHeartRadio Music Festival, Night 1
The CW, 8pm
Catch the telecast of the biggest concert event of the year. This year’s festival lineup includes scheduled performances from Coldplay, The Chainsmokers, The Weeknd, DJ Khaled, Chris Stapleton, Lorde, Kings of Leon, Big Sean, P!nk, Miley Cyrus, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Niall Horan, David Guetta, Thomas Rhett and Harry Styles.

Empire: “Full Circle”
FOX, 8pm
Guest Star Alert!
In tonight’s episode, Forest Whitaker begins his multi-episode arc as Uncle Eddie, a music icon who has become like family to the Lyons.

The Blacklist: “Greyson Blaise”
NBC, 8pm
Liz (Megan Boone) and the Task Force join Red (James Spader) on an international adventure in pursuit of a billionaire (guest star Owain Yeoman) who moonlights as a high-end art thief.

NHL Hockey
NBCSN, beginning at 8pm Live

Opening night of the 2017-18 NHL regular season features the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the St. Louis Blues, followed by the Philadelphia Flyers at the San Jose Sharks.

Nature: “Naledi: One Little Elephant”
PBS, 8pm
Born in a rescue camp in the wilderness of Botswana, Naledi the baby elephant loses her mother and faces the world alone. It is now up to a devoted team of caretakers and researchers to urge Naledi to survive and help her find her place in the herd.

MLB Playoffs: NL Wild-Card Game
TBS, 8pm Live

The pressure is on the National League’s two wild-card playoff teams in this win-or-go-home showdown for the right to move on to the NL Division Series beginning Oct. 6.

Speechless: “F-I– FIRST S-E– SECOND F– FIRST DAY”
ABC, 8:30pm
When Maya (Minnie Driver) encourages the parents of the new special needs kids at Lafayette High School to demand full-time aides, the school administrators tell her that anything the new students get will mean losses for JJ (Micah Fowler). Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) starts playing hooky because she’s not used to being at the same school for two years in a row. JJ wants Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough) to romance his teacher. And Jimmy (John Ross Bowie) plots to enjoy an elusive uninterrupted shower.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Bravo, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Season 8 kicks off with a 75-minute supersized premiere when returning housewives Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania and Siggy Flicker welcome new housewife Margaret Josephs — who calls herself the “powerhouse in pigtails” — to the series. Plus, Danielle Staub (Seasons 1 & 2) makes her return to the series and she’s ready to reopen old wounds and reveal new secrets.

SEAL Team: “Other Lives”
CBS, 9pm
In the new episode “Other Lives,” Jason (David Boreanaz) and the SEAL Team find civilians in desperate need of rescue in Syria.

Little Women: Dallas
Lifetime, 9pm
Season Premiere!
The girls survived settling into a new city, and now they are poised to take on the Dallas scene and make the most out of their messes.

NOVA: “Secrets of the Shining Knights”
PBS, 9pm
Discover what it was like to be a knight in shining armor and follow the historic manufacturing process. Join master armorers as they re-engineer the Greenwich armor — considered some of the greatest armor ever made — and then put it to the test.

Expedition Unknown: Hunt for Extraterrestrials
Travel Channel, 9pm
New Series!
Explorer Josh Gates sets off on a 50,000-mile, multi-continent quest to find the answer to the question “Are we alone in the universe?” Over the four weeks of this special event series, Gates seeks evidence of life beyond our planet and the truth behind longstanding legends about alien visitors.

Designated Survivor: “Sting of the Tail”
ABC, 10pm
Agent Wells (Maggie Q) finally closes in on Patrick Lloyd (Terry Serpico), but when President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) decides to take action during the White House Correspondents Dinner, members of the Homeland Security Council threaten to derail their plans.

Criminal Minds: “To a Better Place”
CBS, 10pm
In the new episode “To a Better Place,” the BAU investigates three similar crimes in which victims’ remains are discovered in old suitcases.

Chicago P.D.: “The Thing About Heroes”
NBC, 10pm
After a van explodes during a street festival, Muslim patrol officer Frank Toma (guest star Ben Youcef) goes missing, and evidence quickly piles up pointing to his involvement. Burgess (Marina Squerciati) — who helped train Toma — is desperate to prove his innocence, even if that means going against her superiors.

Frontline: “North Korea’s Deadly Dictator”
PBS, 10pm
Season Premiere!
Who killed the half-brother of North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un, and what does it reveal about the leader and his regime? Amid nuclear tensions, the film examines claims Kim ordered the assassination, and sheds light on his intentions and capabilities.

Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen: “The Real Housewives Awards”
Bravo, 11:15pm
The fan-voted-upon winners of the fourth annual Real Housewives Awards will be announced during a special episode of the nighttime talk show. The awards celebrate the most outrageous moments from the Real Housewives franchise from the past year and are presented in 10 Bravo-licious categories including Most Likely to Live in a Mansion, Class Comedian and Most Likely to Succeed (in Reading).

Thursday, Oct. 5

SuperMansion: Drag Me to Halloween
Crackle
In this special based on the stop-motion animated series, the League of Freedom experiences Halloween, Titanium Rex’s (voice of Bryan Cranston) least-favorite night of the year. Lake Bell and Phil LaMarr provide special guest voices.

NHL Hockey
NBCSN, beginning at 7:30pm Live

The Detroit Red Wings play their first regular-season game in new Little Caesars Arena as they host the Minnesota Wild. The second game of NBCSN’s doubleheader has the Philadelphia Flyers at the L.A. Kings.

Grey’s Anatomy: “Go Big or Go Home”
ABC, 8pm
Dr. Harper Avery (Chelcie Ross) arrives at Grey Sloan, putting Bailey (Chandra Wilson, who also directs) on edge. A familiar face from Meredith’s (Ellen Pompeo) past returns as a patient, and Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) tries to manage a secret.

iHeartRadio Music Festival, Night 2
The CW, 8pm
The iHeartRadio festival continues tonight with more performances from the hottest names in music. The two-day concert event was held Sept. 22 and 23 at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Superstore: “Brett’s Dead”
NBC, 8pm
Amy (America Ferrera) worries that Dina (Lauren Ash) may be struggling with anxiety while Jonah (Ben Feldman) tries to find out more about Garrett’s (Colton Dunn) past. Meanwhile, Mateo (Nico Santos) and Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) avoid work by convincing Glenn (Mark McKinney) that they were close with Brett.

NFL Football: New England at Tampa Bay
CBS & NFL Network, 8:25pm Live

The New England Patriots head to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., for a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Buccaneers.

The Good Place: “Team Cockroach”
NBC, 8:30pm
Michael (Ted Danson) approaches things from a new angle. Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) struggle to make a collective decision.

Scandal: “Watch Me”
ABC, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Shonda Rhimes’ hit begins its seventh and final season tonight. On tonight’s premiere episode, it’s one hundred days into Mellie’s (Bellamy Young) presidency and Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is proving she can run the world — but to avoid an international incident, she may have to make her toughest call yet. Meanwhile, Quinn Perkins & Associates struggle to land its first client.

The Orville: “Pria”
FOX, 9pm
Guest Star Alert!
After the crew saves a stranded ship and its attractive captain (guest star Charlize Theron), Ed (Seth MacFarlane) becomes smitten with the Orville’s new guest, while Kelly (Adrianne Palicki) suspects all is not what it seems.

Will & Grace: “Who’s Your Daddy”
NBC, 9pm
Will (Eric McCormack) and Jack (Sean Hayes) try to date younger guys but find it challenging. Grace (Debra Messing) and Karen (Megan Mullally) experience a crisis that reveals Grace’s true feelings about Karen.

Van Helsing
Syfy, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Kelly Overton returns as Vanessa Van Helsing, descendant of the famed vampire hunters, as Season 2 begins. Vanessa and the other survivors discover old alliances have crumbled, and new connections expose long-buried secrets about The Rising, the Van Helsing heritage and the survival of humanity itself.

How to Get Away With Murder: “I’m Not Her”
ABC, 10pm
While Annalise (Viola Davis) reconnects with an important client from her past, she still struggles to move forward in her personal life. Meanwhile, the “Keating 4” find it difficult to move past their tarnished reputations — and in a flash-forward, details of a tragic crime begin to unfold.

Real Estate Wars
Bravo, 10pm
New Series!
Rival real estate teams fight for supremacy in a wealthy enclave in Orange County, Calif. With lots of bad blood between them, these 10 agents compete for the area’s exclusive, expensive — and very limited — inventory.

Chicago Fire: “Ignite on Contact”
NBC, 10pm
After learning the school fire wasn’t an accident, Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) turns up the pressure on Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Casey (Jesse Spencer) to investigate the cause of the fire that trapped his wife.

Ghost Wars
Syfy, 10pm
New Series!
This horror series is set in a remote Alaskan town that has been overrun by paranormal forces. Local outcast Roman Mercer (Avan Jogia) must overcome the town’s prejudices and his own personal demons to harness his repressed psychic powers to save everyone from the mass haunting threatening to destroy them all. Vincent D’Onofrio and Kim Coates also star.

Friday, Oct. 6

Suburra: The Series
Netflix
New Series!
This crime thriller is set in Rome and explores how the church, state, organized crime, local gangs and real-estate developers collide and blur the lines between the legal and the illicit in their quest for power. Based on the novel of the same name but set several years before the book’s events, the series chronicles 20 days of turmoil over its 10 episodes.

MLB Playoffs: NL Division Series, Game 1
TBS, 5pm Live

TBS has exclusive coverage of both best-of-five-game National League Division Series beginning today. The two winners advance to the NL Championship Series beginning Oct. 14.

Once Upon a Time
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Season 7 of the fantasy drama debuts on a new night and time, but that is only one of the changes. A good part of the original cast will not be back, or will be back in limited appearances — Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas and Emilie de Ravin are no longer on the show, and Jennifer Morrison will appear in a limited number of episodes as Emma Swan. The series now takes place in Seattle, versus the fictional town of Storybrooke, as it follows a now-grownup Henry (Andrew J. West takes on the role), who has found himself in a new book with new characters.

Don’t Be Tardy…
Bravo, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Season 8 premieres with a double episode of wild new adventures for Kim Zolciak, Kroy Biermann and their six kids. This season, Brielle’s plan to move in with her baseball-playing boyfriend doesn’t meet with approval. Teen Ariana is ready to get behind the wheel — but her actions test her parents’ trust. And Kroy takes a break from playing professional football and discovers that “the littles” — KJ, Kash, Kaia and Kane — are really the ones in charge. Plus, the family deals with a shocking injury to one of the kids.

Hawaii Five-0: “Kāu Pahi, Ko’u Kua. Kāu Pū, Ko’u Po’o (Your Knife, My Back. My Gun, Your Head.)”
CBS, 9pm
In this new episode, Five-0 enlists the help of an old friend when the boss of a major crime family is murdered, triggering revenge killings across the island.

Great Performances: “Havana Time Machine”
PBS, 9pm
Take a musical journey to today’s Cuba, where past, present and future collide in joyful celebration. This documentary also features performance segments hosted by the Grammy-winning Raul Malo of the Mavericks.

Z Nation: “Escape From Zona”
Syfy, 9pm
Driven by her dream of a Black Rainbow and flesh-eating rain, Warren (Kellita Smith) and Murphy (Keith Allan) escape Zona, while Doc (Russell Hodgkinson), 10K (Nat Zang) and Sarge (Steve Emtman) are pinned down by snipers.

Superstition
Syfy, 10pm
New Series!
This series centers on the Hastings family, owners of the only funeral home in the mysterious town of La Rochelle, Ga. The family also acts as the keepers of the town’s dark secrets and history. Known for its haunted houses, elevated graveyards, odd townsfolk and rich history of unusual phenomena, the town is also a “landing patch” for the world’s darkest manifestations of fear, guided into the world by an ancient, mysterious malefactor. Mario Van Peebles is a producer, and he will also write, direct and star in some of the episodes.

Saturday, Oct. 7

Spielberg
HBO, 8pm
Award-winning documentarian Susan Lacy directed this fascinating look at the life and work of Steven Spielberg, the most successful filmmaker of all time. The film tells the decades-long story of how, almost from the start of his career, Spielberg has managed to create works that have by and large had both critical and popular appeal — many of which remain iconic classics. Along with plenty of clips from his films, the documentary gives the director himself plenty of screen time to break down scenes, talk about his upbringing and more.

All of My Heart: Inn Love
Hallmark Channel, 9pm
Original Film!
In the romantic follow-up to the 2015 Hallmark movie All of My Heart, Brian (Brennan Elliott) and Jenny (Lacey Chabert) are engaged and preparing for the grand opening of their bed and breakfast. But when a big storm hits Bucks County, all their plans end up sopping wet! With funds running low and time running out, Brian agrees to go back to Wall Street to make quick cash, while Jenny scrambles to keep the opening on track.

Saturday Night Live: “Gal Gadot/Sam Smith”
NBC, 11:30pm Live
Gal Gadot, star of the summer blockbuster Wonder Woman and the upcoming Justice League movie, makes her first SNL hosting appearance tonight, joined by musical guest Sam Smith in his second show appearance.