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Saturday, Oct. 1: A Road Trip Gone Horribly Wrong: Lifetime’s ‘The Gabby Petito Story’

The Gabby Petito Story Lifetime Lifetime

ALSO SEE: Your Full 2022 NFL Regular Season TV Schedule

All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.

Saturday, Oct. 1

The Gabby Petito Story
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

The disappearance of Gabby Petito captured America’s attention, setting off a nationwide search for the 22-year-old travel blogger after her parents reported her missing in September 2021, when she failed to return home following her cross-country “van life” trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. Nonstop news coverage drove amateur sleuths to dissect Gabby’s social media posts for clues about what happened to her during her trip, leading to the eventual discovery of Gabby’s body in Wyoming. As the one-year anniversary of her tragic death approaches, this film brings to life Gabby and Brian’s doomed love story, including the warning signs that Gabby’s life was in danger, the ensuing search for her, the eventual discovery of her murder and, ultimately, Brian’s suicide. Stars Skyler Samuels and Evan Hall.

We Bought a Funeral Home
discovery+
New Series!

This reality series explores the unconventional side of the home renovation and design realm in six hourlong episodes that document the quirky journey of Heather and Arryn Blumberg and their two kids, Rafferty and Noa, who trade in their big-city life to buy, renovate and redecorate a 12,000-square-foot 1800s Victorian funeral home in the small town of Dresden, Ontario. The decrepit three-story, 38-room property, filled with meandering maze-like hallways and staircases, will be quite an undertaking for the Halloween- and horror-obsessed family to bring back to life as their weird and wonderful dream home. The Blumbergs will rely on each other, as well as the help of a skilled construction crew, to pull off this massive glam goth overhaul wrought with strange shadows, frightening noises and a shocking discovery. The first two episodes are available today; subsequent new episodes are available Saturdays.

Huluween Dragstravaganza
Hulu

RuPaul’s Drag Race superstars Ginger Minj and Monét X Change host this Halloween special, where a troupe of queens and kings join them in taking the stage in original musical numbers, sketch comedy and more. A special A-list musical guest, and surprise cameos to delight horror fans, are also promised.

“Halloween” Marathon
AMC, beginning at 2pm

The 44-year film franchise that began with John Carpenter’s first Halloween (1978) and Jamie Lee Curtis as babysitter Laurie Strode, who would be forever tormented by Michael Myers, continues to chill audiences today. AMC begins this weekend’s marathon with Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) and then bounces around with the film’s various reiterations. Other Halloween marathons are slated throughout the month, including on Halloween.

Girlfriendship
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!

After a booking mix-up, Samara’s birthday getaway turns into a weeklong retreat on Edisto Island in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, where she and her two best friends rediscover their passions, their purpose and romance. Stars Tamera Mowry-Housley, Krystal Joy Brown and Lyndie Greenwood.

Cold Justice
Oxygen, 8pm

Dick Wolf’s true-crime series hits a milestone with a gripping and emotional two-part investigation into the 2007 murder of a North Dakota college student stabbed in her bed.

Star of the Month: Robots
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Turner Classic Movies is doing something a bit different in October for its Star of the Month programming block. Each Saturday night, the network will air a double feature of films not featuring a particular actor, but rather famous cinematic robots. This evening’s lineup fittingly kicks off the month with one of the earliest and most well-known depictions of a robot in a movie: the Maschinenmensch (“machine-human”) of Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent sci-fi German Expressionist masterpiece Metropolis, which was portrayed by Brigitte Helm, who also plays Maria, the human character the robot impersonates. Second on tonight’s double bill is Forbidden Planet (1956), the sci-fi classic led by human stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but with Robby the Robot (operated by Frankie Darro and voiced by Marvin Miller) stealing the show in his film debut; Robby went on to appear in other sci-fi films and TV series.

Help! I Wrecked My House: Jasmine Buys a Cabin
HGTV, 9pm

HGTV star expert Jasmine Roth and her husband Brett have dreamed of a nearby mountain getaway for years. Just after they find a cozy, A-frame fixer-upper in California’s San Bernadino National Forest, Jasmine learns that she will be the first guest editor for HGTV Magazine. The cabin could be the perfect project to showcase her talents and inspire readers, but she only has five weeks to completely renovate the property inside and out. Jasmine must pull off the most ambitious deadline she’s ever faced to get the cabin magazine-ready in time for the cover shoot.

Svengoolie Uncrypted
MeTV, 9pm

Right after this evening’s Svengoolie scary movie presentation (1975’s Trilogy of Terror, which begins two hours earlier) is this hourlong celebration of the beloved, long-running horror film host. Following Uncrypted is the special hourlong Season 2 premiere of Svengoolie’s companion series, Sventoonie.

Ghost Hunters
Travel Channel, 9pm; also streams on discovery+
Season Premiere!

The TAPS team of paranormal investigators return for Season 2 of this reboot of their original, pioneering ghost-hunting series. Original Ghost Hunters members Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango, along with Shari DeBenedetti, revisit more of their most chilling cases and investigate disturbing new hauntings. The new season features eight hourlong installments.

Killer Cases
A&E, 10pm
Season Premiere!

Season 3 of this true-crime docuseries begins with “The Arson Murders.” Firefighters are unable to save a young family from a blazing fire. Police declared the fire was no accident and launched an arson investigation, which included another unexplained fire a few blocks away that killed a beloved elderly couple.

NFL Icons: “Steve Young”
EPIX, 10pm

Hall of Fame 49ers quarterback Steve Young reflects on the challenges and joys of becoming a champion, and shares anecdotes about his ups and downs at BYU, his time in the USFL and with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and succeeding the legendary Joe Montana in San Francisco.

First Home Fix: “Spanish Revival in South L.A.”
HGTV, 10pm

Raisa Kuddus and Austin Coleman renovate the home of Chandra and Derek, a young couple living in a recently purchased house in South Los Angeles. Having grown up in the area, Austin feels a personal connection and is excited to take part in its rebirth.

Conjuring Kesha
Travel Channel, 10pm
New Series!

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Kesha hosts this paranormal investigation series that is making its linear cable premiere. Over six hourlong episodes, she explores the nation’s biggest mysteries, haunted locations and supernatural phenomena with celebrity guests and experts in the unexplained — from looking into demonic activity at an infamous closed Tennessee penitentiary with comedian Whitney Cummings, to hiking deep into the forests of California’s Mount Shasta in search of Bigfoot with The Bachelorette star JoJo Fletcher, and more.

Austin City Limits
PBS, 11pm
Season Premiere!

The long-running series featuring music performances from a variety of artists recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin returns for Season 48, featuring 14 episodes. Executive producer Terry Lickona describes this season’s lineup as “historic” in its diverse mix of artists. In tonight’s season opener, Grammy-winning Americana singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile makes her third appearance on the ACL stage and delivers a career-spanning performance that includes selections from her most recent album, 2021’s In These Silent Days.

Saturday Night Live: “Miles Teller/Kendrick Lamar”
NBC, 11:30pm Live
Season Premiere!

As the legendary late-night sketch comedy/music series returns for Season 48, several of the cast will not be returning for various reasons: Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari. New cast members include Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker. “This will be a transition year,” executive producer Lorne Michaels said. “Change years are always difficult but always exciting.” The season opens tonight with Top Gun: Maverick star Miles Teller as host and Kendrick Lamar as musical guest.

Sunday, Oct. 2

Jack Osbourne’s Haunted Homecoming
discovery+
New Series!

Over three hourlong episodes, Jack Osbourne returns to the United Kingdom to revisit his childhood home in the county of Buckinghamshire and seek the truth behind the unexplained experiences he had there as a young boy.

Blood & Treasure
Paramount+
Season Finale!

Season 2 of the action/adventure series led by Matt Barr and Sofia Pernas comes to a close.

Housing Complex C
Adult Swim, 12am (early morning)
New Series!

This new addition to Adult Swim’s Toonami block of anime programming is a half-hour horror series that centers around Kimi, who lives in a small housing complex located in the sleepy seaside town of Kurosaki. Trouble seems to follow Kimi wherever she goes, and soon, horrific incidents begin to occur. Is an ancient evil stalking the residents of Housing Complex C?

NFL Football
NFL Network & NBC, beginning at 9:30am Live

The Minnesota Vikings take on the New Orleans Saints at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this morning in London on NFL Network. Patrick Mahomes leads the Kansas City Chiefs on the road against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Spooky Classic TV Episodes Marathon
MeTV, beginning at 12pm

Each Sunday this month, MeTV will air a mini-marathon of spooky episodes from classic TV series to get you into the Halloween spirit. Today’s five-hour marathon features episodes of The Brady Bunch, Gilligan’s Island, Happy Days, My Three Sons, Leave It to Beaver, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies.

How I Got Here
BYUtv, 6pm
New Series!

In this fast-paced travel show, young adults accompany their immigrant parents back to their country of origin on a 10-day trip of a lifetime. Each episode tells the moving story of a parent-child duo’s journey as they enjoy the picturesque views, local cuisine and cultural impact of locales ranging from Israel and Chile, to Italy and Zambia. They each relive the sacrifice, struggle and dramatic circumstances that led their families up to this point.

America’s Funniest Home Videos
ABC, 7pm
Season Premiere!

The network’s longest-running primetime entertainment series returns for Season 33 and is doubling the weekly prize money. It also resumes filming in front of a live studio audience. The series broadcasts user-submitted home videos to showcase real-life funny moments. Alfonso Ribeiro hosts.

Family Law
The CW, 8pm
New Series!

This legal drama that aired its first season in Canada follows lawyer and recovering alcoholic Abby Bianchi (Jewel Staite) as she struggles to put her career and family back together after hitting rock bottom. To meet a condition of her probation, she is forced to work at the law firm run by her estranged father, Harry (Victor Garber). Abby begins practicing family law for the first time and tries to forge new relationships with her half brother Daniel (Zach Smadu) and half sister Lucy (Genelle Williams), who she’s never met.

Alaskan Bush People
Discovery Channel, 8pm; also streams on discovery+
Season Premiere!

As the reality series returns, it’s been one year since the death of the Wolfpack’s beloved patriarch, Billy Brown, and the clan must figure out how to navigate their own personal lives while keeping their father’s dream and legacy alive. As the siblings heed their own callings, one question looms: Can the strength of the Wolfpack help them survive new and overwhelming adversity?

The Simpsons: “One Angry Lisa”
FOX, 8pm

Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith) gets selected for jury duty in the new episode “One Angry Lisa.” Jane Kaczmarek returns as the voice of Judge Constance Harm.

Lucy Worsley Investigates
PBS, 8pm
Series Finale!

Historian Lucy Worsley wraps up her investigation into some of British history’s most haunting mysteries with “The Witch Hunts,” a harrowing look at the events that sparked a craze for witch hunts across Britain and America over 400 years ago. Worsley examines how the upheaval of the Reformation, the ambitions of the king, and a suspicion of women in authority and female sexuality set the stage for the state-sanctioned torture and murder of thousands of alleged “witches.”

The Equalizer
CBS, 8:30pm
Season Premiere!

In the aftermath of her abduction, the walls between McCall’s (Queen Latifah) family and vigilante life continue to crumble as those closest to her must come together to save her in the Season 3 premiere “Boom.”

The Great North: “Cillian Me Softly Adventure”
FOX, 8:30pm

Honeybee and Wolf (voices of Dulcé Sloan and Will Forte) have their first fight during Lone Moose’s Disaster Day event in the new episode “Cillian Me Softly Adventure.”

The Walking Dead
AMC, 9pm
Final Episodes!

The series returns for its final eight episodes beginning tonight with “Lockdown.” The episode picks up with Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) rushing to the Commonwealth to stop Hornsby (Josh Hamilton) from going after their families. Meanwhile, the Commonwealth’s leader Pamela (Laila Robins) deals with protesters demanding justice for her son Sebastian’s (Teo Rapp-Olsson) crimes.

Coroner
The CW, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Season 4 of this investigative procedural following the life of recently widowed Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan), the newly appointed coroner in Toronto, finds Jenny taking a vacation from death only to find a mysterious corpse that stirs suspicion in a small town.

Bob’s Burgers: “The Reeky Lake Show”
FOX, 9pm

In the new episode “The Reeky Lake Show,” the Belchers’ Labor Day trip to the lake takes a scary turn when they find themselves trapped in their cabin, hiding from what lurks outside.

Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9pm
Original Film!

Fraternal twins Nikki and Nora are forced back into each other’s lives when they inherit a detective agency. As they solve a murder, they realize their differences may be their greatest advantage. Stars Hunter King and Rhiannon Fish.

How It Really Happened
HLN, 9pm
Season Finale!

Season 7 of this crime and investigation series hosted by Jesse L. Martin concludes with a look into the infamous 1993 incident in which Lorena Bobbitt sliced off the manhood of her husband, John.

Van der Valk: “Blood in Amsterdam”
PBS, 9pm

When an employee of the renowned Cuypers Diamonds is killed and his body delivered in pieces to the wealthy siblings and heirs to the company, Van der Valk (Marc Warren) must consider a possible motive of revenge against the family.

Ghosts of Devil’s Perch: “Unfinished Business”
Travel Channel, 9pm

Dave Schrader, Cindy Kaza and K.D. Stafford are called to Butte’s historic courthouse after a woman has a strange encounter with an apparition. When they uncover a history of brutal public executions, the team fears one of the spirits roaming the halls is out for blood.

East New York
CBS, 9:30pm
New Series!

The executive producers of NYPD Blue bring us this new crime procedural that follows newly promoted Deputy Inspector Regina Haywood (Amanda Warren), who is responsible for an East New York precinct in a working-class neighborhood on the edge of Brooklyn in the midst of social upheaval and the early seeds of gentrification. With family ties to the area, Haywood is determined to deploy creative methods to protect her beloved community with the help of her officers and detectives. But first, she has the daunting task of getting them onboard.

Family Guy: “Bend or Blockbuster”
FOX, 9:30pm

In the new episode “Bend or Blockbuster,” the Griffins take a road trip to Bend, Oregon, to rent a VHS tape from the last Blockbuster Video store in existence.

Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire
AMC, 10pm
New Series!

This sensuous, contemporary reinvention of Anne Rice’s revolutionary gothic novel follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) and Claudia’s (Bailey Bass) epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality, as told to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). Chafing at the limitations of life as a Black man in 1900s New Orleans, Louis finds it impossible to resist the rakish Lestat de Lioncourt’s offer of the ultimate escape: joining him as his vampire companion. But Louis’ intoxicating new powers come with a violent price, and the introduction of Lestat’s newest fledgling, the child vampire Claudia, soon sets them on a decades-long path of revenge and atonement.

A Cut Above
Discovery Channel, 10pm
New Series!

Adam Beach hosts this competition series in which 12 of the world’s top woodcarvers unleash their epic chainsaw skills to create mind-blowing masterpieces in a race against the clock. World-renowned chainsaw carver Ryan Cook and esteemed sculptor Katharine Dowson serve as judges.

Blumhouse’s Compendium of Horror
EPIX, 10pm
New Series!

This new docuseries from Blumhouse Productions explores the history of horror in popular culture. It premieres tonight with “American Monsters,” and continues weekly with “Atomic Nightmares” (Oct. 9), “Unholy Dreams” (Oct. 16), “Relentless Evil” (Oct. 23) and “A New Horror” (Oct. 30).

Nothing Compares
Showtime, 10pm; available to stream for Showtime subscribers beginning Sept. 30
Feature Film Exclusive!

Directed by Kathryn Ferguson, this documentary charts musician Sinéad O’Connor’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame and examines how she used her voice at the height of her stardom, before her iconoclastic personality led to her exile from the pop mainstream. Focusing on O’Connor’s prophetic words and deeds from 1987 to 1993, the archive-led film presents an authoritative, richly cinematic portrait of this fearless trailblazer through a contemporary feminist lens.

Paranormal Caught on Camera: “Utah Sasquatch and More”
Travel Channel, 10pm; also streams on discovery+

Spirits take their seats in a haunted auditorium in Pakistan; a father and son on a hunting trip catch sight of a Sasquatch; and a ghostly figure mysteriously fades away as it walks toward a morgue in Peru.

Kwaidan
TCM, 2am (late-night)
Catch a Classic!

You’ll want to set your DVR or stay up late to catch this lovely and eerie Oscar-nominated (Best Foreign Language Film) 1965 Japanese ghost-story anthology (its spooky tales might have you putting on all the lights and unable to fall asleep, anyway, even though it runs around three hours). The four unrelated tales — “The Black Hair,” “The Woman of the Snow,” “Hoichi the Earless” and “In a Cup of Tea” — come from Japanese folklore and are haunting not only in their content, but also in their presentation; Kwaidan’s beautiful cinematography, and use of color and sound, almost makes the creepy moments more unnerving when they do arise.

Monday, Oct. 3

Recipes for Love and Murder
Acorn TV
Season Finale!

The South Africa-set mystery series drops the final two episodes of its first season today. In “Scrambled Eggs,” as Tannie Maria (Maria Doyle Kennedy) retraces Jessie’s (Kylie Fisher) steps, the police try to track down Jessie’s cousin. Following up on a hunch, Maria makes a discovery at Martine’s house — but not before the killer discovers her. Then, in “I Only Wanted Advice, Tannie,” Maria makes a desperate escape with the killer in pursuit, as the police close in.

Solar Opposites: “A Sinister Halloween Scary Opposites Solar Special”
Hulu

The adult animated sitcom presents this Halloween special that shows how sometimes alien life can be spooky.

NFL Football: L.A. Rams at San Francisco
ESPN, 8pm Live

Cooper Kupp and the L.A. Rams hit the road to face Deebo Samuel and the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game.

9-1-1: “The Devil You Know”
FOX, 8pm

While in Florida, Athena (Angela Bassett) investigates the disappearance of a childhood friend from 45 years ago in the new episode “The Devil You Know.”

The Voice: “The Blind Auditions, Part 5”
NBC, 8pm

Coaches Camila Cabello, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani all vie to discover and coach the next singing phenomenon on the fifth night of Blind Auditions.

Antiques Roadshow: “Vintage Palm Springs, Hour 1”
PBS, 8pm

Journey back to Palm Springs for sizzling finds including Tiffany Studios lamps, an Art Deco emerald diamond ring (circa 1930) and a Some Like It Hot Marilyn Monroe dress. Guess which find has an updated value of $400,000 to $600,000.

TCM Spotlight: Creepy Cinema Night 1 — “Bette & Joan” and “More Women in Horror”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Leading up to Halloween, Turner Classic Movies features a number of terrific scary movie classics either airing on their own or as part of themed marathons. A key highlight of TCM’s themed October marathons comes when the network shines its spotlight on “Creepy Cinema” on each of the month’s five Monday nights. That TCM Spotlight starts today with an evening of female-led horror and suspense classics, featuring Bette Davis in Dead Ringer (1964), Joan Crawford in Possessed (1947), Joan Fontaine in The Devil’s Own (1966, aka The Witches), Julie Harris and Claire Bloom in The Haunting (1963), Elizabeth Taylor in Night Watch (1973) and Jacqueline Bisset in The Spiral Staircase (1975).

Mysteries Decoded Presents: Spirit Squad
The CW, 9pm

This one-hour special follows paranormal investigator Sara Gray, psychic medium Steffany Strange and paranormal researcher Brittney Crabb as they investigate the haunting of the historical Leonis Adobe residence in California, quickly discovering there might be larger supernatural forces at play.

The Cleaning Lady: “El Diablo Que Conoces”
FOX, 9pm

Thony (Élodie Yung) must team up with Arman and Nadia (Adan Canto and Eva De Dominici) in a new money-making venture in the new episode “El Diablo Que Conoces.”

Meet, Marry, Murder
Lifetime, 9pm
New Series!

Academy Award winner and true-crime enthusiast Helen Hunt (Mad About You) lends her voice as the narrator of this new series that explores several U.S. homicide cases of spouses insidiously killed by their partners. Each story is told by the family, friends and colleagues who best knew them, and the investigators committed to finding out the truth of twisted lies. With chilling storylines of romance, betrayal, greed, detective intrigue and more, the series digs into relationships that have shockingly turned deadly.

The House That Norm Built
PBS, 9pm

Celebrate in style with This Old House’s master carpenter Norm Abram before he hangs up his toolbelt one last time. This hourlong tribute special highlights and chronicles 43 years of Abram’s career.

The Good Doctor
ABC, 10pm
Season Premiere!

Season 6 of the hit medical drama picks up after Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) and nurse Villanueva (Elfina Luk) were stabbed by the latter’s abusive ex-boyfriend. There is also a time jump that covers the newly betrothed Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) as he deals with his role as a surgical attending physician. Paige Spara, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff and Will Yun Lee also star.

NCIS: Hawai‘i: “Stolen Valor”
CBS, 10pm

A fatal car crash involving a Navy officer, who turns out to be an imposter, raises the suspicions of boss Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and the team. Suspecting foul play, FBI agent Whistler (Tori Anderson) goes undercover to investigate and ends up in danger herself.

Quantum Leap: “Somebody Up There Likes Ben”
NBC, 10pm

Ben (Raymond Lee) leaps to flashy 1970s Las Vegas and into the body of promising young boxer Danny Hill on the eve of a big title fight. Ben and Addison (Caitlin Bassett) discover that everything is on the line and must help Danny and his trainer/brother Daryl win the fight or lose everything. Meanwhile, Magic (Ernie Hudson), Ian (Mason Alexander Park) and Jenn (Nanrisa Lee) dig into Ben’s past to uncover the truth.

POV: “The Last Out”
PBS, 10pm

This documentary film follows three Cuban baseball players who leave their families and risk exile to chase their dreams of playing in the United States. At the shadowy nexus of the migrant trail and pro sports, The Last Out chronicles their harrowing journey, from immigration obstacles to the broken promises of dubious agents. Against all odds, these young athletes try to hold onto their hope while fighting for a better life for their families.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

Sherwood
BritBox
New Series!

This six-episode British thriller drawn from real-life events is set in the famed Sherwood Forest area of Nottinghamshire. A complex political past means that industrial villages around the forest have often been divided communities. But when two local residents are killed, old wounds are reopened, and the town is engulfed in tension and fear, and suspicion grows as neighbor turns against neighbor. It’s up to local police chief Ian St. Clair (David Morrissey) and London Met Police officer Kevin Salisbury (Robert Glenister) to solve the case and unravel the lies. Lesley Manville and Joanne Froggatt also star. The series has been renewed for a second season.

Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester
Netflix

Comedian Hasan Minhaj returns to Netflix with his second stand-up special, filmed at the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music, where he shares his thoughts on fertility, fatherhood, freedom of speech and more.

Black Christmas
MOVIES!, 1:15pm
Catch a Classic!

Roughly a decade before he directed A Christmas Story, Bob Clark helmed another terrific Yuletide-set film of a drastically different nature: the influential 1974 proto-slasher horror film Black Christmas. A great cast including Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin and John Saxon lead Clark’s terrifying and suspenseful thriller about sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls in their house from, and are eventually stalked and murdered by, a deranged killer (who is never fully seen, but is given a deeply unnerving voice by actor Nick Mancuso) during Christmas break. Expertly playing off the old urban legend about “the babysitter and the man upstairs” (and that story’s payoff of “The calls are coming from inside the house!”), Black Christmas helped inspire the style, and even the frequent holiday setting, of the slasher films that would start to crowd movie houses in the late ’70s and early ’80s, notably John Carpenter’s Halloween, as well as numerous lesser efforts.

The Top Ten Revealed
AXS TV, 8pm
New Episodes!

Season 5 of this music countdown series returns for its second half, featuring 12 episodes beginning tonight with “Bands on the Map.” Host Katie Daryl and a panel of experts including Carnie Wilson, Dorothy, Matt Pinfield and more rank their favorite bands that have named themselves after places found all over the globe.

Leonardo
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!

The Season 1 finale of this historical drama about the life of Leonardo da Vinci finds Stefano (Freddie Highmore) racing to save Leonardo (Aidan Turner) and discovering the truth behind da Vinci’s biggest secret.

The Resident: “One Bullet”
FOX, 8pm

As the staff at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital tend to a gunshot victim, Dr. Ian Sullivan (Andrew McCarthy) faces a mandatory drug test and pregnant Padma (Aneesha Joshi), twin sister of Dr. Leela Devi (played by Joshi’s real-life sibling Anuja), prepares for her C-section.

Life Below Zero: “Into the Freeze”
Nat Geo, 8pm

Alaskans seek out vital resources amid a deep freeze in the heart of dark winter, pushing through temperatures well below zero. Sue Aikens faces deadly conditions as she struggles to move essential equipment for her business in Kavik; the Hailstones must seize a reprieve from recent storms to hunt critical game; Jessie Holmes travels through low visibility to reach a safe haven; and Ricko DeWilde sets out into the cold for a time-honored harvest.

The Voice: “The Blind Auditions, Part 6”
NBC, 8pm

Coaches Camila Cabello, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani all vie to discover and coach the next singing phenomenon on the sixth night of Blind Auditions.

The Very VERY Best of the 80s
AXS TV, 8:30pm
New Series!

Kelly Osbourne hosts this nostalgic half-hour series that takes a trip back down memory lane to explore pop culture of the 1980s through a different theme in each episode. Joining Osbourne each week is a rotating panel of celebrity guests who share their thoughts on the featured topics, including Todd Bridges, Anson Williams, Morgan Fairchild, Susan Olsen, Tracey Gold and more. Tonight’s series premiere looks back at the catchiest TV theme songs of the ’80s.

BET Hip Hop Awards 2022
BET, 9pm

BET broadcasts this year’s installment of the annual ceremony that celebrates the year’s best in hip-hop culture, which was taped in Atlanta on Sept. 30. Drake leads the field with 14 nominations, followed closely by Kanye West with 10 and Kendrick Lamar with nine. Other notable nominees include Cardi B, Doja Cat, Future, Baby Keem and J. Cole. Grammy-nominated artist Fat Joe hosts.

Devils
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!

Massimo (Alessandro Borghi) sees the opportunity presented by the Covid pandemic to finally get justice in the Season 2 finale of this international thriller.

Love Off the Grid
Discovery Channel, 9pm
New Series!

Four couples think they have found “the one,” but there’s one problem: One partner lives completely off the grid — with no running water, no electricity and no civilization in sight. This series follows four people accustomed to modern amenities who give it all up for a chance at true love. For the first time, these couples will live together in total isolation to see if they can make it work in the wild.

Monarch: “Not Our First Rodeo”
FOX, 9pm
Guest Star Alert!

Nicky (Anna Friel) makes a bold decision as she races to find a new song to perform at the Roman Family Rodeo. Country singer Caitlyn Smith guest-stars as herself in the new episode “Not Our First Rodeo.”

La Brea: “The Cave”
NBC, 9pm

While Gavin (Eoin Macken) enlists the help of his grandfather to guide him to his missing wife, Eve (Natalie Zea) and Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez) navigate a horrifying new reality. In 1988, Josh (Jack Martin) and Riley (Veronica St. Clair) discover they’re being followed by a suspicious man who reveals information about the mystery behind the sinkholes.

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine
PBS, 9pm
New Series!

Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Finding Your Roots) is host, writer and executive producer of this four-hour docuseries that delves into the unique and vibrant cultural, creative and social spaces that have helped Black people collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in transformative ways throughout American history. The premiere, “Building Black America,” shows how, as early as 1775, free Black people in the North and South built towns, established schools and created robust networks to meet the needs of the Black community.

Outchef’d
Food Network, 10pm

In this new series hosted by Eddie Jackson, confident home cooks think they are arriving for an audition but get the surprise of their lives when they find out they are actually heading into a head-to-head competition against a world-class chef. These home cooks excel in their own kitchen, but do they have what it takes to succeed against an elite pro under the lights and cameras of a culinary battle?

New Amsterdam: “Big Day”
NBC, 10pm

An explosion at a wedding ceremony sends a stream of injured partygoers into New Amsterdam. While Max (Ryan Eggold) and Dr. Wilder (Sandra Mae Frank) scramble to find a rare blood type to save the groom, Reynolds (Jocko Sims) and Bloom (Janet Montgomery) treat a couple with bizarre injuries. Meanwhile, as he helps a young girl out of a catatonic state, Iggy (Tyler Labine) learns the truth about the wedding.

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom
PBS, 10pm

Two new documentaries directed by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London that shed new light on the lives of a pair of towering figures in the struggle to end slavery premiere this month on PBS. The first is this look at Araminta Ross, better known as Harriet Tubman, who became one of the greatest freedom fighters in American history following her own escape from slavery. Narrated by Alfre Woodard, the film goes beyond the standard narrative to explore what motivated Tubman. Nelson and London’s documentary about Frederick Douglass follows next Tuesday.

Wednesday, Oct. 5

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone
Netflix
Original Film!

Ryan Murphy is a producer of this movie based on Stephen King’s supernatural coming-of-age short story of the same name. When Craig (Jaeden Martell), a young boy living in a small town, befriends Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland), an older, reclusive billionaire, the two begin to form an unlikely bond over their love of books and reading. But when Harrigan sadly passes away, Craig discovers that certain connections are never lost when he finds himself able to communicate with his deceased friend through an iPhone.

Nailed It!
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The reality bake-off series is back for Season 7, featuring four episodes full of tricks and treats in celebration of Halloween. The desserts are intentionally scary this time as the installments feature ghoulish surprises from favorite Netflix series like The Umbrella Academy, Cobra Kai and The Witcher.

Togo
Netflix
Original Film!

This thriller, written and directed by Israel Adrián Caetano, is Netflix’s first original movie from Uruguay. Described as an urban Western, the film follows the titular character (Diego Alonso), a car attendant in Montevideo who is forced to defend his turf and his neighbors from drug cartels.

Prince Andrew: Banished
Peacock

Peacock’s DocFest continues with this film that unpacks the story of how Prince Andrew brought scandal and disgrace to the British royal family’s legacy through his behavior and associations.

The Sound of 007
Prime Video

Marking the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise, which began on this date in 1962 when Dr. No made its premiere in the U.K., this documentary chronicles six decades of Bond music, taking viewers on a journey from that original Sean Connery-led feature to Daniel Craig’s final outing in 2021’s No Time to Die. Along with looking at the films’ musical scores composed by the legendary John Barry and others, The Sound of 007 also features true tales behind the theme songs and the famous names who have recorded some of the most beloved soundtracks in cinema.

TCM Morning & Afternoon Movies: Basil Rathbone
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!

Enjoy legendary British actor Basil Rathbone in a nine-film lineup this morning and afternoon. The titles are largely mysteries or comedies, and mostly feature Rathbone — who could play a suave villain with the best of them — in an upstanding or at least neutral role, but with one notable sinister appearance. The day starts with four of the star’s earlier movies: The Bishop Murder Case (1929) — which casts Rathbone as private detective Philo Vance years before he would famously take on the role of an even more well-known fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes — followed by the 1930 comedies The Flirting Widow, The Lady of Scandal and Sin Takes a Holiday. After those are the drama Kind Lady (1935), the war film The Dawn Patrol (1938) and the mystery Fingers at the Window (1942), with Rathbone as a villainous character, before the lineup concludes with two of the actor’s memorable appearances as Holmes alongside Nigel Bruce as Dr. John Watson: The Woman in Green (1945) and Dressed to Kill (1946), the last of the 14 films in the series.

Music’s Greatest Mysteries
AXS TV, 8pm
Season Finale!

Season 2 concludes with an episode that tries to find out the true story behind Billy Ray Cyrus’ smash hit “Achy Breaky Heart”; who was responsible for Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction; and if Led Zeppelin really worshipped Satan.

The Masked Singer: “TV Theme Night”
FOX, 8pm

The new episode “TV Theme Night” is full of nostalgia as two new celebrity singers enter the competition and perform iconic theme songs from TV shows.

The Challenge: Untold History
MTV, 8pm
Season Finale!

The first ever documentary series from the Challenge franchise ends with the back-to-back episodes “Love Is Not a Game” and “Expect the Unexpected.” The episodes will share more stories about the untold history behind one of television’s most popular competition series. Competitors, producers, media analysts and famous fans talk about its conception, evolution and legacy.

Chicago Med: “Winning the Battle, but Still Losing the War”
NBC, 8pm

Charles (Oliver Platt) and Nellie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) clash over the treatment of a paranoid patient; Ethan (Brian Tee) treats a pregnant patient from Hannah’s (Jessy Schram) past; and Crockett (Dominic Rains) and Vanessa (Asjha Cooper) help a man who needs a risky neurosurgery.

Dateline: Secrets Uncovered
Oxygen, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Season 11 of this true-crime docuseries and Dateline spinoff covers more real-life mysteries. Each episode incorporates the classic elements of drama and great storytelling: good guys, bad guys, conflict with high stakes, suspense and resolution. NBC News’ Craig Melvin hosts.

Rivers of Life: “Danube”
PBS, 8pm

Explore Europe’s mighty and majestic Danube, the world’s most international river, and see some of its glorious riches and magical surprises, from stunning secret tributaries to baby turtles to a waterfall-riding kayaker.

Abbott Elementary: “Story Samurai”
ABC, 9pm

We all have a past — and in tonight’s installment of the A+ comedy, we find out what makes Abbott’s easily rattled history teacher Jacob Hill (Chris Perfetti) tick when a group called “The Story Samurais” arrives. Brought in to entertain the Philadelphia school’s student body, the Samurais are a traveling troupe that improvises plays based on the kids’ ideas. They also hold a special place in Jacob’s heart, since it’s revealed early in the episode that he is, as Perfetti explains, “a revered alum.” Typically tough Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) is stuck in uncomfortable territory when she’s suddenly teaching a combined second- and third-grade class. At least the Abbott children confine their troublemaking to when cameras are rolling — behind the scenes, they’re a grounding force. “Being surrounded by sometimes hundreds of rambunctious kids can either work in your favor or against you,” Perfetti says with a laugh. “I can be nervous about what I’m doing, but then a kid comes up to you and says they were supposed to have a line [in the show], which they absolutely are lying about. It’s adorable nonetheless.” Sounds like every student deserves a gold star this week!

The Real Love Boat
CBS, 9pm
New Series!

Inspired by the long-running scripted classic about vacationers aboard a luxury Princess Cruises ship, it’s full steam ahead on this new reality series. Here, however, we have the adventures of real-life singles brought together for a Mediterranean voyage in search of The One. Assuming they navigate the compatibility and chemistry challenges along the way, one lucky couple will win a cash bounty and the ultimate luxury Princess Cruise.

Kung Fu
The CW, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Season 3 of the martial arts action/adventure series and adaptation of the ’70s series picks up after fan-favorite and reformed baddie Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) sacrificed herself to stop Russell Tan (Kee Chan) once and for all, helping Nicky (Olivia Liang) and Mia (Vanessa Yao) escape.

LEGO Masters: “Brickin’ Bull Ride Rodeo”
FOX, 9pm

Teams put their builds to a test of strength as they create characters that must ride a mechanical bull (and look good while doing it) in the new episode “Brickin’ Bull Ride Rodeo.”

Chicago Fire: “Completely Shattered”
NBC, 9pm

Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) recruits Carver (Brad Armacost), Capp (Randy Flagler) and Tony (Anthony Ferraris) to help prepare her new lieutenant’s quarters; Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Detective Pryma (Troy Winbush) reluctantly pair up to work a police investigation; and Firehouse 51 comes together to fight a movie theater fire.

Chucky
Syfy & USA Network, 9pm
Season Premiere!

The continuation of the iconic horror film franchise starring killer doll Chucky (voice of Brad Dourif) returns for Season 2. After his diabolical plot to invade America’s children’s hospitals was foiled last season, Chucky now seeks revenge on those he holds responsible: surviving teens Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson) and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind), along with his ex, Tiffany (voice of Jennifer Tilly), who is now Chucky’s sworn enemy.

Jay Leno’s Garage
CNBC, 10pm

The famous gearhead chats with Jamie Lee Curtis about her car history and takes ventriloquist Jeff Dunham for training on heavy-duty firefighting machinery.

Chicago P.D.: “A Good Man”
NBC, 10pm

The team investigates a string of brutal pharmacy robberies, and Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) connects with one of the victims about their Army careers. Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) suspects there is more to the story and confides in Voight (Jason Beghe).

PBS NewsHour: “Ricochet: An American Trauma”
PBS, 10pm

In this hourlong special, examine the United States’ gun violence crisis and the people it impacts with NewsHour correspondent William Brangham, who spotlights deeply personal stories from shooting victims and their loved ones, community leaders, gun owners and frontline health workers.

Reginald the Vampire
Syfy, 10pm
New Series!

Jacob Batalon leads this interesting take on the vampire genre based on Johnny B. Truant’s Fat Vampire series of novels as Reginald Andres, a young man who finds out that the undead life can be every bit as complicated as life itself when he is transformed into a bloodsucker. Reginald tumbles into a world populated by beautiful, fit and vain vampires as an unlikely hero having to navigate a variety of obstacles — the girl he loves but can’t be with, a bully manager at work and the vampire chieftain who wants him dead. Fortunately, Reginald discovers he has a few unrecognized powers of his own.

Thursday, Oct. 6

Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler
HBO Max
Season Premiere!

This DC original story follows Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon), a former British SAS soldier, who forms a security company in 1960s London and goes to work with young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge) and his wife Martha (Emma Paetz), before they become Bruce Wayne’s parents. Season 3 of the psychological thriller begins after a five-year time jump: the civil war is over, and a cultural revolution has changed the world for better or worse — ushering in a new age of superheroes and supervillains. The first three episodes are available today; new episodes are available Thursdays.

A Friend of the Family
Peacock
New Series!

This nine-episode true-crime drama is based on the harrowing story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan (portrayed by Hendrix Yancey in her earlier years and by Mckenna Grace in her later years) was kidnapped and sexually assaulted multiple times during her early teen years by a charismatic, obsessed family “friend.” Anna Paquin, Jake Lacy and Colin Hanks also lead the cast. The real-life Jan Broberg and her mother, Mary Ann Broberg (who is portrayed by Paquin), are producers of the series. Jan explains that “This story will make you talk, shout, cry — and it will make you angry. Good. … Our story is relatable because so many families have direct experience with this sort of abuse. I hope that our story will start conversations — because secrets live in darkness and silence.” The first three episodes are available today; new episodes drop on Thursdays.

L’Opéra
Sundance Now
New Series!

This French drama (with English subtitles) is set at the world-renowned Paris Opera and follows three characters at various points in their lives and careers. Zoé (Ariane Labed), a 35-year-old principal dancer with a dazzling body of performances, has recently faltered after too many parties, lovers and anxieties. In danger of being laid off, she will have to come to terms with the institution, her peers and especially her own demons if she is to earn herself a second chance. Meanwhile, Flora (Suzy Bemba), a 19-year-old Black dancer, has just joined the company and has only a few months to carve out a place for herself and prove her mettle, while flamboyant and ambitious Sébastien (Raphaël Personnaz), 38, the new Director of Dance, wants to make the Paris Opera Ballet shine even brighter in the firmament of international dance. All eight episodes are available today.

TCM Birthday Tribute: Carole Lombard
TCM, beginning at 6:30am
Catch a Classic!

Iconic Hollywood golden age actress Jane Alice Peters, better known as Carole Lombard, was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on this date in 1908. While she was unfortunately lost at the young age of 33 after perishing in a Nevada plane crash on Jan. 16, 1942, her legacy is burned into the silver screen. Turner Classic Movies is celebrating Lombard’s birthday with a number of memorable films from her 21-year career this morning and afternoon, including a number of the screwball comedies with which she was largely associated. The lineup features, in order: the comedy Fools for Scandal (1938); Vigil in the Night (1940), a drama directed by George Stevens; In Name Only (1939), a romance costarring Cary Grant and Kay Francis; Swing High, Swing Low (1937), a comedy/drama also featuring Fred MacMurray; the comedy The Gay Bride (1934); Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941), a screwball comedy directed by Alfred Hitchcock, of all people, costarring Robert Montgomery; the screwball comedy Nothing Sacred (1937), also starring Fredric March; and To Be or Not to Be (1942), director Ernst Lubitsch’s iconic dark comedy, which proved to be Lombard’s final film and was released about a month after her death.

Monster High: The Movie
Nickelodeon, 7pm; also streams on Paramount+
Original Film!

Based on the Monster High franchise, this new live-action movie musical follows half human/half werewolf Clawdeen Wolf (Miia Harris) as she starts at a new school, Monster High. Keeping her human half a secret, she must work to stop a devious plan that aims to destroy the school and reveal her true identity. Ceci Balagot and Nayah Damasen also star.

Station 19
ABC, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Season 6 of the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff set at a Seattle firehouse begins with many questions to answer, including whether Andy (Jaina Lee Ortiz) will rejoin the station and work alongside her ex-husband Robert (Boris Kodjoe) now that her legal issues have been resolved. Janai Kaylani, Grey Damon and Danielle Savre also star.

Young Sheldon: “Future Worf and the Margarita of the South Pacific”
CBS, 8pm

In the new episode “Future Worf and the Margarita of the South Pacific,” Sheldon and Missy (Iain Armitage and Raegan Revord) try to help the family’s finances, and Mary (Zoe Perry) struggles to find her footing without the church.

Walker
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Season 3 of this Walker, Texas Ranger reboot will find Cordell’s (Jared Padalecki) past coming back to haunt him.

Hell’s Kitchen: “Just Wingin’ It”
FOX, 8pm

Both teams are put to the test as each contestant is challenged to make their best chicken wings in the new episode “Just Wingin’ It.”

Law & Order: “Vicious Cycle”
NBC, 8pm

When a fashion designer is killed, Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan) and Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) must track down a suspect with little evidence.

Ghosts: “Alberta’s Podcast”
CBS, 8:30pm

By the end of tonight’s episode of the comedy, haunted B&B owner Samantha (Rose McIver) will have recorded her inaugural podcast on the murder of Prohibition-era jazz singer Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) — and we’ll have our first suspect in the diva’s poisoning.

Grey’s Anatomy
ABC, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Season 19 of the long-running medical drama picks up with Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo, switching to a part-time role in the new season) trying to save Seattle’s Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital after the departure of its chief of surgery, Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson). James Pickens Jr., Kim Raver, Camilla Luddington, Kevin McKidd, Harry Shum Jr. and Alexis Floyd also star.

So Help Me Todd: “Co-Pilot”
CBS, 9pm

In the new episode “Co-Pilot,” Margaret and Todd (Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin) work two seemingly unrelated cases, only to discover a key piece of information from Todd’s humorously boring civil case could help Margaret’s high-profile client.

Walker Independence
The CW, 9pm
New Series!

This prequel to Walker is set in the late 1800s and tells the story of Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara). After her husband is killed on their journey west from Boston, she enlists the help of an outlaw, Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr), and an Apache tracker, Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez), to seek vengeance. The trio investigates the mysterious man who killed Abby’s husband, Tom Davidson (Greg Hovanessian), as they plot to bring him to justice.

Welcome to Flatch: “Blackout”
FOX, 9pm

In the new episode “Blackout,” a power outage during a heat wave in Flatch forces the citizens into the only place in town that has electricity: the church.

Waka & Tammy: What the Flocka
WE tv, 9pm
Season Finale!

Season 3 of this docuseries chronicling married life for Waka Flocka Flame and his wife Tammy Rivera comes to a close with “Divorce.” Waka and Tammy call it quits, and Tammy takes the girls to New Orleans. Meanwhile, Charlie finds her calling.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: “Mirror Effect”
NBC, 9pm

Benson (Mariska Hargitay) helps a pop star in a volatile relationship; Rollins (Kelli Giddish) takes the stress of work home with her.

Call Me Kat: “Call Me Skeeter Juice”
FOX, 9:30pm

Sheila (Swoosie Kurtz) refuses to renew her driver’s license, and Kat (Mayim Bialik) can’t figure out why in the new episode “Call Me Skeeter Juice.”

Alaska Daily
ABC, 10pm
New Series!

Series creator and executive producer Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) returns to the world of newsrooms and reporters in this hourlong drama. Academy Award winner Hilary Swank stars as Eileen Fitzgerald, a recently disgraced journalist who leaves her high-profile New York City life behind to join a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska, on a journey to find both personal and professional redemption. Jeff Perry, Grace Dove, Matt Molloy, Meredith Holzman and Ami Park costar.

CSI: Vegas: “The Painted Man”
CBS, 10pm

When a creepy mannequin in a haunted house turns out to be an actual corpse, the team investigates. Meanwhile, the recently returned Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) joins forces with Josh Folsom (Matt Lauria) to help find her missing friend.

Law & Order: Organized Crime: “Catch Me if You Can”
NBC, 10pm

Stabler (Christopher Meloni), Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) and the task force scramble to track down a murderer before he takes desperate action.

Ghost Adventures: “Acadia Ranch Sanitorium”
Travel Channel, 10pm; also streams on discovery+

Zak Bagans and the crew go far off the beaten path in Arizona to investigate an abandoned sanatorium. Dozens of deaths, including the murder of a child, have left a heavy residue of pain and suffering on the building, making it a hotbed for aggressive poltergeist activity.

Friday, Oct. 7

Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show
Apple TV+
Season Premiere!

Star/cocreator Jack McBrayer’s kids series returns for Season 2, again offering examples of creativity, imagination, positive change and the ability to spread compassion.

Ghost Brothers: Lights Out
discovery+
Season Premiere!

Dalen Spratt, Juwan Mass and Marcus Harvey explore more haunted hotspots in Season 2 of their series. The first three hourlong episodes drop today; new episodes are available Fridays.

Haunted Scotland: “Culross Palace and Town”
discovery+

In the village of Culross, the epicenter for one of the worst witch hunts in European history, the team attempts to make contact with the tortured souls of the wrongfully accused to bring them peace and hold those responsible for such unspeakable cruelty to account.

Werewolf by Night
Disney+

Marvel Studios gets spooky in its first special, a live-action adaptation of Werewolf by Night, a character and title that was part of Marvel Comics’ supernatural/horror line of comics that began in the 1970s. Not too many details have been offered about what producer Kevin Feige describes as a “fun-scary” production, but an entertaining trailer for the special showed a tale about a secret cabal of monster hunters thrust into a mysterious competition to find a powerful relic, presented in the manner of a classic Universal monster movie, complete with being shot in black and white. There was even a quick glimpse of another Marvel horror character, Man-Thing, and there’s been speculation of maybe seeing cameos from Moon Knight, a character who debuted in a Werewolf by Night issue and was the focus of an Oscar Isaac-led Disney+ series earlier this year, or even vampire hunter Blade, who was also introduced to the Marvel Comics Universe in the ’70s in The Tomb of Dracula comics, and who is appearing in an upcoming MCU feature film, where he’ll be played by Mahershala Ali.

Hellraiser
Hulu
Original Film!

This year’s Huluween includes the return of Pinhead. David Bruckner (The Night House) directs this reimagining of Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic. It follows a young woman struggling with addiction who comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension. Stars Jamie Clayton, Odessa A’zion, Adam Faison and Brandon Flynn.

Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes
Netflix
New Series!

Writer/director Joe Berlinger’s follow-up to his 2019 true-crime docuseries Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes is this similarly themed three-part entry that explores the warped mind of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer through newly unearthed recorded interviews with his legal team, revealing the ways that approaches to race, sexuality, class and policing allowed him to prey upon Milwaukee’s marginalized communities.

Derry Girls
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The British family-centered teen sitcom based on creator Lisa McGee’s experiences growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 1990s returns for Season 3. While change may finally be coming to Northern Ireland, with hope in the air that “the Troubles” may be over, the high school hardships for Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) and her friends show no signs of letting up.

Glitch
Netflix
New Series!

This mystery/thriller from South Korea tells the story of Hong Jihyo (Jeon Yeo-bin), who is aided by members of a UFO club as she attempts to track down her longtime boyfriend after he suddenly disappears. In the process, she comes face-to-face with a mysterious secret.

Luckiest Girl Alive
Netflix
Feature Film Exclusive!

Sharp-tongued New Yorker Ani FaNelli (Mila Kunis) appears to have it all: a sought-after position at a glossy magazine, a killer wardrobe and a dream Nantucket wedding on the horizon. But when the director of a crime documentary invites her to tell her side of a shocking incident that took place when she was a teenager, Ani is forced to confront a dark truth that threatens to unravel her meticulously crafted life.

The Midnight Club
Netflix
New Series!

Mike Flanagan (Netflix’s The Haunting and Midnight Mass series) is a cocreator of this mystery/horror series based on Christopher Pike’s young adult novel. It follows a group of seven close, terminally ill young people who live in a hospice run by an enigmatic doctor. They meet at midnight each night to tell scary stories and make a pact that the first one to succumb to their disease is responsible for communicating with the others from beyond the grave. After one of them dies, bizarre occurrences begin.

The Redeem Team
Netflix

Using unprecedented Olympics footage and behind-the-scenes material, this film tells the story of the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team’s quest for gold at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, following the previous team’s shocking performance four years earlier in Athens. The documentary offers a fascinating portrait of team-building and features insightful interviews with athletes and coaches, including Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Mike Krzyzewski, who reflect on how the “Redeem Team” set a new standard for American basketball.

Significant Other
Paramount+
Original Film!

Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy lead this thriller as a young couple who take a remote backpacking trip through the Pacific Northwest. But things take a dark turn when they realize they may not be alone.

Catherine Called Birdy
Prime Video
Feature Film Exclusive!

Lena Dunham wrote and directed this adaptation of Karen Cushman’s novel, a comedy set in the year 1290 that follows Lady Catherine (aka Birdy), a 14-year-old girl who is the youngest child of a noble family that has seen better days. The spirited, clever and adventurous Birdy (Bella Ramsey) navigates through life while avoiding the potential suitors that her father (Andrew Scott), who sees marrying her off as his path out of financial ruin, has in mind for her. Billie Piper also stars.

MLB Playoffs: AL & NL Wild Card Series
ESPN, beginning at 1pm Live

Major League Baseball’s expanded 12-team playoffs open with the best-of-three-game Wild Card Series, in which each league’s No. 3 seed faces the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed faces the No. 5 seed. Games take place at the higher seed’s home park.

S.W.A.T.
CBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!

During a trip to Bangkok to train alongside Thailand’s premier S.W.A.T. team, Hondo (Shemar Moore) and his former military buddy, Joe (guest star Sean Maguire), find themselves on the run from a powerful drug kingpin after they stumble upon a wide-ranging heroin operation in the season premiere “Thai Hard.”

iHeartRadio Music Festival Night 1
The CW, 8pm

Ryan Seacrest hosts this star-studded music festival recorded over two days in September at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena and featuring performances from Avril Lavigne, LL Cool J, Halsey, Lionel Richie, Black Eyed Peas, Megan Thee Stallion and many more. A second night of performances airs tomorrow.

Gold Rush: “Searching for Rick Ness”
Discovery Channel, 8pm

Parker gets devastating news and faces off with the biggest landowner in Alaska.

Secrets at the Inn
LMN, 8pm

This mysterious thriller with a surprise twist tells the story of a woman who assumes responsibility for her niece after her estranged sister dies renovating a historic inn. As strange things begin to happen at the inn, she questions everyone around her — from her troubled niece to a handsome contractor to her niece’s mischievous boyfriend. This U.S. premiere movie stars Tamara Almeida, Spencer Macpherson, Zoë Belkin and Luke Humphrey.

Capital One College Bowl: “Quarterfinals 2”
NBC, 8pm

Twelve universities have advanced from the qualifier round. The quarterfinals continue with Penn State combating Oklahoma, and Duke battling Syracuse.

The Lincoln Project
Showtime, 8pm
New Series!

Directed by Fisher Stevens (Dirty Money) and Karim Amer (The Vow), this five-part docuseries follows a veteran group of former GOP operatives and strategists known publicly as the Lincoln Project, the fastest-growing super PAC in America, as they take on the task of “saving democracy” and defeating their own party’s sitting president.

Pakula ’70s Paranoia Trilogy
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

If you’re someone who occasionally thinks that people are out to get you, don’t worry; a 1970s conspiracy thriller is here to assure you that you’re not necessarily insane and that you might actually have reason to be afraid. Three notable entries of the sort from that decade directed by Alan J. Pakula are particularly good at ramping up paranoid feelings in not just their characters, but in viewers as well. All three of those titles in Pakula’s so-called “Paranoia Trilogy” are airing tonight on Turner Classic Movies, beginning with the Best Picture Oscar-nominated political thriller All the President’s Men (1976), a dramatized look at how Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) uncovered the details of the Nixon administration’s Watergate scandal. The film earned Pakula a Best Director nomination. Another political thriller, The Parallax View (1974), is next. It follows a reporter (Warren Beatty) who gets in way over his head while investigating a senator’s assassination, with his trail leading to a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation that is behind every event in the world’s headlines. Finally, the crime thriller Klute (1971) finds a small-town detective (Donald Sutherland) searching for a missing man, and coming upon only one lead: a connection between the missing and a New York City prostitute (Best Actress Oscar winner Jane Fonda).

Fire Country
CBS, 9pm
New Series!

Max Thieriot stars as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining an unconventional prison release firefighting program in Northern California. Bode and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. The heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where all his troubles began.

Blue Bloods
CBS, 10pm
Season Premiere!

The family cop drama begins Season 13 with “Keeping the Faith,” in which Eddie and Jamie (Vanessa Ray and Will Estes) find themselves in a dangerous situation when they work on a domestic violence case that has ties to an investigation led by Danny and Baez (Donnie Wahlberg and Marisa Ramirez).

Eli Roth Presents: My Possessed Pet: “Master of the House”
Travel Channel, 10pm; also streams on discovery+

A bachelor adopts a dog, Sam, to keep him company in his new home. But when an evil spirit takes hold of the beloved pet, the roles are reversed, and Sam eventually becomes the master of the house — and of the man.

The Graham Norton Show
BBC America, 11pm
Season Premiere!

The chat show returns for its 30th round. Will guests be back on the pre-COVID sofa or still in the distanced chairs? Suspense!

Saturday, Oct. 8

College Football
ABC & NBC, beginning at 12pm Live

The Red River Showdown rivalry game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners takes place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on ABC. In primetime on NBC, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish face the BYU Cougars in a Shamrock Series matchup at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Pumpkin Everything
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!

A novelist returns to her hometown to look after her stubborn grandfather and his pumpkin-themed store. While there, she crosses paths with a man from her past. Stars Taylor Cole, Michael Ironside and Corey Sevier.

Cursed Friends
Comedy Central, 8pm
Original Film!

After a drunken reunion, four childhood friends wake up on Halloween to realize that a predict-your-future game of M.A.S.H. (Mansion Apartment Shack House) that they played in 2002 is starting to come true for them in hilarious and disturbing ways. They must band together to help each other escape the wild fates that have turned their lives upside down — from having 100 kids with the hometown loser, to leading a cult, to marrying NSYNC’s Joey Fatone. The ensemble cast features Nicole Byer, Jessica Lowe, Harvey Guillén, Andrew Lewis Caldwell, James Austin Johnson, Nikki Glaser, Kathy Griffin, Nicole Richie, Ken Marino, and Rob Riggle.

The Disappearance of Cari Farver
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!

In this film based on a true story and the subject of Leslie Rule’s bestselling true-crime book A Tangled Web, Dave Kroupa (Zach Gilford) is shocked when his new girlfriend, Cari Farver (Rebecca Amzallag), starts sending him demanding texts. When Dave ends the relationship, he finds himself on the receiving end of an onslaught of twisted messages from Cari, who has abruptly disappeared. Dave’s ex-girlfriend, Liz (Alicia Witt), also begins receiving harassing texts from Cari, resulting in a dangerous situation for them both. Meanwhile, Cari’s mother Nancy (Lea Thompson) continually searches for her, keeping the pressure on the police, who eventually make a shocking discovery.

Svengoolie: “It! The Terror From Beyond Space”
MeTV, 8pm

Horror movie host Svengoolie’s creature feature tonight is 1958’s It! The Terror From Beyond Space. Predating the similarly themed (and much more highly budgeted) 1979 classic Alien by over 20 years, this fun B-movie finds the first manned expedition to Mars invaded by an unknown, and murderous, life-form that stows away on a rescue ship.

Cold Justice: The Key to the Crime, Part 2
Oxygen, 8pm
Season Finale!

Season 6 of this true-crime docuseries from executive producer Dick Wolf wraps up with “The Key to the Crime.” In Part 2 of their 100th case, the Cold Justice team continue their investigation into the murder of a popular 18-year-old college student. Will they be able to finally give answers and justice to her grieving family?

Star of the Month: Robots
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

A few more cinematic robot stars are on hand as Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Saturday night salute to the greatest metal men and women of the big screen continues with another double feature. It begins with the iconic sci-fi production The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), in which an alien named Klaatu (Michael Rennie) arrives on Earth to tell humanity that they must start living peacefully or they will be seen as a danger to other planets, and destroyed. Klaatu is accompanied by the silent robot Gort, who can follow verbal commands including the film’s famous line, “Klaatu barada nikto.” Up next is Westworld (1973), which is based on Michael Crichton’s novel and takes place in a futuristic Western-themed amusement park where lifelike androids help visitors live out various fantasies. Unfortunately, these robots, including the Gunslinger portrayed by Yul Brynner, begin to malfunction and attempt to kill the tourists.

Critter Fixers: Country Vets
Nat Geo Wild, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Georgia veterinarians Vernard Hodges and Terrence Ferguson use heart and humor to treat a ferret with a fractured pelvis, a goose with something lodged in its trachea and a dog that has swallowed a pair of unmentionables.

Bring It On: Cheer or Die
Syfy, 9pm
Original Film!

A cheer squad’s plan to have a secret practice at a nearby abandoned school on Halloween takes a terrifying turn when their teammates begin disappearing one by one. Stars Kerri Medders (Panic, SEAL Team) and Tiera Skovbye (Riverdale).

Ghost Hunters: “Bound by Blood”
Travel Channel, 9pm; also streams on discovery+

TAPS checks out the frightening paranormal events inundating Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. With the help of former Olympic ice skater Johnny Weir, the team dives deep into the space of this former church that stands on land bloodied by Revolutionary War violence.

The Waiting Room
BET Her, beginning at 10pm
Season Premiere!

This series that spotlights short films about Black women facing a variety of issues returns for its fourth season in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with two half-hour dramas airing tonight. “Oh Baby Baby!” is directed by Tichina Arnold and focuses on a high-fashion entrepreneur (Edwina Findley) who is trying to conceive a child when she gets blindsided by developing breast cancer from IVF estrogen treatment. “The Pink Fight,” directed by LisaRaye McCoy, revolves around a boxer who is diagnosed with breast cancer, and follows her as she and her wife fight for survival both in and out of the ring.

NFL Icons: “Ray Lewis”
EPIX, 10pm

Ray Lewis, the NFL’s all-time leading tackler, shares stories of turning personal pain into the fuel for a Hall of Fame career. He also looks back at his college career at Miami, and his role in establishing the identity of the Baltimore Ravens through two Super Bowl victories.

Conjuring Kesha: “Songs for the Dead”
Travel Channel, 10pm

Pop star Betty Who joins Kesha on a quest to unravel the mysteries of Tennessee’s Antoinette Hall, one of America’s oldest and most haunted opera houses.

Austin City Limits: “Japanese Breakfast/Arlo Parks”
PBS, 11pm

Alt-pop band Japanese Breakfast and British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks perform.

Saturday Night Live: “Brendan Gleeson/Willow”
NBC, 11:30pm Live; also livestreams on Peacock

Actor Brendan Gleeson, who stars in the black comedy/drama feature film The Banshees of Inisherin, in theaters Oct. 21, makes his SNL hosting debut. Also making her debut tonight, as musical guest, is singer-songwriter Willow, whose fifth album, Coping Mechanism, dropped yesterday.