TV Best Bets

Sunday, Oct. 16: Lesley Manville Stars in PBS Mystery ‘Magpie Murders’

Magpie Murders PBS © Eleventh Hour Films

ALSO SEE: Your Full 2022 NFL Regular Season TV Schedule

All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.

Sunday, Oct. 16

Magpie Murders
PBS, 9pm
New Series!

Based on the bestselling novel written by Anthony Horowitz, the six-part series is a beguiling murder mystery with a resolution that will shock. The story revolves around the character Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville, The Crown), an editor who is given an unfinished manuscript of author Alan Conway’s latest novel but has little idea it will change her life.

“The Twilight Zone” Marathon
MeTV, beginning at 12pm

Ten classic episodes from Rod Serling’s classic 1959-64 sci-fi/fantasy anthology series The Twilight Zone air during this five-hour marathon. “Time Enough at Last,” “Eye of the Beholder,” “To Serve Man,” “It’s a Good Life” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” are just some of the fan-favorite installments MeTV has on tap.

NASCAR Cup Series: South Point 400
NBC, 2:30pm Live

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 8 begins today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400 on NBC.

The Apartment
TCM, 4:15pm
Catch a Classic!

Best Actor Oscar nominee Jack Lemmon and Best Actress nominee Shirley MacLaine star in Oscar-winning director Billy Wilder’s iconic, Best Picture-winning 1960 romantic comedy. Lemmon plays an insurance clerk who, in an attempt to climb the corporate ladder to an executive level, lets his bosses use his apartment for their extramarital affairs, only to eventually fall for the mistress (MacLaine) of his immediate boss (Fred MacMurray). Wilder also won an Oscar for the screenplay he cowrote with his Some Like It Hot collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, and the film’s outstanding cast also includes Best Supporting Actor nominee Jack Kruschen, Ray Walston, Hope Holiday and Edie Adams.

Love in Wolf Creek
UPtv, 7pm
Original Film!

Sam (Nola Martin) sets out to save a pack of wild wolves and a conservation refuge with the help of the town’s handsome newcomer (Tim Rozon).

The Simpsons: “The King of Nice”
FOX, 8pm

Marge’s (voice of Julie Kavner) new job as a segment producer on Krusty the Clown’s (Dan Castellaneta) daytime talk show turns out to be a nightmare in the new episode “The King of Nice.”

Miss Scarlet and the Duke
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Kate Phillips is back as Victorian era private eye Eliza Scarlet, and Stuart Martin returns as her hot-tempered friend, Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington of Scotland Yard, in Season 2 of the mystery series. The new season opens a few months after the close of Season 1; Eliza has solved her father’s murder, and her relationship with the Duke continues to slowly simmer. In the premiere, “Pandora’s Box,” the sister of a missing woman hires Eliza to find her. The only problem is the case was already investigated and closed by the police department.

NFL Football: Dallas at Philadelphia
NBC, 8:15pm Live

NFC East foes are at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 6 Sunday Night Football clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Eagles.

The Equalizer: “Better Off Dead”
CBS, 8:30pm

McCall (Queen Latifah) and the team help a widow who claims her dead husband is trying to kill her from beyond the grave in the new episode “Better Off Dead.”

The Great North: “Code Enough Said Adventure”
FOX, 8:30pm

The Tobins and some friends experience cabin fever when they are trapped in the house for days by an ice storm in the new episode “Code Enough Said Adventure.”

Bob’s Burgers: “Comet-y of Errors”
FOX, 9pm

At a comet watch party, Bob (voice of H. Jon Benjamin) tries to keep Teddy (Larry Murphy) from going crazy looking for signs from the universe in the new episode “Comet-y of Errors.”

Perfect Harmony
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9pm
Original Film!

Buttoned-up college professor Barrett and laid-back former pop star Jack set aside their differences when they are asked to be maid of honor and best man at the wedding of their mutual friends. An impromptu duet at the engagement party begins to thaw the frost between them as they find they may be more in tune than either imagined. Stars James Denton and Sherri Saum.

Family Guy: “The Munchurian Candidate”
FOX, 9:30pm

In the new episode “The Munchurian Candidate,” Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) hypnotizes Peter (Seth MacFarlane) to fulfill her sexual desires.

Annika
PBS, 10pm
New Series!

This police procedural with wit is set amid the stunning Scottish lochs. Nicola Walker (Last Tango in Halifax) stars as DI Annika Strandhed, the speedboat-driving head of the city’s newly formed Marine Homicide Unit tasked to solve a string of murders.

The Big Midterms Show
FOX News Channel, 10pm
New Series!

In advance of the midterm elections on Nov. 8, FOX News Channel presents a new series on Sunday nights leading up to Election Day. The premiere is hosted by America’s Newsroom and The Five’s Dana Perino. FOX News Sunday anchor and chief legal correspondent Shannon Bream hosts the Oct. 23 edition, and America’s Newsroom coanchor Bill Hemmer hosts on Oct. 30. Special Report’s Bret Baier and The Story’s Martha MacCallum will coanchor the Democracy 2022: Road to the Midterms special on Nov. 6.

NCIS: Los Angeles: “Of Value”
CBS, 10:30pm

The NCIS team mounts a rescue operation for two kidnapped architects who design secure buildings in the new episode “Of Value.”

Monday, Oct. 17

Doc Martin
Acorn TV
Season Premiere!

Martin Clunes steps into the shoes of surly and self-centered Dr. Martin Ellingham with a rude bedside manner and a phobia of blood for the last time as this popular British medical comedy/drama begins its 10th and final season. After stepping down as GP in the town of Portwenn at the end of last season, Doc Martin is beginning to question whether he made the right decision about resigning. With his wife, Louisa (Caroline Catz), pursuing her new career as a child counselor in his old hospital, Doc is left literally holding the baby and indulging his hobby of repairing clocks on the kitchen table. But does he really want his old job back? The first two episodes are available today; one new episode then drops each Monday through the series’ penultimate installment on Nov. 28. The final Doc Martin episode, a Christmas-themed entry, will then be available Dec. 31.

Mira Quién Baila All Stars
ViX

Episodes of the 2022 season of the dance competition Mira Quién Baila All Stars will be available for viewing free on ViX for seven days following their broadcast premieres Sundays on Univision. The series features an all-star cast of eight famous contestants with major dancing skills who compete on the floor for the chance to win the grand prize for the charity they represent. The judging panel features Roselyn Sánchez, Paulina Rubio and Isaac Hernández.

Batwheels
Cartoon Network, 9am
New Series!

DC’s first Batman series created for preschoolers is this animated show that allows little ones and their families to ride along with an amazing team of super-vehicles as they help the Caped Crusader, Batgirl and Robin keep the streets of Gotham safe from transports belonging to supervillains, such as Penguin’s Ducky Boat and Mr. Freeze’s snowcrawler, Snowy.

NFL Football: Denver at L.A. Chargers
ESPN, 8pm Live

Monday Night Football’s Week 6 matchup has the Denver Broncos taking on the L.A. Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Kids Baking Championship: Trick or Eat
Food Network, 8pm; also streams on discovery+

This hourlong special brings back four fan-favorite bakers from last season of Kids Baking Championship and places them in a kitchen that has been transformed into a spooky Halloween haunt. Duff Goldman and Maneet Chauhan challenge them to create a “Halloween Mask Pie” using ingredients the bakers collect by trick-or-treating, but there is a sudden, shocking twist. What isn’t scary is the impressive $10,000 prize package of baking tools and equipment that goes to the best pie-maker.

9-1-1: “Home Invasion”
FOX, 8pm

In the new episode “Home Invasion,” Athena (Angela Bassett) investigates when the same house is hit with two home invasion 911 calls within hours.

The Voice: “The Battles, Part 2”
NBC, 8pm

The battle rounds continue as the coaches enlist music industry powerhouses Jimmie Allen, Sean Paul, Charlie Puth and Jazmine Sullivan to prepare their artists to go head-to-head in hopes of advancing to the knockouts. Each coach has one steal and one save at their disposal.

Antiques Roadshow: “Vintage Grand Rapids, Hour 1”
PBS, 8pm

Guess which Grand Rapids treasures have soared since Roadshow’s stop here in 2008, including a Navajo Germantown blanket, a 1967 Gerald Ford letter and an 1881 Jasper Cropsey oil painting. One has an updated appraisal of $150,000.

TCM Spotlight: Creepy Cinema Night 3 — “‘Screamin’ Shelley Winters” and “More People on the Verge”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Shelley Winters gets this evening’s Creepy Cinema lineup of scary movies started with two of her later roles as a frighteningly unhinged character, in the films What’s the Matter With Helen? (1971) and Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972). These lead into other titles themed around madness: The Masque of the Red Death (1964), House of Wax (1953), The Hypnotic Eye (1960), Mad Love (1935) and The Beast With Five Fingers (1946).

How America Works
FOX Business Network, 8pm
Season Premiere!

FOX Business Network’s popular primetime programming slate, FBN Prime, returns as the network celebrates its 15th anniversary. Tonight marks a new season of Mike Rowe’s How America Works, spotlighting industries, and workers that serve as the backbone of our nation. Each week, viewers will get an intimate look at the lives of firefighters, tool makers, national parks stewards and other industry experts.

The Cleaning Lady: “The Brit”
FOX, 9pm

Fiona (Martha Millan) takes the lead on starting her and Thony’s (Élodie Yung) new cleaning business in the new episode “The Brit.”

The Vow
HBO, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Set against the backdrop of the federal trial of NXIVM cofounder Keith Raniere, Season 2 of the documentary series offers an exclusive view into Raniere’s innermost circle.

No One Can Hear You Scream
Investigation Discovery, 9pm
New Series!

In this docuseries, survivors and investigators recount true stories of horrifying crimes committed in the most isolated corners of the country. In the series premiere, “Murder on Kimsey Mountain,” a woman finds out just how far her abusive husband will go to make sure she never escapes when she is forced to see him for their children at his remote mountain home.

Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March
PBS, 9pm

This hourlong documentary looks at the aftermath of the March 2021 mass shootings at three spas in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in what was a watershed moment in a year of increasing violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). The film explores how the tragic events became a galvanizing moment, and inspired an emerging collective identity and new political clout for AAPI communities as they fought back against the hate and turned anger into action.

American Built
FOX Business Network, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Stuart Varney returns with a new season of American Built (9pm & 9:30pm) to highlight famous American landmarks and inventions. Varney speaks with architects, engineers and historians to discuss the soul and sacrifice that went into building each of the notable structures. This season will showcase landmarks such as the San Francisco Bay Bridge, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and many others.

NCIS: Hawai‘i: “Sudden Death”
CBS, 10pm

The NCIS team investigates the death of a Navy sailor and takes on a ruthless local criminal organization in the new episode “Sudden Death.”

Quantum Leap: “Salvation or Bust”
NBC, 10pm

Ben (Raymond Lee) is transported back to 1898 and the rustic, frontier town of Salvation, where he must take on a deadly outlaw. Meanwhile, Magic (Ernie Hudson), Jenn (Nanrisa Lee) and Ian (Mason Alexander Park) face a new threat when a curious senator shows up at headquarters asking a lot of questions about the Quantum Leap program.

POV: “An Act of Worship”
PBS, 10pm

Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, this documentary makes its national broadcast debut. Pakistani-American director Nausheen Dadabhoy’s film offers a counternarrative of the last 30 years of Muslim life in America as a diverse range of Muslim Americans recount pivotal moments in U.S. history and policy from their own perspectives. An Act of Worship weaves together intimate archival home video with evocative recollections to help the Muslim American community, as Dadabhoy says, “see itself through its own gaze.”

Tuesday, Oct. 18

Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy Live From Los Angeles
Netflix

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias became the first comedian to perform at Dodger Stadium in this stand-up special, filmed earlier this year at the Netflix Is a Joke festival. In the performance, Iglesias shares details about being a Los Angeles native, a recent attempt at extortion toward him and where he holds the record for receiving the highest fine onstage.

Somebody Feed Phil
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The popular unscripted food-and-travel docuseries is back with its sixth season, in connection with today’s release of host Phil Rosenthal’s companion cookbook. This season, Phil’s travels around the globe to explore different cuisines and cultures take him to Croatia, Philadelphia, Nashville, Austin and Santiago. There will also be a special tribute episode to Phil’s parents, Helen and Max.

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 3
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The third installment of this reboot of the famed mystery-investigation docuseries airs as a three-week event, with new episodes dropping today, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 that feature more unexplained deaths, baffling disappearances and bizarre paranormal activity.

NBA Basketball
TNT, beginning at 7:30pm Live

The NBA regular season tips off tonight with a TNT doubleheader featuring the Philadelphia 76ers at the Boston Celtics and the 2022 NBA champion Golden State Warriors (led by Steph Curry) raising another banner to the rafters when they host LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers.

FBI: “Flopped Cop”
CBS, 8pm

The team investigates the death of a wealthy accountant who was gunned down for secretly testifying against a notorious drug lord in the new episode “Flopped Cop.”

The Resident: “A River in Egypt”
FOX, 8pm

In the new episode “A River in Egypt,” a college professor comes into the ER and Conrad (Matt Czuchry) realizes it’s a former patient of his from when he was an intern.

MLB Playoffs: NL Championship Series: Game 1
FS1, 8pm Live

The National League’s two remaining playoff contenders meet tonight in Game 1 of the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. FS1 and FOX split coverage of the series, which would end on Oct. 25 if a seventh game is needed.

Life Below Zero: “Hard Lessons, Lasting Impressions”
Nat Geo, 8pm

As the sun slowly returns to the Arctic, Alaskans break trail and hunt for their survival ahead of the looming thaw. Sue Aikens learns of an imminent danger; in Eagle, Denise Becker breaks trail on her own to learn to navigate the landscape without her partner; Agnes and Chip Hailstone dig deep in Kiwalik to protect their meat from the elements; and Ricko DeWilde and his sons use the warmer weather in Huslia to search for a late-winter meal.

The Voice: “The Battles, Part 3”
NBC, 8pm

The battle rounds continue as the coaches enlist music industry powerhouses Jimmie Allen, Sean Paul, Charlie Puth and Jazmine Sullivan to prepare their artists to go head-to-head in hopes of advancing to the knockouts. Each coach has one steal and one save at their disposal.

By Design: The Joe Caroff Story
TCM, 8pm

This Turner Classic Movies original documentary explores the life and work of Joe Caroff, one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century, who created iconic movie logos including West Side Story and the 007 logo of the James Bond productions, as well as corporate logos for ABC News and others. Included are exclusive interviews with the 101-year-old Caroff, his wife, Phyllis, legendary movie executive/producer Mike Medavoy and leading Hollywood poster artist Dan Chapman. Following the hourlong film, TCM airs three movies for which Caroff designed the posters: Manhattan (1979), Cabaret (1972) and A Hard Day’s Night (1964).

Historic Battles for America: Crucial Conflicts
FOX Business Network, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Kelsey Grammer returns as narrator of this series that dives into key battles that left an indelible mark on America, including Bunker Hill, the Alamo, Antietam and more. The 60-minute episodes will analyze the strategies deployed in each conflict, the motivations of the soldiers who fought it and the consequences that still resonate long after the final shot was fired.

The Very VERY Best of the 80s: “Celebrity Couples”
AXS TV, 8:30pm

Host Kelly Osbourne and her celebrity guests look back at the famous couples who had everyone swooning during the 1980s.

FBI: International: “Yesterday’s Miracle”
CBS, 9pm

The team searches Bucharest for a Romanian surrogate who goes missing shortly before giving birth to an American couple’s biological child in the new episode “Yesterday’s Miracle.”

Monarch: “The Night Of…”
FOX, 9pm

The Romans await the news of the Country Music Legacy Awards nominations in the new episode “The Night Of…”

Primal Survivor: Over the Andes
Nat Geo, 9pm
New Series!

Follow survivalist Hazen Audel as he tackles South America’s mighty Andes mountain range, crossing east to west through six amazing and diverse ecosystems, from the ancient jungle of the Atlantic forest and the frozen peaks of the high Andes, to the Atacama Desert and the Pacific coast. But to complete this epic trek, he will need to learn the skills and survival techniques of local tribes.

La Brea: “The Fog”
NBC, 9pm

When a fog falls over the clearing, Eve (Natalie Zea) leads a defense against a group of invaders, only to encounter a threat more dangerous than they’ve faced before. In 1988, Josh (Jack Martin) and Riley (Veronica St. Clair) pursue a woman who may hold the key to stopping the impending tidal wave disaster.

American Dynasty
FOX Business Network, 9pm
New Series!

FOX Nation’s American Dynasty makes its regular TV debut on FOX Business Network. The series chronicles America’s most iconic family empires from the 18th century to the present day, including the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts and the Kennedys. The series will reveal how each family first achieved fame and fortune and display the following generation’s fight to live up to the near-impossible example set by their ancestors. It also features expert commentary on the lasting legacies of these families from guests such as FBN’s Larry Kudlow, David Rockefeller, Patrick J. Kennedy, Jay Leno and others.

Making Black America: Through the Grapevine: “A Growing Resistance”
PBS, 9pm

The docuseries’ third hour looks at how, to survive a period of economic cataclysm and global war, African Americans relied on informal economies, grassroots organizations and cultural innovations behind the color line to sustain themselves and dismantle the oppressive reality of Jim Crow.

The Rookie: Feds: “To Die For”
ABC, 10pm

When the team splits up to question a suspect’s father, Simone and Laura discover critical information on how their abusive relationship is connected to the crimes. Following this lead, the team heads to Tucson to save the suspect’s newest target. Meanwhile, sparks fly with Laura and her former colleague, Mark Atlas, as they debate the killer’s motive.

FBI: Most Wanted: “Chains”
CBS, 10pm

In the new episode “Chains,” Hana (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is kidnapped while trying to help a young girl (guest star Dalya Knapp) in peril at a rest stop.

The Murder Tapes
Investigation Discovery, 10pm
Season Premiere!

The true-crime series that unfolds homicide investigations through dramatic real footage returns for Season 8 with “Two Neighbors.” After Cindy Testerman is found murdered in her own home, and a second woman goes missing, police race to get the person who did this off the streets. With an investigation full of twists and turns, a chilling confession ultimately tells all.

New Amsterdam: “Grabby Hands”
NBC, 10pm

Max (Ryan Eggold) endeavors to save a nurse who has become the subject of a dangerous malpractice probe; Reynolds (Jocko Sims) goes the extra mile to help a group of patients who are being poisoned in their own building; and Bloom (Janet Montgomery) makes a startling admission to her sister.

Frontline: “Michael Flynn’s Holy War”
PBS, 10pm

With collaboration from the Associated Press, this 90-minute film explores how Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn went from an elite soldier to waging “spiritual war” in America as a leading conspiracy theorist, from QAnon to “Stop the Steal,” as well as his ties to Christian nationalism.

Nosferatu
MOVIES!, 12:05am (late-night)
Catch a Classic!

Director F.W. Murnau’s masterful 1922 silent German Expressionist film classic — an unofficial (and unauthorized) adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, which had been published just 25 years earlier — features an iconic physical performance, enhanced by wonderful makeup effects, from Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok, one of the great monsters in screen history.

Wednesday, Oct. 19

In the Soop: Friendcation
Disney+
New Series!

This Korean reality series follows five celebrity friends — actors Park Seo-jun and Choi Woo-shik; K-pop stars Park Hyung-sik (of the boy band ZE:A) and V (Kim Tae-hyung, of the boy band BTS); and rapper Peakboy (Kwon Sung-hwan) — as they step away from their busy everyday lives to unwind together in a surprising trip.

Love Is Blind
Netflix
Season Premiere!

The dating reality series hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey returns for Season 3, which was filmed in Dallas. New episodes are available weekly.

The School for Good and Evil
Netflix
Original Film!

Paul Feig directed this fantasy film adaptation of Soman Chainani’s novel about teenage best friends (Sophia Anne Caruso and Sofia Wyle) who find themselves on opposing sides of an epic battle when they are swept away into an enchanted school where young heroes and villains are trained to protect the balance between good and evil. Also leading the cast are Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Yeoh.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Peacock

Journalist Soledad O’Brien is an executive producer of this film that expands the record on Rosa Parks’ overlooked accomplishments — which went beyond her famous 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white passenger — and the importance of her drive and fight to overcome racial injustices and rampant inequalities. Personal stories from Parks’ family and remarkable footage of the woman herself enhance this documentary, which concludes Peacock’s six-week DocFest event.

NBA Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 7:30pm Live

ESPN’s coverage of the NBA regular season tips off tonight with a doubleheader featuring the N.Y. Knicks at the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks at the Phoenix Suns.

The Conners: “A Little Weed and a Bad Seed”
ABC, 8pm

Problems arise on Beverly Rose’s first day of kindergarten, and Becky and Darlene have a disagreement that leads to further turmoil. Elsewhere, Harris advises an unusual solution for Dan’s back pain.

King Tut: A Century of Secrets
Discovery Channel, 8pm

Ahead of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of famed ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb in November, this special follows Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who has gained special permission to examine the treasures of King Tut before they are transferred from the Cairo Museum to a brand-new museum in the shadow of the pyramids. Hawass and his team reexamine these items — and also cast their net across all of Egypt, visiting spectacular temples and long-forgotten tombs — in a quest for answers to some of the great riddles that still surround Tut’s life and death.

The Masked Singer: “Andrew Lloyd Webber Night”
FOX, 8pm

The new episode “Andrew Lloyd Webber Night” is full of show tunes as two new celebrity singers enter the competition and perform songs from Webber’s legendary catalog.

Chicago Med: “Yep, This Is the World We Live In”
NBC, 8pm

The effects of the supply chain shortages continue to impact the E.D.; Vanessa’s (Asjha Cooper) drug dealer reappears; one of the victims of the recent train crash needs a transplant, forcing Crockett (Dominic Rains) to improvise; and Charles (Oliver Platt) and Nellie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) help a patient with amnesia.

Nature
PBS, 8pm
Season Premiere!

The Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning natural history series opens its 41st season with “Running With the Beest.” The film tracks the Great Migration in East Africa, one of the most impressive mass movements of land animals on Earth — so large it can be seen from space — as over a million wildebeest, alongside zebras, gazelles and eland, journey to find fresh grass. However, climate change, tourism and modern-day conflicts are threatening this migration.

Great Lakes Untamed: “The Big Freeze”
Smithsonian Channel, 8pm

Enter a world where otters go ice-fishing, wolves and ravens compete for food, and fish get paralyzed in a polar vortex. Spend a winter at the Great Lakes and see how its animals deal with the most extreme temperature changes on Earth.

MLB Playoffs: AL Championship Series: Game 1
TBS, 8pm Live

TBS airs the best-of-seven American League Championship Series beginning with Game 1 tonight. Game 7, if necessary, is scheduled for Oct. 26.

Pam Grier — Part 1
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Tonight and next Wednesday evening, Turner Classic Movies presents a salute to iconic actress Pam Grier, who became famous for her action roles in 1970s’ “blaxploitation” features, and the star herself will be on hand to introduce some of her iconic movies. Tonight’s lineup, though, begins with a more straightforward dramatic role for Grier, alongside Richard Pryor, in 1977’s Greased Lightning, a biopic about Wendell Scott (Pryor), the first Black NASCAR race winner. Following that are two of Grier’s blaxploitation flicks: Friday Foster (1975), in which she plays the titular magazine photographer, who is drawn into a political conspiracy after witnessing an assassination attempt, and Hit Man (1972), an adaptation of Ted Lewis’ novel Jack’s Return Home (which had also been adapted into 1971’s Get Carter). Later in the evening/early tomorrow morning, TCM is also airing two films from this ’70s subgenre not starring Grier, but with a similarly tough heroine: Tamara Dobson as the title character in Cleopatra Jones (1973) and its 1975 sequel, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold.

Mansion Global
FOX Business Network, 8pm
Season Premiere!

Mansion Global returns with back-to-back half-hour episodes hosted by FOX Business Network’s real estate contributor Katrina Campins (founding host Kacie McDonnell is on maternity leave). Cofounder of the Campins Company, a luxury real estate establishment, Campins steps inside the most opulent, first-class properties around the country.

The Goldbergs: “Uncle-ing”
ABC, 8:30pm

With her due date approaching, Erica is over the exhausting pregnancy and demands a “babymoon.” When things take an unforeseen turn, Geoff is tasked with producing the one person Erica needs more than anyone. Meanwhile, Adam and Barry seek out advice on “uncle-ing” from some unexpected sources.

Abbott Elementary: “Juice”
ABC, 9pm

Janine is thrilled to help introduce a new beverage to the cafeteria, but it ends up causing unexpected consequences for the students, teachers and school plumbing system. Elsewhere, Melissa clashes with her new aide, Ashley, who brings more disruption than help to the classroom.

LEGO Masters: “Out on a Limb”
FOX, 9pm

The builders make their childhood dreams come true by building imaginative LEGO treehouses (in actual trees!) in the new episode “Out on a Limb.”

Farmhouse Fixer
HGTV, 9pm
Season Finale!

In “Biggest Little Farmhouse,” Jon Knight embarks on a new venture when his friends, Bill Klein and Jen Arnold from TLC’s The Little Couple, want his help finding a farmhouse. They’re moving from Florida to Boston for work and want a home with history, land and room to accommodate an elevator.

Chicago Fire: “Haunted House”
NBC, 9pm

Firehouse 51 hosts a Halloween open house, and Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Severide (Taylor Kinney) help a young girl after she gets kicked out of her home.

NOVA: “Can Psychedelics Cure?”
PBS, 9pm

Mind-altering drugs — or psychedelics — have been used for thousands of years. Learn how today, scientists are discovering these drugs’ potential for profoundly positive clinical impacts, helping patients struggling with afflictions like addiction and depression.

American Dream Home
FOX Business Network, 9pm
Season Premiere!

American Dream Home (9pm & 9:30pm) features the inspiring stories of American families finding their dream home. This season will once again spotlight beach and country themed locations. The 30-minute episodes will follow hopeful homeowners as they share the stories that led them to the home they always aspired to own.

Home Economics: “Live With Kelly and Ryan Hoodie, Complimentary”
ABC, 9:30pm

With the press tour for Tom’s book in full swing, Connor and Marina accompany him to promote his book in New York on one of Americas top daytime talk shows. Meanwhile, Sarah and Denise get a little too comfortable living at Connor’s house, which sends the wrong message to Shamiah.

After Happily Ever After
BET & BET Her, 10pm
New Series!

Hosted by Bow Wow and filmed in Kentucky, this one-of-a-kind dating series features people whose long-term relationships ended in divorce or separation, and whose exes will now play matchmaker for their former partners in hopes of helping them let go, move on and find love once again.

Documentary Now!
IFC, 10pm
Season Premiere!

The comedy that lovingly pays homage to the world of documentaries returns with a two-part premiere. “Soldier of Illusion,” written by John Mulaney, is a tribute to the 1982 film Burden of Dreams, which documented Werner Herzog’s struggles to direct Fitzcarraldo.

Chicago P.D.: “Pink Cloud”
NBC, 10pm

Upton’s (Tracy Spiridakos) dogged pursuit of a missing teenage girl leads the team into a dark web of human trafficking. Chief O’Neal (Michael Gaston) becomes involved with the unit’s investigation when it becomes evident that his son, Sean, has a connection to the missing girl.

Secrets of the Dead: “Last Days of Pompeii”
PBS, 10pm

What were the last days in Pompeii like before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago? The dazzling discovery of an intact wooden chariot, the only one ever found, provides new insight into the social classes of the ancient city.

Reginald the Vampire: “Hypnos”
Syfy, 10pm

Mayhem ensues when Reginald (Jacob Batalon) and Sarah (Em Haine) go on their first date.

Thursday, Oct. 20

Inside Amy Schumer
Paramount+
Season Premiere!

Comedian Amy Schumer’s Peabody Award-winning sketch comedy series, which aired its first four seasons between 2013 and 2016 on Comedy Central, returns for Season 5 on its new streaming home at Paramount+. The new season will feature, in addition to Schumer, Amber Tamblyn, Cara Delevingne, Chris Parnell, Ellie Kemper, Jesse Williams, Michael Ian Black, Olivia Munn, Tim Meadows and more. The first two episodes are available today; the remaining three installments then drop on subsequent Thursdays.

One of Us Is Lying
Peacock
Season Premiere!

The young adult thriller is back for its second season following the gripping cliffhanger that ended Season 1. The Bayview Four have a very deadly secret, and this new season will show just how far they’ll go to protect that secret, themselves and each other. All eight episodes are available today.

True Colours
Sundance Now
New Series!

In this Australian miniseries, Detective Toni Alma (Rarriwuy Hick) is assigned to investigate a suspicious car accident in Perdar Theendar, the remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory she left as a child and has had little to do with since. As the clues lead back to her own family, Toni has to navigate her way between the “white and black laws,” and the complexities of the Indigenous Australian art world, to find a killer who is way too close to home. All four episodes are available today.

Informe Qatar
ViX+
New Series!

This docuseries uncovers all the key details about the teams and stars competing at the upcoming soccer World Cup in Qatar.

Los Exorcistas
ViX+
New Series!

Through interviews and re-creations, this docuseries explores the world of exorcism, introducing people of all faiths who say they have come face-to-face with malignant beings while performing the ritual.

NBA Basketball
TNT, beginning at 7:30pm Live

TNT’s Thursday night NBA doubleheader has Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on the road against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers, followed by Paul George and the L.A. Clippers “on the road” against LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers in the teams’ shared Crypto.com Arena.

Station 19: “Dancing With Our Hands Tied”
ABC, 8pm

The Station 19 crew responds to the scene of a car accident where two teenagers are trapped inside of an electric car. The scene grows increasingly tense when the teen’s father shows up furious at his son for taking his beloved car without permission. Ben and Maya find themselves caught in the middle of a domestic dispute involving a couple they detest.

Young Sheldon: “Blonde Ambition and the Concept of Zero”
CBS, 8pm

Sheldon (Iain Armitage) makes a terrifying mathematical discovery while tutoring Billy (Wyatt McClure) in the new episode “Blonde Ambition and the Concept of Zero.”

Hell’s Kitchen: “Slipping Down to Hell”
FOX, 8pm

Each team has to create an amazing spin on four different types of sliders in the new episode “Slipping Down to Hell.”

75th Anniversary of the Hollywood Blacklist — Night 2
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!

Turner Classic Movies’ look back at the infamous Hollywood blacklisting of entertainers who harbored communist sympathies, or were even just perceived to, during the “Red Scare” of the late 1940s and ’50s continues with another programming block, this one featuring movies with blacklisted or suspected actors and behind-the-camera creatives. Airing first is the 1954 drama Salt of the Earth, about Mexican workers at a zinc mine who call for a general strike. With its pro-labor and -feminist point of view, along with the fact that its filmmakers (director Herbert Biberman, producer Paul Jarrico and writer Michael Wilson), as well as some of its actors (Will Geer and Rosaura Revueltas), had been or were blacklisted, the entire film itself was blacklisted as being “subversive,” the only production as a whole to fall victim to the scapegoating of that time. Following that are: 1957’s A King in New York (star/director/writer/producer Charlie Chaplin); 1956’s The Brave One (Dalton Trumbo, who won a Best Writing, Motion Picture Story while credited under the pseudonym “Robert Rich” due to his blacklist; the award was reissued in Trumbo’s name in 1975); and Time Without Pity (1957) (expatriate director Joseph Losey, who moved to Europe to make films following his blacklisting, including this film noir produced in Britain).

Duck Family Treasure
FOX Business Network, 8pm
New Series!

FOX Nation’s Duck Family Treasure comes to regular TV for the first time on FOX Business Network. The series follows brothers Jase and Jep Robertson, alongside their eccentric Uncle Si and expert treasure hunter Murry Crowe, as they search for buried treasure. This season, the crew works together to uncover incredible historical riches and showcase the complex and fascinating world of treasure hunting. Along with other Robertson family members, Jase and Jep’s wives Missy and Jessica Robertson will also be featured on the show.

NFL Football: New Orleans at Arizona
Prime Video, 8:15pm Live

Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints travel to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for a Thursday Night Football matchup against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.

Ghosts: “The Tree”
CBS, 8:30pm

Sasappis (Román Zaragoza) convinces Sam and Jay (Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar) to try to save an old tree on the Woodstone property that the neighbors want to cut down in the new episode “The Tree.”

Grey’s Anatomy: “Let’s Talk About Sex”
ABC, 9pm

Bailey recruits the interns to create a series of social media videos informing teens about sexual health. The videos, filmed at Grey Sloan in front of a group of high schoolers, hit home as a student has medical complications during her visit. Elsewhere, Meredith and Maggie learn something new about Zola.

American Gold: The Legend of Bear Gulch
FOX Business Network, 9pm
Season Premiere!

The Dale brothers are back for Season 2, as they take another shot at finding “Ole’s Gold” in Bear Gulch, Montana, the legendary gold vein said to be worth millions of dollars. The land, which spans over 800 acres in Montana, has been long sought after by the brothers following a childhood pact they made to one day purchase it and search for gold. 

So Help Me Todd: “Corduroy Briefs”
CBS, 9pm
Margaret and Todd (Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin) work to bring justice to an Olympic athlete who lost his leg in a plane crash resulting from a defective aircraft in the new episode “Corduroy Briefs.”

Welcome to Flatch: “Open House”
FOX, 9pm

Barb (Jaime Pressly) holds her first open house in Flatch, and Kelly (Holmes) rises to the occasion as an up-and-coming real estate agent in the new episode “Open House.”

Renovation Impossible: “Lackluster Lakehouse”
HGTV, 9pm

After years of saving, a couple can finally buy their dream lake house and still have money left over for renovations. When unexpected repairs and surprise expenses blow up their budget, Russell J. Holmes helps pick up the pieces and get their plans back on track.

Call Me Kat: “Call Me Donor Four-Five-Seven”
FOX, 9:30pm

Kat (Mayim Bialik) decides to explore motherhood, and her friends jump at the chance to help her find a sperm donor in the new episode “Call Me Donor Four-Five-Seven.”

Alaska Daily: “It’s Not Personal”
ABC, 10pm
Eileen, Roz and Sylvie travel to Meade to learn more about a suspect in Gloria’s case and connect with the local police chief, which proves to be more challenging than expected. When Austin learns about a political candidate’s murky financial ties, Stanley must decide if they can publish with the newspaper’s owner having endorsed the candidate.

CSI: Vegas: “Koala”
CBS, 10pm

In the new episode “Koala,” the CSI team investigates after three masked assailants invade a home and murder an entire family.

True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here
SundanceTV, 10pm
Season Finale!

In the docuseries’ Season 2 finale, “Edgewater, FL,” after a dentist is brazenly killed by a masked gunman, the media reports salacious details as investigators uncover a sinister plot led by the dentist’s wife and stepson. But a private investigator shares a startling alternate theory.

Friday, Oct. 21

Acapulco
Apple TV+
Season Premiere!

The acclaimed bilingual comedy series set at a resort in the titular Mexican city is back for a 10-episode second season. In 1985, 20-something Máximo (Enrique Arrizon) must contend with upheaval at the resort, unexpected problems at home and a new love interest who just might rival the girl of his dreams. Under Don Pablo’s (Damián Alcázar) guidance, he sets his eyes on one day running the entire Las Colinas operation by becoming Diane’s (Jessica Collins) right-hand man. Meanwhile, in the present day, Older Máximo (Eugenio Derbez) returns to Acapulco to make peace with the recent passing of Don Pablo, and he is forced to confront some unfinished business that his younger self left behind. The first two episodes are available today; new episodes drop Fridays.

Ghostwriter
Apple TV+
Season Premiere!

This Daytime Emmy-winning reboot of the beloved early ’90s kids series returns for its third season with an entirely new cast and a new adventure.

Raymond & Ray
Apple TV+
Feature Film Exclusive!

Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke lead this comedy/drama as half brothers Raymond and Ray, who have both lived in the shadow of their terrible father. Somehow, they each still have a sense of humor, and their dad’s funeral offers a chance for them to reunite and reinvent themselves. There’s anger, there’s pain, there’s folly, there might be love, and there’s definitely gravedigging. Maribel Verdú, Sophie Okonedo and Vondie Curtis-Hall also star in writer/director Rodrigo García’s film, which premiered at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Barbarians
Netflix
Season Premiere!

In Season 2 of this German historical drama set in A.D. 9, during the Roman Empire’s occupation of Germania, Roman troops have returned to the area one year after the Battle of Varus, and are stronger than ever. Ari (Laurence Rupp) is again confronted with his Roman past, while his brother, Flavus (Daniel Donskoy) has joined the Roman side in order to punish Ari for his betrayal of Rome. Thusnelda (Jeanne Goursaud) and Ari join forces to unite the tribes against Rome, while Folkwin (David Schütter) ominously challenges the gods.

Descendant
Netflix
Feature Film Exclusive!

A Special Jury Award winner at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Descendant finds documentary filmmaker Margaret Brown returning to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to document the search for and historic discovery of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to arrive in the United States. After a century of secrecy and speculation, the 2019 discovery of the vessel turned attention toward Mobile’s descendant community of Africatown.

From Scratch
Netflix
New Series!

Sisters Attica and Tembi Locke cocreated this limited drama series based on Tembi’s bestselling memoir of the same name. Executive producer Zoe Saldaña stars as Amy, an American student who falls in love with Sicilian chef Lino (Eugenio Mastrandrea) while studying abroad in Italy. Their whirlwind romance faces many unforeseen challenges, including their very different cultural backgrounds, but when Lino is faced with unimaginable health challenges and the couple’s future is threatened, the two families come together to create an extended family unlike any they could have imagined, proving that love crosses all borders.

28 Days Haunted
Netflix
New Series!

Three teams each spend 28 days in some of America’s most haunted locations for a paranormal experiment based on the theories of Ed and Lorraine Warren, investigators whose work inspired the stories in the Conjuring film franchise.

Argentina, 1985
Prime Video
Original Film!

Cowriter/director Santiago Mitre’s drama is inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera (Ricardo Darín), Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani) and their young legal team. These unlikely heroes engaged in a David-vs.-Goliath battle during which, under constant threat, they dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship against all odds and in a race against time to bring justice to the victims of the military junta.

Modern Love Tokyo
Prime Video
New Series!

The popular romantic comedy anthology series Modern Love, which ran for two seasons, is rebooted here with a new look, a new setting in Tokyo, and a new cast and creative team representing Japan. Like the original, this series is based on the New York Times column of the same name, with new essays that would make the story more familiar to Japanese audiences selected for adaptation. Each of the seven episodes, one of which will be animated, depicts various forms of love in a variety of expressive ways.

The Peripheral
Prime Video
New Series!

This sci-fi thriller is based on William Gibson’s bestselling novel, a hallucinatory glimpse into the fate of mankind, and what lies beyond. It centers on Flynne Fisher (Chloë Grace Moretz), a woman trying to hold together the pieces of her broken family in a forgotten corner of tomorrow’s America. Flynne is smart, ambitious and doomed, with no future — until the future comes calling for her. New episodes are available Fridays.

Chrissy’s Court
The Roku Channel
Season Premiere!

Chrissy Teigen returns as “judge,” with her mother, Pepper Thai, again serving as “bailiff,” for a 10-episode third season of this courtroom series in which Teigen presides over actual small-claims disputes.

Ghost MOVIES!
MOVIES!, beginning at 9:15am
Catch a Classic!

Ghost stories of various types, from the comedic to the horrific, are on hand this morning, afternoon and evening on MOVIES! with an eight-film lineup of spirited cinematic classics. Airing today, in order, are: The Canterville Ghost (1944), starring Charles Laughton, Robert Young and Margaret O’Brien; The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison; director William Castle’s 13 Ghosts (1960); The Haunting (1963), with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom; cowriter/director John Carpenter’s The Fog (1980), headlined by Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hal Holbrook and Janet Leigh; director Herk Harvey’s eerie Carnival of Souls (1962); Two on a Guillotine (1965), starring Connie Stevens and directed by William Conrad; and Topper Returns (1941), the third and final entry in the initial Topper series of fantasy/comedy films, starring Joan Blondell and Roland Young.

NBA Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 7:30pm Live

A star-studded twin bill of NBA action on ESPN has Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in Miami to take on Kyle Lowry and the Heat, followed by the Denver Nuggets facing the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

Trick ’r Treat
AMC, 8pm

Roughly 30 years after John Carpenter’s Halloween, Michael Dougherty’s brilliant anthology Trick ’r Treat, which tells four terrifying tales, haunted video stores around the globe and introduced us to a deceptively adorable new masked boogeyman in Sam. For Dougherty, it was his chance to pay tribute to both Carpenter’s creation and the Halloween holiday/genre. His movie became an instant classic, and this year marks the film’s 15th anniversary.

Capital One College Bowl: “The Blitz”
NBC, 8pm

Six teams remain after the quarterfinals, but only four can advance to the semifinals, as Penn State takes on BYU, Georgia faces Syracuse and Columbia vies with UC Santa Barbara.

Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes
PBS, 9pm

This first major film to explore the life and career of jazz luminary Ron Carter, the most recorded bassist in history, features original concert footage and candid insights from jazz icons, and paints a vibrant portrait of the artist in his own words.

Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout
Shudder, 9pm

Horror movie host Joe Bob Briggs (Shudder’s The Last Drive-In) presents his fourth Shudder Halloween special; films and special surprise guest were TBA at presstime.

Love During Lockup
WE tv, 9pm
Season Premiere!

The third installment in the Love After Lockup/Life After Lockup franchise returns for Season 2 and follows ordinary people who pursue relationships with prison inmates.

Saving the Manor: “Judge a Book by Its Cover”
HGTV, 10pm

The pressure is on for couple Dean Poulton and Borja de Maqua to convert the stable’s hayloft into a palatial apartment, which will create much needed rental income. Now, the duo look to construct a posh one-bedroom suite, and they’ll tackle the entrance foyer and library first.

Blue Bloods: “Ghosted”
CBS, 10pm

Danny and Baez (Donnie Wahlberg and Marisa Ramirez) investigate after a vicious attack leaves their friend, Maggie (returning guest star Callie Thorne), hospitalized in the new episode “Ghosted.”

Los Espookys
HBO, 11pm
Season Finale!

The comedy about a group of friends who run a business that provides horror to clients in a dreamy Latin American country wraps up its second season.

Saturday, Oct. 22

The Hair Tales
Hulu
New Series!

Oprah Winfrey, Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela angela Davis executive produce this docuseries that leads audiences through a revelatory journey connecting the personal tales of phenomenal Black women to broader societal and historical themes. The stories shared in the series offer an honest and layered look into the complex culture of Black hair and, ultimately, Black women’s identity, beauty, cultural and social contributions, and humanity. The first two episodes are available today; new episodes drop Saturdays.

Criss Angel’s Magic With the Stars
The CW, 8pm
New Series!

Magician Criss Angel executive produces and leads a team of judges in this competition series pitting two celebrities against one another as they train with professional magicians to create show-stopping magic performances. The celebrities must master three categories of magic and perform in front of the judges. Those who score the highest will be invited back to the finale, where they will compete for the golden wand.

Swindler Seduction
Lifetime, 8pm

In this world television film premiere, Louisa meets handsome and sweet Steve at a bar in Chicago. He seems like the perfect guy: an angel investor and entrepreneur who just sold a company for millions. But 48 blissful, sexy hours and countless lies later, Steve disappears, and Louisa realizes she’s been swindled out of thousands of dollars. The police won’t help her, but after Louisa finds out she’s pregnant, she sets out to track down Steve on her own. Stars Gabrielle Graham and Colton Haynes.

Svengoolie: “The Bride of Frankenstein”
MeTV, 8pm

Sven’s film tonight is a cut above some of the campier and more low-budget fare he often introduces: 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein, the first follow-up to the 1931 classic Frankenstein and a film that is at least as good as the original. Frankenstein director James Whale returns to helm this production that features Boris Karloff (billed simply as “Karloff”) reprising his role as the monster and Colin Clive back as Henry Frankenstein, with Elsa Lanchester joining the cast as both the monster’s bride and Frankenstein author Mary Shelley in the film’s intro.

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

Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Saturday evening salute to films with notable robots continues with tonight’s double feature that begins with the spy movie spoof Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965), another low-budget but fun comedy from American International Pictures (AIP). Vincent Price stars as the titular mad scientist, who builds an army of bikini-clad fembots to seduce wealthy men out of their fortunes. AIP “beach movie” staple Frankie Avalon also stars. After that is the 1987 sci-fi/romantic comedy Making Mr. Right, about an emotionally repressed scientist (John Malkovich) who develops an android, named Ulysses, who looks like himself (and is also played by Malkovich) to send on a years-long deep-space exploration mission. Ann Magnuson costars as a woman hired to teach Ulysses about human behavior and emotions, and she and the android eventually fall in love.

World’s Funniest Animals
The CW, 9pm
Season Premiere!

Season 3 of this series hosted by Elizabeth Stanton shares more viral internet clips of funny animal moments, hilarious animal clips from movies and TV series, animal outtakes, and videos of babies and pets along with celebrities and their pets.

Help! I Wrecked My House: “The Root of the Problem”
HGTV, 9pm

A homeowner has big dreams for a Scandinavia-meets-California beach house, but his budget is barely enough to tackle the bathroom and office. Jasmine Roth faces a big financial challenge as she looks to bring his big ideas to life without blowing the budget.

NFL Icons: “Cris Carter”
EPIX, 10pm

This episode looks at how Cris Carter used arguably the greatest wide receiver hands in NFL history to overcome adversity and mold himself into a Pro Football Hall of Famer through a career most famously spent with the Minnesota Vikings. Also featured are stories of Carter’s complicated relationship with head coach Buddy Ryan during his early years with the Philadelphia Eagles, and his mentorship of Randy Moss on the Vikings.