1) “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror,” 8 p.m., Fox. This annual delight again offers three stories — sometimes too messy, often very funny, always quite weird. Bart and his dog switch souls … Homer transforms into other husbands (including Jeff Probst) … And, in a clever finale (shown here), Homer is trapped in a world of drivers-ed films, causing crash after crash. Read more…
“Saturday Night Live” will soon have another stretch of three new episodes.
Along the way, it will have one of its most popular hosts (John Mulaney, left), plus two newcomers.
“SNL” opened its season Sept. 26 (its earliest start in more than a decade) with a stretch of three new shows. Then two reruns were scheduled, including one this Saturday (Oct. 24), with Dakota Johnson hosting and Turnstile as music guest.
Then comes the new stretch, with shows at 11:29 p.m. on NBC: Read more…
1) “Ghosts” special, 9-10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. This comedy has sagged at times, but always has great holiday episodes. It’s off the schedule until mid-season, but gets hour-long specials for Halloween and Christmas. This one sees the arrival of an old mirror that has one flaw: A ghost is trapped inside, astonishing everyone (shown here). From there, things get wilder and funnier. Read more…
1) World Series, 8 p.m. ET, Fox, with pre-game at 7. It’s the second game in a best-of-seven series heading to a happy ending. The winner won’t be the privileged Dodgers or Yankees; it will be a first-ever championship for the Milwaukee Brewers (shown here). hosting tonight, or Tampa Bay Rays. Good times — and, depending on who wins, the hoisting of beer mugs — will follow. Read more…
1) “Newlyweds” debut, 8:30 p.m., NBC. Here’s the sort of comedy we need now — big and broad and mostly quite funny. Tea Leoni and Tim Daly, who married last year, play people who marry quickly. She’s bold and instinctive; he’s not. Their world is spiced by Jamie Lee Curtis (shown here, right, with Leoni) as his e-wife and hilarious newcomer Bill O’Neill as his assistant. Read more…
1) “Cupertino,” 10 p.m., CBS. Last week, we started to meet Bo, who insisted (to a skeptical response) that he’s an AI creation, wanting guardrails. We also met the law firm’s potential investor (Busy Phillips, shown here). Today, she nudges the firm toward a personal case. That one is fairly interesting, but the ongoing story of Bo — one of TV’s best characters — is fascinating. Read more…
1) Dolly Parton tribute, 9-11 p.m., ABC. There have been lots of tributes since Parton (shown here) died Aug. 25, at 80. But this is a huge one, organized by the Country Music Association. It has the Dolly-ish divas, older (Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood) and newer (Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson). It also has Brad Paisley, Kelsea Ballerini, Vince Gill and more. Read more…
1) Basketball opener, 3, 7 and 9:30 p.m. ET, NBC. The New York Knicks (shown here) host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7, trying to extend their amazing streak. The Knicks won 14 of their last 15 games last year, to take the championship. At 9:30, the runner-up San Antonio Spurs host the Oklahoma City Thunder; at 3, it’s the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. Read more…
Somehow, television has reached this point:
Making a network comedy seems like a bold adventure to unearth an artifact.
“There are so few made now,” said Ignacio Diaz-Silverio (shown here, middle), a young co-star of “Newlyweds,” debuting at 8:30 p.m. Friday (Oct. 23) on NBC. “It feels nostalgic in the most positive way.”
At the peak, one network had 18 situation comedies. And now? This fall, there will only be eight on all of broadcast TV. And only three will be done in the traditional way — taped live in front of a studio audience. Read more…
1) “FBI,” 8 p.m., CBS. Over four episodes last season plus this season’s opener, the team has been bedeviled by Anna Volpe (Claire Coffee) and her strike team. Now comes the push to finally stop her; OA (shown here) struggles with his part in this, working undercover. That’s followed by “CIA,” with help needed from an agoraphobic code-breaker. Read more…
Best-bets for Oct. 25: danger for Homer and Maigret 
Week’s top-10 for Oct. 26: lots of Halloween-week fun 
Best-bets for Oct. 24: big sports, great movies 
