Year: 2020

1) “Saturday Night Live” season-opener, 11:29 p.m., NBC. The show finally returns to its studio for the first time in seven months. It did three at-home episodes last spring, but now it ‘s full-scale, with Chris Rock (shown here in a previous hosting gig) hosting and Megan Thee Stallion as music guest. There will be five straight new episodes, leading up to the election, with Jim Carrey filling in as Joe Biden and Alec Baldwin contiuing as Donald Trump … unless news events cause “SNL” to shelve its Trump bits. All 17 cast members are returning, now joined by three newcomers. Read more…

1) “Undercover Boss” season-opener, 9 p.m., CBS. Waiting for its big shows to return, CBS has a loose blend – Sunday movies … a couple scripted shows from elsewhere … and lots of non-fiction. Now the amiable “Greatest #AtHome Videos” is followed by the 10th “Boss” season. Tonight has the CEO of TGI Fridays (shown here, right); coming are Bowlero, Club Med and Smoothie King, plus the mayor of Shreveport. Read more…

1) Halloween marathon, Freeform. For two decades, Freeform has “13 nights of Halloween.” Now 13 isn’t nearly enough; the holiday consumes all of October. At 11 a.m. are three holiday “The Middle” episodes; later, light movies (which will rerun often) begin. It’s Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride” (2005) at 3 p.m., the bland “Casper” (1995) at 5, the delightful “Hotel Transylvania” (shown here, 2012) at 7 and “Hocus Pocus” (1993) – an October tradition for Freeform – at 9. Read more…

1) Basketball, 9 p.m. ET, ABC. This is just what a shut-down nation needs – a fresh burst of sports. On the same day that baseball begins its National League play-offs, basketball starts its best-of-seven finals, with LeBron James (shown here) and the Los Angeles Lakers) facing one of his old teams (the Miami Heat). Other games will be Friday, Sunday, Oct. 6 and (if necessary) beyond. Today has a pre-game show at 8:30 p.m. and a pre-pre-game show – “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” – at 8 … or after the game, on the West Coast. Read more…

1) Presidential debate, 9-11 p.m. ET (6-8 p.m. PT), ABC, CBS. NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. Sure there are alternatives (including the “Despicable Me” movies, shown here), that we’ll mention in a minute. But this is what counts — a high-stakes collision between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating. others will be Oct. 15 and 22 … plus an Oct. 7 vice-presidential debate with Mike Pence and Kamala Harris. Read more…

1) “The Comey Rule,” 9 p.m., Showtime. If you missed the first half Sunday, don’t fret; it reruns at 7:25 p.m. today. It’s well-made … but no match for the fierce emotional energy of this conclusion. The opener ended with the 2016 election; now FBI Director James Comey faces a new boss (shown here, with Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson) and a new world. A tsunami of events is about to overtake him and the nation. Read more…

1) “The Simpsons” season-opener, 8 p.m., Fox. In a burst of self-discovery, Mr. Burns finds that his workers don’t like him. His solution is in the “Undercover Boss” style: With an elaborate disguise, pretend to be a new worker. The result is darkly funny and a reminder that animation shows weren’t stopped by COVID. The season-opener of “Bless the Harts,” “Bob’s Burgers” and “The Family Guy” follow at 8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m.
Read more…