1) Halloween’s final burst, today. The long scare-a-thon concludes. Even “Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m., Disney+) and “Quantum Leap” (10 p.m., NBC) have Halloween themes. There are plenty of nasty films, but you can also go light. Freeform starts at 10:30 a.m., peaking with “Hotel Transylvania” (shown here, 2012) and “Hocus Pocus” (1993), at 7 and 9 p.m. The Paramount Network has “Addams Family” films (1982, 1984) at 8 and 10, then midnight and 2 a.m.
2) World Series, 8 p.m. PT today, Fox, preview at 7; also, Tuesday and (if needed), Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. After two games in Houston this moves to Philadelphia, where the Phillies try a rare feat: In the regular season, they won only 87 games (out of 162); their opponents here, the Astros, won 106. But the Phils won 9 of 11 in the first three play-off rounds and this has been done before: The Cardinals took the 2006 Series, after just 83 regular-season wins.
3) “Spector” debut, 9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime. For 20-some years, Phil Spector – once the master of “wall of sound” pop hits – was reclusive. Then he did a long, candid interview for a Brtitsh magazine; a few hours after the story came out, a blonde beauty was killed in his mansion and Spector was arrested. This four-week series starts with that interview at its core. It glimpses the arrest, then flashes back to a brilliant (if troubled) young writer-producer.
4) “Nature: Woodpeckers: The Hole Story,” 8 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. Unlike many of us, woodpeckers have a plan and a purpose. They dot a tree with holes, then fill each with a nut. They keep checking, to make sure they have the right fits – and assign a sentry to oust intruders. They also hatch their eggs in a group home, then all join in feeding the chicks. This is a fascinating hour, done with humor, warmth and some remarkable, in-the-nest photography.
5) “So Help Me Todd,” 9 p.m. Thursday, CBS. The new CBS dramas have started well, with all three (“Todd,” “Fire Country” and “East New York”) picked up for the second half of the season. This episode finds Todd seeking dating advice from his sister and his ex-girlfriend. His mom has bigger concerns – exonerating someone who’s spending life in prison. She turns to a podcaster, played by Vella Lovell of “Mr. Mayor” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”
6) “Welcome to Flatch” and “Call Me Kat,” 9:02 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Fox. We’ll watch “Kat” on the next four Thursdays, for the final bits from Leslie Jordan, the tiny actor who died last Monday (Oct. 24) at 67. It’s a goofy show, semi-salvaged by a likable cast. Preceding it is the inconsistent “Flatch,” with a fairly funny story this week: Barb started a torrid affair with young Shrub. His cousin Kelly tries to break them up by turning Beth into a flashy mini-Barb.
7) “Lopez vs. Lopez” debut, 8 p.m. Friday, NBC. In real life, George Lopez struggled with alcoholism; he divorced the wife who had given him a kidney and he was estranged from their daughter, Mayan. Now that’s been turned into a comedy. Mayan plays a veterinarian, married, with a son; George plays her father – alcoholic, out-of-work, hoping to stay with her during an endless kitchen project. The result is loud, semi-funny and, at least, authentic.
8) “Young Rock” season-opener, 8:30 p.m. Friday, NBC. The first two seasons were partly linked to a flashforward, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson running for president in 2032. He lost, alas; now we’ll see if he helps the guy who beat him. Mostly, however, this flashes back to comic-drama versions of Johnson’s real life. The son of a wrestler, he finds his career sagging; that’s when he starts transforming into the villainous (and very successful) Rock.
9) “Great Performances,” 9 p.m. Friday, PBS. When the Philharmonic Hall opened 60 years ago in New York, there were complaints about acoustics. Fix-it attempts in 1976 and ‘92 failed; a giant makeover was set for 2009, then delayed … until the Covid shutdown created time for a $500-million project. Now the renamed David Geffen Hall re-opens. The Philharmonic performs Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and premieres a work by Angelica Negron.
10) “Dangerous Liaisons” movie and series, Starz. This tale of scheming and seduction in the French court keeps returning. It was a 1782 novel, a 1985 play and a gorgeous, 1988 movie (nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture), with Glenn Close and John Malkovich. Starz launches a prequel series at 8 p.m. Sunday. First, it has the ‘88 movie at 9:13 p.m. Saturday, then a contemporary, teen version, “Cruel Intentions” (1999), is 6:19 p.m. Sunday.