1) “The Conners” and more, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Ever since its began (as “Roseanne”) 34 years ago, this has had great Halloween episodes. (shown here). This time, Dan wants the house decorated, but everyone is busy; Becky tries to take over. That’s followed at 8:30 by horror-film spoofs on “The Goldbergs.” At 9, someone steals the Halloween candy from “Abbott Elementarty”; at 9:30, Tom may have a Halloween-time stalker on “Home Economics.”
2) “Secrets of the Dead,” 10 p.m., PBS. For five centuries, the Roman Empire was intact, with far-flung lands. What started the collapse? Often, we hear that the Romans simply tried to do too much … or got too comfy. Now some researchers feel disease was a big part of it. Soldiers would catch new strains in distant lands, then be packed into tight (and lethal) quarters. Here’s a fascinating report.
3) “Sherman’s Showcase” season-opener, 10:30 p.m., IFC. Now IFC has a fresh hour of offbeat humor each week, with two clever shows that are back from three-year breaks. At 10 p.m., “Documentary Now” has Cate Blanchett in a low-key (and intermittently funny) pseudo-documentary about an English hair salon. Then “Showcase” bounces between offbeat bits – from fashion to a do-wop group to a vengeful merger of rap and R&B divas.
4) “Stargirl,” 8 p.m., CW. This two-parter began last week with Beth making a discovery on The Gambler’s laptop; also, Jenny returned to the fold, asking Courtney (or Stargirl) for help. Now Courtney is trying to avert a major crisis. Also, her dad and The Shade face their worst fears.
5) “The Lost City” (2022), 8 p.m., Epix. If you missed this pleasant trifle in theaters this summer, catch it now. The so-so story has two wildly unqualified people – an author (Sandra Bullock) and her cover model (Channing Tatum) — on an adventure they don’t understand. Earlier, there are two indie gems: “Nebraska” (2013), 3:40 p.m. on Epix, has great work from Bruce Dern; Zach Braff’s “Garden State” (2004) has a dandy supporting role for Natalie Portman.