1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. On Oct. 11, 1975, “SNL” debuted with a busy night — three comedians, two music acts, a film, Muppets … and lots of future stars. Now, exactly 50 years later, this season’s second episode (and, by one count, the 995th overall) is hosted by Amy Poehler (shown here earlier this week), with Role Model as music guest.
2) “Elsbeth,” 8 p.m., CBS. On the eve of its season-opener, this reruns its season-finale. It’s a loopy story — Elsbeth in prison, alongside people she put there — but it has great moments. Four villains — played by Gina Gershon, Alyssa Milano, Mary-Louise Parker and Retta — show real singing talent.
3) Football. The biggest games start early: At noon ET, Fox has top-ranked Ohio State and Illinois (ranked No. 17); ABC has Alabama (No. 8) and Missouri (No. 14). At 3:30, CBS has Indiana (No. 7) and Oregon (No. 3). At 7:30, it’s Kansas and Texas Tech (No. 9), Fox; Georgia (No. 10) and Auburn, ABC; and Michigan (No. 15) and Southern California, NBC.
4) “Haul Out the Halloween,” 8-10 p.m., Hallmark. Alongside scary films, cable also offers Halloween fun. This new one has neighbors obsess on decorations. Others pair movies with sequels: USA, “Ghostbusters,” 1:50 and 4:25, then 7 and 9:35; FX, “Hocus Pocus,” 7 and 9; Freeform, “Hotel Transylvania,” 3:15 and 5:20, then “Addams Family,” 7:25 and 9:30.
5) “The Manchurian Candidate,” 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Brilliantly directed by John Frankenheimer, this original, black-and-white version was a psycho-political-thriller, ahead of its time. It drew Academy Award nominations for its editing and (really) a villainous Angela Lansbury.
ALSO: At 7:30 p.m. ET on TBS, the Cubs and Brewers have a do-or-die game. They’re tied at two games apiece in the best-of-five playoff series; the winners face the Dodgers in the National League championship series.