1) “Kissinger,” 9-10:30 p.m. today and Tuesday, PBS. This deep and balanced portrait has ample time for Henry Kissinger’s son, his former colleagues (some defending him, some not) and historians. It views Kissinger (shown here) a genius, shaped by the Holocaust, who won the Nobel Peace Prize … and whose policies are linked to the devastation of Chile, Cambodia, Bangladesh and more.
2) Halloween lite. There’s a Halloween theme to “Dancing With the Stars” (8-10 p.m. Tuesday, ABC), “Ghost” (8:30 Thursday, CBS) and more (see No. 5 and 6). Then things peak Friday: FXX has a full day of “Treehouse of Horror,” from “The Simpsons.” The original “Ghostbusters” is 3 and 8 p.m. on Bravo, with the sequel at 5:40 and 10; the 2016 reboot is 8 p.m. on TBS.
3) “TV We Love,” 8 p.m. today, CW. Twice, a “Love Boat” pilot was filmed and rejected. Only producer Aaron Spelling — who once had one-third of all ABC shows — could get a third chance. He found the right cast (including a 22-year-old newcomer who auditioned the day before filming) and formula. Critics hated “Love Boat”; audiences didn’t. It’s a fun story.
4) “NCIS: Origins,” 9 p.m. Tuesday, CBS. David McCallum’s key roles (in “Man From UNCLE” and as Ducky in “NCIS”) began 40 years apart; he continued the latter for 20 more years, until his death at 90. He was also a musician, son of the London Philharmonic’s top violinist. His instrumental is featured here, as an early version of Ducky arrives.
5) “Shifting Gears” and “Abbott Elementry,” 8 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. Dreaming of the wild parties of her youth, Riley plans a Halloween bash. Her dad is looking forward to his date with Eve that same day … but is reluctant about her plan to make it a sleepover. Then we see Barbara plan a Halloween camping trip for the older kids at Abbott.
6) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m. Thursday,, CBS. Airing on Halloween eve, this amps up the oddness. A neighborhood trick-or-treat night has gone (very) wrong. Elsbeth is on the case — but insists on a costume theme all week; she’s into “My Fair Lady,” ranging from a ragged flower girl to belle of the ball. It’s a fairly good hour, with Annaleigh Ashford as guest star.
7) “Witcher” new season, Thursday, Netflix. Here’s a darker Halloween-eve plan: binge these eight episodes. It’s the fourth season (spread over seven years), with Liam Hemsworth taking over as Geralt. Also: On Wednesday, Netflix has Colin Farrell in “Ballad of a Small Player” and Apple TV+ has Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson in “Down Cemetery Road.”
8) “On Brand With Jimmy Fallon” finale, 8 p.m. Friday, NBC. This eight-episode run is crammed into the start of the season, on three Tuesdays and five Fridays. Now four people remain; they make commercials for Therabody, with one getting the $100,000 prize. That faces CBS’ “Sheriff Country,” which has a clever heist plot, plus an ongoing story.
9) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC. After a one-week break, here’s another string of three new episodes. That starts with Miles Teller having his second turn as host and Brandi Carlile having her third as the music guest. The next couple weeks have first-timers — Nikki Glaser and Glen Powell hosting, with music from Sombr and Olivia Dean.
10) Series debuts, Sunday. Two overlap: “Robin Hood” has new hours at 9 and 10 p.m. on MGM+; “I Love LA,” from young comedian Rachel Sennott. is at 10:30 on HBO. That’s a night that continues two Halloween-season series at 9 — AMC’s “Talamasca” and HBO’s “It” prequel. And a clever movie, “Anyone But You,” is at 8 and 10 p.m. on FX.