1) “Ghosts” special, 9-10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. This comedy has sagged at times, but always has great holiday episodes. It’s off the schedule until mid-season, but gets hour-long specials for Halloween and Christmas. This one sees the arrival of an old mirror that has one flaw: A ghost is trapped inside, astonishing everyone (shown here). From there, things get wilder and funnier.
2) Halloween fun, Saturday. Before and after trick-or-treating, there are plenty of diversions. The annual “Simpsons” marathon of “Treehouse of Horror” episodes runs in reverse: The 35th one (2024) is 8 a.m. on FXX; the first (1990) is 1 a.m. that night, Also, Disney Channel has light films all day; Sundance has the brilliant “Young Frankenstein” at 6:30 p.m.
3) World Series, 8 p.m. ET daily, Fox, pre-game at 7. This started with two games in Milwaukee — the first Series games there since 1982. Today, it’s in Tampa Bay, which did the 2008 and 2020 Series. (Neither team has ever won the championship.) It stays there Tuesday and (if needed) Wednesday; then (if needed) it returns north Friday and Saturday.
4) “Patti Jinich Explores Panamericana” season-opener, 9 p.m. today, PBS. Jinich’s journey down the Pan American Highway reaches Montana and Wyoming. She finds change — preserving a language, restoring the buffalo, transplanting Basque traditions to Missoula — plus good food and great vibes. That’s followed at 10 by “Seeds,” about Black farmers.
5) “The Drop” season-finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, FX. “You know this is gonna get ugly,” Wanda is told, in this fierce finale. It does. A music man cheated her and her whiz-kid cousin Lamar. Dangerous steps are needed. “We’re all walking around with scars,” Wanda says. Also wrapping on FX is “American Horror Story,” at 9 p.m. Thursday.
6) “Abbott Elementary,” 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, ABC. “Abbott” has savored its Halloween-week episodes. Now Ava hosts an exclusive party; also, Janine and Jacob are suspicious of Gregory. That’s preceded by “Scrubs,” with the holiday filled with grown-ups’ concerns — Turk with his four kids, Elliot with her clinic plans and J.D. helping a former colleague.
7) “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” 8 p.m. Thursday, CBS. A, small issue — which grandma makes CeeCee’s Halloween costume — builds into a big (and hilarious) one. It’s a great episode, leading into a poor “Eternally Yours,” a good “Ghosts” and a superb “Cupertino,” flinging Christy (Ella Stiller) into a high-flying, high-tech adventure.
8) “Jimmy Webb — American Songwriter,” 9 p.m. Friday, PBS. This opens with a misstep — Webb singing lead on “Up, Up and Away,” instead of using better voices. But he soon adds the gifted Ryan Shaw and more. Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett lead a great stretch of Webb’s Glen Campbell songs. Ashley Campbell (Glen’s talented daughter) sings the gorgeous finale.
9) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m. Saturday, NBC. After a two-week break, the show returns with a logical host for Halloween night. That’s Inde Navarette, 25, whose work in “Obession” brought the Critics Choice Award for best actress in a horror film. The music guest is Gracie Abrams, 27, whose albums have been No. 2 and No. 1 on the charts.
10) “The Gilded Age” season-opener, 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO. Last season ended with joy (Peggy and William became engaged) and despair, with George unwilling to return home to Bertha. Their daughter Gladys, nudged by Bertha into an unwanted marriage, now is pregnant and seems happy. New crises loom, as Agnes van Rhjin tries to regain her position.