1) “Elsbeth,” 9 p.m., CBS. After resting last week (to make room for a “Ghosts” special), this takes Elsbeth to a golf course. There’s been a prize-winning hole-in-one and the death of the country club president. Already a good show, this improved by adding Christine Ebersole (shown here) as Elsbeth’s mom; now they meet the future mother-in-law of Elsbeth’s son. Read more…
1) “Chicago Fire,” 9 p.m., NBC. A subtly perfect performance by Joe Minoso (shown here) sparks the show’s 300th episode. He plays Cruz, struggling to recover from injuries and get back to work. There are quietly moving scenes with Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Herrmann (David Eigenberg, who also gets some comic moments when it’s time for new photos). Read more…
1) Election coverage. It will be blanket coverage from the news channels and most broadcast networks. Plans call for NBC to start at 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS at 7, ABC and PBS at 8. Most will pause for local news at 11 and ABC has Jimmy Kimmel at 11:35, but coverage may continue afterward. Kimmel and Jon Stewart (11, Comedy Central) will be taped earlier that night. And yest, there are alternatives, including “Best Medicine” (shown here). Read more…
1) “St. Denis Medical” season-opener, 8 p.m., NBC. It was 36 years ago that David Alan Grier and Damon Wayans linked in the Emmy-winning “In Living Color.” Now they’ve re-united for this episode, a funny one: Ron (Grier, 70) is recovering from heart surgery; his temporary replacement (Wayans, 66, shown here) spews slogans and pep talks. Read more…
1) “The Gilded Age,” HBO. The third season reruns at 1 p.m., leading into the season-opener at 9, finding lives re-arranged. Bertha got her way, with her daughter Gladys marrying a duke; now, however, her own husband George has left. (Those three are shown here, in better times.) Peggy and William are engaged; Jack Trotter is adjusting to prosperity and Ada is learning to be in charge. Read more…
1) “Simpsons” marathon of “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, 8 a.m. ro 1 a.m., FXX. Here’s a fun way to spend time before or after trick-or-treating. Each half-hour has three tales. Some are gory, most are funny, all are wonderfully imaginative. (One example is shown here.) This time, it runs in reverse: The 35th one (2024) is 8 a.m.; the first (1990) is 1 a.m. that night. Read more…
1) “Jimmy Webb — American Songwriter,” 9 p.m., PBS. After a so-so start — Webb singing lead on “Up, Up and Away” — this soon soars. It adds great singers, some relatively unknown (Ashley Campbell, shown here, and Ryan Shaw) and some stars. Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett lead a terrific stretch of songs that Webb wrote for Glen Campbell, Ashley’s dad. Read more…
1) “Ghosts,” 9-10 p.m., CBS. This had some so-so episodes last year and was shelved until mid-season. But it always shines on holidays, so CBS set Halloween and Christmas specials. Here’s a good one, starting with a mirror that has one flaw — a ghost trapped inside. There are gasps (shown here) and things get wilder and funnier. Read more…
1) “The Lowdown,” 9-10:05 p.m., FX. Three brilliant actors combine here. Ethan Hawke is Lee, a “citizen journalist” who is often battered and always passionate. Tommy Lee Jones is his estranged dad, who’s up to something. And Betty Gilpin (shown here) is superb as a public defender, in love with a missing prisoner. Tonight, things get messy in a corrupt county. Read more…
1) “The Drop” season-finale, 9 p.m., FX. Wanda (shown here) has been grasping for a role in the 1990s rap world dominated by men and violence. She brings smarts, intensity and a whiz-kid cousin, Lamar, but the odds are still steep. Now they’ve been cheated and she hatches a dangerous plan. It’s a potent finish to a fierce little season. Read more…
