1) “I Love LA” debut, 10:30 p.m., HBO and Max. After moving from New York to Los Angeles, Rachel Sennott had a job (playing Kyra Sedgwick’s daughter in “Call Your Mother”) and bad timing: It was 2021 and Covid made it tough to meet people and forge a new life. She partly re-creates that time in a Gen-Z comedy (shown here) about a makeshift life. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:30 p.m., NBC. After resting for a week, “SNL” starts its second string of three new shows. Miles Teller hosts; he’s done it once before and also had a good spot in the “SNL50” special. Brandi Carlile (shown here), an 11-time Grammy-winner, has her third turn as the music guest. Read more…
1) “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror,” 7 a.m. to midnight, FXX. Here’s a fun Halloween marathon. In random order, we get 34 half-hours of the annual cartoon (shown here); most have three weird shorts — sometimes gross, often funny, always imaginative. For more laughs, the original “Ghostbusters” is 3 and 8 p.m. on Bravo, with the sequel at 5:30 and 10:30; a 2016 reboot is 8 p.m. on TBS. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. Airing on Halloween eve, this show amps up its oddness. A neighborhood trick-or-treat night has gone (very) wrong. Elsbeth is on the case — but wants to wear costumes all week; she’s into “My Fair Lady,” ranging from ragged-flower-girl to (shown here) belle-of-the-ball. It’s a fairly good hour, with Annaleigh Ashford as guest star. Read more…
1) “Shifting Gears,” 8 p.m., ABC. On Halloween (shown here), plans grow. Recalling the wild days of her youth, Riley invites Gabe and Stitch to a party. Her dad invites Eve to the house … but frets when she wants it to be a sleepover. Read more…
1) “NCIS: Origins,” 9 p.m., CBS. This prequel series adds an early version of “Ducky” Mallard (shown here, left), the “NCIS” medical examiner. It also has a nod to David McCallum, who played Dr. Mallard for 20 years, until his death in 2023, at 90. McCallum was also a musician, son of the London Philharmonic’s top violinist. His instrumental is featured here. Read more…
1) World Series, 8 p.m. ET, Fox, with pre-game at 7. The Toronto Blue Jays (shown here) hosted the first two games. Now the best-of-seven series move to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for games today, Tuesday and (if needed) Wednesday. If needed, it returns to Toronto on Friday and Saturday. Today’s game collides with football on ABC, with the Commanders (3-4) and Chiefs (4-3). Read more…
1) “Talamasca” openers, 9 and 10:14 p.m., AMC; also 11:17 and 12:31. Far from her “Downton Abbey” world, Elizabeth McGovern plays a recruiter for a secret group that tries to control supernatural forces. Now she eyes a brilliant and tormented young man (they’re shown here). This Anne Rice spin-off evolves way too slowly, but it’s beautifully written, acted and filmed. Read more…
1) New Christmas movies, 8 p.m. Hallmark and 8 p.m. ET, Great American Family. Yes, Christmas films … six days before Halloween. Both channels rerun previous ones all ay, then have a new one. For “GAF,” it’s “A Royal Icing Christmas.” For Hallmark, “Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper” has a weatherman (Robert Buckley, shown here) return home, where (surprise?) he sees his former teen crush. Read more…
1) “Boston Blue,” 10 p.m., CBS. With his son (a Boston cop) out of the hospital, Danny Donnie Wahlberg, shown here with Gloria Reuben and Sonequa Martin-Green) plans to return to New York soon. Then a murder case drops in front of him … literally. This hour reflects the show’s strengths — good characters, twisty story, action — and a flaw: With so many regulars, it tries to include everyone; that requires a clumsy plot detour. Read more…
