Daily Best Bets

1) “Nature: Woodpeckers: The Hole Story,” 8 p.m., PBS. We could all learn from woodpeckers’ drive and diligence. They dot a tree with holes, fill each with a nut, then keep checking to make sure they have the right fit; they also assign a sentry to oust intruders. Eggs are hatched in a group home, with everyone – related to the chicks or not – helping the feeding. This fascinating hour has humor, warmth and some remarkable, in-the-nest photography. Read more…

1) “The Rain People” (1969), 8 p.m ET, Turner Classic Movies. Few people saw this drama, with Francis Coppola, 30, directing James Caan, 29. Three years later, LOTS of people saw their “Godfather.” Now TCM has a tribute to Caan (show here with Shirley Knight in “Rain People”), who died in July at 82. “Thief” (1981), at 10:15, is an acclaimed action film Michael Mann made before “Miami Vice.” Also: “Cinderella Liberty” (1973), “Freeebie and the Bean” (1974) and “Slither” (1973) at 12:15, 2:30 and 4:30 a.m. Read more…

1) Halloween finale, everywhere. After a month of overkill, there’s one more day. “Dancing With the Stars” (8 p.m., Disney+) has a Halloween theme, with teams dancing to “Heads Will Roll” and “The Witches are Back.” Then “Quantum Leap” (10 p.m., NBC) has Ben (shown here) jump into a priest’s body on Halloween. In daytime, Kelly Clarkson sings “Monster Mash” on her syndicated show and Ray Parker Jr. does “Ghostbusters” on CBS’ “The Talk.” Read more…

1) “The Simpsons,” 8 p.m., Fox. Last week, “Simpsons” took a slight detour, with a half-hour take-off on “It.” Now it’s back for the 33rd – yes, 33rd – annual “Treehouse of Horror,” with three wonderfully weird stories. There are take-offs on two films — “The Babadook” and (in a charming anime style, shown here) “Death Note,” plus a “Westworld” that actually has a heroic Homer. The results are too gory for some viewers, but a delight for others. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. After pausing for a rerun, “SNL” has its fourth new episode in five weeks. The opener was disappointing, but the next two have been fairly good. Here’s the second straight new one to have the host double as music guest. On Oct. 15, it was Megan Thee Stallion; now Jack Harlow (shown here), 24, has his first turn as host and second as music guest. Read more…

1) “Dia de los Muertos,” 9 p.m., PBS. Here’s a fine way to celebrate Day of the Dead (four days early) – or any day. Three great bands – Los Lobos, Ozomatli and the female mariachi quartet Flor de Tolache (shown here) – perform in an underground Tennessee club, before a costumed crowd. You’ll hear spectacular vocals (mostly in Spanish), soaring brass, driving percussion and gifted guitarists, The two-group finale will wake the dead and delight the living. Read more…

1) “Welcome to Flatch,” 9:02 p.m., Fox. For the second straight night, Halloween episodes fill the line-up. In this one, a trip to the psychic brings opposite reactions: Cheryl feels cursed; Barb (Jamie Pressly, shown here) suddenly has fresh lust – in a surprising direction. It’s a so-so episode, but has a big finish … leading into “Call Me Kat,” complete with a costume party. This will be one of the final five episodes to include Leslie Jordan, who died Monday (see separate story) at 67 Read more…

1) “The Conners” and more, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Ever since its began (as “Roseanne”) 34 years ago, this has had great Halloween episodes.  (shown here). This time, Dan wants the house decorated, but everyone is busy; Becky tries to take over. That’s followed at 8:30 by horror-film spoofs on “The Goldbergs.” At 9, someone steals the Halloween candy from “Abbott Elementarty”; at 9:30, Tom may have a Halloween-time stalker on “Home Economics.” Read more…

1) “The Resident,” 8 p.m., Fox. Dr. Bell (Bruce Greenwood) has covered all the extremes. He was the show’s villain, botching surgeries and hiding the evidence … then its hero, an unflinching force for good … and then an afterthought, getting out-of-state medical treatments. Now he’s back and marrying Kit (Jane Leeves, shown here), who has his old job as the hospital’s CEO. It’s the 100th episode of this above-average show and yes, there’s a wedding crisis. Read more…

1) “Independent Lens,” 10 p.m., PBS (check local listings). Meet stars of TikTok – Spencer X. a beat-boxer with a million-dollar mouth … Deja Foxx, once a homeless teen and now a Columbia honors student who supports herself and her mom with videos ranging from sexy to socio-political … Feroza Aziz (shown here), who slid genocide protests into an eyelash tutorial. We also hear about chilling TikTok sins, from censorship to shaping youths with subtle biases. Read more…