Daily Best Bets

1) “The Simpsons,” 8 p.m., Fox. Even now, in its 34th season, the show manages to change. Previous years had “Treehouse of Horror,” with three offbeat tales; that will be here next week, but first is a fresh twist — “Treehouse presents” a take-off on Stephen King’s “It.” Homer and other teens fight a killer clown (shown here) … then return 27 years later, to try again. The Homer/Marge romance is flipped, in a tale that’s too gory for some viewers, but great fun for many. Read more…

1) Sports surge. Baseball and college football collide. The former has two best-of-seven series, sending winners to the World Series. Today, Aaron Judge (shown here) and the Yankees host the Astros at 5:07 p.m. ET on TBS; the Padres-Phillies game is, 7:45 on Fox. That faces lots of football, including Mississippi State (ranked No. 24) at Alabama (No. 6) at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, Minnesota at Penn State (No. 16) at 7:30 on ABC and Kansas State (No. 17) at Texas Christian (No. 8) at 8 on Fox Sports1. Read more…

1) “Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes,” 9-11 p.m., PBS. Growing up near Detroit, in a house his dad built, Ron Carter mastered classical bass. Then Leopold Stokowski told him he wanted to add him to the Houston Symphony, but the board wouldn’t accept “a colored boy.” Carter promptly became a legendary jazzman – with Miles Davis and then with everyone. Guinness said he’s on an unmatched 2,221 recordings. Here’s a superb portrait of a great (shown here), now 85. Read more…

1) “Walker Independence,” 9 p.m., CW. In theory, this is about Abby; an ancestor of Walker (the Texas Ranger), she was widowed in the old West. Tonight, however, her role is minor; the focus goes to Hoyt, played by the same actor (Matt Barr, shown here) who plays the modern Hoyt. A preacher, poker cheat, robber and lover, Hoyt stirs lots of action. It’s an entertaining show, in an overcrowded time slot. Read more…

1) “Documentary Now” season-opener, 10 and 10:31 p.m. ET, IFC. The stories about “Fitzcarraldo” (1982) are epic. Men carried a 320-ton ship over a hill in the Peruvian jungle. When the star got sick, Klaus Kinski (shown here) was cast; he soon fought fiercely with director Werner Herzog … as he had in three other films. Now that’s satirized brilliantly. Alexander Skarsgard plays a guy simultaneously filming a brash comedy pilot and a documentary about a primitive culture. Read more…

1) “Monarch,” 9 p.m. Fox. Soaps love to end an episode with a jolt. Last week had a big one: Albie (Trace Adkins, shown here) was told that his late wife set a barn fire, trapping his mistress inside. There’s a related mega-jolt near the end of this episode, Then “Monarch” finally starts the night it’s been flashing forward to, when someone is killed. Alas, we still won’t know who it is or how it happens. Also: at the start of the hour, a lame plot twist is tossed aside. Read more…

1) “Masterpiece: Magpie Murders” debut, 9 p.m., PBS. Two mysteries wind through this intriguing six-parter. One is in real life … or the reality of this show. The other is in a novel that is missing its final chapter. We bounce between the two – one set in the 1950s, the other now; at times, a probing editor even envisions cryptic talks with the fictional,’50s detective (shown here with is assistant). With few likable characters, “Magpie” is slow to engage viewers; still, it’s worth the wait. Read more…

1) “Doc Martin” season-opener, any time, www.acorn.tv. From “Northern Exposure” to “Ted Lasso,” TV shines when putting someone in a new world. “Doc” deftly put a cranky, big-city doctor in a sweet, seaside town. He eventually married (they’re shown here), had two children and continued to grump. Most recently, he quit medicine and alienated his receptionist, who was still needed for his wife’s child-therapy sessions. As usual, the new season is sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic and always likable. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. This wraps up the opening string of three new “SNL” shows. The opener (hosted by Miles Teller) was disappointing, the second (Brendan Gleeson) was better, with both at their best during “Weekend Update” and the films. Doubling as tonight’s host and music guest is Megan Thee Stallion (shown here), 27, the first woman to win Grammys for best rap performance and rap song; she also won best new artist. Read more…

1) Music, 9 p.m., PBS and CMT. PBS launches “Next at the Kennedy Center,” with classy concerts. Next (Nov. 18) is “A Joni Mitchell Songbook.” First, is a tribute to jazz great Charles Mingus; the Mingus Big Band soars, complete with a six-saxophone piece. Also, CMT has its “artists of the year” – Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Carly Pearce, Walker Hayes, Cody Johnson – plus a career award for Alan Jackson (shown here) and a breakthrough one for Lainey Wilson. Read more…