1) “SEAL Team,” 10:30 p.m., CBS,but 10 p.m. PT. It’s changeover time for this military drama. Last week, the show finished a taut two-parter in North Korea; next week, it’s supposed to have its final new CBS episode, before jumping to Paramount+. First comes this emotional hour: The team visits the 9/11 memorial (shown here) in New York, causing each person to flash back to 20 years ago. Read more…
(Here are the five TV best-bets for Saturday, Oct. 23; feel free to use in any form – all or some, print and/or web)
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Jason Sudeikis finally returns as host, with Brandi Carlile as music guest. Sudeikis was with “SNL” for two years as a writer and eight as an actor. After leaving in 2013, he sometimes returned to play Mitt Romney or Joe Biden. He made comedy movies, had two children with then-fiance Olivia Wilde, did “Last Man on Earth,” then soared after co-creating “Ted Lasso” (shown here). The Apple TV+ show won seven Emmys, including best actor (Sudeikis) and best comedy. Read more…
1) “SWAT,” 8 p.m., CBS. This was suppose to be a changeover night. CBS would debut a reality show, “The Activist,” at 8 p.m.; “SWAT” (shown here) would then move to Sundays to replace “SEAL Team,” which goes to Paramount+. Then people pointed out that the new show – activists competing for attention on social media and beyond – was a terrible idea; CBS pulled it for retooling. For now, “SWAT” stays on Fridays; tonight, vigilantes make it harder to catch a violent band of armed robbers. Read more…
1) “The Blacklist” season-opener, 8 p.m., NBC. This intense drama peaked as its eighth season ended: Red (James Spader, shown here in a previous episode) told Liz (Megan Boone, who was leaving the show) to shoot him and then read a letter revealing his secrets. Instead, a gunman killed her; Red killed him and fled. Now we jump ahead two years. Red vanished, the task force folded, but a new threat brings them back together. Read more…
1) “Nature” season-opener (shown here), 8 p.m., PBS. Martin Dohrn had been traveling the world, filming lions and leopards and even mass migrations. Then the pandemic confined him to his home and yard in Bristol, England. He fashioned special cameras and found more than 60 species of bees. Some carefully crafted homes, scooting across town to find the right sticks; others just stole homes. He even named some and followed one’s adventures. It’s a charming start to this show’s 40th season. Read more…
1) “Impeachment,” 10 p.m., FX. Last week, this superb mini-series hit a peak: Monica Lewinsky learned that her “friend” Linda Tripp had taped their conversations for the FBI. Now come the aftershocks, as life closes in on both women. It’s another strong episode, boosted again by great work from Beanie Feldstein (shown here) and Annaleigh Ashford as Lewinsky and Paula Jones. Read more…
1) “The Big Leap.” 9 p.m., Fox. “Leap” tries to do everything. It has light comedy, dark drama and bits of romance, all while adding zesty dance numbers and satirizing a manipulative reality show. Tonight has two drama twists. One – Mike learns that his new love, Paula, was the executive who eliminated his job – is fairly good; the other is quietly powerful. Gabby finally reveals (and confronts) her son’s biologic father; with subtle perfection, Nicole Recasner (shown here in a previous episode) projects deep pain and rage. Read more…
1) “Succession” season-opener, 9 p.m., HBO. We’re back – at last – to the story of a media mogul and his offspring and minions … each hoping to take over the empire. When the second season ended, his son Kendall (shown here) had publicly said he’s corrupt. The show won seven Emmys (including best drama), then had a long COVID pause. After a two-year absence, it’s back, simultaneously rippling with humor and intense drama. Kendall fidgets, then plans his next move; his siblings and others jockey for position. Read more…
1) “Diana,” 9 p.m. ET, CNN. If you missed the opener last Sunday (a crowded night), here’s a second chance. This starts a six-week documentary that mixes old film, new commentary and the audio tapes Diana (shown here) made for Andrew Morton’s biography. Tonight, we meet near-opposites: As a nanny, her first employer says, Diana was “very tactile,” warm and loving. And Prince Charles? “There was never anything tactile about him,” Diana said. On Sunday, we’ll see the wedding and some ominous signs. Read more…
1) “Home Sweet Home” debut, 8 p.m., NBC. Each week, people with opposite lives will trade places. That’s been done before (“Wife Swap,” “30 Days”), but now Ava DuVernay (shown here, working on an upcoming episode) – the “Selma” director and “Queen Sugar” producer – is in charge, awash in good intentions. In the opener, a Greek Orthodox family swaps with a two-mom Black family. Both families are deeply evolved, so similar phrases – “we’re all the same,” etc. – persist. The intentions are sweet, but quite repetitious. Read more…
