Daily Best Bets

1) Vice-presidential debate, 9 p.m. ET, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. There’s a fine chance this debate will be better than the presidential one last week. Mike Pence and Kamala Harris have worked within the rules of order in courtrooms and in Congress; neither one, we expect, will interrupt 100-plus times. And yes, there are plenty of alternatives, including a key CW night that includes “Devils” (shown here); see No. 3. Read more…

1) “NeXt” debut, 9 p.m., Fox. Science-fiction has long fretted about the day the robots – or cyborgs or computers – take over. Ken Jennings even borrowed a sci-fi line after losing “Jeopardy” to a machine: “I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords.” And in the start of this sharp, 10-week mini-series, that seems to be happening: A driverless car refuses to follow orders; an Alexa-type device whispers schemes to a little boy. The guy who created this chaos (John Slattery, shown here) scrambles to stop it. Read more…

1) “Soulmates” debut, 10 p.m., AMC. In the near future, it seems, computer-match dating will be obsolete. Instead, a machine simply look into our soul and then finds the perfect match. Now this anthology starts with a tough question: What about people who are already married and sort of happy? Sarah Snook (shown here), who was Shiv in “Succession,” stars in an hour that’s subtle and bittersweet. Read more…

1) “Masterpiece: Flesh and Blood” opener, 9 p.m., PBS. As her 70th birthday nears, a wealthy widow (Francesca Annis) has a new love (Stephen Rea; they’re sown here). Her three children are skeptical; then again, their own lives are riddled with problems. There are so many troubles that this four-week series keeps teetering toward soap-opera … then is saved (barely) by the classy British cast (especially Imelda Staunton as an enigmatic neighbor) and writing. There’s a mystery here, plus some harsh blows to every character. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live” season-opener, 11:29 p.m., NBC. The show finally returns to its studio for the first time in seven months. It did three at-home episodes last spring, but now it ‘s full-scale, with Chris Rock (shown here in a previous hosting gig) hosting and Megan Thee Stallion as music guest. There will be five straight new episodes, leading up to the election, with Jim Carrey filling in as Joe Biden and Alec Baldwin contiuing as Donald Trump … unless news events cause “SNL” to shelve its Trump bits. All 17 cast members are returning, now joined by three newcomers. Read more…

1) “Undercover Boss” season-opener, 9 p.m., CBS. Waiting for its big shows to return, CBS has a loose blend – Sunday movies … a couple scripted shows from elsewhere … and lots of non-fiction. Now the amiable “Greatest #AtHome Videos” is followed by the 10th “Boss” season. Tonight has the CEO of TGI Fridays (shown here, right); coming are Bowlero, Club Med and Smoothie King, plus the mayor of Shreveport. Read more…

1) Halloween marathon, Freeform. For two decades, Freeform has “13 nights of Halloween.” Now 13 isn’t nearly enough; the holiday consumes all of October. At 11 a.m. are three holiday “The Middle” episodes; later, light movies (which will rerun often) begin. It’s Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride” (2005) at 3 p.m., the bland “Casper” (1995) at 5, the delightful “Hotel Transylvania” (shown here, 2012) at 7 and “Hocus Pocus” (1993) – an October tradition for Freeform – at 9. Read more…

1) Basketball, 9 p.m. ET, ABC. This is just what a shut-down nation needs – a fresh burst of sports. On the same day that baseball begins its National League play-offs, basketball starts its best-of-seven finals, with LeBron James (shown here) and the Los Angeles Lakers) facing one of his old teams (the Miami Heat). Other games will be Friday, Sunday, Oct. 6 and (if necessary) beyond. Today has a pre-game show at 8:30 p.m. and a pre-pre-game show – “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” – at 8 … or after the game, on the West Coast. Read more…

1) Presidential debate, 9-11 p.m. ET (6-8 p.m. PT), ABC, CBS. NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. Sure there are alternatives (including the “Despicable Me” movies, shown here), that we’ll mention in a minute. But this is what counts — a high-stakes collision between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating. others will be Oct. 15 and 22 … plus an Oct. 7 vice-presidential debate with Mike Pence and Kamala Harris. Read more…

1) “The Comey Rule,” 9 p.m., Showtime. If you missed the first half Sunday, don’t fret; it reruns at 7:25 p.m. today. It’s well-made … but no match for the fierce emotional energy of this conclusion. The opener ended with the 2016 election; now FBI Director James Comey faces a new boss (shown here, with Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson) and a new world. A tsunami of events is about to overtake him and the nation. Read more…