1) World Series, 8 p.m. ET, Fox. After two games in Milwaukee — the first World Series games there in 44 years — the best-of-seven series moves south. The Tampa Bay Rays (shown here) host through Wednesday (if needed). If more are needed, it’s back to Milwaukee on Friday and (Halloween night) Saturday. Eventually, the Brewers or Rays will win their first Series title. Read more…
1) “The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror,” 8 p.m., Fox. This annual delight again offers three stories — sometimes too messy, often very funny, always quite weird. Bart and his dog switch souls … Homer transforms into other husbands (including Jeff Probst) … And, in a clever finale (shown here), Homer is trapped in a world of drivers-ed films, causing crash after crash. Read more…
1) “Ghosts” special, 9-10 p.m. Thursday, CBS. This comedy has sagged at times, but always has great holiday episodes. It’s off the schedule until mid-season, but gets hour-long specials for Halloween and Christmas. This one sees the arrival of an old mirror that has one flaw: A ghost is trapped inside, astonishing everyone (shown here). From there, things get wilder and funnier. Read more…
1) World Series, 8 p.m. ET, Fox, with pre-game at 7. It’s the second game in a best-of-seven series heading to a happy ending. The winner won’t be the privileged Dodgers or Yankees; it will be a first-ever championship for the Milwaukee Brewers (shown here). hosting tonight, or Tampa Bay Rays. Good times — and, depending on who wins, the hoisting of beer mugs — will follow. Read more…
1) “Newlyweds” debut, 8:30 p.m., NBC. Here’s the sort of comedy we need now — big and broad and mostly quite funny. Tea Leoni and Tim Daly, who married last year, play people who marry quickly. She’s bold and instinctive; he’s not. Their world is spiced by Jamie Lee Curtis (shown here, right, with Leoni) as his e-wife and hilarious newcomer Bill O’Neill as his assistant. Read more…
1) “Cupertino,” 10 p.m., CBS. Last week, we started to meet Bo, who insisted (to a skeptical response) that he’s an AI creation, wanting guardrails. We also met the law firm’s potential investor (Busy Phillips, shown here). Today, she nudges the firm toward a personal case. That one is fairly interesting, but the ongoing story of Bo — one of TV’s best characters — is fascinating. Read more…
1) Dolly Parton tribute, 9-11 p.m., ABC. There have been lots of tributes since Parton (shown here) died Aug. 25, at 80. But this is a huge one, organized by the Country Music Association. It has the Dolly-ish divas, older (Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood) and newer (Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson). It also has Brad Paisley, Kelsea Ballerini, Vince Gill and more. Read more…
1) Basketball opener, 3, 7 and 9:30 p.m. ET, NBC. The New York Knicks (shown here) host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7, trying to extend their amazing streak. The Knicks won 14 of their last 15 games last year, to take the championship. At 9:30, the runner-up San Antonio Spurs host the Oklahoma City Thunder; at 3, it’s the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. Read more…
1) “FBI,” 8 p.m., CBS. Over four episodes last season plus this season’s opener, the team has been bedeviled by Anna Volpe (Claire Coffee) and her strike team. Now comes the push to finally stop her; OA (shown here) struggles with his part in this, working undercover. That’s followed by “CIA,” with help needed from an agoraphobic code-breaker. Read more…
1) “Maigret” season-opener, 9 p.m., PBS. Spotting a troubled young woman. Maigret (shown here) is propelled into a twisty mystery. There’s one flaw: The show takes to extremes the cliche of officials insisting there’s no case here. Still, this is a smart, intense story; it has a final jolt tonight, then concludes next week. Read more…
