Fox
The Simpsons
SUNDAY: The satire is positively frightening in the 35th edition of the traditional Halloween “Treehouse of Horror” anthology, kicking off with a Pacific Rim-inspired battle involving a robot operated by Lisa and Bart. They’re Springfield’s best hope against monsters borne of culture-war political rage: “a physical manifestation of your fear and hate,” as Lisa warns. In “The Fall of the House of Monty,” a Victorian-era Mr. Burns faces the wrath of the ghosts of his abused workers. And Homer stars in a Venom-inspired spoof in which he’s possessed by a pair of stop-motion-animated jeans from outer space (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson). Perfect for polishing off your trove of Halloween candy.
Stéphanie Branchu/AMC
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
SUNDAY: It’s been grisly fun, but after two seasons in France, Daryl (Norman Reedus) prepares to say au revoir with Carol (Meliisa McBride) and Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) in the Walking Dead spinoff’s Season 2 finale. Young Laurent sums up the entire franchise when he observes: “Every time something good happens, something bad comes to ruin it.” Their current dilemma: deciding who leaves and who stays behind when Ash (Manish Dayal) fires up their limited-capacity getaway plane, which several armies covet.
Hallmark Channel
Holiday Mismatch
The Yule Log: The Christmas movies ramp up now that November is in full swing. Casting coup of the weekend: Hallmark Channel’s Holiday Mismatch (Sunday, 8/7c), starring Sabrina the Teenage Witch alums Caroline Rhea and Beth Broderick as moms whose spat at a Christmas committee meeting leads to a revelation that they’ve set up their grown-up kids on a dating app. Maybe the younger generation can show their elders how to get along. Also on Hallmark: Our Holiday Story (Saturday, 8/7c) stars Nikki DeLoach and Warren Christie as a couple whose flashback of a fateful Christmas inspires their daughter’s boyfriend to take the next step.
On Great American Family: Tails of Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c) pays tribute to shelter therapy dogs through the story of a wounded soldier (Eric Guilmette) who returns from service to run a shelter with a woman (Ash Tsai) whose devotion warms his heart. In UPtv’s Country Roads Christmas (Sunday, 7/6c), the daughter of a country singer finds romance after becoming her dad’s manager.
Rosalind O’Connor / NBC
Saturday Night Live
SATURDAY: Comedian John Mulaney returns for the sixth time to host the show for which he’s won an Emmy and Peabody Award for writing and earned a 2019 guest actor Emmy nomination. This is the last original episode before the presidential election, so you can only imagine what garbage (it’s a theme) they’ll be slinging this week. Musical guest is Chappell Roan, making her SNL debut.
United Way Benefit for Hurricane Relief (Saturday, 8/7c, CBS and CMT): Celebrities gather in Nashville for a special taped earlier this week with the goal of raising money for relief and recovery for those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the southeastern U.S. The benefit includes performances by Carly Pearce, Chris Janson, Clay Aiken, Jonathan McReynolds, Tyler Hubbard and Brittney Spencer, with appearances and special messages from many celebs including Backstreet Boys, Billy Bob Thornton, Blake Shelton, Cedric the Entertainer, JB Smoove, Kelsea Ballerini, Fire Country’s Max Thieriot, Nate Burleson and Stephen Colbert.
Sandy Morris / HBO
Somebody Somewhere
SATURDAY: There likely won’t be a dry eye in the house when Sam (Bridget Everett) helps Brad (Tim Bagley) prepare a special surprise for Joel (Jeff Hiller) at their housewarming party. There’s so much warmth in this tender comedy about Kansans dealing with life and non-stop change. Savor these final episodes.
INSIDE WEEKEND TV:
- 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports on the 2012 murder in Illinois of Leslie Reeves on the night of her first date with Chris Smith, who was shot in the head and spent weeks in a medically induced coma, remembering nothing of the tragedy.
- Motorcycle Mary (Sunday, 2 pm/ET, ESPN2): A 30 for 30 documentary short profiles female motorsports pioneer “Motorcycle” Mary McGee, defying gender norms throughout her 30-year racing career.
- 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Scott Pelley visits the battleground state of Georgia on the cusp of the presidential election, Sheryn Alfonsi heads to Texas in a survey of states that changed their abortion laws after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, and Jon Wertheim jets to Denmark, where Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drugs have injected the country’s economy with unexpected wealth.
- Ridley (8/7c, PBS): The British mystery’s second season ends with police consultant Ridley (Adrian Dunbar) continuing his search for a missing wife and mother.
- Like Water for Chocolate (Sunday, 8/7c, HBO Latino, streaming on Max): Previously filmed in 1992, Laura Esquivel’s novel of thwarted passion and sumptuous cooking becomes a series infused with magical realism.
- Holiday Wars (Sunday, 9/8c, Food Network): The pumpkins have been put away, and it’s time to bring on the holiday confectioners, as host Jeff Mauro welcomes the first three teams to create a yummy scene depicting Santa in a buddy movie.
- The Penguin (Sunday, 9/8c, HBO): In the crime drama’s penultimate episode, the war between Oz “Penguin” Cobb (Colin Farrell) and Sofia (Cristin Milioti) escalates, with flashbacks revealing the tragic event that defined Oz’s childhood and relationship with his deranged mother Francis (Deirdre O’Connell).
- The Equalizer (Sunday, 9/8c, CBS): While Harry (Adam Goldberg) goes undercover for McCall’s (Queen Latifah) latest mission, his wife Mel (Liza Lapira) heads to therapy to recover from her trauma, with songwriting as a tool.
- Lioness (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): It’s not exactly a warm welcome for helicopter pilot Josie Carrillo (Genesis Rodriguez) when she joins the Lioness QRF (Quick Response Force) team. But there’s not a lot of time to toughen her up before her mission begins, begging the question: Which does she love more, her country or her cartel-connected family?