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All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Life on Our Planet
Netflix
New Series!
Morgan Freeman narrates this eight-episode natural history docuseries from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television that uses mind-blowing science and graphics technology from Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic to bring ancient creatures back to life. It frames the story of our planet’s history, and the rise and fall of various species dynasties, via the five mass extinction events it has had thus far — and what that means for life today.
NBA Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 7pm Live
ESPN’s coverage of the 2023-24 NBA season opens with the Boston Celtics in New York to clash with the Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks dueling with the Spurs in San Antonio.
Sullivan’s Crossing: “Rock and a Hard Place”
The CW, 8pm
Maggie (Morgan Kohan) and Cal (Chad Michael Murray) find themselves facing a dire situation as they look for a missing camper.
The Masked Singer: “Harry Potter Night”
FOX, 8pm
The Masked Singer celebrates its milestone 10th season with a special Harry Potter-themed episode. The entire show heads to Hogwarts and each singer will be assigned their House from the Sorting Hat.
Pawn Stars Do America
History, 8pm
Season Premiere!
The Pawn Stars are hitting the road again for a second season of visiting some of America’s most exciting places in search of historical finds and impressive collectible objects, making stops in eight different cities from Massachusetts to New Mexico. Each two-hour episode follows Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin “Chumlee” Russell connecting with fans and acquiring some of the most remarkable items imaginable.
Quantum Leap: “The Lonely Hearts Club”
NBC, 8pm
Ben (Raymond Lee) leaps into the body of an ambitious Hollywood assistant whose famous client, Neal Russell, is in danger. As Ben realizes that Neal’s circumstances may shed light on his own, his working relationship with Addison (Caitlin Bassett) reaches an inflection point.
Spy in the Ocean: A “Nature” Miniseries
PBS, 8pm
New Miniseries!
This four-episode natural history miniseries uses technology like that used in the previous Spy in the Wild miniseries, with hidden cameras offering new perspectives on sea creatures. The premiere episode, “Deep Thinkers,” reveals an ocean full of startling ways of thinking, including large-brained whales, smart octopi, diving monkeys, creative fish and other intelligent animals.
Star of the Month: Charlton Heston
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Wednesday salute to Charlton Heston during this centennial month of his birth concludes tonight with five films. Up first are two sci-fi classics the star led in the early ’70s: Soylent Green (1973), the famed dystopian thriller costarring Edward G. Robinson in his final film role, and The Omega Man (1971), a postapocalyptic action film based on Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend. Following those, in late night/early morning, are The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959), a British American thriller costarring Gary Cooper; Skyjacked (1972), yet another ’70s airplane disaster film, this one featuring James Brolin and Yvette Mimieux alongside Heston; and The Awakening (1980), a British mummy-themed horror film based on Dracula author Bram Stoker’s lesser-known novel The Jewel of Seven Stars.
The Spencer Sisters: “The Restauranteur’s Ruin”
The CW, 9pm
When Antonio’s (Rodrigo Massa) professional reputation is targeted, he seeks out Darby (Stacey Farber) and Victoria’s (Lea Thompson) services.
Magnum P.I.: “Night Has a Thousand Eyes”
NBC, 9pm
Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Rick (Zachary Knighton) race to find a missing witness who can exonerate an innocent man accused of murder. Meanwhile, TC (Stephen Hill) tries to repair his relationship with Mahina (Emily Alabi) after being released from the VA.
NOVA: Ancient Earth
PBS, 9pm
Miniseries Finale!
This four-part NOVA miniseries concludes with “Inferno.” Over 250 million years ago, a devastating mass extinction wiped out about 90% of all species on Earth. Follow scientists as they piece together evidence to discover how life survived and set the stage for a new dominant life form: the dinosaurs.
Secrets of the Dead: “Eiffel’s Race to the Top”
PBS, 10pm
Discover the untold story behind Paris’ most famous landmark and the race to build a monument topping 1,000 feet tall. Through dramatic re-creations, official renderings and personal archives, see how the Eiffel Tower became an icon.
Thursday, Oct. 26
The Despaired
BET+
Original Film!
A grieving mail carrier finds a mysterious letter that resurrects her husband from the dead. Then, in a race against time, she must make three sacrifices before he’s banished to the abyss for eternity. Terrence “T.C.” Carson and Drew Sidora star.
Stay Out
BET+
Original Film!
California businessman Donovan Jones (Kareem J. Grimes) travels to rural Georgia to fulfill the wishes of his recently departed Aunt Velma (Janessa Morgan) and Uncle Rufus (Christopher Sky), who made him the sole beneficiary of their estate. There, he learns that Rufus was brutally murdered. In life, Rufus and Velma practiced black magic; in death, Rufus will possess and use Donovan as a vessel to murder those who killed him, as well as their descendants.
Pluto
Netflix
New Series!
Based on the acclaimed and award-winning Japanese manga of the same name, this anime series is a suspense drama set in a neo-futuristic world where humans and high-functioning robots live in complete harmony.
The Vanishing Triangle
Sundance Now
New Series!
In this Irish crime drama, after publishing an article about her mother’s murder, journalist Lisa Wallace (India Mullen) gets a chilling letter from the killer, taunting her with pictures of the murder and of a new victim. Soon, news comes of Amy Reynolds, a woman who’s gone missing. Lisa and Detective David Burkely (Allen Leech) begin fighting through red tape as more girls go missing. Meanwhile, the killer plays psychological torture games with Lisa, making her choose his victims and even threatening her in person. The first two episodes are available today; new episodes drop Thursdays.
Son of a Critch
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!
In the first episode of the second season, “Growing Apart,” Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) is devastated to learn that Fox (Sophia Powers) found a new boyfriend over the summer.
Hell’s Kitchen: “Just Bring the DARN Fish!”
FOX, 8pm
The chefs will taste and identify mystery proteins as quickly as possible in the infamous Surf & Turf relay challenge. Dolph Lundgren and Paula Abdul make guest appearances in the new episode “Just Bring the DARN Fish!”
Charlie Chaplin vs. America
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
British actor and comedy legend Charlie Chaplin is the focus of tonight’s lineup, beginning with the classic silent film Modern Times (1936), in which a factory worker struggles with adjusting to technological advances and ends up institutionalized. Next up is the Oscar-nominated World War II satire and Chaplin’s first “talkie,” The Great Dictator (1940), in which Chaplin famously portrays a caricature of Adolf Hitler, followed by the comedy/drama Monsieur Verdoux (1947), cowritten by Orson Welles, about a suave ladies’ man who marries rich women and kills them for their money. Finally, to close out the lineup is Chaplin’s final American film, Limelight (1952), about a struggling comedian’s effort to help an unhappy ballet dancer.
NFL Football: Tampa Bay at Buffalo
Prime Video, 8:15pm Live
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a tough road test against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football.
Run the Burbs
The CW, 8:30pm
Season Premiere!
In the first episode of the second season, titled “In Phocus,” Andrew (Andrew Phung) interviews for his dream job and Camille (Rakhee Morzaria) holds a focus group for her business launch.
Children Ruin Everything: “Fairness”
The CW, 9pm
Nisha (Veena Sood) is feeling burned out from babysitting duties and announces her retirement from childcare.
LEGO Masters: “Cirque du Soleil”
FOX, 9pm
The worlds of LEGO and Cirque du Soleil come together in this new episode’s thrilling showdown. The duos will divide into two big teams to construct a mesmerizing show consisting of four breathtaking acts that are sure to leave viewers spellbound.
Transplant: “Hospital Beige”
NBC, 9pm
Bash (Hamza Haq) helps a woman whose ketamine therapy has gone awry; Mags (Laurence Leboeuf) loses confidence in her new boss; June (Ayisha Issa) takes a risk to help Bash; and Theo (Jim Watson) reunites with a former patient whose young life hangs in the balance.
Everyone Else Burns
The CW, 9:30pm
New Series!
The CW picked up the six-episode first season of this sinfully clever British comedy about the hyper-religious Lewis family and their preparations for the impending end of days. David (Simon Bird) and Fiona (Kate O’Flynn) contend with their own imperfections while trying to raise teenager Rachel (Amy James-Kelly) and her younger brother, Aaron (Harry Connor).
Explorer: Lake of Fire
Nat Geo, 10pm
In 2018, satellite imagery captured a mysterious “thermal anomaly” on an unexplored volcano at the ends of the earth. What lies inside could provide new clues to help predict volcanic eruptions around the globe. But the island is so remote — and conditions are so extreme — no one has ever been able to reach the top to investigate what lies inside. Until now.
The Haunted Museum
Travel Channel, 10pm; also streams on Max
Season Premiere!
This anthology series of short horror films based on objects on display in Ghost Adventures star Zak Bagans Haunted Museum in Las Vegas returns for Season 2. The season premiere is centered around the famed Bunny Ranch Brothel, where Dennis Hof, the owner of the legal bordello, died on the bed that is said to have a sordid and evil history.
Friday, Oct. 27
Pain Hustlers
Netflix
Feature Film Exclusive!
This crime drama begins when, after losing her job, a blue-collar woman (Emily Blunt) struggling to raise her daughter takes a job at a failing pharmaceutical start-up, only to get involved in a dangerous racketeering scheme. Chris Evans, Andy Garcia and Catherine O’Hara also star.
Sister Death
Netflix
Original Film!
This Spanish horror film directed by Paco Plaza is a prequel to Plaza’s 2017 feature Verónica. Set in postwar Spain, it follows Narcisa (Aria Bedmar), a young novice with supernatural powers who arrives at a former convent, now a school for girls, to become a teacher. As the days go by, the strange events and increasingly disturbing situations that torment her will eventually lead Narcisa to unravel the terrible and tangled web of secrets that surround the convent and haunt its inhabitants.
Tore
Netflix
New Series!
This feel-good-and-bad dramedy from Sweden is about running away from all the things that hurt while trying to figure out who you are. The story centers around the 27-year-old title character (played by William Spetz, who also created and wrote the series), who does everything he can to suppress his grief after the most important person in his life is killed in an accident.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Peacock
Feature Film Exclusive!
The popular Five Nights at Freddy’s video game franchise, which launched in 2014 and has since been spun off into books and music, now gets this supernatural horror film adaptation from Blumhouse, the studio behind franchises like Paranormal Activity and Insidious. The story follows a troubled security guard (Josh Hutcherson) as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes that the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through, as the restaurant’s four Chuck E. Cheese-like animatronic mascots — Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy — spring to life and kill anyone who is still there after midnight. Elizabeth Lail, Kat Conner Sterling, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson and Matthew Lillard also star.
NBA Basketball
ESPN, beginning at 7:30pm
A rematch of Eastern Conference finalists opens ESPN’s NBA doubleheader as the Miami Heat visit the Boston Celtics. The second game has the Golden State Warriors at the Sacramento Kings.
Penn & Teller: Fool Us
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Brooke Burke takes over as host for the milestone 10th season of the magic competition series featuring magicians Penn & Teller as judges.
2023 World Series: Game 1
FOX, 8pm Live
The champions of the American League and National League begin the best-of-seven-game World Series, with Game 1 tonight at the home ballpark of the team with the better regular-season record. FOX has exclusive coverage of the series, which would end on Nov. 4 if a seventh game is needed.
TCM Spotlight: Gothic Movies: “Gothic Horror”
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Friday salute to gothic films concludes tonight with several gothic movies that focus on horror, including a number based on novels. Up first, the legendary Boris Karloff leads the fantastic Frankenstein (1931) and its even better sequel The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), which also features Elsa Lanchester as the Bride (and as Frankenstein author Mary Shelley in an opening scene). Next, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee make a memorable pairing in Horror of Dracula (1958), the first in the Dracula film franchise from Britain’s Hammer Studios. Following that is the Vincent Price-led House of Usher (1960), the first of eight Roger Corman films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe in the ’60s. Another Poe adaptation follows: the mystery thriller Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954), starring Karl Malden. A more famous phantom follows in The Phantom of the Opera (1925), the Lon Chaney-led silent classic. The evening concludes with Fredric March’s Best Actor Oscar-winning dual performance as the title characters in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and Cat People (1942), one of the great Val Lewton-produced understated and atmospheric horror classics of the ’40s.
World’s Funniest Animals
The CW, 9pm
Season Premiere!
Elizabeth Stanton returns as host for the fourth season of this reality series showcasing video clips of funny animal moments.
Saturday, Oct. 28
Hammer Horror Icon-a-Thon
MOVIES!, beginning at 10:30am
Catch a Classic!
A variety of classic horror productions from Britain’s famed Hammer Studios air today, beginning with the probably lesser known The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas (1957). Led by frequent Hammer star Peter Cushing, it follows an expedition in search of the legendary yeti, which proves to be not-so-legendary. Cushing also leads the next film, Horror of Dracula (1958), as Van Helsing alongside Christopher Lee in the first of his legendary appearances as the title vampire. Lee also reprised that role in the next film, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1969). Two more famous Lee/Cushing pairings finish out the lineup: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), with Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Lee as his creature, and The Mummy (1959), with Cushing as an archaeologist and Lee as Kharis/the Mummy.
College Football
CBS & NBC, 3:30pm Live
The football rivalry between the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs is renewed today at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on CBS. Georgia has won five of the last six matchups. The Pittsburgh Panthers take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on NBC.
Masters of Illusion
The CW, 8pm
Season Premiere!
Actor Dean Cain returns as host of Season 10 of the reality series showcasing the world’s top escape artists, illusionists and magicians as they perform in front of a live audience.
Bringing Christmas Home
Great American Family, 8pm
Original Film!
A professor of military history (Jill Wagner) teams with an antique store owner (Paul Greene) to track down the original owner of a World War II uniform and the love letters left in its pockets.
Mystic Christmas
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
Juniper (Jessy Schram) travels to Mystic, Connecticut, during the holidays to work at the rehabilitation center and aquarium. There, she reconnects with Sawyer (Chandler Massey), the owner of the pizza shop.
Would You Kill for Me? The Mary Bailey Story
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Lifetime’s latest original is based on the real-life experiences of Mary Elizabeth Bailey, author of My Mother’s Soldier, who at 11 years old was forced to do the unthinkable. Told through three different perspectives, the drama follows the volatile relationship between three generations of women — Ella (Melissa Joan Hart), her daughter Veronica (Olivia Scriven) and her granddaughter Mary (Presley Allard), whom she raises for Veronica. After Veronica becomes deeply entangled with Willard (Connor McMahon) and later marries him, the lives of all three women take a turn for the worse when Willard becomes increasingly abusive. The family fears for their lives, culminating in one horrific night.
Svengoolie Halloween BOOnanza
MeTV, beginning at 8pm
It’s another night of fright beginning with a double feature on Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie. Up first is The Night Strangler (1973), a TV movie sequel to The Night Stalker that finds Darren McGavin’s reporter Carl Kolchak investigating mysterious killings in Seattle. After that is Trilogy of Terror (1975), a TV movie anthology of three horror stories starring Karen Black as different characters in each. Late night/early morning then features a marathon of episodes from the 1974-75 series Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
Metal Massacre: The Story of the Legendary Album
AXS TV, 9pm
Packed with all-star interviews and rare photos, this two-hour film tells the story of the groundbreaking 1982 Metal Massacre vinyl compilation, which was a sonic celebration of the burgeoning Los Angeles heavy metal music scene that helped launch the careers of iconic acts Metallica and Ratt. An encore presentation of the film follows immediately after.
NFL Icons: “Bill Cowher”
MGM+, 10pm
This episode of the NFL Films documentary series looks at Bill Cowher, a Pittsburgh native who rose to become the head coach of his cherished hometown team and led the Steelers on one of history’s greatest playoff runs to capture their fifth Lombardi Trophy.