CBS
Matlock
SUNDAY: “Laws don’t touch people like me.” These are the very definition of fighting words when delivered to a crusader for justice like Matty “Matlock” Kingston (the great Kathy Bates). The braggadocio speaker is her big boss, Senior (Beau Bridges), an intimidating legal giant who’s still unaware of Matty’s mission to expose him, and possibly his son Julian (Jason Ritter), in their cover-up of a crucial opioid study that might have helped spare her daughter’s life. As the second season of this diverting drama opens (moving back to Thursday after this special Sunday premiere), Matty’s immediate supervisor, Olympia (Skye P. Marshall), hopes to persuade Matty to pivot away from nailing Julian, the father of her children, for his culpability and focus instead on Senior. But Matty’s got other priorities, including verifying the identity of a stranger named Joey (Niko Nicotera) who claims he’s the father of her grandson, Alfie (Aaron Harris).
New Girl
All seven seasons of New Girl are available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+, featuring grouchy Nick, high-maintenance Schmidt, quirky Winston, and the ever-adorkable Jess as they navigate life, love, and friendship together. Endearing characters, realistic emotional growth, and unfailingly funny dialogue always keep New Girl feeling, well… new! Throwing a bunch of different personalities into a single living space may be well-worn sitcom ground, but New Girl made the format feel fresh with memorable and endearing characters, slightly stunted but realistic growth, and witty banter that keeps fans coming back.
Michael Parmelee / CBS
Elsbeth
SUNDAY: Also helping launch CBS’s official premiere week on a special night, the quirky comedy-mystery opens its third season with a guest appearance by The Late Show host (for now) Stephen Colbert, spoofing his own persona as the less agreeable face of the late-night Way Late With Scotty Bristol. (The episode was written before the Late Show cancellation and filmed the week after the announcement.) When a mysterious death occurs at the show, irrepressible police consultant Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) springs into action, with suspects including Scotty’s sidekick Mickey (Andy Richter, Conan O’Brien’s former sidekick and a current Dancing With the Stars contestant) and Mickey’s wife, head writer Laurel (Amy Sedaris). Now that her friend and sometimes partner Kaya (Carra Patterson) has been assigned to undercover duty, Elsbeth is paired with officer Grace Hackett, an aspiring stand-up comic played by Tony winner Lindsay Mendez, whose association with the recent revival of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along inspires a number of in-jokes in Jonathan Tolins‘ clever script.
HBO
The Chair Company
SUNDAY: If it hurts when you cringe, this bizarre dark comedy might just be the most painful comedy you’ll watch all year. Whether you’re tickled may depend on your appreciation for the gonzo sensibility of Tim Robinson (Detroiters, the Emmy-winning I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson), a manic maestro of slapstick apoplexy. In this aggressively weird farce that often adopts the tone of a paranoid conspiracy thriller, Robinson (star and co-creator) plays Ron Trosper, a middling project manager for a mall construction project in Canton, Ohio, who suffers an embarrassing public mishap at work and won’t rest until he holds someone accountable. Prone to bouts of bellowing and outrageous facial contortions, Ron embarks on a recklessly obsessive search for the truth, putting his professional reputation and family stability at risk (Lake Bell plays his long-suffering wife). The more Ron spirals, the harder it is to know whether to be amused or disturbed. It’s OK to be both.
Rosalind O’Connor / NBC
Saturday Night Live
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: One of Saturday Night Live‘s most celebrated alums returns to the Studio 8H stage when Amy Poehler serves as guest host for the second time on her own — she shared a 2016 Emmy with Tina Fey, her former Weekend Update partner, when they co-hosted — joined by Role Model as the first-time musical guest. A beloved cast member from 2001 to 2008, Poehler is back on an auspicious occasion, with Oct. 11 marking the 50th anniversary of the date that SNL presented its very first show, hosted by George Carlin.
Bluey
The animated series for preschoolers on Disney+ follows Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible, blue heeler dog, who lives with her mum Chilli, dad Bandit, and her little sister, Bingo. Bluey uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighborhood into her world of fun. Set in Australia, the series is about family and the power of play, as Bluey, her friends, neighbors, and classmates explore challenges and lessons that resonate with both kids and parents alike. Now available.
Great American Family
A Wisconsin Christmas Pie
SATURDAY: It’s apparently never too soon to begin celebrating Christmas with wholesome TV movies. Well before we’ve begun to digest this month’s onslaught of Halloween programming, GAF wins the early-bird prize with its first original film launching the fifth season of Great American Christmas. The setting: Door County, Wisconsin, famed for its cherry pies — I’ve been there and can confirm its reputation is well-deserved — and where pastry chef Emma (Switched at Birth‘s Katie Leclerc) returns from Chicago to her family’s cherry orchard, participating in the community’s holiday pie bake-off and reconnecting with her high-school sweetheart (Ryan Carnes).
INSIDE WEEKEND TV:
- Monster in the Family: The Stacey Kananen Story (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): 24‘s Elisha Cuthbert stars in the title role of the fact-based movie as Stacey, who’s shocked when, after surviving a childhood of abuse, her brother Rickie (Brendan Taylor) confesses to killing their parents, implicating her in the crime.
- 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Peter Van Sant reports on the case from New Haven, Indiana, of Kevin Davis, who in 2023 was found dead at the bottom of his stairs in what wife Alison insisted was a drunken accident. Prosecutors felt otherwise, leading to a trial.
- NFL in London (Sunday, 9:30 am/ET, NFL Network): The Denver Broncos play the New York Jets at North London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- Sunday Night Football (Sunday, 8:15 pm/ET, NBC): The Detroit Lions take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the marquee prime-time match.
- Task (Sunday, 9/8c, HBO): The penultimate episode of the gripping crime drama begins with an intense and fateful showdown in the woods between the feds, the Dark Hearts bikers, and a vengeful Robbie (Tom Pelphrey). The fallout is tragic on multiple levels.
- The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Sunday, 9/8c, AMC): Where they going? Barcelona. (Apologies to Sondheim.) While Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Paz (Alexandra Masangkay) attempt a rescue mission in the fabled Spanish city in the next-to-last episode of the Europe-set spinoff, Carol (Melissa McBride) is back in Solaz, seeking an exit strategy with Antonio (Eduardo Noriega) and his ailing son, Roberto (Hugo Arbués).
- Tulsa King (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): The stakes escalate when Dwight (Sylvester Stallone) schemes with his crew to retrieve the pricey stash of 50-year-old bourbon that the Dunmires stole from them.