‘Horses’ at Full Gallop, ‘Chicago Med’ Homecoming, the Murdaugh Saga, Tennis in Riyadh

Slow Horses

No spy drama better blends suspense with wry and even slapstick humor than this adaptation of Mick Herron’s terrific novels about the disgraced spies who occupy Slough House. As Season 5 passes the midway point, the “slow horses” are in full gallop as they pair off to try to avert what they will believe will be an assassination attempt at one or both competing rallies for London’s mayoral race. Elsewhere, their decrepit yet cunning boss Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) continues to stay one step ahead of the MI5 officers seeking the femme fatale who snared Slough House techie Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung) in her web.

Elio

For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers. In this fun-filled, action-packed feature film from Disney and Pixar, the universe calls back! The cosmic misadventure introduces Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien life-forms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

Chicago Med

Seems like old times when original cast member Torrey DeVitto returns to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, though not under the best of circumstances — because Dr. Natalie Manning is rushing to be with her son Owen (Frankie DeMaio), who was shot while visiting Chicago from Seattle with his stepdad Dr. Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss). Which means there’s little time for “Manstead” shippers to rejoice over news that she’s carrying their child when her firstborn’s life is in jeopardy. In other cases, Ripley (Luke Mitchell) teams with Charles (Oliver Platt) to treat a patient who can’t remember who he is.

Murdaugh: Death in the Family

The stuff of many a Dateline and true-crime podcast, the tragic saga of the scandalous Murdaugh family of South Carolina now gets the deluxe docudrama treatment, with the very busy Jason Clarke (currently rounding up bad guys on Apple TV’s The Last Frontier) starring as wealthy but embattled lawyer Alex Murdaugh, with Oscar and Emmy winner Patricia Arquette as his unlucky wife, Maggie. The sordid eight-part story, previously depicted in a 2023 Lifetime drama, begins with the double murder of Maggie and son Paul (Johnny Berchtold) in 2021, then reaches back three years to an earlier scandal when Paul was implicated in a fatal boat crash. Brittany Snow costars as reporter Mandy Matney (who’s also an executive producer), whose work on the case is the basis for this eight-part treatment. Launches with three episodes.

Six Kings Slam

Six of the world’s most prominent men’s tennis stars gather at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the second annual exhibition match, which could result in a rematch of last year’s contest that pitted the two top-ranked players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, in a thrilling final. Sinner won that contest, while Alcaraz is hoping for a repeat of his recent U.S. Open victory against Sinner. In the first round, No. 3-ranked Alexander Zverev plays No. 4 Taylor Fritz, then Sinner takes on No. 24-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas (a late substitution for an injured Jack Draper). The winners will play against Alcaraz and No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic on Thursday, with a grand final scheduled for Saturday.

The Morning Show

In a powerful episode for the luminous Nicole Beharie, her character of decorated Olympic track star-turned-morning show host Chris Turner is dragged into a painful media spotlight when online rumors challenge her sports legacy. Her greatest ally appears to be Mia (Karen Pittman), the disgruntled TMS producer who returns to UBN on a confrontational mission. Also heading for a reckoning: Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) and former network CEO Cory (Billy Crudup), whose budding romance cloaks her investigation into a dark chapter of the network’s past.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• Shifting Gears (8/7c, ABC): Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias drops by Matt’s (Tim Allen) custom car shop, with Shark Tank‘s Lori Grenier appearing in another celebrity cameo. Followed by Abbott Elementary (8:30/7:30), where the staff heads to the ballpark to cheer on the Philadelphia Phillies on Teachers’ Appreciation Night.
• Survivor (8/7c, CBS): After a sudden shakeup affects the castaways’ strategy, the tribe works to reinstate a player’s vote when they learn of a beware advantage. Followed by The Amazing Race (9:30/8:30c), with the next stop in Budapest, birthplace of Henry Houdini and staging ground for a most puzzling Fast Forward challenge.
• NewsNation Town Hall (8/7c, The CW): Chris Cuomo hosts a live town-hall event from the Kennedy Center alongside Stephen A. Smith and Bill O’Reilly, featuring leaders from both political parties.
• The Golden Bachelor (9/8c, ABC): A visit to a wellness retreat and a date under the stars at Griffith Observatory help Mel decide which three women will make it through to next week’s hometown visits.
• Chicago Fire (9/8c, NBC): Budget cuts light a fire under Pascal (Dermot Mulroney). Followed by Chicago P.D. (10/9c), where a murder investigation hits close to home — their neighborhood, to be exact — for Burgess (Marina Squerciati) and Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger).
• 106 & Sports (10/9c, BET): A reimagined version of the 106 & Park brand features NFL star Cam Newton and Ashley Nicole Moss as hosts of a weekly forum for sports and cultural conversation.
• From Rails to Trails (PBS, check local listings): Edward Norton narrates a documentary that reveals how thousands of miles of abandoned railways from Seattle to Georgia and New York City are being converted to public trails.

ON THE STREAM:

• Gen V (streaming on Prime Video): In Season 2’s penultimate episode, Marie (Jaz Sinclair) takes it upon herself to confront the wicked Dean Cipher (Hamish Linklater) and revive Godolkin U founder Thomas Godolkin (Ethan Slater). But what will happen if she succeeds?
• Loot (streaming on Apple TV): The quirky comedy’s third season opens with Molly (Maya Rudolph) tracked down on a private island by the Wells Foundation, which is desperate for her to return. Then she goes on her first official date with Arthur (Nat Faxon).
• Ghost Adventures (streaming on Discovery+): A new season of the paranormal investigation series gets an early streaming launch, with the two-hour premiere depicting a visit to a supernatural hotspot atop Wyoming’s Casper Mountain. Episodes premiere on the Discovery Channel starting October 29.