‘Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror, Keith Urban Hits ‘The Road,’ ‘Task’ and ‘Daryl Dixon’ Finales

The Simpsons

SUNDAY: For the 36th (!) time, the enduring animated comedy delivers a trilogy of spooky spoofs in the annual “Treehouse of Horror” special, this year enlisting a rogue’s gallery of guest voices including Viola Davis, Michael Keaton, and Idris Elba. The first segment features a ravenous sewer monster dubbed “Fatberg” that attacks the state fair and its many fried-food-addicted revelers. (Homer, beware!) Then comes found footage of a live Krusty the Clown Halloween TV special where Satan makes a surprise appearance. Things go plastic in the post-apocalyptic finale.

Andor

The two-season Disney+ series follows Cassian Andor from being a reluctant nobody to hero of the Rebel Alliance in a galaxy far, far away. Now streaming. A prequel to Rogue One, the series shows Andor’s transformation from hardscrabble smuggler to hardened intelligence operative and one of the Rebellion’s greatest heroes. Without lightsabers or the Force, Andor proved that Star Wars could tackle mature themes and deep, character-driven storytelling. Across its two-season arc, the show reframes the galaxy through espionage, sacrifice, and the human cost of rebellion.

The Road

SUNDAY: “It’s a calling — and you’re born to do it, or you’re never gonna make it,” says country-music star Keith Urban of life on the road as a headlining musician. In a promising music-competition series, Urban brings along 12 aspiring singer-songwriters, many of them seasoned but yet to hit the big time, on a multi-city tour, where they’ll perform as his opening acts. At each venue — Fort Worth’s Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall is the first stop — they take the stage in hopes of winning over the audience, whose votes decide who moves on and who’ll be sent home. (The choice is pretty obvious in the opener.) They’ve put some casting muscle into this show, with The Voice alum Blake Shelton backing up Urban as executive producer and sounding board, with Gretchen Wilson a warm and invaluable presence as “road manager” and mentor to the singers. The last one still singing at the end of the season gets $250,000, a recording contract, and a spot on the Main Stage at next year’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, California. But it’s going to be a long road to get there.

Task

SUNDAY: The decidedly downbeat crime drama finishes its season in the wake of last week’s tragic twists, tying up loose ends while adding to the hefty body count. FBI team leader Tom (Mark Ruffalo) has a full plate, continuing to smoke out the corruption within the ranks of law enforcement, fostering orphaned little Sam (Ben Doherty, a heartbreaker), and preparing for the emotional hearing for his incarcerated adopted son, Ethan (Andrew Russel). The Dark Hearts motorcycle gang faces its own violent reckoning, and Maeve (Emilia Jones) takes moves to protect Uncle Robbie’s (Tom Pelphrey) family. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to choking up a few times.

Daredevil: Born Again

On Disney+, Daredevil once again finds himself in a battle with his archenemy Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. The Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), who’s now in the mayor’s office! Born Again’s first season sees Charlie Cox return as Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer by day and vigilante by night, fighting for the soul of New York City. Matt will call on old friends Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson), and Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), better known as the Punisher. With Fisk’s political power on the rise, Daredevil faces his most dangerous fight yet.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

SUNDAY: There’s plenty of action, even some involving zombies, in the Season 3 finale of the European-set Dead spinoff. Daryl (Norman Reedus) teams with Paz (Alexandra Masangkay), going undercover at the Matching Ceremony — where the King and Queen of Spain are in attendance — to rescue the lovely Justina (Candela Saitta) and her fellow reluctant brides-to-be. (The memorably macabre floor show includes using zombies as marionettes.) Elsewhere, Carol (Melissa McBride) won’t rest until she returns to Solaz del Mar to rescue Antonio (Eduardo Noriega) and expose the corrupt Fede (Oscar Jaenada). And then all of the good guys can sail away back home to America. Easy, right?

The Yule Log: And so it begins, two weeks before Halloween and more than a month before Thanksgiving, with rival networks Hallmark Channel and Great American Family laying down the tinsel challenge with weekly dueling Christmas movies. Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” gets started with A Royal Montana Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c), starring The Good Doctor‘s Fiona Gubelmann as Princess Victoria of Zelarnia, who saddles up for a visit to Montana’s Peaceful Pines Ranch, where a local guide (Warren Christie) shows her the ropes, and more. On Sunday, Hallmark presents A Christmas Angel Match (8/7c), starring Meghan Ory and Benjamin Ayres as Christmas Angel matchmakers. GAF’s A Christmas Prayer (Saturday, 8/7c) stars Shae Robins as a children’s book illustrator who fulfills the Christmas wish list of a little girl, bringing comfort and more to the girl’s dad (Christopher Russell).

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (streaming on Apple TV): The 1966 Peanuts classic is available to stream for free on Saturday and Sunday.
• Six Kings Slam (Saturday, 12:30 pm/ET, streaming on Netflix): Following the 3rd-place match between Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic, top-ranked Jannik Sinner (the 2024 champ) and Carlos Alcaraz face off in a replay of last year’s final at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The Widow’s Payback (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Bianca Lawson stars in a thriller as a widow who infiltrates the underworld operation of the criminal (Kheon Clarke) who murdered her husband.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): While reporting on the 2023 murder of Washington, D.C. photographer Joe Shymanski, correspondent Nikki Battiste realizes she has a connection to the case. She grew up with the victim’s ex-wife, Heather, who’s among the subjects interviewed in the report.
• Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): Sabrina Carpenter doubles up as guest host (her first time) and musical guest (her second).
• U.S. Grand Prix Live (Sunday, 3 pm/ET, ABC, streaming on the ESPN Lap): In its last year before Apple TV takes over exclusive coverage, ABC and the ESPN App present the second of three Formula 1 events in the U.S. from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
• Collector’s Call (Sunday, 6:30/5:30c, MeTV): Phil Meehan shows off his monstrous collection of Frankenstein-related artifacts, including an authentic prop wire from the iconic lab in 1931’s Frankenstein.
• Tracker (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): Jensen Ackles returns as Colter’s (Justin Hartley) brother Russell, processing dark Shaw family secrets in the Season 3 opener. They keep busy tracking down the missing wife and daughter of one of Reenie’s (Fiona Rene) clients.
• Maigret (Sunday, 9/8c, PBS): Maigret (Benjamin Wainwright) juggles two cases when he’s ordered to investigate death threats against a billionaire while also searching for a missing social influencer.
• Billy the Kid (Sunday, 9/8c, MGM+): Billy (Tom Blyth) is trapped by Garrett (Alex Roe) and his posse in an intense standoff, forcing his allies to make a tough choice.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Hal & Harper (Sunday, streaming on Mubi): A sensitive eight-part drama from creator/star Cooper Raiff depicts the emotional fallout for very close siblings Hal (Raiff) and Harper (Lili Reinhart) when their dad (Task‘s Mark Ruffalo) tells them his girlfriend (Betty Gilpin) is pregnant and he’s thinking of selling their childhood home. Launches with two episodes.
• Tulsa King (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): Dwight’s (Sylvester Stallone) celebratory launch of his bourbon brand is interrupted by a call from Agent Musso (Kevin Pollak) and the unwelcome arrival of rival Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick).
• House of David (Sunday, streaming on Wonder Project): An attack by the Philistines puts David’s (Michael Iskander) commander skills to the test.