A town hall and a West Wing reunion—what’s next?
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, October 15. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
A West Wing Special To Benefit When We All Vote (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., premiere): The final episode of The West Wing, “Tomorrow,” aired in 2006. Yet what you’ll see in this reunion is neither a casual, nostalgia-fueled conversation betwixt onetime coworkers, nor a revival of a story that definitely already ended once and should probably not attempt such a feat. (Looking at you, Dexter.) Instead, this marvelous cast, joined by Sterling K. Brown in the role played by the great John Spencer, return to an old chestnut: season three’s “Hartsfield’s Landing,” an excellent episode perhaps best remembered as the one where Bartlet plays a fuck-ton of chess. And it looks gorgeous. Truly.
Keep an eye out for Patrick Gomez’s thoughts.
Can you binge it? All seven seasons are alive and well on Netflix.
The Vice President And The People—A Special Edition Of 20/20 (ABC, 8 p.m.): The President Of The United States caught the coronavirus. He refused to do a virtual debate. Joe Biden then scheduled a town hall for the evening on which the debate was to have taken place. That’s what this is. There’s some counterprogramming but this one will be a lot less terrifying and full of shit, we’re guessing.
Should you choose to watch either the Biden town hall or the other thing, here you go:
Can you binge it? This is how we live now.
Regular coverage
Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access, 3:01 a.m.): Third-season premiere
The Haunting Of Bly Manor (Netflix): Binge coverage continues
For kids
The Power Of We: A Sesame Street Special (HBO Max and PBS Kids, 3:01 a.m., premiere): Sesame Street continues to do more to offer counsel to families in These Troubled Times than many elected officials. This episode centers on racial justice and communication. At this link, you’ll find the show’s corresponding resources to “help guide conversations with your child about racism and coming together through one small word—we—in support of racial justice for all.”
No trailer, but here’s Janelle Monae and Bert on the power of “yet”!
A Babysitter’s Guide To Monster Hunting (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., premiere): Babysitters vs. monsters. Enjoy!
Wild cards
Time for another wild card lightning round.
Baroness Von Sketch Show (IFC, 12 a.m., fifth-season premiere): This winning Canadian sketch show returns for one last season of absurdity.
Social Distance (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): Look, another quarantine series. This one’s an anthology, and it’s got a solid cast, so there’s that!
Des (Sundance Now, 3:01 a.m., U.S. miniseries premiere): Look for Allison Shoemaker’s quick review on this true crime drama starring David Tennant next week.