Baby Yoda is back, baby!
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
The Mandalorian (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m., season-two premiere): We want the adventures. We want the surprises. We want the dulcet tones of Pedro Pascal and the stone-cold gaze of Giancarlo Esposito. But in this year, in this month, in this week, we’re not even going to pretend that what we most want—nay, need—is anything other than Baby Yoda. (Okay, fine—he’s called The Child.)
The Mandalorian returns, and so does Katie Rife’s top-notch coverage. Get ready for season two with our catch-up guide, linked below.
Can you binge it? You can binge the first season right now on Disney+. As for the second season, this crop of episodes will be doled out weekly.
Regular coverage
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m.)
Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday, 11:29 p.m.): Host John Mulaney, musical guest The Strokes
For kids (or anyone, frankly)
Jazz At Lincoln Center, “A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration” (PBS, Friday, 9 p.m.): Here, have some serotonin!
Magic Of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, “Peri’s Prickly Pregnancy” (Disney+, Friday, 3:01 a.m.): This week’s episode centers on a pregnant porcupine who has a cold and what Dr. Dan and the team do to help with her sneezing, and if that’s not a premise for a best-selling children’s book, then what is?
From Film Club
His House (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m., premiere): “Most horror is grounded in something real. In His House, the feature debut of writer-director Remi Weekes, it’s the terror of war-weary Sudan and the tired, huddled masses fleeing a brutal life that nonetheless shaped who they’ve become. Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) travel by land and sea, eventually sailing under the cloak of night to seek asylum on the shores of the U.K. Their arrival is bittersweet, to say the least: An accident claims their daughter along the way, and they’re briefly interred at a cold, uncaring detention center, before being granted filthy housing in a nondescript English town. What follows is a potent, heart-wrenching spin on the classic haunted house story, buoyed by two stellar lead performances.” Read the rest of Anya Stanley’s film review.
Wild cards
Time for another wild card lightning round.
Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix, Friday, 3:01 a.m., complete fourth season): If you’re missing travel, perhaps following Phil Rosenthal as he eats his way around the world is a good way to scratch that itch.
Truth Seekers (Amazon, Friday, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): Nick Frost and Simon Pegg reunite for this supernatural comedy series.
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, “Remembering RBG: A Nation Ugly-Cries With Desi Lydic” (Comedy Central, Friday, 11 p.m.): “Lolsob,” in televisual form. No preview for this one.
Washington Week election special (PBS, Friday, 8 p.m.): Robert Costa is joined by Kristen Welker, Dan Balz, and Yamiche Alcindor to talk about, you know, the world in this one-hour special, which will focus in part on Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state.
The Shop (HBO, Friday, 9 p.m.): Former President Barack Obama chats with LeBron James; we think that perhaps they might possibly talk about voting. Just a guess.
Exhumed: A History Of Zombies (PBS, Friday, 10 p.m., premiere): Leave it to the goddamn national treasure that is the Public Broadcasting Service to find a way to turn the pop culture craze for zombies into an educational opportunity.
Justin Bieber: Next Chapter (YouTube, Friday, 12 p.m., premiere): This one’s for you, Beliebers.