Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, October 27. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
The Living And The Dead (BBC America, 9 p.m.): Just in time for (an early) Halloween weekend, BBC America offers a binge-able premiere of this supernatural BBC period drama. The channel is airing all six episodes of the series from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., which means you might need a carefully balanced combination of coffee and Halloween candy to stay awake through the whole thing. Thankfully the full series will also be available to stream on the BBC America website the next day. Merlin’s Colin Morgan stars as a Victorian psychologist named Nathan Appleby who encounters mysterious occurrences on his family’s estate in Somerset. Along with his wife and a local reverend, Nathan grapples with possessed teenage girls, ghosts, witches, and other spooky spirits. BBC America bills it as a “frisky Halloween brew of gothic Victoriana, an isolated village, a sick young woman, and an earnest young protagonist.” Which, in our humble opinion, sounds like the best kind of frisky brew this side of The Flaming Moe.
Pure Genius (CBS, 10 p.m.): CBS’ Thursday night schedule comes roaring back to life tonight, and while we’ve got info on the returning comedies below, the night caps off with this brand new medical drama. Dermot Mulroney (not Dylan McDermott) stars as a maverick surgeon recruited by eccentric billionaire James Bell (Augustus Prew) to work at Bell’s super high-tech private hospital. Expect lots of flat screens, iPads, and impassioned speeches to prove just how special this place really is. Unfortunately, however, the only frisky brew the hospital serves is medicinal.
Better Things (FX, 10 p.m.): Besides The Living And The Dead, Better Things is one of the only other shows getting into the Halloween spirit tonight. Frankie decides to dress up as “a useless housewife from the ’50s,” while Sam appears to be rocking a Sonny Bono costume in the episode’s trailer. Just for the record, Molly Eichel would be the Cher to Pamela Adlon’s Sonny any day of the week. And she’d share a frisky brew with her too.
Premieres and finales
The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 8 p.m.): Circling back to the comedy portion of CBS’ Thursday night, The Big Bang Theory makes its annual move from Mondays to Thursdays tonight. Howard starts binge-buying for his baby, Sheldon and Amy host a brunch, and Penny gets invited to a sci-fi convention.
The Great Indoors (CBS, 8:30 p.m.): Next up, Joel McHale tries to establish a post-Community (and post-Soup) home for himself on The Great Indoors. He stars as an adventure reporter reassigned to work with the millennials in the magazine’s digital department. Despite its rather pat set-up (older people are like this, younger people are like this), Erik Adams’ pre-air review suggests that the show’s talented ensemble mostly manages to sell the concept. Though it has some weak spots and some tired millennial humor, Erik notes, “There’s the possibility of a good workplace sitcom within The Great Indoors, something akin to a NewsRadio for the age of BuzzFeed.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Logo, 8 p.m.): We were remiss in not singling out the All Stars season finale two weeks ago, but we’re not going to make that same mistake again. Tonight all 10 queens reunite to spill the tea on the second season of All Stars. Plus RuPaul shows off his Emmy and Alaska shows off her crown.
Mom (CBS, 9 p.m.): Also returning to CBS tonight: The underrated comedy Mom. Allison Janney’s Bonnie moves in with her boyfriend Adam (William Fichtner, now a series regular). Elsewhere, Anna Faris’ Christy sets out to meet men. The big news for Mom’s fourth season is that Faris’ real-life husband Chris Pratt is set to play her love interest in an upcoming episode. But since that’s not happening until early 2017, Christy’s got some time to kill and, presumably, some other men to meet.
Life In Pieces (CBS, 9:30 p.m.): And, finally, CBS rounds out its Thursday night comedy bloc with the second season premiere of Life In Pieces. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally guest star as siblings who are a little too close for comfort because, as always, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are the best.
Balls Deep/Dead Set On Life (Vice, 10/10:30 p.m.): And, finally, for those looking for some non-CBS premieres, Vice has two very Vice-y shows to offer. Thomas Morton embeds himself into stories in the second season premiere of Balls Deep. Then Matty Matheson travels around Canada to try the country’s best cuisine in the second season premiere of Dead Set On Life.
Regular Coverage
Legends Of Tomorrow (The CW, 8 p.m.)
The Good Place (NBC, 8:30 p.m.)
Pitch (Fox, 9 p.m.)
How To Get Away With Murder (ABC, 10 p.m.)
Falling Water (USA, 10 p.m.)
Streaming pick
Being Human (Netflix): For those who prefer their supernatural British series to be a bit more contemporary than The Living And The Dead, Being Human is just the thing. A ghost, a werewolf, and a vampire move into an apartment together in present-day Bristol. And while that sounds like the set up for a joke, it’s actually the set up for a beloved paranormal drama.