Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, October 30. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Elementary (CBS, 10 p.m.): Let’s take a moment to recognize Elementary, which tonight enters the coveted 100 Episodes club as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson tackle their centennial case. Unlike that other contemporary Arthur Conan Doyle adaptation Sherlock, which only films around three episodes a year and has to work around its stars playing magicians and hobbits, Elementary is a true workhorse of a series that cranks out new mysteries week after week and finds plenty of interesting modern twists on the canon. (And let’s be honest, it’s also a much better show than its preeningly smug BBC One counterpart. Yeah, we said it. Come at us, bro.) Tonight, “Holmes and Watson are drawn into the world of asteroid research.” Might there be a special Neil DeGrasse Tyson appearance, coming down to assist our heroes on the Ship of the Imagination? If so, Genevieve Valentine would be thrilled.
The Strain (FX, 10 p.m.): FX is healing from its virulent case of The Strain in the near future with the news that the next season will be the last one. Kyle Fowle has dropped in a few times this year in discussion posts, and the vast majority of his thoughts have dripped with the same frustration that drove him batty in the days of regular coverage. He’s got a lot of questions of the finale left over from his last check-in: “Will the city truly fall? [The episode is called “The Fall,” if you’re looking for clues] What will happen to Gus? Will Dutch play coy with her romantic intentions until she states that she loves both Eph and Fet?“ For your sake Kyle, we hope you get some answers.
Dream Corp LLC (Adult Swim, 11:45 p.m.): Last week when including Adult Swim’s latest series in our list of premieres, we neglected to plug Danette Chavez’s pre-air review. It’s a good review, so we’re remedying our error and doing that here. Plus, we’ve also watched the pilot since then, and we’re on board for its particular flavor of surreality—a flavor that with a second episode title like “The Smoking Nun” is guaranteed to be even more delicious.
Premieres and finales
MLB Special: World Series Game 5 (Fox, 8 p.m.): Baseball is on tonight. Your What’s On Tonight correspondent doesn’t watch baseball and doesn’t care one way or the other which team is going to win its long-overdue World Series titles. So those of you who do, have fun with that. (And also be sure to read Gwen Ihnat’s piece about how a Cubs win serves as the default pipe dream of popular culture.)
Barnwood Builders (DIY, 9 p.m.): The fourth season premiere is titled “The Cabin In The Quarry.” No word if this is the long-awaited mashup between Joss Whedon’s The Cabin In The Woods and Cinemax’s Quarry.
Halloween Wars (Food Network, 9 p.m.): At long last, season six draws to an end and it’s time to award the $50,000 grand prize a the dowry for the “Demonic Wedding.” We feel sorry for all the groomsmen at said wedding, given that the rental costs for horns and scales far exceeds your basic tuxedo.
Island Life (HGTV, 9 p.m.): Tonight we sail to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. According to their official website it’s “one of the few uncommercialized, family-oriented beaches left.” Well, it was until you featured it on your program, Island Life. It was fun while it lasted.
Supercar Superbuild (Smithsonian, 9 p.m.): The focus of the season two premiere falls upon the Pagani. It’s an interesting car, but we have our doubts it would ever make an appearance in a Fast And Furious movie, which of course makes it significantly less cooler a vehicle.
Regular coverage
Ash Vs. Evil Dead (Starz, 8 p.m.)
The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.)
Westworld (HBO, 9 p.m.)
Shameless (Showtime, 9 p.m.)
Divorce (HBO, 10 p.m.)
Insecure (HBO, 10:30 p.m.)
How many days until Halloween?
One more day to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! One more day to Halloween, Silver Shamrock!
Streaming pick
Community, “Introduction To Statistics” (Hulu Plus): There are countless Halloween episodes we could have selected for tonight’s pick, but we just finished a Community binge so this is fresh in our minds. And while there’s plenty of competition between zombie attacks and scary story anthologies, we admit to a soft spot for their first outing and the signs it provided that this show would become something truly special. It inspired us to leave the party. If we stay, there can be no party. We must be out there in the night, staying vigilant. Wherever a party needs to be saved, we’re there. Wherever there are masks, wherever there’s tomfoolery and joy, we’re there. But sometimes we’re not because we’re out in the night, staying vigilant. Watching. Lurking. Running. Jumping. Hurtling. Sleeping. No, we can’t sleep. You sleep. We’re awake. We don’t sleep. We don’t blink. Are we a bird? No. We’re a bat. We are Batman. Or are we? Yes, we are Batman. Happy Halloween.