Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, November 2, and Saturday, November 3. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m., Saturday): After Hurricane Sandy, the people of New York need laughter, and it will be given unto them by Louis C.K. hosting Saturday Night Live, with special musical guest Fun. (Technically, we should have put a second period in that sentence, but nobody likes ostentatious punctuation. Learn that when naming your indie rock band.) David Sims, who’s been through the hurricane himself, hopes that C.K. is up to bringing some solid laughs to a show that’s been hit-and-miss this season. Oh, who are we kidding? Saturday Night Live is always hit and miss.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Fringe (Fox, 9 p.m., Friday): This episode is called “An Origin Story,” so we’re all set for some serious flashbacks to the story of how the Observers came to take over the Earth. Noel Murray hopes they did so by opening a really great chain of noodle restaurants that eventually lulled humans into complacency.
Grimm (NBC, 9 p.m., Friday): “A gruesome murder may be linked to another Grimm,” says the episode description, and we want you to imagine traveling back to the year 1998 via a time machine to read it out loud to your younger self. Kevin McFarland did that, and Lil’ Kevin was watching Suddenly Susan.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The X-Files/Millennium (1 p.m., Saturday): “Field Trip” is the next-to-last episode of The X-Files’ sixth season, but it can make a good argument for being the best episode of that season. Check out what happens when Mulder, Scully, and Todd VanDerWerff can’t figure out what’s real and what’s a dream.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Last Man Standing/Malibu Country (ABC, 8 p.m., Friday): The 2012 fall season ends its debut portion tonight, as ABC shows the premiéres of these two sitcoms. First, Tim Allen returns to solve the election for us. Then, Phil Dyess-Nugent and Carrie Raisler offer a review of Reba McEntire’s new “sitcom.”
Undercover Boss (CBS, 8 p.m., Friday): Since CBS had to cancel Made In Jersey, it’s pressed this reality show about CEOs finding out what it’s really like to work for their own companies into service a little early. If you’re in need of a little fake “inspiration,” this might be the thing for you to watch tonight.
Election 2012: What’s At Stake (PBS, 9 p.m., Friday): PBS tries to convince you that something is at stake this election, but everybody knows that it doesn’t matter who wins, because the world will end before they can take office. Release the transcripts of the aliens’ plans, Obama! Do it right now!
Pregnant For 46 Years (Discovery Fitness and Health, 10 p.m., Friday): Or if you don’t want to think about how the aliens are coming to take over the planet, and Obama and Romney have pretty much handed them the keys, you can think about having a calcified baby in your womb. It’s not very fun.
100 Greatest Songs Of The ‘90s (VH1, 8 p.m., Saturday): If this list doesn’t feature at least three of Deadeye Dick’s “New Age Girl,” Ugly Kid Joe’s “Everything About You,” Dishwalla’s “Counting Blue Cars,” and Better Than Ezra’s “Good,” then the list is invalid. She don’t eat meat, but she sure like the bone.
How To Rock (Nickelodeon, 9 p.m., Saturday): If you’ve ever been wondering the best way to rock, Nickelodeon has advice for you on that topic. In this weekly series, you’ll learn what it means to rock before you truly learn how to do it. Remember: Understanding is the first key to changing your life.
The Darjeeling Limited (Sundance, 8 p.m., Friday): Wes Anderson’s last live-action film before this year’s Moonrise Kingdom was seen as the director getting stuck in a rut, but we say it’s better than its reputation. Also, Natalie Portman is in it for literally, like, five seconds. See if you can spot her!
Goon (Showtime, 8 p.m., Friday): Our Canadian friend who really likes hockey saw this movie and gave it his seal of approval. We have yet to see it, but we’re strongly invested in films in which Seann William Scott gets to give into his propensity for wanton violence, so a hockey movie starring him could work.
Wuthering Heights (TCM, 8 p.m., Saturday): Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon are terrific in one of the best literary adaptations ever made. If you’re getting ready to go see Andrea Arnold’s recent, excellent adaptation, you could do worse than watching this one as another take on the same story.
NBA Basketball: Heat at Knicks (ESPN, 8 p.m., Friday): ESPN gets its NBA season started with a game that’s a rematch of one of last season’s playoff series. LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony square off, and if you need more basketball, the Lakers play the Clippers right afterward. (Go, Clippers!)
College Football: Oklahoma State at Kansas State (ABC, 8:07 p.m., Saturday): The Cowboys won last year’s matchup 52-45 by making a last minute stand and keeping the Wildcats from scoring a touchdown in the last minute. Here’s hoping this year’s game is just as exciting of a shootout.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Big Bang Theory (Thursday): Robert David Sullivan steps in for the absent Oliver Sava and offers up his thoughts on why this show offers an excellent “multi-camera sitcom primer.” If you disagree, you can try to argue, but the man wrote a list of the 100 greatest sitcom episodes of all time, so good luck.