Stephen Tobolowsky and Nicole Byer go on a double date with Archer
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Wednesday, October 14. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Archer (FXX, 10 p.m.): Sterling Archer may be back from the not-dead, but Archer is still recuperating. According to William Hughes, its vitals were pretty damn good, though, at least as of last week’s top-notch episode:
So: Is it a bad thing that this season’s best episode of Archer (so far) is such a deliberate throwback to the show’s “glory days”? (Seriously: This is basically just the first Conway Stern episode, except that this time, Archer likes the new guy, too.) Hard to say. On the one hand, Archer has demonstrated pretty regularly that there’s not a ton of juice left in these old setups, which tend to curdle quickly into cynicism and repetition the more times the show plays them out. On the other hand, “Best Friends” very specifically doesn’t fall into that joyless trap; instead, it feels like a fresh, even, yes, joyful episode of that older, long-vanished show, somehow dropped back into the episode order a very long 11 seasons in.
Tonight, the world’s greatest spy goes on a double date with Lana, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Nicole Byer. Look for William’s recap this evening.
Can you binge it? Yep. The 10 preceding seasons can be found on Hulu.
Regular coverage
The Masked Singer (Fox, 8 p.m.)
The Haunting Of Bly Manor (Netflix): Binge coverage continues
Wild cards
The Amazing Race (CBS, 9 p.m., 32nd-season premiere): CBS had to halt filming of TAR’s 33rd season back in February due to some fairly obvious concerns (is there a show less suited to These Troubled Times than the one where people race across the world and talk to strangers a whole bunch?), but the 32nd season was already in the can. It includes the show’s milestone millionth mile.
BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., premiere): “I wanted to understand the context of why they were so popular and why the fans loved them. But after getting an understanding of that, we kind of just focused on the story we were telling and we hope that it would bring something new to the super fans who already know everything about them and that they might have a chance to see the BLACKPINK members speak at length, which they don’t typically do by themselves.” Read the rest of Shannon Miller’s interview with director Caroline Suh.
The Con (ABC, 10:02 p.m., series premiere): If you, like Marie Kondo, love mess, then this Whoopi Goldberg-narrated series may be right up your alley. Each episode will focus on a different con, beginning with the TV producer whose lauded surgeon fiancé tells her he wants to plan their wedding and that Barack Obama is totally coming. There’s also going to be a Fyre Festival episode, an hour about the college admissions scandal, and other such messes.