Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, October 13. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Legends Of Tomorrow (The CW, 8 p.m.): Ahh, feel that? That’s the Arrowverse settling into place as the fourth and final Greg Berlanti superhero show makes its fall debut on The CW. With their premieres already out of the way, Arrow, The Flash, and The CW’s newly acquired Supergirl (which isn’t technically part of the Arrowverse, but whatever) are joined by Legends Of Tomorrow. The show’s second season kicks off when “unconventional historian” Dr. Nate Heywood (new cast member Nick Zano) makes a “shocking discovery” that requires the scattered Legends to reunite. Oh and, hey, Albert Einstein is here! And so is Arrow baddie Damien Darhk. Will those cameos help Legends Of Tomorrow improve upon its so-so first season? Oliver Sava is ready, willing, and able to find out.
Supernatural (The CW, 9 p.m.): Then The CW moves from a relatively new show to its biggest stalwart as Supernatural returns for a 12th season tonight. For those who don’t remember their ancient TV history, the show actually debuted in the final year of The WB’s existence and was one of the flagship series in The CW’s initial lineup. And while its former companions like Smallville and Veronica Mars have come and gone in the past 10 years, Supernatural is somehow immune to the ravages of time. Apparently there’s something about demon hunting and thinly veiled gay subtext that keeps a series young at heart. Tonight Sam fights for his life while Dean comes face-to-face with their mother.
Falling Water (USA, 10 p.m.): Heads up, conspiracy theorists: A few years ago TNT aired a postapocalyptic sci-fi series called Falling Skies and now USA is debuting its own supernatural series called Falling Water. We’ll chalk it up to coincidence for now, but if TBS launches Falling Fire it could very well be a sign of our impending doom and/or a fundamental laziness when it comes to thinking up TV show names. The trailers promise a show that’s equal parts spooky and thinky, which, coincidentally, is also how we’d describe Myles McNutt. He wasn’t totally blown away by the show’s pilot, which debuted as a sneak preview in September. But maybe Falling Water just needs some time to build before it starts making waves.
Premieres and finales
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8 p.m.): Grey’s Anatomy is joining our roster of shows receiving our new discussion post format. Gwen Ihnat will post some stray observations after this episode airs, and then you can comment away on Karev’s possible redemption, Grey and Riggs’ possible romance, and Maggie’s definite awfulness on Grey’s this season.
Mascots (Netflix, 3 a.m.): Okay, so technically this is a movie and not a TV show. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t point you toward Christopher Guest’s latest mockumentary, which centers on a sports mascot competition, even though Ignatiy Vishnevetsky found it a disappointing effort.
Chopped (Food Network, 9 p.m.): Though it’s only been on TV since 2009, Chopped somehow returns for a 31st season tonight. We’re not really sure how that’s possible, but we’re going to assume a TARDIS was involved.
Money Power Respect (WE, 10 p.m.): Though maybe not quite as evocative as the “Money Dick Power” mantra of UnREAL, WE’s latest reality series nevertheless has a declarative statement to make. It centers on six high-powered female attorneys who work in the “glamorous yet cutthroat” world of the hip-hop music industry. Watching female lawyers engage in reality show cattiness? What could be more empowering than that!
Acting Out (MTV, 10:30 p.m.): Remember the stand-up sitcom boom of the ’90s? Well, MTV wants to cut out the middleman. Instead of actually translating stand-up acts into sitcom storylines, Acting Out just intercuts stand-up performances with reenactments. So instead of picturing what it might look like when a comedian says his son walks around with a heavy diaper, you can now see that in action. In other words: It’s the perfect series for those without imaginations.
Regular coverage
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Logo, 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.)
Better Things (FX, 10 p.m.)
Streaming pick
Gilmore Girls, “Rory’s Dance” (Netflix): Not only is Supernatural the jewel in The CW’s crown, Jared Padalecki is basically the network’s crown prince. He began his connection to The WB way back in 2000 during the first season of Gilmore Girls, when he was only 18 years old. And he stuck with the WB/CW juggernaut since then in a partnership that has so far spanned 16 years. Talk about loyalty. So flash back to Padalecki’s early days with this all-time great Gilmore Girls episode, when Dean and Rory accidentally stay out all night. Of course, while Padalecki’s Dean is as boyishly charming as ever, the true star of the episode is the complicated dynamic of the Rory/Lorelai/Emily relationship. But, hey, isn’t the idea of a bland male character serving as the love interest to a much more complex female character kind of a nice change of pace for once?