Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Wednesday, October 15. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Toy Story OF TERROR!/It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (ABC, 8 p.m./8:30 p.m.): While there is no new episode of either The Middle or The Goldbergs tonight, that doesn’t mean ABC is a ghost town. Haha, “ghost” town. Some times you just need to embrace your inner child, and there are is no better way to do that than with the Toy Story gang and the Peanuts crew. Never you mind that Linus’ parents should have stopped him from waiting in a pumpkin patch all night long. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is simply a Halloween-time tradition. As for Toy Story OF TERROR!, it hasn’t reached Great Pumpkin levels of tradition (yet), but at least it won’t make you cry like Toy Story 3. Not intentionally, that is.
Also noted
Survivor (CBS, 8 p.m.): “We’re A Hot Mess.” Oh, Survivor. No one can blame Carrie Raisler if she goes for the obvious joke in her review—Survivor makes it way too easy.
Arrow (The CW, 8 p.m.): In case you thought you were in the process of moving on from the ending to last week’s Arrow season premiere, tonight’s episode is titled “Sara.” Alasdair Wilkins will be here with a box of tissues and group-counseling sessions to help you through your apparently unending grief. You’re welcome.
American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX, 10 p.m.): Erik Adams continues to cover American Horror Story, a show that has come to us in a time when creepy clowns finally litter the streets and reveal their true fiendish natures.
South Park (Comedy Central, 10 p.m.): This week, David Kallison takes on South Park duty, as Timmy learns the world’s most valuable lesson of them all in “Handicar”: mo’ money, mo’ problems.
A special section for the ridiculously offensive
Girlfriend Intervention (Lifetime, 10 p.m.): It’s the season finale of Girlfriend Intervention, a show known in certain circles as the place where that woman from Bad Girls Club who wouldn’t let anyone sleep embodies every single black female stereotype possible while other professional black females just try to do their jobs. One can only assume the episode, titled “Valerie, Thinner Isn’t Happier,” will be a forty-plus minute catastrophe that plays a “sassy” (read: “black”) cover of “All About That Bass” non-stop, while everyone wonders how in the world this show can exist in the year 2014.
Regular coverage
Modern Family (ABC, 9 p.m.)
Black-ish (ABC, 9:30 p.m)
The League (FXX, 10 p.m.)
Key & Peele (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m.)
TV Club Classic
Lost (Classic) (1 p.m.): Nope. I’m not going to yell Walt’s name this time. You can’t trick me, Myles McNutt. This week, Myles goes through “The Other 48 Days” and “Collision,” two episodes all about those silly Oceanic Flight 815 tail-section characters. I’m not saying they got what they deserved by sitting in the back of the plane, but… On second thought, that is what I’m saying.
Elsewhere in TV Club
First up, there’s a pre-air review of Dave Grohl’s new documentary mini-series, Sonic Highways. Reviewer Noel Murray calls it a “personal journey,” both for Dave Grohl as the frontman of the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl as a straight-up music fan. Rock and roll.
Then there’s a For Our Consideration on Lena Dunham, the woman who just might have it all. You know “it.” The two-car garage, the wife and kids, the dog named Sinbad. Actually, now that I think about it, that might not be what Sonia Saraiya means when she says that Lena Dunham has it all.
What else is on?
The Mysteries Of Laura (NBC, 8 p.m.): “An unidentified body is found in the bathroom of a home that is not his own.” Much like that guy, middle-aged women can’t break and enter! Or can they? Tune in and find out.
Nashville (ABC, 10 p.m.): Hey, can we talk about this season of Nashville? This is a safe space, right? Does anyone else hope the show turns into Smash and focuses solely on Juliette Barnes’ journey to become Patsy Cline on the big screen? Is that the first time anyone else has wanted a show to turn into Smash? If Nashville becomes Smash, will that make Maddie the Ellis? Will Rayna have to wear scarves? Wow, who knew Nashville could bring so many questions to the table?
Stalker (CBS, 10 p.m.): There’s a manhunt on this week’s Stalker, and unfortunately, it’s probably not for Dylan McDermott’s character, who is the biggest stalker of them all. Maybe we’ve been going about this all wrong and Stalker is really a deeply ironic program hoping to pull back the veil and reveal network television for what it really is. That’s possible, right?
Mindhunters (FLIXw, 7:10 p.m.): In this week’s round of “Oh TV Guide Synopsis Writer, You So Crazy,” TV Guide’s synopsis writer has no problem knocking Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, and LL Cool J down a peg or two. “Far-fetched thriller about a killer stalking a group of FBI profilers who’ve gathered for a weekend of training.” Having seen this movie in the theater, I can confirm that TV Guide’s synopsis writer is not only right about this being a “far-fetched thriller”—TV Guide’s synopsis writer is being generous. That doesn’t make the movie any less fun to watch, though.
Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge (Disney, 8 p.m.): If you’re a “‘90s kid” with “nostalgia,” then Halloweentown 2 might be right up you’re alley. So go on and watch it. Feel free to leave your disappointing realization that the Halloweentown series isn’t all that great in the comments. Again, this is a safe space.
Bounce (The Movie Channel, 8 p.m.): Before his penis was the talk of the town, and before she was the all-powerful GOOP, Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow were Byneth. Gwynen. They were one of those portmanteaus. As such, they starred in Bounce, a film about a man who falls in love with the widow of a man who died in a plane crash (because of the first man). Some may call Bounce the inferior Ben Affleck romance film tangentially about planes. But the superior film would be Forces Of Nature, with Sandra Bullock, and that’s not actually saying much.
Waiting For Guffman (IndiePlex, 9 p.m.): It’s important that you all know there are in fact good movies on the many movie channels that exist in this 21st century world. There are actually quite a few good movies on, and to list all of them here would be a fool’s errand. So instead, this fool chooses to point out the pretty bad. But sometimes you just need a break from that strange punishment, and Waiting For Guffman might just be that break.
MLB Playoff: Orioles At Royals (TBS, 4 p.m.): It’s Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, with Baltimore at Kansas City. The Royals currently lead the series, because as everyone who plays the “Choose Sports Winners Based On The Mascots” game, royalty can easily vanquish a bird. Let’s see if that holds true here.
In case you missed it
Marry Me: The Casey Wilson/Ken Marino love story we’ve all been waiting for since the days (well, day) of Penny Hartz/Rick Rickman on Happy Endings finally made its debut last night. According to Molly Eichel’s optimistic review, Marry Me “starts at that midway point between happily ever after and death actually doing the couple part.” If that sounds like your cup of romantic tea, you should take a look at the show and the review.