Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Sunday, October 12. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
The Affair (Showtime, 10 p.m.): From In Treatment alumni Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi comes a story of infidelity told from the differing perspectives of the people involved. Dominic West and Ruth Wilson cheat on their native accents to respectively play the New York City teacher and Montauk waitress sneaking around behind the backs of Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson. Carrie Raisler can’t believe anyone could do something so heartless to poor Joshua Jackson—though she’s still smarting over sleights that Pacey Witter endured more than a decade (and a whole WB) ago.
Also noted
America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC, 7 p.m.): The Simpsons isn’t the only long-running show celebrating its 25th anniversary this fall: AFV hits the quarter-century mark with this season premiere. Oh, the red, white, and blue, the funny things you do—and do and do and do and do and do and do, though you’d think you’d have learned by now to do those things further away from a camera.
The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.): “Rick and the group find themselves in a vulnerable situation in the season five opener” goes the synopsis—which also doubles as a readymade description for any past or future installments of The Walking Dead.
The Good Wife (CBS, 9 p.m.): Do No Harm star Steven Pasquale arrives to play Alicia’s campaign manager, but the question lingers: Which Steven Pasquale will it be?
Regular coverage
The Simpsons (Fox, 8 p.m.)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 8:30 p.m.)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO, 9 p.m.)
Homeland (Showtime, 9 p.m.)
TV Club Classic
The Simpsons (Classic): Hank Scorpio welcomes TV Club Classic into his lair, like a nobleman welcomes his guest. With a free dental care and a stock plan that helps Erik Adams invest? Just beware of his generous pension, plus three week’s paid vacation each year—and on Fridays the lunchroom serves hot dogs and burgers and beer! (Erik Adams loves German beer!)
What else is on
Long Island Medium (TLC, 9 p.m.)/Talking Dead (AMC, 10:01 p.m.): Though you can’t really tell from the titles, only one of these shows is about communicating with the departed. (Though it’s not Theresa Caputo’s fault that she can’t reach out to Walking Dead cast members whose characters have been killed.)
Hulk And The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H. (Disney XD, 8 a.m.): It’s called “Planet Hulk,” but this second-season premiere is no animated adaptation of the “What if Hulk was Spartacus?” comic-book arc of the same name. That came out four years ago, and probably isn’t suited for a morning timeslot on a Disney offshoot.
Euros Of Hollywood (Bravo, 9:30 p.m.): Six people who aren’t in California to make friends chase their Hollywood dreams; the title presumably alludes to their horrified reaction upon learning that the Dream Factory doesn’t accept euros.
Shadow Of A Doubt (TMC, 8 p.m.): Alfred Hitchcock’s 1943 film noir explores the extreme lengths some people will go to just so they don’t have to acknowledge that they’re named after a murderous psychopath.
Along Came A Nanny (Hallmark Movie Channel, 9 p.m.): And on the lighter side of noir: Long-time All My Children player and Hallmark Movie regular Cameron Mathison goes undercover as a nanny in order to investigate crimes in a seemingly sleepy neighborhood.
MLB Special: NLCS Game 2: San Francisco at St. Louis (Fox Sports 1, 7:07 p.m.): Rather than risk the disruption of its primetime lineup, Fox has handed down its non-World Series MLB playoff broadcasts to embattled little sibling Fox Sports 1. And then two of the most popular (and most passionately detested) teams in baseball wound up in the NLCS. As they say on Fox when they’re not telecasting baseball playoffs: D’oh.
Tomorrow in TV Club
Not that What’s On Tonight has any objection to pausing the main action to do a little promotion, but we’d like to take a minute to tell you about the new and exciting For Our Consideration essays on tap for tomorrow: One from Noel Murray on the most recent advances in product placement, and another from Marah Eakin about the suddenly timely issues of diversity and Nickelodeon programming. We’ll also have a pre-air review of The CW’s Jane The Virgin and a Random Roles with Wonder Years dad Dan Lauria, who probably wouldn’t mind a plug for the new complete series DVD collection of The Wonder Years. (That was subtle, right?)
In case you missed it
Doctor Who: And with the arrival of “Mummy On The Orient Express,” the United States finally gives in to Foxes-mania. As Alasdair Wilkins learned while watching the episode, one cannot deny the musical/acting force that is Foxes—one must give in fully to Foxes and never look back. Foxes is the piece of you you wish you didn’t need. Foxes is all, and all is Foxes. Foxes.