The Doctor is back! Doctor who? Exactly! [Repeat]

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, September 18 & Saturday, September 19. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Doctor Who (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): The Doctor is back! Oh, wait, he’s missing. Sort of a problem when, in this series premiere, aliens show up on Earth and freeze the sky. Still, he’ll show up sooner or later, no doubt, especially since seemingly all his old enemies show up as well, along with Michelle Gomez’s Missy, Jenna Coleman’s soon-to-depart Clara, and a suspiciously wise-for-her-age young woman, played by Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, who’d like to know what took him so long. Alasdair Wilkins is as absolutely confident that the Doctor will show up and set things aright as he is that Peter Capaldi knows how to snap Scots-accented insults at a Dalek.

Also noted

Keith Richards: Under The Influence (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., Friday): Sure, everyone makes the same “how is Keith Richards still alive?” jokes, but that’s only because he’s still alive, seemingly disproving all of medical science, God, and causality. Tonight, the longtime Rolling Stone gets the documentary treatment, and Scott Von Doviak has the front row seat.

Black Jesus (Adult Swim, 11 p.m., Friday): From Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder, this amiably blasphemous Adult Swim comedy about Gerald “Slink” Johnson’s stoner Savior is back. Last time out, our own Eric Thurm called it “basically a low-key, ideologically family-friendly sitcom with a bit more plot and a lot more cursing and weed.” (Or, right up our street.)

Blunt Talk (Starz, 9 p.m., Saturday): Patrick Stewart’s irascible newsman Walter Blunt gets even grumpier when a poker game mishap forces Jacki Weaver’s assistant Rosalie to book a guest he really, really hates. Brandon Nowalk’s been enjoying this season a great deal, even comparing it to the late, lamented-by-smart-people Enlightened last week, which is high praise indeed.

Survivor’s Remorse (Starz, 9:30 p.m., Saturday): Last week, Joshua Alston examined the way that this show, about professional basketball player Cam Calloway (Jessie Usher), engages so effectively with everyone but its star. Well, after a very good episode that looked at exactly what makes Cam tick, the show returns to the side-characters, with Reggie thinking of repping an NFL prospect and M-Chuck getting involved with a young pregnant woman.

Elsewhere in TV Club

Lampshading isn’t just what happens at the A.V. Club holiday party—we’re looking at you, Laura M. Browning—so this week’s AVQ&A sees your favorite A.V. Clubbers naming their favorite pop cultural instances of pointing out a reference to a previous thing. Then Will Harris scores another great Random Roles, this time asking former Major Dad and Simon (or is it Simon?) Gerald McRaney about the deepest, darkest recesses of his IMDb page. (Please let him ask about this one, if only to see him explain what “violent vision” is.) And, over in Film, Ryan Vlastelica takes on a Page To Screen comparison of Nicholas Pileggi’s book Wiseguy and the film Goodfellas on the 25th anniversary of the classic Scorcese film’s release.

What else is on

American Masters: Pedro E. Guerrero—A Photographer’s Journey (PBS, 9 p.m., Friday): Documentary about famous photographer Guerrero, who was a favorite of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and quite an interesting fellow in his own right.