Tonight is Halloween so here are some French zombies
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Thursday, October 31. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
The Returned (Sundance, 9 p.m.): It’s Halloween! You’d think that would mean a reprieve in the world of television, but that is not the case. Halloween specials and scary shows abound. While trick-or-treaters knock down your door with silly costumes and a hankering for candy, Sundance will be premiering the first season of a French-language, subtly terrifying zombie show. Todd VanDerWerff watched the season and found it fantastic; now Erik Adams will be taking the show week-to-week.
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The Vampire Diaries (The CW, 8 p.m.): Vampires have to work overtime on Halloween. Elena and Damon attend the Whitmore Historical Ball dressed as Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, which naturally sets Catherine of Aragon’s hackles right up to the sky. Mary Boleyn is too busy making out with Silas in a corner to come to her dear sister’s aid. Oh, and Carrie Raisler is there, too, dressed as Thomas Cromwell. It’s a Tudor Halloween.
Reign (The CW, 9 p.m.): Meanwhile, in France, Mary, Queen of Scots is offered marriage by a Portuguese prince. Francis has to struggle with his feelings for Mary as she’s being pursued by the Portuguese heartthrob. Caroline Framke, meanwhile, has to struggle with her feelings about this show.
The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC, 9 p.m.): Mike and Annie go somewhere without Halloween, but with golf, which sounds like a terrible bargain. Robert David Sullivan is planning to carry a bag of golf clubs around tonight, but it’s not for a Halloween costume, it’s performance art. You wouldn’t understand.
White Collar (USA, 9 p.m.): Neal is spending his Halloween planning a complicated museum heist. “Mozzie, it’ll totally work! Everyone else will be wearing masks, so it won’t be weird if we wear masks, too!” Kenny Herzog is also going to be wearing a mask, but he’s not impressed by the logic.
Elementary (CBS, 10 p.m.): Buddy-detectives definitely do not celebrate Halloween. But they do celebrate home-invasions that occur to their police captain’s wives. If by “celebrate” you mean “investigate.” Myles McNutt will be “celebrating” with them.
Scandal (ABC, 10 p.m.): Lisa Kudrow continues to guest-star as Pope and Associates start investigating her for a potential presidential run. And Olivia goes to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner dressed in the most fantastic gown imaginable, with slightly Rihanna-ish hair. Sonia Saraiya is going to double as a fashion correspondent for the evening.
Parenthood (NBC, 10 p.m.): The Bravermans don’t celebrate Halloween, apparently, or maybe they just forgot what day it is. Either that, or the plot summary “Julia and Joel try to keep things together” has far more sinister implications that we could have hoped. Todd VanDerWerff is hoarding all of his peanut butter cups for the broadcast, just in case he needs to grief-eat.