Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, September 12, and Saturday, September 13. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Z Nation (SyFy, 10 p.m., Friday): Despite the fact that the first episode is called “Puppies And Kittens,” this new SyFy series is actually about zombies (the titular Z stands for “zombies” not “zohmygod baby animals!”). In her pre-air review LaToya Ferguson found this Walking Dead-esque series surprisingly adept at creating suspense despite the limitations of its SyFy budget. Though the show comes from The Asylum—the same studio that brought the world hate-watch fare like Sharknado—Z Nation benefits from a strong pool of actors, including Lost’s Harold Perrineau, Tom Everett Scott, and character actor DJ Qualls. For those who prefer B-horror thrills to prestige character dramas, Z Nation is worth checking out.
Also noted
Bill Maher: Live From D.C. (HBO, 10 p.m., Friday): Over the course of an evening that really should have been called Mr. Maher Goes To Washington, the political comedian first premieres the 12th season of his live show Real Time With Bill Maher then rushes to another D.C. venue for this live standup special. Hardcore Maher fans, consider this your Super Bowl.
Deliverance Creek (Lifetime, 8 p.m., Saturday): Genevieve Valentine already took a gander at this new Lifetime original movie about a widow in the Wild West. She found it heavy on the tropes but enjoyable nevertheless. Thank ya kindly Ms. V, that was mighty thoughtful of ya.
Doctor Who (BBC America, 9 p.m., Saturday): Showrunner Steven Moffat pens an episode that promises to be one of the spookiest entries in the Who franchise. Alasdair Wilkins is already practicing the quickest path to hide behind his sofa.
Intruders (BBC America, 10 p.m., Saturday): While we were initially intrigued by the mystery of Intruders, its slow-burn is just a little too slow for regular coverage. We’ll be dropping weekly reviews of the show starting this week, but be sure to revisit Genevieve Valentine’s reviews of the first three episodes!
Regular coverage
The Knick (Cinemax, 10 p.m., Friday)
Outlander (Starz, 9 p.m., Saturday)
TV Club Classic
Babylon 5 (10 a.m., Friday): After years of dedicated service in the name of The A.V. Club, Rowan Kaiser files his last review as a full-time freelancer before heading off to Winter Is Coming (where we recommend he avoid any and all weddings). Wish him bon voyage by checking out his review of the excellent Babylon 5 series finale, “Sleeping In The Light.” (And wish Zack Handlen well while he gets some grease paint in his veins and takes a Twilight Zone hiatus that means you’ll have to wait a few more weeks to read his thoughts on the show’s second “evil ventriloquist dummy” episode.)