Around the remote: Television picks for this week
9/30/2012DON’T MISS:
Homeland — Sunday is a huge premiere night that delivers an avalanche of returning shows, including Once Upon a Time (8 p.m., ABC), The Simpsons (8 p.m.), Revenge (9 p.m., ABC), Dexter (9 p.m., Showtime), and The Good Wife (9 p.m., CBS). But only this riveting political thriller arrives on an Emmy high. Having just earned prizes for best drama, as well as lead actress (Claire Danes) and actor (Damian Lewis), Homeland resumes six months after Season 1’s cliffhanger and quickly cranks up the tension. 10 p.m., Showtime.
OTHER BETS:
TODAY: Will Call the Midwife be another Brit hit a la Downton Abbey? Full of colorful characters, this new drama series is set in the squalor of London’s East End during the 1950s and follows the exploits of young, wide-eyed midwives as they work alongside nursing nuns. 8 p.m., PBS.
TODAY: There’s lots of spooky thrills to be found in 666 Park Avenue. It’s a drama about life (and death) at a New York apartment building owned by a devilish Terry O’Quinn and Vanessa Williams. 10 p.m., ABC.
MONDAY: We don’t know if the epic meltdown of Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will be featured in the iHeartRadio Music Festival special, but it couldn’t hurt the ratings. Usher, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Pink, Rihanna, and others managed to perform without smashing a guitar to bits. 8 p.m., The CW.
MONDAY: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide looks at females who are living under incredibly difficult circumstances—and fighting bravely to change them. 9 p.m., PBS.
TUESDAY: The award-winning 30 for 30 sports documentary series returns with a new film called Broke. It’s a fascinating examination of pro athletes who have squandered their fortunes due to bad investments, frivolous spending, and other factors. 5 p.m., ESPN.
WEDNESDAY: They’ve spent months launching verbal barbs at each other from afar. Now Barack Obama and Mitt Romney finally come face-to-face for their first presidential debate. Jim Lehrer moderates the event. 9 p.m., various broadcast and cable news networks.
THURSDAY: Three-time Emmy champ 30 Rock launches its seventh and final season tonight. The opener has Liz (Tina Fey) returning from hiatus, only to be shocked by Jack’s (Alec Baldwin) awful fall programming lineup. 8 p.m., NBC.
FRIDAY: A Night at the Movies gets political with an installment called Hollywood Goes to Washington. It examines the portrayal of American presidents in the cinema and how movies view government. 8:15 p.m., TCM.
SATURDAY: Winged Planet is a documentary that provides viewers with an incredible bird’s eye view by using special cameras mounted on eagles, pelicans and other feathered creatures. 8 p.m., Discovery.