Checking into a New ‘White Lotus,’ ‘Simpsons’ Halloween Trilogy, Celebrating Loretta Lynn, Halloween Classics on TCM

Season Premiere

9/8c

SUNDAY: Sicily has never looked more beautiful than in Mike White’s encore to his Emmy-winning satirical drama about the pitfalls of privilege in paradise. Among those checking into the Taormina resort: Jennifer Coolidge, reprising her Emmy-winning role as neurotic heiress Tanya, now married—though uneasily—to Greg (Jon Gries), this time joined by F. Murray Abraham and Michael Imperioli as two generations of philanderers, and two wealthy young couples (including Aubrey Plaza and Theo James) whose marriages aren’t as blissful as they might appear. Haunting the premises are a fetching duo of local young women seeking opportunity among this dysfunctional group of travelers. And just like in the Hawaii edition, we know from the start that not everyone will survive this week of luxurious escape. (See the full review.)

8/7c

SUNDAY: What would Halloween be without a “Treehouse of Horror” trilogy of supernatural spoofery? (Given that this is the 33rd edition, one can assume that several generations have no memory of the “before” time.) This year’s fun begins with a Babadook parody, when Marge becomes possessed by an evil spirit and becomes a danger to baby Maggie. Marge’s response to the demon: “I know you feed on my resentment towards my family, but I can swallow feelings like a python eating a baby goat!” Lisa dominates the second segment, an anime-style twist on Death Note, and the finale is an inspired Simpsons variation on Westworld, where Lisa deduces, “We’re replicants in a ridiculous theme park for an ancient TV show that stopped being good after Season 45.”

Special

7/6c

SUNDAY: From Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House comes a live, 90-minute commercial-free tribute to one of country music’s greatest stars, who passed away earlier this month at 90. Jenna Bush Hager hosts the public memorial, with performances and appearances by an A-list gathering of her peers, including Loretta Lynn’s sister Crystal Gayle and siblings Patsy Lynn and Tayla Lynn, plus Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Sissy Spacek (who won an Oscar playing Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter), Barbara Mandrell, Tanya Tucker, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Wynonna Judd, Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Keith Urban, Brandi Carlile, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town and more.

SATURDAY: The movie channel’s “Happy Halloween-a-Thon” doesn’t officially begin until Sunday, but Saturday curtain-raisers include the 1970 movie spinoff of ABC’s legendary Gothic soap opera. SUNDAY: Highlights include the atmospheric Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur collaborations Cat People (noon/11c) and I Walked with a Zombie (1:30 pm/12:30c) and Michael Powell’s 1960 macabre masterpiece Peeping Tom (8/7c). More classic horror films follow on Monday. (See the full list at tcm.com.)

9/8c

SUNDAY: The Commonwealth is just the latest—and given that this is the final season, apparently the last—settlement to underestimate our heroes, now pegged as “exiles,” most of whom have been taken prisoner, separated from their partners and assigned to a prison labor camp. Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) are leading a guerilla rebellion to a place known only as “Outpost 2,” and wait till they discover what’s lurking behind those walls.

9/8c

SUNDAY: Eternal adolescent Claudia’s (Bailey Bass) killing spree brings trouble upon the house of Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat (Sam Reid). “You wanted her, you fix her,” barks the petulant Lestat. Easier said than done. On Showtime’s Let the Right One In (Sunday, 10/9c, AMC), 12-year-old vampire Eleanor (Madison Taylor Baez) deals with the consequences of letting her neighbor friend Isaiah (Ian Foreman) in on her immortal secret.

The Yule Log:

• The Christmas movie deluge continues. On Hallmark Channel: Jolly Good Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c) stars Will Kemp, who just signed a multi-picture deal with Hallmark, as an American architect in London (filmed on location) who hires a professional shopper (Reshma Shetty) to find the perfect gift for his girlfriend. Sunday’s offering is Ghosts of Christmas Always (8/7c), starring Kim Matula as a Ghost of Christmas Present helping a lost soul (Ian Harding) recapture the holiday spirit. On Hallmark Mysteries & Movies, Christmas Bedtime Stories (Saturday, 10/9c) stars Hallmark regular Erin Cahill as a military wife who spins bedtime stories about her MIA mate to their daughter at bedtime.
• Rival feel-good channel Great American Family chimes in with Catering Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c), starring Merritt Patterson as Molly, a caterer who lands a prime gig for a wealthy family’s Christmas Gala, this year’s event managed by a reluctant heir (When Calls the Heart alum Daniel Lissing) who leans on Molly to discover the impact of his family’s philanthropy.

Inside Weekend TV:

• An Amish Sin (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Kellie Martin plays against type as the cold, angry Amish mother of teen daughter Rachel (Dylan Ratzlaff), who runs away from home rather than be forced to marry the man who sexually abused her as a child. When she’s sent to an Amish “rehab” facility, Rachel escapes again, finding shelter with Grace (Rukiya Bernard), a sympathetic photographer.
• NFL Icons (Saturday, 10/9c, Epix): The season finale profiles Tony Dungy, who became the first Black coach to win a Super Bowl when he led the Indianapolis Colts to victory against the Bears in 2007.
• Saturday Night Live (11:30/10:30c, 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): Rapper Jack Harlow does double duty as guest host and musical guest.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Scott Pelley reports on election deniers running for office in Arizona, Bill Whitaker travels to a Ugandan forest with virus hunters and Jon Wertheim profiles humorist David Sedaris.
• Miss Scarlet and the Duke (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): The intrepid Victorian sleuth Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) goes into hiding when she becomes the prime suspect in a string of morgue break-ins.
• Perilous Politics: America’s Dangerous Divide (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): A “Special Report” from correspondent Kyung Lah visits communities across the country that are torn by false claims of election fraud, interviewing election officials who fear for their lives and far-right activists who are challenging their local governments.
• The Serpent Queen (Sunday, 8/7c, Starz): Just renewed for a second season, the saucy historical drama ends its first with a foiled kidnapping of King Francis (Colm Meaney) forcing Catherine de’ Medici (Samantha Morton) to regroup with a new plan to take control of France.
• NCIS: Los Angeles (Sunday, 9/8c, CBS): Airing an hour earlier than usual, the crime drama puts Sam (LL Cool J) in a tough spot, rallying the team to clear his son Aiden’s (Tye White) name when he’s accused of being at fault for an accidental plane crash. He’s also busy seeking a new caretaker for his dad, Raymond (Richard Gant).
• Rick and Morty (Sunday, midnight/11c, Adult Swim): In a special horror short from Claymation filmmaker Lee Hardcastle, the cult animated sci-fi comedy welcomes an unexpected guest to Summer’s sleepover party.