‘Simpsons’ Leads Fox’s Animation Sunday, NFL Meets ‘Toy Story’ & Gets Swifted, Heists Real and Fictional

Season Premiere

8/7c

SUNDAY: Continuing to make TV history with its 35th season, the animated satire’s premiere takes a swing at authoritarian excess in the unlikely guise of school crossing guards. Homer (Dan Castellaneta), as usual, is behind the farce, when his inadvertent heroism makes him a “curbside celebrity” and he goes on a power trip, demanding more funding—and inspiring this crack at a town hall meeting: “Throwing money at a flawed institution is bound to work!” The animation lineup includes the new Krapopolis (8:30/7:30c), with King Tyrannis (Richard Ayoade) returning from a heroic quest with a sea nymph girlfriend (Yvette Nicole Brown), and premieres of Bob’s Burgers (9/8c) and Family Guy (9:30/8:30c), launching their 14th and 22nd seasons, respectively.

Special

6/5c

SUNDAY: To infinity and a touchdown! When the Atlanta Falcons take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium, hosting NFL’s International Series game, an ambitious “alternate telecast” will translate the action on the field into Toy Story-style animation, as if it were all happening in Andy’s room. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and other Toy Story characters will be seen as the gameplay is animated through innovative tracking technology enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking data and Beyond Sports. Elsewhere in gridiron action, NBC’s coverage of the Sunday Night Football matchup (8:15/ET) of Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs at the struggling New York Jets is likely to be distracted by sightings of Taylor Swift in the skybox, cheering for her special friend Travis Kelce.

Documentary Premiere

9/8c

SUNDAY: Feeding off the celebrity tabloid culture of the late 2000s, teenage “mastermind” Rachel Lee organized burglaries at the homes of the young and conspicuously famous, including Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom. A documentary revisiting these crimes features a first-time interview with Lee, who describes the allure of celebrity worship as she and her fellow thieves stole millions in jewelry, clothes and money.

Movie Premiere

SUNDAY: Based on real events, a more traditional caper movie stars two-time Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance as slick con man Jeremy Horne, who plans one more elaborate scheme before turning himself in to prison for a previous charge. His target: a Chicago bank, with $80 million in money transfers for the taking. His accomplices: young and ambitious bank employees, on whose need and greed he exploits to get them to do his bidding. But can he be trusted? Can they? Meanwhile, the fact-based The Gold (Sunday, Paramount+) continues streaming, with more fallout from the historic robbery of millions in gold bullion, including complications in Cooper’s (Dominic Cooper) scheme to move the money around Europe.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Amish Stud: The Eli Weaver Story (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Easily my favorite title of the week, this true-crime docudrama stars and is executive produced by Luke Macfarlane (Bros, many Hallmark movies). He’s Eli, an Amish husband and father who strays outside the fold, attracting women with his “Amish Stud” online profile. When his loyal wife (Miranda MacDougall) is murdered, Eli’s rock-solid alibi is voided after investigators track down his mistress (Criminal Minds’ Kirsten Vangsness).
• True Crime Watch: CBS’ 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c) interviews convicted murderer Tim Bliefnick, who once joked about his marriage on Family Feud and says he’s innocent in his wife Becky’s murder. A&E’s two-hour Cold Case Files: The Rifkin Murders (Saturday, 8/7c) follows the cold-case investigation into two unidentified victims of prolific serial killer Joel Rifkin. Oxygen True Crime launches a second season of Final Moments (Sunday, 7/6c), which explores a victim’s last actions as a key to finding their killer. The opener features the disappearance of a mother of five in Billings, Montana.
• Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats (Sunday, 7/6c, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD): A stop-motion animated special features Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy making the trick-or-treat rounds when they encounter a house owned by Witch Hazel, who tricks them by turning them into their costumes.
• The Warrant: Breaker’s Law (Sunday, 8/7c, INSP): Yellowstone’s Neal McDonough reprises his role of U.S. Marshal John Breaker, whose transport of an outlaw is interrupted when they enter a town trying to defend its gold from a deadly gang. Co-stars in the movie sequel include Bruce Boxleitner and Dermot Mulroney.
• When Calls the Heart (Sunday, 9/8c, Hallmark Channel): While the town gets ready for the Governor’s black-tie ball, Lucas (Chris McNally) works on the Governor to side with Hope Valley over Union City Holdings.
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Sunday, 9/8c, AMC): Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) head to the Demimonde to barter for the safety of Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) while Genet’s (Anne Charrier) troops close in to extinguish the boy prophet’s “false hope.” Followed by the season finale of Ride with Norman Reedus (10:09/9:09c), where the actor zooms through Portugal on his motorcycle with artist Adri Law.
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Sunday, 10/9c, HBO): The Daily Show alum’s Emmy-winning commentary resumes, following the long strike hiatus.
• Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror (Sunday, 10/9c, Travel Channel): Expect a surge of paranormal TV in the buildup to Halloween, including Osbourne’s travelogue to spooky places. In the Season 2 premiere, he brings his mother Sharon Osbourne along to the reputedly haunted Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula, California, where his skeptical mom becomes a believer in dark forces.