With network, cable and streaming, the modern television landscape is vast. Here are some of the shows, specials and movies coming to TV this week, Oct. 16-Oct. 22. Details and times are subject to change.
Monday
THE AMERICAN BUFFALO 8pm on PBS (check local listings). Ken Burns is back with another documentary — this time a two-part series about buffalo and their evolution, reaching back to the early 1800s. Stories from local people frame the film with accounts of the mutually beneficial relationship their communities have had with the animals.
FBOY ISLAND 8pm on the CW. Katie Thurston may not have found love during her stint as The Bachelor, but she’s getting another chance in this new reality series. Thurston will be joined by model Hallie Okeowo and influencer Daniella Grace as they date 25 men – some of whom are pretty boys. It’s not entirely clear how anyone wins the prize money on this show (which begs the eternal question: is it better to be the good guy or the wilder?), but there’s no doubt it’s going to be as messy as a car crash that you can’t look away.
NAVAJO POLICE: CLASS 57 9pm on HBO. While being assigned to the Navajo Police Department doesn’t seem too different from trying to make layoffs in any other department, these law enforcement candidates must contend with rising crime rates and the specific threats they face. facing their communities. This three-part documentary series follows the candidates as they work their way through the Navajo Police Training Academy in Arizona.
Wednesday
THE CHALLENGE: BATTLE FOR A NEW CHAMPION 8pm on MTV. Like the original version of the show, this special iteration features a group of reality stars who have all previously appeared on other shows, including “Love Island,” “Big Brother” and “Are You the One?” The twist here is that the contestants don’t will not only go head-to-head, but also compete with a rotating cast of former champions of the show in physical challenges for prize money and the title.
Thursday
POLTERGEIST (1982) 10pm on AMC. It’s all fun and games when ghosts communicate with a Southern California family through their television—until the spirits become menacing. This story follows Steve (Craig T. Nelson) and Diane (Jobeth Williams) as they consult a parapsychologist and an exorcist after their daughter Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) goes missing amid ghostly and eerie happenings around their house.
Friday
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES (2016) 9:45pm on Syfy. Although in my head Mr. Darcy will always be tall, dark and handsome (see Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen in the role) and quietly dark in different corners – if you like all things supernatural, you might prefer a Mr. Darcy who, along with his other attributes, is an extremely skilled zombie slayer. The title of this movie really says it all: the unmarried Bennet sisters search for suitable bachelors while trying to stay safe among the growing zombie population. While Elizabeth Bennet was attracted to Mr. Darcy in the Jane Austen book because of his love for her, in this film she is attracted to his zombie-killing skills.
THE UNINVITED (1944) 11:45pm on TCM. Starring Ray Milland (Rick) and Ruth Hussey (Pamela), this film is a classic ghost story. Rick and his sister Pamela decide to buy an abandoned house from the 18th century. The owner links the house to his daughter’s death and sells it despite his granddaughter’s objections. After Rick and Pamela move in, they have to contend with some not so lucky ghosts. It’s “as solemn a goose-flesh-raising intention as any ghost story whimsically told to a group of shivering youngsters around a campfire on a dark and windy night,” wrote Bosley Crowther in his review for The New York Times. “All the old standbys are in it – flickering candles, a slowly opening door, supernatural stirrings and the occasional mimosa scent.”
Saturday
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (2012) 7:15pm on Freeform. If two nights in a row of scary movies have sent your fight-or-flight response into overtime, this sweet, animated take on a spooky movie can give your nervous system a break. Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) owns a hotel where monsters go when they want to rest. This particular weekend, Dracula is planning a party for his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez)’s 118th birthday. Things go awry when a guy (Andy Samberg) accidentally crashes the party and subsequently falls in love with Mavis, who is a vampire.
Sunday
AKA MR. BYE 9pm on HBO. It’s impossible to deny that Michael Chow has had an interesting life: Born in Shanghai, Chow moved to London, where he opened a Chinese restaurant with Italian waiters that served British diners. His restaurant, Mr. Chow, now has locations in New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. This documentary focuses on his life and his recently revealed other identity as an artist who goes by the name “M.”