Series
In the new action series Freedom (8 p.m. Fri., UPN), from producer Joel Silver ("The Matrix"), the U.S. is a police state and it's up to four special-forces members to put things right. Starring Holt McCallany (no relation to Troy McClure from "The Simpsons"). In another new UPN action series, Level 9 (9 p.m. Fri., UPN), from producer John Sacret Young ("China Beach," "VR.5"), the U.S. is under the constant threat of cyberterrorism and it's up to four government superhackers to put things right. Starring Max Martini and Fabrizio Filippo (no relation to Milli Vanilli). Mad TV (11 p.m. Sat., Fox) spoofs Halloween at celebrities' homes. Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC) takes the week off with a compilation of past Halloween sketches. The Simpsons (8 p.m. Sun., Fox) reruns last year's Halloween anthology, where Homer causes a Y2K disaster and Marge accidentally kills Ned Flanders. Carol is jealous of Ed's attractive new client on Ed (8 p.m. Sun., NBC). Nature (8 p.m. Sun., PBS, check local times) presents "The Octopus Show," an up close and personal look at our tentacled friend. Robert Redford is profiled on a new two-hour Biography (8 p.m. Sun., A&E). The X-Files (9 p.m. Sun., Fox) repeats last year's cliffhanger finale, which sets up Mulder's disappearance and reveals a surprise about Scully that you probably know already. Tiffany, the Britney Spears of the '80s, is scrutinized on Behind the Music (9 p.m. Sun., VH1). The new cooking show Naked Chef (10 p.m. Sun., Food Network) stars British cooking superstar Jamie Oliver, who, despite the title, isn't naked. But he sure is cute. On Curb Your Enthusiasm (10 p.m. Sun., HBO), Larry and Cheryl attend a dinner party at the home of a former porno movie star (Bob Odenkirk), where their host talks shop about a little-known use for Tabasco sauce.
Specials
Elvira puts us in the Halloween mood with Bride of Monster Mania (9 p.m. ET/6 PT, Fri., American Movie Classics), a salute to the scariest women in horror movies. After that, American Movie Classics kicks off its annual Monsterfest (10 p.m. ET/7 PT, Fri., AMC), a five-day horror marathon, with Bela Lugosi in the 1931 classic "Dracula." Eddie Murphy wears the fangs in the 1995 comedy A Vampire in Brooklyn (8 p.m. Sat., ABC). What would Halloween (OK, the weekend before Halloween) be without Stephen King: Master of Macabre (8 p.m. Sat., The Learning Channel)? And every day is Halloween with The Rocky Horror Picture Show (8 p.m. Sat., VH1), followed by the all-karaoke Rocky Horror 25th Anniversary Special (10:30 p.m. Sat., VH1) hosted by Ashton Kutcher, and a special "Rocky Horror" edition of Where Are They Now? (11:30 p.m. Sat., VH1). That's a lotta "Time Warp." The new TV movie The Sight (8 p.m. Sun., FX) stars Andrew McCarthy as an American architect restoring a spooky old London hotel. Are you ready for the kicker? He can see dead people! NBC digs up The Relic (9 p.m. Sun., NBC) for some pre-Halloween scares. Michael Richards, who was in one of the funniest sitcoms of all time, is unearthed and restored to life as a bumbling private eye. Oh, sorry -- wrong description. This "Relic" is the 1997 horror flick about an ancient creature from South America that attacks unsuspecting patrons of a Chicago museum.
Sports
Hockey:
Penguins at Rangers (8 p.m. Fri., ESPN)
Football:
Bengals at Browns, Jets at Bills or Steelers at Ravens (1 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Panthers at Falcons, Lions at Colts, Packers at Dolphins or Vikings at Buccaneers (1 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Saints at Cardinals (2 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Jaguars at Cowboys or Chiefs at Seahawks (4 p.m. Sun., CBS)
Eagles at Giants (4 p.m. Sun., Fox)
Raiders at Chargers (8:30 p.m. Sun., ESPN)
Talk
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) John Travolta, Hootie and the Blowfish
David Letterman (CBS) Kate Hudson, Supergrass (rerun)
Jay Leno (NBC) John Travolta, Queen Latifah
Chris Rock (HBO) Ananda Lewis, Biz Markie
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Jason Alexander, Kevin Nash
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Nicholas Turturro, Tracy Morgan
Craig Kilborn (CBS) Alice Cooper, Ryan Stiles
All times Eastern unless noted.
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