This week’s best bets
SUNDAY
6 p.m. AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS YouTube wasn’t even a gleam in anyone’s eye when this series made its debut. Now it’s got lots of competition, but it’s still going strong — maybe it’s the prizes. Season 24 opens tonight with animal antics, including a fat feline trying to get through a small cat door and a musical montage of dogs making trouble. Host Tom Bergeron also plays a game of “What’s the Deal With This?”
7:20 p.m. NFL FOOTBALL A quintessential NFL rivalry gets another chapter tonight in Arlington, Texas, where Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys welcome in NFC East foes Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins. Third-year RB DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 175 yards in a Week 3 win over St. Louis, leads an improved running game for the division-leading Cowboys. As for the Redskins, penalties, turnovers and mental errors have undermined them on their way to an 0-3 start.
8 p.m. THE GOOD WIFE Alicia (Julianna Margulies) reconsiders her plans to leave the firm when Will (Josh Charles) makes her an incredible offer. Diane’s (Christine Baranski) Supreme Court candidacy causes problems with her colleagues, prompting the partners to take action in the new episode “A Precious Commodity.” Archie Panjabi and Matt Czuchry also star.
MONDAY
7 p.m. THE VOICE The competition moves to its next phase — the battle rounds — in this new episode. Coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green get help from, respectively, Ryan Tedder, Cher, Ed Sheeran and Miguel in preparing their contestants. After two members of each coach’s team face off in duets, the coaches pick their strongest contenders and have the option of stealing losing artists from the others in “The Battles Premiere.”
7 p.m. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Lily (Alyson Hannigan) counsels Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) on how to handle a dispute between his mother (guest star Frances Conroy) and Robin (Cobie Smulders). Ted and Marshall (Josh Radnor, Jason Segel) argue over wedding presents and thank-you notes in the new episode “The Poker Game.” Sherri Shepherd and Wayne Brady also guest star.
9 p.m. POV In 1964, Michael Apted filmed a diverse group of 7-year-old children for a documentary called “7 Up.” He’s revisited his subjects every seven years since then to see how their lives have turned out. In the eighth entry, “56 Up,” they reflect on how being featured in the film series has affected their lives.
TUESDAY
7 p.m. SUPERHEROES: A NEVER-ENDING BATTLE This three-hour special chronicles the evolution of a popular subgroup of comic-book characters, from the 1930s, when superhero comics were escapist entertainment for a Depression-plagued nation, to their present status as pop-culture powerhouses. Among those commenting are genre pioneer Stan Lee, actors Adam West ( Batman) and Lynda Carter ( Wonder Woman), and cartoonist Jules Feiffer. Liev Schreiber is the host and narrator.
7 p.m. THE BIGGEST LOSER “Second Chances” is the theme of the weight-loss competition’s 15th season, which features the show’s first celebrity contestant: American Idol Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard. Also in the game is Olympic weightlifter Holley Mangold, who’s hoping to get in shape for the 2016 Olympics. Trainers Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels and Dolvett Quince have a bigger role to play this season, starting with helping choose the contestants.
7 p.m. THE ORIGINALS Klaus and Rebekah (Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt) pick up some interesting information about someone in Marcel’s (Charles Michael Davis) inner circle and set about trying to unravel his empire from within. Elijah (Daniel Gillies) isn’t sure this is a good idea, and neither is Sophie (Daniella Pineda), who’s worried about what Davina (Danielle Campbell), Marcel’s secret weapon, might do in the new episode “Tangled Up in Blue.”
WEDNESDAY
7 p.m. TOY STORY OF TERROR! It’s kid-friendly terror, of course, in this new special featuring Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the beloved characters from the Toy Story movies. Here, they’re on a road trip and stop at a motel, where one of them disappears. As the other toys search for their comrade, they get caught up in a series of mysterious events. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen lead the voice cast.
7 p.m. ARROW Oliver (Stephen Amell) discovers that the medicine that was on its way to Glades Memorial is being hijacked, and the hospital may close without it. Roy’s (Colton Haynes) attempt to stop the hijackers gets him arrested. Oliver battles with China White and her new partner, Ben Turner (Kelly Hu, Michael Jai White). Laurel (Katie Cassidy) hatches a plan to catch the Arrow in the new episode “Identity.”
8 p.m. NOVA David Pogue’s “Making Stuff” series continues with four new episodes exploring innovations and developments in biology, chemistry and technology. In “Making Stuff Faster,” he takes a ride aboard the Oracle, the high-speed yacht that competed in the America’s Cup, conducts an experiment using two different algorithms for getting people on planes more quickly, and undergoes a treadmill test on the science of running faster.
THURSDAY
7 p.m. PARKS AND RECREATION Leslie (Amy Poehler) tries to keep a minor scandal that’s been blown out of proportion from becoming any bigger. Tom (Aziz Ansari) tries to impress his new girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany). Ben (Adam Scott) urges Ron (Nick Offerman) to draw up a will in the new episode “Gin It Up!” Aubrey Plaza and Rob Lowe also star.
8 p.m. REIGN It’s a teen soap; it just happens to be about royal teens in the 1500s. Australian actress Adelaide Kane stars in this new period drama as Mary, Queen of Scots. Here, she’s 15 and has just arrived in France to formalize her engagement to Prince Francis (Toby Regbo). Obstacles await — including the prince’s mother (Megan Follows) and his illegitimate half brother (Torrance Coombs), who’s interested in her. Rossif Sutherland also stars.
9 p.m. PARENTHOOD Kristina’s (Monica Potter) campaign challenges Adam (Peter Krause) to step out of another comfort zone. Sarah and Amber (Lauren Graham, Mae Whitman) have a hard time discussing the wedding. Drew (Miles Helzer) tries to get closer to his new friend Natalie (Lyndon Smith). Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) has some lessons to impart to Sydney and Victor (Savannah Paige Rae, Xolo Mariduena) in the new episode “In Dreams Begin Responsibilities.
FRIDAY
7 p.m. LAST MAN STANDING Vanessa (Nancy Travis) takes over the Halloween haunted
house fundraiser at Boyd’s (Flynn Morrison) school, but when her ideas turn out to be too scary for Boyd, Mike (Tim Allen) tries to help him face his fears. Molly Ephraim, Kaitlyn Dever and Amanda Fuller also star in the new episode “Haunted House,” directed by Allen’s former Home Improvement co-star Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
8 p.m. SHARK TANK In this new episode, two guys from North Carolina pitch their goat rental service for people who need weeds removed from their lawns. The Sharks also hear from a couple with a line of children’s accessories, a woman with a pair of products designed to numb the pain of bikini waxing, and a couple with a line of frozen pops made from fruits and vegetables.
8 p.m. AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL The models embrace Balinese culture during a photo shoot on the island, but one of the guys has a bad attitude that affects his performance. Two of the models are becoming more interested in each other than in winning the competition in the new episode “The Girl Who Gets Kissed on an Elephant.
SATURDAY
6:30 p.m. COLLEGE FOOTBALL A nonconference battle of historical rivals is in the offing tonight at South Bend, Ind., where Tommy Rees and the No. 22-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame play host to Cody Kessler and the unranked USC Trojans. After replacing the departed Everett Golson, Rees has acquitted himself nicely this season, leading the Irish to three wins in their first four games. He’ll be facing down a Trojans defense that ranks among the nation’s best.