‘Legacies,’ ‘Heathers’ and ‘Deutschland 86’
Proof that even supernatural entities cannot surmount the tyranny of appearances and good cheekbones, the CW launches “Legacies” (9 p.m., TV-14). A spin-off of a spin-off (“The Originals” by way of “The Vampire Diaries”), this new series takes place at the secretive Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, located in Mystic Falls.
Apparently, the locals are too intimidated by the pricey look of the place to realize that its student body is composed entirely of werewolves, vampires and other creatures in training. This being the CW, everybody is gorgeous and high-strung, prone to cruel upspeak, tearful breakdowns and sudden tantrums.
Danielle Rose Russell stars as Hope Mikaelson, a rare entity blending the bloodlines of any number of special creatures. Her status inspires headmaster Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis) to personally tutor her in all of the mystic arts. This special treatment results in all manner of jealousy among the other students.
The jaded students in “Legacies” are aware that their school resembles Hogwarts from the “Harry Potter” books. They also argue about the “accuracy” of the “Twilight” saga and its depiction of vampires and werewolves. But this is a soap opera mainly concerned with the manic emotions of beautiful teens.
Hope may be the offspring of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall and descended from vampire, werewolf and witch bloodlines, but “Legacies” can trace its family tree back to “Dawson’s Creek.” Generations of inbreeding have eradicated all traces of humor.
› “Roseanne” was not the year’s most controversial reboot. A “new” episodic version of the 1989 dark comedy “Heathers” was supposed to debut last spring. After the Parkland, Florida, school shooting in February, some thought the series’ satire hit too close to home. At one point, Viacom dropped the series.
But “Heathers” (10 p.m., Paramount, TV-MA) has been re-edited, to air nightly as a miniseries in two-hour installments through Oct. 29.
› “The Americans” has run its course. But fans of 1980s spy thrillers told from the “other” side are not without options. SundanceTV, the premium streaming service for AMC, launches “Deutschland 86,” a 10-episode follow-up to the acclaimed German series “Deutschland 83,” set in the East German foreign intelligence agency during the waning days of the Cold War. Only they don’t know that the fall of the Berlin Wall is three years away.
HALLOWEEN-THEMED EPISODES
› Wolowitz dresses up as Sheldon for Halloween on “The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Holiday music grates on Garrett on “Superstore” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
› A church-sponsored haunted house sparks a controversy on “Young Sheldon” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› The Houston Texans host the Miami Dolphins on “Thursday Night Football” (8 p.m., Fox).
› Janet uses her vast resources to help Chidi solve a problem on “The Good Place” (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin .tvguy@gmail.com.