Ethan Hawke stars in ‘Good Lord Bird’; ‘Walking Dead’ gets spinoff
Also, vice presidential candidates slated to face off in debate
DOn’T MIuu >> “The Good Lord Bird” — Ethan Hawke shines in this rollicking seven-part limited series based on James McBride’s 2013 National Book Award winner. Hawke plays legendary abolitionist John Brown in a story told, with humor and imagination, from the point of view of a fictional, crossdressing slave boy nicknamed “Onion” (Joshua Caleb Johnson). The kid becomes a member of Brown’s motley group of freedom fighters and eventually finds himself participating in the failed 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry — one of the catalysts for the Civil War. The cast also includes Daveed Diggs as Frederick Douglass. (9 tonight, Showtime)
Other bets
TOnIGHT >> A late-life romance, family dysfunction and a juicy mystery are the prime ingredients of “Masterpiece: Flesh and Blood.” In this riveting four-part miniseries, Francesca Annis plays a widow who falls hard for a new gentleman friend (Stephen Rea). But is he up to no good? (9 p.m., PBS)
TOnIGHT >> Warning, another spinoff ahead: If you’ve not yet had your fill of flesh-eating zombies, check out “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.” The new series follows a group of Nebraska teens raised in a surviving civilization of the post-apocalyptic world. (10 p.m., AMC)
MOnDAY >> Forget unreliable online matchmaking services. What if a simple test could unequivocally tell you who your one true soulmate is? That’s the intrigu
ing premise of “Soulmates,” a futuristic anthology series that explores the idea of true love and how we define it. (10 p.m., AMC)
TUEuDAY >> In the new scifi thriller “Next,” John Slattery plays an unstable Silicon Valley genius who freaks out after discovering that a powerful artificial intelligence he created has gone rogue and just might spell doom for humankind. Can it be stopped? (9 p.m., Fox)
WEDnEuDAY >> Patrick Dempsey returns to television in “Devils,” a drama series about the high-stakes world of international finance. He plays a CEO of a powerful bank that is rocked by the sudden death of one of its employees. (8 p.m., The CW)
WEDnEuDAY >> Last week, the presidential candidates went at it. This time, it’s the lone 2020 vice presidential debate between Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (6 p.m., various networks and cable news channels)
THU uDAY >> “Connecting” is a new ensemble sitcom inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. It follows a group of friends who
are trying to stay close (and sane) during the outbreak by turning their weekly Sunday dinners into online hangouts. (8 p.m., NBC).
F IDAY >> “The Right Stuff,” the story about the early days of the U.S. space program, started as a bestselling book by Tom Wolfe and then became a 1983 film. Now it’s an eight-episode drama series executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. (Disney+)
F IDAY >> In the new series “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” a young woman ( Victoria Pedretti) is hired to care for a man’s orphaned niece and nephew after their au pair suffered a tragic death. Lots of creepy things ensue. (Netflix)
uATU DAY >> “My Best Friend’s Bouquet” is a TV movie that follows a hopeless romantic (Chaley Rose) who captures the bouquet at a wedding and sets her sights on a man she met at the reception who just might be “the one.” But is he? (9 p.m., Hallmark)