‘Saturday Night Live’ Gets Smart at 50, ‘Industry’ Finale, ‘Summit’ Preview, Daryl’s ‘Book of Carol’

Saturday Night Live

SATURDAY: Returning at the height of an unprecedented political season, the iconic and influential late-night comedy series marks a milestone 50th season by welcoming a first-time guest host with six Emmys to her credit (three for Hacks), Jean Smart. She’ll be joined by Jelly Roll, also making his musical guest debut. Three new featured players—Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline—join the ensemble cast, while Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney, and Chloe Troast will not be returning.

Industry

SUNDAY: There are so many game-changers in the Season 3 finale of this blistering financial drama, it’s hard to imagine what Season 4 (recently renewed) will look like. Change was inevitable at the Pierpoint bank with new ownership—Eric (Ken Leung) calls it a “new world order”—and in this transactional world, everyone’s looking for new opportunities, including the mercenary Harper (Myha’la Herrold) and her frenemy Yasmin (Marisa Abela), whose trip to the countryside with Robert (Harry Lawtey) pays unexpected dividends.

The Summit

SUNDAY: Blending elements of The Amazing Race and Survivor, the network’s latest exotic adventure competition brings 16 Americans to scenic New Zealand for a daunting challenge: to trek to a mammoth mountain and reach its summit in 14 days, with checkpoints to gauge their progress. Each climber carries a share of $1 million in their backpacks, and should anyone quit, they’ll lose roughly $62,500 from the total. On the flip side, when the opportunity arises to eliminate a player, they’ll divvy up that person’s share. In the eventful premiere, a medical emergency and a terrifying ravine crossing on a rope bridge bring the group to the brink. New Zealand native and Manu Bennett, Spartacus/Arrow alum, is the no-nonsense host. (This episode repeats Oct. 2 in the series’ regular post-Survivor Wednesday time period of 9:30/8:30c, with new episodes resuming Oct. 9.)

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

SUNDAY: An ocean divides Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) from his BFF Carol (Melissa McBride), and once she discovers this unhappy fact in the Season 2 premiere of the Walking Dead spinoff, she and we wonder how she’ll ever make it to France for their long-awaited reunion. The opener finds Daryl struggling to find his place within the pacifist Nest (at Mont Saint-Michel) of the Union of Hope, while Carol encounters a solitary man (Manish Dayal) who might be the key to her trans-Atlantic dilemma.

The Simpsons

SUNDAY: The long-running animated hit opens its 36th season with forever-young brat Bart Simpson celebrating a momentous birthday. For the occasion, The Simpsons has gathered quite the guest-voice cast, most of them playing themselves: Conan O’Brien (a former Simpsons writer), John Cena, Joel McHale, Tom Hanks, and Danny DeVito. Followed by an all-new animation lineup including the new Universal Basic Guys (8:30/7:30c), where Mark joins an all-male country club; the Season 15 premiere of Bob’s Burgers (9/8c), with Tina trying to save her school news gig; and the Season 2 premiere of Krapopolis (9:30/8:30c), celebrating Ice Week.

The Penguin

SUNDAY: In the dark and violent Batman spinoff, Oz “Penguin” Cobb (Colin Farrell) plays a dangerous game, working both sides of the Falcone-Meroni mob war, while the Falcones’ new Don (Scott Cohen) tries to keep black-sheep Sofia (the terrific Cristin Milioti) in her place. She isn’t entirely buying Oz’s appeal to be her ally amid the family conflict: “You’re scrambling for whatever dignity you have left and you’re hoping I will save you,” she tells her former chauffeur. Hey, whatever works.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• He Slid into My DMs (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Alicia Coppola directs a cautionary tale about a social-media influencer (Stella Gregg) whose mom (Courtney Thorne-Smith) takes action after an online stalker shows up at their home.
• The Real West (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Kimberley Sustad is a widowed mom and professor who saddles up with a cowboy (Lucas Bryant) during a family vacation to a working ranch.
• Wrestlemania XL: Behind the Curtain (Saturday, 8/7c, The CW): A WWE documentary goes behind the scenes of April’s wrestling extravaganza.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Investigators suspect the worst in 2021 when former Idaho state trooper Dan Howard reports the death of his wife Kendy, found dead in the bathtub with a gunshot wound to the head.
• Be My Guest with Ina Garten (Sunday, noon/11c, Food Network): A new season opens with the Barefoot Contessa welcoming fellow Food Network chef-lebrity Bobby Flay to her East Hampton home, sharing cherry pistachio biscotti, Irish coffee affogato and (Flay’s contribution) fettuccini with anchovy butter and chives.
• America’s Funniest Home Videos (Sunday, 7/6c, ABC): The long-running clip show returns for a 35th season.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7:30/6:30c, 7 pm/PT, CBS): A special 90-minute edition features Sharyn Alfonsi’s report on the aftermath of 2022’s Hurricane Ian in Florida, Scott Pelley exploring August’s prisoner exchange between Russia and the West, Jon Wertheim examining the rise of the WNBA, including an interview with Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, and Cecilia Vega with a two-part toast to the boom in Mezcal from Mexico.
• The Chosen (Sunday, 8/7c, The CW): While Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) confronts Roman soldiers, a frustrated Judas (Luke Dimyan) turns to an old friend for advice.
• Sunday Night Football (Sunday, 8:15 pm/ET, NBC): The Buffalo Bills take on the Baltimore Ravens in the night’s marquee match.
• TV on the Edge (Sunday, 9/8c, CNN): From 1988, one of Oprah Winfrey’s most memorable stunts: wheeling on stage a wagon filled with 67 pounds of animal fat to illustrate her weight loss.
• Witches: Truth Behind the Trials (Sunday, 9/8c, National Geographic): A six-part docuseries looks beyond Salem, using dramatic recreations and commentary from historians to analyze the hysteria behind notorious witch trials in England, Germany, Scotland, Sweden, Ireland and the U.S.
• Outrageous Pumpkins (Sunday, 10/9c, Food Network): Host Damaris Phillips welcomes 14 accomplished carvers to Season 5, with the first challenge involving bringing nightmares to life on the surface of pumpkins.