Election Night on TV, Aaron Hernandez on Trial, Discovery’s ‘Game Changers,’ TCM’s Star of the Month
Election coverage dominates the airwaves, with Jon Stewart going live in late night on The Daily Show. Among the few new non-political options: the penultimate episode of FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez and the premiere of Discovery’s Game Changers, which reveals the origin stories of popular video and board games. Turner Classic Movies begins a weekly tribute to November’s Star of the Month, Ruth Roman.
The Daily Show
Election Night 2024: It could be the cliffhanger of the decade, with many pundits suggesting it might be days (or longer) to know the results of this year’s presidential election, as well as contests in the Senate and House of Representatives among other local races. All major broadcast networks and cable news channels will be going wall to wall, plus a few streamers — NBC alum Brian Williams anchors a live show for Prime Video (starting at 5 pm/ET). Check out a full rundown of what each of the networks and platforms are planning and view accordingly.
The Daily Show (11/10c, Comedy Central): While most of the late-night comedians are taking the night off, conceding their slot to ongoing news coverage, Jon Stewart pays his weekly visit to The Daily Show for a special edition of Indecision 2024 subtitled Nothing We Can Do About It Now. He’s joined by the mock News Team for up-to-the-minute results (from “the seven swing states that actually matter”) and satirical analysis. Guests include Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez
Stand by your man? That’s the question as the penultimate episode of the downbeat docudrama turns its focus on Shay (Jaylen Barron), partner of disgraced NFL star Aaron Hernandez (Josh Rivera) and mother of their child. After Aaron is arrested for a senseless murder, and evidence of yet more crimes are revealed, Shay is torn between loyalty and keeping herself out of jail. The episode also gauges the impact of Aaron’s downfall on his ailing cousin Tanya (Lindsay Mendez) and his opportunistic mother, Terri (Tammy Blanchard), as the case heads into the courtroom.
Game Changers
Gamers might think about putting down their consoles long enough to learn the backstories of their favorite games. An eight-part series delves into the histories of favorite video games and even a few iconic board games, starting with Nintendo, which began as a maker of 19th-century Japanese playing cards. A second hour at 10/9c explores the collaboration of Electronic Arts and sports legend John Madden as they created the world’s most popular football video game. Future topics include Pac-Man, Call of Duty, Sonic the Hedgehog, World of Warcraft, Minecraft and enduring board games Monopoly and Scrabble.
Earlier in the evening, a special edition of Moonshiners (8/7c), subtitled “Murder on Thunder Road,” sends Mark, Tim and Josh onto the infamous road in Dawson County, Georgia, for a history lesson about the 1941 murder of “Lightning” Lloyd Seay, a bootlegger and pioneering stock-car racer who was shot and killed by his cousin over a few bags of sugar.
Champion
She may be something less than a household name, but from the late 1940s through much of the 1950s, Ruth Roman was a popular star in a variety of movie genres. A monthlong tribute of movies airing on Tuesdays through November opens with two films, released just days apart in 1949, that put her on the map: the boxing drama Champion (9:45/8:45c) opposite Kirk Douglas, a role that she claimed “did more for my career than any other role.” Followed by her villainous turn in the thriller The Window (11:45/10:45c), about a boy (Bobby Driscoll) who witnesses a murder, but no one believes him.