Mummy Issues on ‘Ghosts,’ New Face of ‘Witcher,’ My Fair Elsbeth, All About Aileen

You’d think it would be redundant for the living, breathing residents of the ghost-infested Woodstone Manor to turn the mansion into a haunted-house attraction for Halloween. But as Sam (Rose McIver) points out, “Your guys’ stuff isn’t exactly scary.” That all changes when she and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) discover an ancient sarcophagus in the basement and inadvertently unleash the spirit of a 3,000-year-old mummy who has a bone (make that a missing toe) to pick with the Woodstones, who helped purloin him from Egypt back in 1890 during Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) and Elias’s (Matt Walsh) corrupt tenure. Just what they need: another curse to reverse. (Earlier in the day, series star Danielle Pinnock dresses up for a guest appearance on Let’s Make a Deal.)

The popular fantasy series has two seasons left to reunite Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri as they follow separate paths across the war-torn Continent. While the dramatic hair remains the same, something’s different about monster hunter Geralt in Season 4: He’s being played by Liam Hemsworth, inheriting the sword and supernatural powers from Henry Cavill, who left after the third season. Also new: Laurence Fishburne as barber-surgeon Regis. The fifth and final season is expected sometime next year.

Wouldn’t it be loverly to have Elsbeth’s (Carrie Preston) elaborate wardrobe? Whoever provides the quirky sleuth’s costumes should earn a bonus for this week’s Halloween-themed episode, in which she’s decked out in multiple outfits that pay homage to one of the most cherished musicals ever. “Is this a prank show?” wonders a suspect who’s startled by Elsbeth’s appearance. “It can feel like that sometimes,” sighs recurring Det. Donnelly (Molly Price). Adding to the theatrical vibe is the casting of this week’s villain: Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford as Sharon, a neighborhood control freak in suburban Sleepy Hollow — yes, that Sleepy Hollow — whose hostility towards the free spirit next door takes a dark turn. (Any references to a headless horseman are intentional.) I’m just sorry they didn’t get Ashford to reprise her Tony-nominated twist on Sweeney Todd‘s Mrs. Lovett. (When Sharon comes bearing baked goods, it should have been a meat pie, not a walnut pie.)

A true-crime documentary from BBC and NBC News Studios attempts to humanize the notorious serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who killed seven men in central Florida in 1989 and 1990, inspiring Charlize Theron‘s Oscar-winning performance in 2003’s Monster. The real Aileen tells her tragic story through never-before-seen death-row interviews and archival footage from former Dateline correspondent Michele Gillen. The special features interviews with those who knew her as more than a monster.

For the love of NASA, will this silly lost-in-space storyline never end? We’re promised this indeed is the final chapter of Athena (Angela Bassett) and Hen’s (Aisha Hinds) misadventures in orbit, having taken shelter in the International Space Station only to have it hit by another round of space debris. As they find their way back to Earth, widowed Athena comes to grips with her recent loss. Followed by 9-1-1: Nashville (9/8c), where rookie Blue (Hunter McVey) trains for his firefighter exam while Blythe (Jessica Capshaw), suspicious of her husband Don’s (Chris O’Donnell) illegitimate son, snoops into his past.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Two on a Guillotine (6 am/5c, Turner Classic Movies): A two-day Halloween movie marathon begins with a 1965 cult curiosity, starring Connie Stevens, Cesar Romero, and Dean Jones. First-day highlights include 1962’s Bette Davis–Joan Crawford melodrama What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (8 am/7c), Tod Browning’s Freaks (11:45 am/10:45c), and Hammer horror classics Horror of Dracula (1 pm/12c) and The Curse of Frankenstein (2:30/1:30c). Check out the full lineup at tcm.com.
• Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (8/7c, CBS): Georgie (Montana Jordan) doesn’t take it well when he learns his widowed mom, Mary (Zoe Perry), has started dating.
• Law & Order (8/7c, NBC): Det. Riley’s (Reid Scott) brother Matt (New Amsterdam‘s Ryan Eggold) is released from prison. Followed by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9/8c), where Rollins (Kelli Giddish) hopes to turn two suspects against each other while investigating an assault at a house party.
• Sorry, Baby (8/7c, HBO): Director/star Eva Victor‘s indie dramedy about a lit professor processing trauma makes its premium cable and streaming (on HBO Max) debut.
• Matlock (9/8c, CBS): Matty (Kathy Bates) meets with a mystery woman from Senior’s (Beau Bridges) past in her attempt to bring the big boss down.
• Elkhorn (9/8c, INSP): Teddy Roosevelt (Mason Beals) heads to Bismarck to attend the murder trial of his longtime rival, the Marquis de Morés (Jeff DuJardin).
• Grey’s Anatomy (10/9c, ABC): Jackson (Jesse Williams) pays a visit to Grey Sloan while Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) processes troubling news and the interns handle a bizarre trauma.

ON THE STREAM:

• Jurassic World: Rebirth (streaming on Peacock): The latest Jurassic thriller, starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey, makes its streaming debut alongside all of the other Jurassic Park and World movies, plus plentiful bonus content.
• A Life’s Worth (streaming on Viaplay): A powerful six-part Swedish war drama depicts the challenges for four rookie peacekeepers confronting the violence of the Bosnian war in the 1990s.
• G.R.I.T.S. (streaming on ALLBLK): A Memphis-set drama follows three best friends who see a roller-skating competition as their way out of the South.