What to Watch This Weekend: The Series Premiere of Z Nation, Doctor Who, and the Start of American Dad!'s Final Run on Fox
What to watch on Friday, September 12...
8pm, Fox
Utopia
The thrilling conclusion to the three-night season premiere finds the Utopians, let's say, organizing a potato sack race to determine the members of their Parliament, and then declaring war on New Zealand. You can't tell me that definitely won't happen, now can you?
8pm, Nickelodeon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
A sinister spirit snatches April in "A Chinatown Ghost Story." Meanwhile, April and Casey's deepening relationship leaves Donnie green with envy. Get it? Eh? Because he's a— [yanked away by giant stage hook].
SEASON 2 FINALE, 8pm, Disney
Dog With a Blog
Stan's secret is at risk after his titular blog is accidentally submitted as Bennett's latest book in "The Kids Find Out Stan Blogs." Can the gang prevent his online musings from winding up on a table in front of the checkout lines at Urban Outfitters next fall?
8:30pm, Disney
Girl Meets World
In "Girl Meets Smackle," Maya and Riley help out a debate champ from another school who's harboring a crush on Farkle.
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE, 9pm, PBS
James McNeill Whistler and the Case for Beauty
Best known for his painting "Whistler's Mother," James McNeill Whistler also advocated a philosophy of aesthetics that greatly influenced the modern art movement in the 20th century. Kevin Kline voices Whistler, and Anjelica Huston narrates.
SERIES PREMIERE, 10pm, Syfy
Z Nation
In a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by a zombie virus, a band of survivors must schlep the disease's only known survivor to a research lab in this thriller starring Harold Perrineau and Tom Everett Scott. "Puppies and Kittens" kicks off the dystopian fun with the group encountering a terrifying zombie baby.
10pm, Cinemax
The Knick
Barrow settles a debt by treating one of Collier's wounded men in "They Capture the Heat." Elsewhere, Algernon takes a new tack in the operating room, Sister Harriet and Cleary take a trip to Chinatown, and the health of Everett and Eleanor's baby takes a turn for the worse.
10pm, HBO
Bill Maher: Live From D.C.
The comic performs a live stand-up set at the Warner Theatre in the nation's capital. It's preceded at 9pm by a live edition of Real Time With Bill Maher featuring Jerry Seinfeld and House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
LATE-NITE:
– Glenn Close, Justin Long, and Kurt Braunohler on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 11:35pm, NBC
– Mindy Kaling, Jake Johannsen, and Maddie & Tae on Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35pm, CBS
– Nikki Reed and author Peter May on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37am, CBS
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
What to watch on Saturday, September 13...
SEASON 1 FINALE, 8pm, CBS
Reckless
Lee Anne's sexual harassment case goes to trial, pitting Jamie and Roy against one another in "Civil Wars (Part 1 and 2)." Outside the courtroom, the pair must decide whether to kick their relationship up a notch.
8pm, PBS
Great Performances
John Lithgow and Jordin Sparks host "Star-Spangled Spectacular: Bicentennial of Our National Anthem," a live concert from Pier Six Pavilion in the anthem's birthplace of Baltimore. Scheduled performers include Kristin Chenoweth, Melissa Etheridge, Smokey Robinson, and Kenny Rogers.
MOVIE PREMIERE, 8pm, Lifetime
Deliverance Creek
Lauren Ambrose stars as a Civil War-era widow and mother defending her family—not always by entirely legal means—in this movie/backdoor pilot from executive producer Nicholas Sparks, who's making his first foray into TV.
9pm, BBC America
Doctor Who
"Listen" finds the Doctor and Clara menaced by an irritating, omnipresent fairy called Navi, who… wait, no, that's not right. It's ghosts from the past and the future doing the menacing, carrying the pair to the end of the universe. Still, I bet one of those ghosts keeps piping up to remind the Doctor how to use his damn slingshot.
9pm, Starz
Outlander
Claire meets unexpectedly with a British general in "The Garrison Commander," but their confab is complicated by the intervention of the suspicious Capt. Jack Randall.
9pm, AMC
Hell on Wheels
"Elam Ferguson" finds Cullen trying to reconnect with the recently returned Elam. Meanwhile, Durant nips an old problem in the bud once and for all.
11pm, Starz
The Chair
Financing hurdles test both Shane and Anna in "Dollars and Decisions." Meanwhile, Shane puts together a crew and goes a-location-scoutin', and Anna receives news about a key hire.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
What to watch on Sunday, September 14...
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE, 8pm, PBS
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
The latest sweeping documentary from Ken Burns covers the lives of Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor Roosevelt, three of the most accomplished leaders in American history. The seven-part, 14-hour, century-spanning film begins by examining the early years of cousins Theodore and Franklin.
8pm, ABC
The 2015 Miss America Competition
The live Countdown to Miss America previews this year's pageant, peeks in on the last-minute preparations, and recounts the Miss America Organization's more than 90-year history. Then at 9pm, Lara Spencer and Chris Harrison host the competition live from Atlantic City.
SEASON 11 PREMIERE, 9pm, Fox
American Dad!
Fox will tee up three previously unaired episodes before bidding adieu to the series, which will resume first-run episodes on TBS next month. Tonight's first two installments of the mini-season, "Roger Passes the Bar" and "A Boy Named Michael," find Roger selling his bar after a heart attack and moving in with Greg and Terry, while Steve and his friends receive a jaw-dropping offer from sexy new neighbor Jane Krakowski.
9pm, HBO
Boardwalk Empire
In "The Good Listener," Nucky raps with Johnny Torrio in NYC while Eliot Ness crashes Eli and Van Alden's liquor stash in Chicago. Later, Willie takes a job interview and Nucky takes a meeting with Joseph Kennedy.
9pm, Lifetime
Witches of East End
Tarkoff exacts vengeance against Frederick, Freya squares off against Killian, and Ingrid drops an ultimatum on Dash. Elsewhere in "Smells Like King Spirit," Joanna moves to safeguard her family while Wendy and Tommy face the hazards of their relationship.
SEASON 3 FINALE, 9:30pm & 10:30pm, CBS
Unforgettable
Carrie and Al delve into the murky depths of fandom when a TV star is slain in "Moving On." Then in "DOA," an assassin targets Carrie with a debilitating poison that hobbles her memory. Can Al scrounge up an antidote and save the whole reason this show exists her life?
10pm, FX
The Strain
While Eph looks into Kelly's disappearance in "Loved Ones," Dutch plots sweet revenge against Palmer.
10pm, WGN America
Manhattan
Charlie and Frank must each reckon with the future of their projects in "The Second Coming." Sadly for them, the Magic 8-Ball as we know it today won't hit shelves for another seven years.
10pm, Showtime
Masters of Sex
Masters discovers that a rival study is following a similar course, and if that doesn't spell "evil doppelgänger episode," I don't know what does. Meanwhile in "Below the Belt," Barbara and Lester find common ground, Flo gives Langham an ultimatum, and Libby asks Virginia to provide cover as she steps up her activism.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
And now, let's all vote to crown the What to Watch Tonight Episode Title of the Week!
