What to Watch This Friday and Saturday: The Premieres of Transparent, Hawaii Five-0, and SNL and Outlander's Mid-Season Finale
Editors' Note: Due to the crush of Premiere Week, we've split our usual What to Watch This Weekend story into two separate articles. You can find our picks for Sunday, September 28 here.
What to watch on Friday, September 26...
SERIES PREMIERE, 12am Pacific, Amazon
Transparent
Jeffrey Tambor stars as a divorced father of three grown children who begins transitioning to life as a woman in the latest project from The United States of Tara creator Jill Soloway. Judith Light, Gaby Hoffmann, and Jay Duplass also star, with appearances from Carrie Brownstein, Bradley Whitford, Kathryn Hahn, and Rob Huebel. The full 10-episode season drops today.
SEASON 25 PREMIERE, 8pm, CBS
The Amazing Race
"Go Big or Go Home" welcomes 11 teams to Times Square, from which point they will light out for territories far and wide. The pair that wins the first leg of the race will also receive a "Save," enabling them to avoid elimination if they finish last in a later segment.
SEASON 6 PREMIERE, 8pm, ABC
Shark Tank
The two-hour premiere brings the Sharks such investment opportunities as a new baby swaddling method, a male-focused nail salon, and an upgraded athletic sock. Also featured: updates on previously struck partnerships, and an unlikely union between Barbara and Kevin.
SEASON 2 FINALE, 8pm, Nickelodeon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"The Invasion" pits the Turtles against a looming Kraang assault in an hour-long episode. But will discord between Leo and Donnie hamper their heroics?
8pm, PBS
America After Ferguson
Gwen Ifill moderates a conversation about the issues raised by a police officer's fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, and by the demonstrations and turmoil which have followed. The town hall was taped September 21 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis' Touhill Performing Arts Center.
8:30pm, Disney
Girl Meets World
Cory divides the class into two fake companies, each with different goals, in "Girl Meets Crazy Hat." Outside the classroom, Riley and Maya are taken aback by a woman they meet on the subway.
SEASON 3 PREMIERE, 9pm, Disney
Dog With a Blog
"Guess Who Gets Expelled?" finds Avery in the soup after Tyler ropes her into his senior prank on her first day of high school. IMPORTANT NOTE: The Walt Disney Company will not actually award you a prize if you correctly guess who gets expelled.
SEASON 5 PREMIERE, 9pm, CBS
Hawaii Five-0
O'ahu ends up on lockdown in "A'Ohe Kahi e Pe'e Ai" ("Nowhere to Hide"), which sees the squad searching for a terrorist who's armed with weaponized drones. Yet even in this time of crisis, McGarrett and Danno have time for a lighthearted B-story in which their psych review comes across as couples therapy.
9pm, PBS
Live From Lincoln Center
Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson star as a pair of enterprising Londoners who strike it big in the pastry business in a performance of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in concert with the New York Philharmonic.
SEASON 5 PREMIERE, 10pm, CBS
Blue Bloods
Danny is out for revenge after a cartel attack leaves Baez badly wounded in "Partners." Elsewhere, Frank is in a pickle after a lieutenant with a sterling record engages in some untoward behavior.
10pm, Cinemax
The Knick
Racial tensions escalate after a black man stabs a cop in "Get the Rope." Meanwhile, Everett returns to a changed operating room, Barrow frets about Junia's safety, and Edwards makes a good impression on Cornelia.
LATE-NITE:
– Matthew Broderick & Nathan Lane and Robert Plant on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 11:35pm, NBC
– Ted Danson, Andrew Norelli, and Stupid Human Tricks on Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35pm, CBS
– Sir Ben Kingsley and Bojana Novakovic on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37am, CBS
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
What to watch on Saturday, September 27...
9pm, BBC America
Doctor Who
Twin threats face the Doctor in "The Caretaker": a Skovox Blitzer plot to eradicate humanity, and an impending meeting with Danny Pink.
MID-SEASON FINALE, 9pm, Starz
Outlander
Claire adjusts to married life in "Both Sides Now," and later encounters a potentially life-changing opportunity. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that both of those things involve naked Scotsmen. Elsewhere, Frank searches high and low for his vanished wife.
9pm, AMC
Hell on Wheels
Cullen squares off against the new marshal in an effort to spring his workers in "Two Trains." In other battles, Campbell has a bone to pick with Louise about a story.
SEASON 40 PREMIERE, 11:30pm, NBC
Saturday Night Live
The LEGO Movie star Chris Pratt hosts and erstwhile Nick-com mainstay Ariana Grande is the musical guest—y'know, for kids. Darrell Hammond takes over from the late Don Pardo as the show's announcer. Daily Show veteran Michael Che joins Colin Jost at the "Weekend Update" desk, and 20-year-old stand-up comedian Pete Davidson makes his debut as a featured player.
WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?
Editors' Note: Due to the crush of Premiere Week, we've split our usual What to Watch This Weekend story into two separate articles. Here are our picks for Sunday, September 28.
