ON THE SMALL SCREEN

SCARY STUFF FOR THE HAUNTED SEASON
CSI: VEGAS
CBS
They’re back, but not in a Poltergeist remake! Instead, we’re back in Vegas again, as CSI reboots the original TV series from 2000 to 2015 and spawned four spinoff series. Now back on the Strip, with Gus Grissom (William Pedersen) and Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) leading the charge, along with returning favorites Paul Guilfoyle and Wallace Langham as well. The crime scene team and the scary stories they investigate are sure to be a comfort to those who have missed them.

GHOSTS
CBS
Haunted houses usually bring terror to those who move in, but in this new ghost-filled comedy, hilarity ensues instead. Rose McIver and Utkarsh Ambudkar star as the happy couple who buy a large estate, only to discover that a pack of ghosts is everywhere they turn. And a wacky group they are, from a Viking explorer to a ’60s hippie and beyond, these are wisecracking wraiths.

THE GUILTY
Netflix
Jake Gyllenhaal produces and stars in this adaptation of the 2018 Danish thriller of the same name. He enlisted Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) to pen the English-language script and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) to direct. It’s a tense, mostly one-handed tale of a 911 operator (Gyllenhaal, whose character is a cop on trial, demoted to the call center) who talks to different desperate people as his night shift progresses. Voices you hear in this tense drama will be familiar, ranging from Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano to Riley Keough.

INVASION
Apple+ TV
A cast of unknowns leads this sci-fi tale that’s loosely based on War of the Worlds, as the earth faces an infiltration of aliens to the planet. The brainchild of top producer-writer Simon Kinberg (Oscar nominee for The Martian) and David Weil, this apocalyptic drama takes place across the globe, with Sam Neill turning up along the way.

THRILLS, CHILLS – AND PUPPIES! (FOR KIDS)
LEGO STAR WARS TERRIFYING TALES
Disney+
Kids (and likely a lot of adults, too) who love Star Wars and Lego will revel in this 44-minute short film that combines the two. With Halloween in mind, the special features three frightening stories from the mind of Vanee (Tony Hale), who is Darth Vader’s, right-hand man. With vocal talents from Christian Slater, Jake Green, and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, this G-rated TV movie has just enough to terrify, but not to freak out, the children.

MAYA AND THE THREE
Netflix
This animated series follows the quest of Maya (voiced by Zoe Saldana), a “Mesoamerican warrior princess.” She searches for the three famous fighters she needs to assist in her attempt to save the world. In this Latin American-based mythic tale, listen for other well-known voices as the series progresses, from Alfred Molina to Wyclef Jean, Diego Luna, and Gael Garcia Bernal.

MUPPETS HAUNTED MANSION
Disney+
We cannot pretend that a new Muppets movie doesn’t excite all the adults who have grown up with that slightly subversive krewe of crazy talking puppets, but we do know that kids will love this new adventure, too. Wild adventures follow when Gonzo ventures into The Haunted Mansion (yes, the one from Disneyland) to spend a single night in that scary space. Look for Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and more Muppet favorites in this soon-to-be-a-classic Muppet romp.

PUPPY PLACE
Netflix
There are puppies everywhere in this new live-action series that stars a couple of young siblings who decide to foster puppies (with the help of their parents). Each new pup means a new cutie to love—along with new adventures along the way, too. Brooklyn MacKinzie and Riley Looc star as the dog-loving kids that help your kids understand the responsibilities (and wild fun) of having a puppy.