1. The Affair
Sunday, 10 p.m., Showtime
Veteran actress Maura Tierney, 50, returns Sunday night for Season 2 of “The Affair” on Showtime. Part of Sunday’s opening episode is told from the point-of-view of Tierney’s character, Helen — who has a very steamy scene with a new lover as she deals with the fallout from her shattered marriage to cheating spouse Noah (Dominic West).
“The Affair” is known for its frank portrayal of sex. Are these scenes difficult for you to shoot?
No. They’re my most fave! I’m kidding. Yes, they’re awkward. I kind of have to throw my ego out the window. But on our show the writers try to have the sex scenes move the story forward in terms of how the characters are communicating (or not communicating) at that point in the relationship — so hopefully they are serving a purpose in terms of revealing something besides just the bodies.
In the season opener, we see Helen paying for a (very expensive) attorney to defend Noah. How will her feelings for Noah evolve over the course of the season?
Helen is trying throughout the season to figure out and resolve her feelings for Noah. I’m not sure if she actually gets to that place but that struggle is interesting to play.
“The Affair” received a lot of critical acclaim last season. Does this put additional pressure on the cast to “live up to expectations” in Season 2? Or do you not pay attention to that kind of “outside noise”?
I don’t, really. I think maybe for the writers there’s always pressure for the second season of a show that’s done well but nobody talks about that. It doesn’t feel anxious on set in any way.
You’ve been a regular presence on TV for quite a while now. Has the success of “The Affair” impacted our career in terms of opening up other doors?
I guess it has. There’s some work I’ll be doing early next year [that] I’m excited about. But I feel that I’ve luckily gotten to work on great shows and each of them has led to the other in a certain way. — Michael Starr
2. American Horror Story
Wednesday, 10 p.m., FX
Season premiere. Meet detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley), who has been tasked with investigating a chain of gruesome murders in Los Angeles. A mysterious tip points him to the Hotel Cortez. Based on a notorious real-life hotel in LA, “American Horror Story: Hotel” needs to do something big and bold to make us forget the pointless excesses of last season’s disastrous “Freak Show.” So they’ve hired Lady Gaga to play an enigmatic character called The Countess (maybe she will vogue, rather than speak) to take Jessica Lange’s place (good luck). The Countess has many affairs with men, including model Tristan Duffy (Finn Wittrock) and another man named Donovan (Matt Bomer), but she makes time to enjoy the pleasures of female company as well. Enter actress Ramona Royale (Angela Bassett). Co-starring Kathy Bates, Denis O’Hare and Sarah Paulson.
3. Empire
Wednesday, 9 p.m., Fox
Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and Anika (Grace Gealey) scheme behind Lucious’ (Terrence Howard) back to stage a performance that catches the eye of Pitbull. Meanwhile, Lucious tracks down Frank Gathers’ daughter, Young Ma (Bre-Z Murray), to try to convince her to sign with a recording contract. Also, Andre (Trai Byers) and Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) hope he can return to the Empire Records fold.
4. Blindspot
Monday, 10 p.m., NBC
A crew of thieves almost pulls off a jewel heist, except for one who has a Navy SEAL tattoo identical to Jane’s (Jaimie Alexander) and is captured at the scene of the crime. Meanwhile, Jane receives a visit from a mystery man as Weller (Sullivan Stapleton) and Mayfair (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) struggle to define her role on the team.
5. Homeland
Sunday, 9 p.m., Showtime
Season premiere. Carrie (Claire Danes) has left the CIA. She’s living in Berlin and working for a philanthropic organization run by German billionaire Otto During (Sebastian Koch). She’s got a lawyer boyfriend in Jonas (Alexander Fëhling). So far, so good. But then she takes a trip to a refugee camp in Lebanon and those espionage juices start flowing. Meanwhile, an activist group has released a document regarding surveillance on German civilians, which is causing trouble for Berlin’s chief of station (Miranda Otto) and for Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin).
6. The Good Wife
Sunday, 9 p.m., CBS
Season premiere. Alicia (Julianna Margulies) attempts to revive her struggling career by representing clients seeking release on bail in bond court, where she meets attorney Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo), who competes to represent the same people. Also, Peter (Chris Noth) brings in national strategist Ruth Eastman (Margo Martindale) to help with his presidential campaign. Christine Baranski and Alan Cumming also star.
7. Scream Queens
Tuesday, 9 p.m., Fox
As Halloween approaches, Chanel (Emma Roberts) creates a devious plan after Zayday (Keke Palmer) makes a shocking announcement. Meanwhile, Grace (Skyler Samuels) and Pete (Diego Boneta) pay a visit to a mysterious woman with ties to the sorority’s past. Meanwhile, Dean Cathy Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) does everything in her power to keep Wallace University open.
8. The Grinder
Tuesday, 8:30 p.m., Fox
After the victorious Krantz verdict, Sanderson & Yao is flooded with cases. Dean (Rob Lowe), in his usual fashion, wants them to pick the next big case. Stewart (Fred Savage) disagrees, but he realizes that telling his brother he can’t do something only makes him want to do it more. Meanwhile, Dean inspires his sister-in-law Debbie (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) to go for a promotion at work using a “big dog” approach, which puts her job in jeopardy. Co-starring William Devane as Dean Sanderson Sr.