Oh, the humanity: A.I. robots are all too human in ‘Westworld’
By Jacqueline Spendlove TV MediaWith “Game of Thrones” just two short seasons away from the end of its run, HBO has turned its sights on another large-scale epic to fill the upcoming void. With that in mind, prepare to get hooked on “Westworld,” an ambitious sci-fi western thriller based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 movie, and positively teeming with star power. The highly anticipated series premieres Sunday, Oct. 2, on HBO.
We know this about Crichton: he knows how to make a cuttingedge theme park dissolve into utter calamity. Two decades before dinosaurs rampaged across Isla Nublar in “Jurassic Park” (1993), androids ran amok in “Westworld” (1973).
HBO’s version of “Westworld,” like the film, takes place at a theme park in the near future, where technological advancements have allowed for the creation of near-human robots known as “hosts.” The hosts populate the park — Westworld — and are programmed to believe that they live in an American frontier town during the late 19th century. For a hefty sum, visitors can act out their wildest fantasies, however base, salacious or violent, in a totally safe environment: the hosts can be hurt or killed, but they can’t hurt or kill back. Needless to say, it doesn’t stay that way.
The creator of these lifelike machines is the brilliant Dr. Robert Ford, played by screen legend Sir Anthony Hopkins (“Hannibal,”
2001). Hopkins is joined by an allstar cast, and the series boasts enough A-listers to populate a Hollywood blockbuster. Ed Harris (“A Beautiful Mind,” 2001), Evan Rachel Wood (“The Wrestler,” 2008), James Marsden (“X-Men,” 2000), Thandie Newton (“The Pursuit of Happyness,” 2006), Jeffrey Wright (“Casino Royale,” 2006) and Rodrigo Santoro (“300,” 2006) all grace the screen, with J.J. Abrams — who seems to have a hand in just about every sci-fi production these days — among the show’s executive producers.
Artificial intelligence is always a fascinating subject to explore — and kind of a spooky one, particularly with how advanced we already are in the field. Westworld is essentially a pleasure island where filthy rich adults can do whatever they like to the hosts, who look, sound and feel completely human — as, indeed, they believe themselves to be. The series looks at the nature of humanity and sentience, and what exactly makes something alive.
When a glitch in the hosts appears to cause true sentience, they suddenly have an awareness of what’s happening to them and the ability and desire to fight back — and that’s where things get sticky for the park visitors.
“We’re dealing with human nature from two perspectives,” cocreator Jonathan Nolan told the Los Angeles Times. Unlike the film, which is told primarily from the perspective of two human visitors to “Westworld” who get caught up in the breakdown of the system, the series lets us see into the
realities of both the humans and the hosts. The story opens on Dolores (Wood), a naive prairie girl who comes to recognize that the world and life she’s always known are a complete lie. The viewer is fully immersed in this western frontier world before we even get the broader view of what it actually is.
From there, the story goes back and forth between human and host — and we don’t always know which is which. Indeed, certain actors aren’t even sure whether their character is “alive” or not, so secretive are the showrunners.
It goes without saying that Crichton was years ahead of his time: he cooked up the idea of a computer virus before the first occurrence of the real thing. Now, however, artificial intelligence isn’t a sci-fi concept, it’s all but upon us.
“Picture your neurosi lan said to Entertainment Weekly. “Picture the things that keep you up at night — human behavior, artificial intelligence — any of those things that trouble you, worry you. That is exactly what the show is about.”
In terms of production, the series is drawing a lot of comparisons to “Game of Thrones” — another largescale series with a massive cast, set in a place where very little is black and white (the same composer, Ramin Djawadi, even
scores both series). Like “Game of Thrones,” showrunners also have the majority of the series mapped out from the get-go — yet, unlike
“We wanted a big story,” Nolan told Entertainment Weekly. “We wanted the story of the origin of a new species and how that would play out in its complexity.”
To that end, production went on a brief hiatus back in January to lay all the groundwork — both
“It wasn’t about getting the first 10 [episodes] done, it was about mapping out what the next five or six years are going to be,” Marsden said in the same EW piece. “We wanted everything in line so that when the very last episode airs and we have our show finale, five or seven years down the line, we knew how it was going to end the first
That’s good news for “Westworld” fans-to-be. Assuming the show takes off, we can expect at least five seasons. The series premieres Sunday, Oct. 2,
Rodrigo
as seen in “Westworld”
Kinship Partners is proud to recognize Mike Burkey and Blake Herman as its newest Match of the Month.
Mike and Blake recently celebrated their fourth year anniversary and over the years they have enjoyed many different activities together, often around the theme of sports.
They have taken trips to Minneapolis to watch the Minnesota Twins, play tennis, shoot hoops, attend Kinship events and just hang out at Mike’s house for a meal and a game of chess.
Why mentor? Mike will tell you it’s about having some fun, learning something new and supporting a great kid.
ACROSS
1 Mid-’70s crime drama, “Matt __”
5 Transfixed
9 “__-Tac-Dough”
(Game show classic)
12 Decorative pin holder
13 Fertilizer component
14 Chemical suffix
15 “King of the __”
16 Lead singer of British band The Clash, Joe __ (b.1952 - d.2002)
18 Creatively works with marble
20 Song of joy in ancient Greece
21 Simple
22 Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s The __-King
23 “__ Offerings”
(1976) starring Bette Davis
26 Gospel singer Ms. Winans
29 The __ Layer
30 Classic western series, “The __ Kid”
31 Inconclusive, at law
32 Invites friends over: 2 wds.
33 “Interesting!”
35 Highbrow
37 He was a dictator in ancient Roman times
39 Ms. McCormick
(Actress on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” ...more at 17 Down)
43 Rice __ (Kellogg’s cereal)
45 Years, in old Rome
46 Yang’s counterpart
47 Fur
48 Flemish painter, Anthony Van __ (b.1599 - d.1641)
49 But, to Brutus
50 When to get a new calendar, for short
51 Yahoos!
DOWN
1 Sly chuckles
2 Suffix to ‘Synth’
3 Scotland-born singer
4 “Survivor: __ vs. Gen X” on CBS
5 Corrodes
1970s family sitcom: 2 wds.
19 Party crackers topping
23 Good, in Paris
24 Kind of submachine gun
25 Cary Grant’s romantic comedy
co-star Ms. Russell in “His Girl Friday” (1940)
27 201, in ancient Rome
28 Long period
30 Ancient Dynasty of China 34
Sunday, Oct. 2
8:00 a.m. (7) KCCO The NFL Today (Live) (0:30)
CNBC EPL Soccer SOU at Leic. Leicester, England (Live) (2:30)
ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 Outside the Lines (0:30)
FSN Due North Outdoors (0:30)
GOLF Live From the Ryder Cup (Live) (5:00)
NBCSN Premier League Live (Live) (0:10)
8:10 a.m. NBCSN EPL Soccer (Live) (2:05)
8:30 a.m. (7) KCCO NFL Football Ind. vs. Jax. London, England (Live) (3:00)
ESPN2 The Sports Reporters (0:30)
9:00 a.m. ESPN NFL Insiders (Live) (1:00)
ESPN2 SportsCenter (1:00)
FSN Jason Mitchell Outdoors (0:30)
9:30 a.m. (15) KVRR Ultimate Outdoor Adventure (0:30)
(29) WFTC Game On (0:30)
FSN Vikings Game Plan (0:30)
10:00 a.m. (9) KMSP Vikings GameDay (Live) (1:00)
(15) KVRR Vikings Game Plan (0:30)
(29) WFTC NFL Kickoff (Live) (1:00)
ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown (Live) (2:00)
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10:15 a.m. NBCSN Premier League Live (Live) (0:10)
10:25 a.m. NBCSN EPL Soccer Arsen. at Burn. Burnley, England (Live) (2:05)
10:30 a.m. (11) KARE Ryder Cup Special (0:30)
(15) KVRR Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron (0:30)
11:00 a.m. (9) KMSP (15) KVRR Fox
NFL Sunday (Live) (1:00)
(11) KARE Golf Day 3 Ryder Cup. Chaska, Minn. (Live) (6:00)
FSN The Game 365 (0:30)
11:30 a.m. (7) KCCO The NFL Today (Live) (0:32)
(23) WUCW Sunday Shockwave (0:30)
FSN Halls of Fame (0:30) Noon (9) KMSP (15) KVRR NFL Football Det. at Chi. Chicago, Ill. (Live) (3:00)
ESPN MLS Soccer Mont at Orlan. Orlando, Fla. (Live) (2:00)
ESPN2 Championship Drive (Live) (0:30)
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(7) KCCO NFL Football Buf. at N.E.
Foxborough, Mass. (Live) (4:03)
12:30 p.m. ESPN2 NCAA Volleyball
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FSN Swing Clinic (0:30)
NBCSN Countdown to Green (Live) (0:30)
1:00 p.m. FSN Wild Season Preview (0:30)
GOLF LPGA Golf Final Round
Reignwood Classic. Beijing, China (4:00)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Citizen Soldier 400. Dover, Del. (Live) (3:30)
1:30 p.m. FSN Twins Live Pre-game (Live) (0:30)
TBS MLB Pre-game Show (Live) (0:30)
2:00 p.m. ESPN WNBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:00)
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2:30 p.m. ESPN2 College Football Final (1:00)
3:00 p.m. (5) KSTP World of X Games (0:30)
(9) KMSP (15) KVRR NFL Football Dal. at S.F. Santa Clara, Calif. (Live) (3:30)
3:30 p.m. (5) KSTP World of X Games (0:30)
ESPN2 30 for 30 (1:30)
4:00 p.m. ESPN WNBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:00)
4:30 p.m. NBCSN Sprint Cup Series Post-race (Live) (0:30)
5:00 p.m. ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (2:00)
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GOLF Live From the Ryder Cup (Live) (3:00)
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6:00 p.m. (11) KARE Football Night in America (Live) (1:20)
7:20 p.m. (11) KARE NFL Football Kan. at Pit. Pittsburgh, Pa. (Live) (3:15)
9:00 p.m. ESPN Poker World Series. (1:00)
ESPN2 College Football Final (1:00)
FSN UFC Unleashed (1:00)
11:30 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:30)
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Monday, Oct. 3
8:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
FSN Twins Live Post-game (0:30)
GOLF Live From the Ryder Cup (3:00)
NBCSN The Dan Patrick Show (Live) (3:00)
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FSN MLB Baseball Min. at Chi.W. Chicago, Ill. (2:00)
GOLF Golf Day 2 Ryder Cup. Chaska, Minn. (6:00)
11:30 a.m. (9) KAWE Functional Fitness (0:30)
Noon (9) KAWE Classical Stretch: By Essentrics (0:30)
ESPN NFL PrimeTime (Live) (1:00)
ESPN2 Outside the Lines (Live) (0:30)
12:30 p.m. ESPN2 College Football Live (Live) (0:30)
1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Insiders (Live) (1:00)
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FSN Wild Season Preview (0:30)
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ESPN2 NFL Live (1:00)
FSN MLB Baseball Min. at Chi.W. Chicago, Ill. (2:00)
NBCSN F1 Auto Racing Malaysian Grand Prix. Sepang, Malaysia (2:00)
3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)
4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)
ESPN2 Nación ESPN (Live) (1:00)
8:00 p.m. FSN NCAA Football (3:00)
8:30 p.m. ESPN2 Poker World Series. (1:30)
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10:00 p.m. ESPN2 Poker World Series. (1:00)
NBCSN Premier League Review Show (1:00)
10:20 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:40)
11:00 p.m. ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)
FSN UFC Countdown (1:00)
11:30 a.m. NBCSN G3 Sportsman (0:30)
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12:30 p.m. ESPN College Football Live (Live) (0:30)
1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Insiders (Live) (0:30)
NBCSN Fishing With Roland Martin (0:30)
FSN UEFA Europa League Highlights (1:00)
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4:30 p.m. ESPN Pardon the Interruption (0:30)
5:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 Around the Horn (0:30)
FSN Golf Life (0:30)
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NBCSN NASCAR America (Live) (1:00)
5:30 p.m. ESPN2 Pardon the Interruption (0:30)
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6:00 p.m. ESPN E:60 (1:00)
ESPN2 WNBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:00)
FSN UFC Ultimate Insider (0:30)
GOLF Best Lessons Ever (0:30)
NBCSN NHL Hockey Pre-season. Buf. at Car. Raleigh, N.C. (Live) (2:30)
6:30 p.m. FSN Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron (0:30)
GOLF PGA TOUR Champions Learning Center (0:30)
TBS MLB Postseason Pre-Game (Live) (0:30)
7:00 p.m. ESPN NBA Basketball Preseason. N.Y. at Hou. Houston, Texas (Live) (2:30)
FSN NCAA Football (3:00)
GOLF Feherty (1:00)
TBS MLB Baseball American League Wild Card. (Live) (3:30)
USA WWE Smackdown! (Live) (2:00)
8:00 p.m. ESPN2 WNBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:00)
GOLF Feherty (1:00)
SHOW Inside the NFL (1:00)
8:30 p.m. NBCSN NHL Season Preview (Live) (0:30)
9:00 p.m. GOLF Driver vs. Driver (1:00)
NBCSN Team USA Awards (1:00)
SHOW A Season With Florida State Football (0:30)
9:30 p.m. ESPN NBA Basketball Preseason. L.A. C. at G.S. Oakland, Calif. (Live) (2:30)
SHOW A Season With Florida State Football (0:30)
10:00 p.m. ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)
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6:00 p.m. ESPN2 Drone Racing U.S. Nationals. Governors Island, N.Y. (1:00)
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6:30 p.m. NBCSN NASCAR 120 (2:30)
7:00 p.m. (7) KCCO WCCO-TV Tailgate Show (Live) (0:15)
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GOLF Golf Final Day Ryder Cup. Chaska, Minn. (6:00)
USA WWE Monday Night Raw (3:05)
7:15 p.m. (7) KCCO NFL Football (3:05)
ESPN NFL Football N.Y. G at Min. Minneapolis, Minn. (Live) (3:05)
NBCSN Premier League Match of the Week (2:00)
Tuesday, Oct. 4
8:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
GOLF LET Golf Round 3 Open de Espana. Andalucia, Spain (2:00)
NBCSN The Dan Patrick Show (Live) (3:00)
9:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 First Take (Live) (2:00)
FSN DFL Soccer (2:00)
10:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
GOLF The Golf Fix (1:00)
11:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 His & Hers (Live) (1:00)
FSN NCAA Football (3:00)
GOLF Golf Final Day Ryder Cup. Chaska, Minn. (6:00)
NBCSN Texas Team Trail (0:30)
1:30 p.m. ESPN Fantasy Football Kickoff (Live) (0:30)
NBCSN Seasons on the Fly (0:30)
2:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00)
ESPN2 His & Hers (1:00)
FSN UEFA Soccer Champions League. R. Mad. vs. BVB (2:00)
NBCSN The Scott Martin Challenge (0:30)
2:30 p.m. NBCSN Fisher’s ATV World (0:30)
3:00 p.m. ESPN SportsNation (Live) (0:30)
ESPN2 NFL Live (1:00)
NBCSN My Classic Car (0:30)
3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)
NBCSN Journey to the Hammers (0:30)
4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)
ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)
FSN Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron (0:30)
GOLF Golf Central (0:30)
NBCSN Poker After Dark (1:00)
SHOW Inside the NFL (1:00)
10:30 p.m. FSN #VikingsConnected (0:30)
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TBS MLB Postseason Pre-Game (Live) (0:30)
11:00 p.m. ESPN2 SportsCenter (1:00)
FSN WPT Poker Legends of Poker. (1:00)
GOLF Feherty (1:00)
NBCSN Poker After Dark (1:00) Wednesday, Oct. 5
8:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
FSN Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron (0:30)
GOLF LET Golf Final Round Open de Espana. Andalucia, Spain (2:00)
NBCSN The Dan Patrick Show (Live) (3:00)
8:30 a.m. FSN Across the Ice Belt (0:30)
9:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
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10:00 a.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
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FSN UEFA Soccer Champions League. R. Mad. vs. BVB (2:00)
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1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Insiders (Live) (1:00)
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NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
2:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00)
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FSN UEFA Soccer Champions League. Barc. vs. B.M. (2:00)
GOLF Inside the PGA Tour (0:30)
NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
2:30 p.m. GOLF Driver vs. Driver (1:00)
3:00 p.m. ESPN SportsNation (Live) (0:30)
ESPN2 NFL Live (1:00)
NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
3:25 p.m. HBO Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (1:00)
3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)
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5:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
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FSN WPT Poker Legends of Poker. (1:00)
GOLF Golf Central (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR America (Live) (1:00)
5:30 p.m. ESPN2 Pardon the Interruption (0:30)
GOLF Best Lessons Ever (0:30)
6:00 p.m. ESPN Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)
ESPN2 SportsCenter (1:00)
FSN Wild Season Preview (0:30)
GOLF School of Golf (1:00)
NBCSN NFL Turning Point (0:30)
6:30 p.m. (29) WFTC Soccer Pre-game (Live) (0:30)
FSN NCAA Volleyball Women’s Kan. vs. Iowa (Live) (2:00)
NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
7:00 p.m. (29) WFTC NASL Soccer MN. FC at T.B. St. Petersburg, Fla. (Live) (2:00)
ESPN MLB Baseball National League Wild Card. (Live) (3:00)
ESPN2 NCAA Football G. South. at Ark. St. Jonesboro, Ark. (Live) (3:00)
GOLF Driver vs. Driver (1:00)
7:30 p.m. NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
8:00 p.m. GOLF Golf Central (0:30)
8:30 p.m. FSN #VikingsConnected (0:30)
GOLF EPGA Golf Round 1 Fiji
International. Natadola, Fiji (Live) (3:30)
NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
9:00 p.m. FSN Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron (0:30)
9:30 p.m. FSN The Game 365 (0:30)
10:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 NFL Live (1:00)
FSN Bull Riding Championship. (1:00)
10:30 p.m. NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
11:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)
FSN WPT Poker Legends of Poker. (1:00)
11:05 p.m. SHOW Inside the NFL (1:00)
11:30 p.m. NBCSN Nitro Circus: Crazy Train (1:00)
Thursday, Oct. 6
12:30 p.m. ESPN College Football Live (Live) (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Practice Bank of America 500. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:30)
1:30 p.m. ESPN2 FIFA Soccer World Cup Qualifier. Esp. vs. Ita. (Live) (2:15)
2:00 p.m. GOLF Web.com Golf Round 1 Tour Championship. Atlantic Beach, Fla. (Live) (3:00)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Xfinity Series Practice Drive for the Cure 300. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:00)
3:00 p.m. ESPN SportsNation (Live) (0:30)
FSN NCAA Volleyball Women’s Ga.T. vs. Clem. (2:00)
3:45 p.m. ESPN2 ESPN FC (Live) (0:15)
4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR America (Live) (0:30)
TBS MLB Baseball American League Division Series. (Live) (3:30)
4:30 p.m. ESPN Pardon the Interruption (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Xfinity Series Final Practice Drive for the Cure 300. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:30)
5:30 p.m. GOLF Web.com Golf Round
1 Tour Championship. Atlantic Beach, Fla. (3:00)
6:00 p.m. ESPN2 WNBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:00)
FSN Rooster Tales (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Qualifying Bank of America 500. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:30)
6:30 p.m. (7) KCCO NFL Thursday Night Kickoff (Live) (0:30)
ESPN College Football Countdown (Live) (0:30)
7:00 p.m. (7) KCCO NFL Thursday Night Kickoff (Live) (0:25)
ESPN NCAA Football Temple at Mem. Memphis, Tenn. (Live) (3:00)
FSN NCAA Volleyball Women’s Sac. vs. N. Dak. (Live) (2:00)
7:25 p.m. (7) KCCO NFL Football Arz. at S.F. Santa Clara, Calif. (Live) (2:50)
7:30 p.m. TBS MLB Baseball American League Division Series. (Live) (3:30)
8:00 p.m. ESPN2 WNBA Basketball Playoffs. (Live) (2:00)
8:30 p.m. GOLF EPGA Golf Round 2 Fiji International. Natadola, Fiji (Live) (3:30)
12:30 p.m. ESPN College Football Live (Live) (0:30)
1:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Insiders (Live) (1:00)
FSN John Gillespie’s Waters & Woods (0:30)
1:30 p.m. FSN Midwest Outdoors Magazine (0:30)
GOLF Golf Central Pre-game (Live) (0:30)
2:00 p.m. ESPN NFL Live (Live) (1:00)
ESPN2 His & Hers (1:00)
GOLF Web.com Golf Round 2 Tour Championship. Atlantic Beach, Fla. (Live) (3:00)
2:30 p.m. FSN Due North Outdoors (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Practice Bank of America 500. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:00)
6:30 p.m. ESPN NCAA Football Clem. at Bos. Chestnut Hill, Mass. (Live) (3:00)
7:00 p.m. (9) KAWE NCAA Hockey Bowl. at Bem. Bemidji, Minn. (Live) (2:30)
ESPN2 NCAA Football (Live) (3:00)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 300. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (2:30)
7:30 p.m. TBS MLB Baseball Division Series. (Live) (3:30)
8:00 p.m. GOLF EPGA Golf Round 3 Fiji International. Natadola, Fiji (Live) (3:00)
9:00 p.m. FSN NHRA Drag Racing Reading, Pa. (3:00)
10:00 p.m. NBCSN Mixed Martial Arts
Justin Gaethje vs. Ozzy Dugulubgov World Series of Fighting. (Live) (3:00)
11:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live) (1:00)
GOLF LPGA Golf Round 3 Taiwan Championship. Taipei, Taiwan (Live) (4:00)
TBS MLB Postseason Show (Live) (0:30)
Saturday, Oct. 8
8:00 a.m. ESPN College GameDay (Live) (3:00)
ESPN2 SportsCenter (3:00)
FSN Rooster Tales (0:30)
SHOW A Season With Florida State Football (0:30)
8:30 a.m. (29) WFTC Sports Stars of Tomorrow (0:30)
FSN Lindy Fish Ed. (0:30)
9:00 a.m. (9) KMSP Vikings Huddle (0:30)
FSN John Gillespie’s Waters & Woods (0:30)
NBCSN RFU Rugby English Premiership. Nor. vs. Har. (Live) (2:00)
9:30 a.m. FSN Midwest Outdoors Magazine (0:30)
10:30 a.m. FSN Made for the Outdoors (0:30)
11:00 a.m. (5) KSTP ESPN ESPN2 NCAA Football (Live) (3:00)
FSN Due North Outdoors (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Qualifying Bank of America 500. Charlotte, N.C. (1:30)
3:30 p.m. (9) KMSP Vikings Stadium Special (1:30)
4:00 p.m. (11) KARE Equestrian Breeders Cup Challenge Series Keeneland, Kentucky (1:00)
NBCSN NASCAR America (Live) (1:00)
5:00 p.m. GOLF CHAMPS Golf Round 2 Toshiba Classic. Newport Beach, Calif. (Live) (2:30)
NBCSN Countdown to Green (Live) (1:00)
5:30 p.m. (5) KSTP College Football Studio (Live) (0:30)
ESPN ESPN2 College Football Scoreboard (Live) (0:30)
6:00 p.m. (9) KMSP (15) KVRR College Football Pre-game (Live) (0:30)
(11) KARE NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (4:00)
ESPN ESPN2 FSN NCAA Football (Live) (3:00)
NBCSN Poker After Dark (1:00)
6:30 p.m. (9) KMSP (15) KVRR NCAA Football (Live) (3:30)
(29) WFTC Soccer Pre-game (Live) (0:30)
7:00 p.m. (5) KSTP College Football Studio (Live) (0:07)
(9) KAWE NCAA Hockey Bowl. at Bem. Bemidji, Minn. (Live) (2:30)
(29) WFTC NASL Soccer MN. FC at PR. FC Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Live) (1:30)
NBCSN Poker After Dark (1:00)
7:05 p.m. (5) KSTP NCAA Football (Live) (3:15)
7:30 p.m. GOLF Golf Central (0:30)
8:00 p.m. GOLF EPGA Golf Final Round Fiji International. Natadola, Fiji (Live) (3:00)
NBCSN Poker After Dark (1:00)
9:00 p.m. ESPN ESPN2 College Football Scoreboard (Live) (0:30)
11:00 p.m. ESPN SportsCenter (1:00)
ESPN2 Baseball Tonight (Live)
3:00 p.m. ESPN SportsNation (Live) (0:30)
ESPN2 FIFA Soccer International Friendly. USA vs. Cub. Havana, Cuba (Live) (2:00)
FSN Made for the Outdoors (0:30)
3:30 p.m. ESPN Highly Questionable (0:30)
NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Xfinity Series Qualifying Drive for the Cure 300. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:30)
TBS MLB Postseason Pre-Game (Live) (0:30)
4:00 p.m. ESPN Around the Horn (0:30)
TBS MLB Baseball Division Series. (Live) (3:30)
5:00 p.m. ESPN2 Around the Horn (0:30)
FSN Three Wide Life (0:30)
GOLF CHAMPS Golf Round 1 Toshiba Classic. Newport Beach, Calif. (Live) (2:30)
5:30 p.m. NBCSN NASCAR Auto Racing Sprint Cup Series Final Practice Bank of America 500. Charlotte, N.C. (Live) (1:00)
6:00 p.m. FSN NCAA Soccer Women’s Ok. St. vs. Tex.Tech (Live) (2:00)
GOLF LPGA Golf Round 3 Taiwan Championship. Taipei, Taiwan (2:30)
11:30 a.m. FSN Larry Smith Outdoors (0:30)
Noon FSN Vikings Huddle (0:30)
12:30 p.m. FSN Champions Tennis PowerShares Series Classic. St. Louis, Mo. (2:00)
1:00 p.m. (7) KCCO Drag Boat Racing Wheatland, Mo. (1:00)
(11) KARE Red Bull Signature Series Crandon World Cup. Crandon, Wis. (1:30)
1:30 p.m. GOLF Golf Central Pre-game (Live) (0:30)
2:00 p.m. (5) KSTP College Football Studio (Live) (0:30)
(7) KCCO College Football Today (Live) (0:30)
ESPN ESPN2 College Football Scoreboard (Live) (0:30)
GOLF Web.com Golf Round 3 Tour Championship. Atlantic Beach, Fla. (Live) (3:00)
2:30 p.m. (5) KSTP (7) KCCO (23)
WUCW ESPN ESPN2 FSN NCAA Football (Live) (3:00)
(11) KARE Red Bull Signature Series
The Mint 400. Las Vegas, Nev. (1:30)
NBCSN Poker After Dark (1:00)
9:30 p.m. ESPN ESPN2 NCAA Football (Live) (3:00)
FSN Horse Racing West Virginia Breeders Classic. Charles Town, W.Va. (Live) (0:30)
10:00 p.m. FSN Vikings: Beyond the Gridiron (0:30)
NBCSN Sprint Cup Series Post-race (Live) (1:00)
10:20 p.m. (5) KSTP College Football Studio (Live) (0:08)
10:30 p.m. FSN #VikingsConnected (0:30)
11:00 p.m. (9) KMSP FSN Vikings Game Plan (0:30)
(23) WUCW Ring of Honor Wrestling (1:00)
GOLF LPGA Golf Final Round Taiwan Championship. Taipei, Taiwan (Live) (4:00)
NBCSN F1 Pre-race (Live) (0:30)
11:30 p.m. FSN Vikings Huddle (0:30)
NBCSN F1 Auto Racing Japanese Grand Prix. Suzuka, Japan (Live) (2:30)
Brainerd Daily Dispatch, MN: Sports Oct 2, 2016 to Oct 8, 2016
Sunday, Oct. 2
3:00 p.m. (8) WDSE The Great British Baking Show (N)
4:00 p.m. TRAV Food Paradise
5:00
By Andrew Warren TV MediaThe spookiest month of them all has arrived, and Food Network is really getting into the spirit this year. In the leadup to the ghoulishly scary Halloween night at October’s close, television’s culinary destination is pulling out all the stops throughout the month with a lineup that’s packed to the brim
with holiday-themed content. The big returning show is Food Network’s seasonal favorite, “Halloween Wars,” which is back for a sixth spooktacular season, along with host Jonathan Bennett (“Mean Girls,” 2004) to oversee the competition.
Premiering Sunday, Oct. 2, the annual month-long event showcases six teams competing to win the $50,000 prize. They don’t plan
to trick-or-treat for that cash, though. Instead, they’re building massive, elaborate and beautiful Halloween-themed displays that are works of art in their own right.
Of course, these displays of culinary art also have to be edible — this is a cooking competition, after all. The culinary pros on each team work cakes, fondants, spun sugar and icing in ways that most amateurs can only dream of.
“Halloween Wars” may be the big kid out trick-or-treating this year, but it sure isn’t the only one.
Premiering the next night, Monday, Oct. 3, is a new season of “Halloween Baking Championship,” hosted by renowned ventriloquist Jeff Dunham. Later in the week, Wednesday, Oct. 5, four favorite contestants from “Kids Baking Championship” reunite for another shot at a $10,000 prize in “Kids Halloween Baking Championship.”
As if that weren’t already enough Halloween content to scare anyone, the week is capped off with “All-Star Halloween Spectacular,” airing Saturday, Oct. 8. Some of HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel’s biggest stars and personalities team up for a
spooky haunted house challenge in the heart of Las Vegas.
With most of these competitions running through the month and more holiday hijinks still to come, October is going to be a stuffed month on Food Network. “Halloween Wars” kicks off all the spooky fun Sunday, Oct. 2.
Late Laughs
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
Kanye West actually hosted a fashion show yesterday, and I read that his guests were brought there by bus and dropped off outside an abandoned smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island. People weren’t sure if they were at a fashion show or the start of a bad Scooby-Doo cartoon.
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The latest CNN poll has Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton 45 percent to 43 percent. But the good news is, the staffer who informed Hillary is expected to make a full recovery.
Apple is supposed to unveil the latest iPhone tomorrow, which will reportedly do away with the traditional headphone jack. And this is convenient — the included ear buds will come “prelost.”
Solution on page 10.