Television continues to embrace the tawdry tails of tabloid history. Tonight, there’s a new made-for-TV feature, “I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.), about the 16-year-old teen who married a 51-year-old actor for fame. Holly J. Barrett and Doug Savant star.
“48 Hours” (CBS, 10 p.m.) begins its 38th season of exclusively focusing on crime stories.
True crime is popular, no question about it. A couple of new series are added tonight: “Unlocked: Family Secrets” (OWN, 9 p.m.), which starts with a megachurch scandal, and “The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher” (Oxygen, 9 p.m.), which begins with a death in an elevator.
Also new tonight, a series with the most pedestrian focus imaginable: “Inside Airport Lost & Found” (National Geographic, 9 p.m.).
Another big college football prime time has Virginia Tech at North Carolina State (CW, 7 p.m.), Oregon at Penn State (NBC, 7:30 p.m.) and Alabama at Georgia (ABC, 7:30 p.m.). Many other games are listed below.
Rachel Boston stars in the made-for-TV romance about a divorcee and empty nester who gets a new hobby in “Adventures in Love & Birding” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.). Andrew Walker is the birder.
Another new romance, “Grounded in Love” (Great American Family, 8 p.m.), starring Danica McKellar as an out-of-work flight attendant who runs into a childhood friend (Trevor Donovan) while going to visit her rural grandmother.
LeBrina hosts a girls’ grip on “Heart & Hustle: Houston” (OWN, 8 p.m.).
“Have I Got News for You” (CNN, 9 p.m.) has a lot of items to choose from this week.
Svengoolie has Darren McGavin in “The Night Strangler” (MeTV, 8 p.m.), followed by “Amityville-3-D” (MeTV, 10:30 p.m.), in 2-D.
The floodgates of horror movies are upon us as October approaches. A “Countdown to FearFest” on AMC features a marathon of “Beetlejuice” (AMC, 4, 6, 8 and 10 p.m.).
Turner Classic Movies has a pair from director Carol Reed, “The Third Man” (8 p.m.) and “Our Man in Havana” (10 p.m.). The 12 o’clock noir is “Berlin Express”(midnight), followed by a couple of Agatha Christie tales, “Agatha” (2 a.m.) and “Murder She Said” (4 a.m.). The midday musical is “Silk Stockings” (noon).
The final Saturday of regular season baseball includes St. Louis at Cubs (MLB, 2:15 p.m.), Detroit at Boston (MLB, 4 p.m.) and Cincinnati at Milwaukee (Fox, 7:15 p.m.).
Preseason hockey has Columbus at Pittsburgh (NHL, 7 p.m.).
College football begins at noon with USC at Illinois (Fox), Notre Dame at Arkansas (ABC), Cincinnati at Kansas (TNT), Georgia Tech at Wake Forest (ESPN), South Alabama at North Texas (ESPNU), Louisville at Pittsburgh (ESPN2), UCF at Kansas State (Fox Sports 1), and Bowling Green at Ohio (CBS Sports).
Games at 3:30 p.m. include Rice at Navy (CBS Sports), Utah at West Virginia (Fox, 5:30 p.m.), LSU at Mississippi State (ABC), Ohio State at Washington (CBS), Auburn at Texas A&M (ESPN) and Baylor at Oklahoma State (ESPN2).
Then comes Tulane at Tulsa (ESPNU, 4 p.m.), Hawaii at Air Force (Fox Sports 1, 4 p.m.), Arizona at Iowa State (ESPN, 7 p.m.), Memphis at Florida Atlantic (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), Massachusetts at Missouri (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.), Appalachian State at Boise State (Fox Sports 1, 7:30 p.m.), Washington State at Colorado State (CBS Sports, 7:30 p.m.), BYC at Colorado (ESPN, 10:15 p.m.) and Idaho at Montana (ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.).
There is second day play in golf’s Ryder Cup (NBC, 7 a.m.).
Motor sports has the Kansas Lottery 300 (CW, 4 p.m.) and the Grand Prix of Japan (Fox Sports 1, 10:30 p.m.).
The Ariana Grande-hosted “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.). with Stevie Nicks from last October is rerun. The 51st season premiere comes next week.
The 50th anniversary of “Austin City Limits” pilot and its still-touring star is celebrated in the special “ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family” (PBS, 11 p.m., check local listings) that firs ran in February.