It's hello to Adele, Matt Berry, David Tennant and Donal Skehan - and so long to CSI, Angela Scanlon, Dole Life and Karl Pilkington.
John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead (Dates covered: Saturday November 14 to Friday November 20)
Pick of the week
Adele at the BBC, Friday, BBC One & Adele - Live in London, Friday, RTÉ2
The hype around the arrival of Adele's third album, 25, has been impressively relentless, extremely well-targeted - and the sooner it ends, the better. But this could make for a pretty cracking piece of telly.
In this one-off, hour-long special, the suddenly omnipresent one will perform from her back catalogue as well as songs from her eagerly-awaited new album (let's hope they put as much effort into the song-writing and production as they have in the hype), accompanied by her live band, as well as taking time to chat to Graham Norton about her career and real life.
It will be the singer's first television performance since she performed Skyfall at the 85th Academy Awards in February 2013, where she won Best Original Song for the theme tune to the 23rd James Bond film. It's either a feast or a famine with this one.
And although this is a BBC show, it's also on RTÉ2 at the same time, 8.30pm, albeit under a different title.
Star of the week
Donal Skehan
Kitchen Hero: Cook, Eat, Burn, Friday, RTÉ One
There's no denying that Donal Skehan has carved out a pretty impressive and unique career as the first boy band celebrity cook quiff. Or something.
In this first programme of the latest run of Kitchen Hero, he tackles Ireland's highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, which is enough to make any belly rumble. To help him reach the peak, he cooks recipes specially designed to sustain energy on a challenging day of mountaineering. They include gluten-free pancakes (what is it with all this 'gluten-free' business?), super power chilli with charred corn salsa, and roast squash salad.
Starting this week
I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here, Sunday, UTV Ireland
Here's another sign that Christmas is coming: Ant and Dec return with another group of zelebs aiming to rekindle their less-than-luminous careers by eating creepy-crawlies, throwing hissy fits or getting their kit off. Among this year's batch are Jorgie Porter from Hollyoaks, retired footballer Kieron Dyer, and Most Haunted host Yvette Fielding. Maybe next year Louis Walsh will take the bait.
The TV3 Toy Show, Friday, TV3
Coming along a little earlier this year, the 2015 version sees a couple of new presenters replacing last year's Brian McFadden and Karen Koster: former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh and Brian Ormond. Warning! Expect unattainable toys and cute kids from the start.
Elementary, Thursday, Sky Living
Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller and his many mannerisms) is facing time behind bars as season four of the quirky detective series - also starring Lucy Liu as a female Watson in a modern take of the Sherlock Holmes' character - gets off to a dramatic start.
The Mario Rosenstock Show, Sunday, RTÉ One
For the next six weeks Mario Rosenstock takes on the personae of various famous faces, including Miriam O'Callaghan, Vincent Browne, Louis Walsh, Katie Taylor, Ray D’Arcy, and Donald Trump. In the very first episode, music mogul Louis Walsh - yep, the real one - joins Mario in studio. See if you can spot the difference.
An Jig Gig, Sunday, TG4
The search for Ireland's best traditional dancers returns, with host Aindrias de Staic and judges Breandán de Gallaí, Dearbhla Lennon and Labhrás Sonaí Choilm Learraí.
Len and Ainsley's Big Food Adventure, Monday, BBC One
A daytime show featuring a song-and-dance man and a chef on a mission: the aim is for the former to get his palate educated by the latter.
Liveline: Call Back, Tuesday, RTÉ One
Joe Duffy looks back at some of the stand-out stories featured on his Radio One radio talk show and follows up on the most memorable.
For starters: in June 2011, mother of three Cathy Durkin was diagnosed with a tumour behind her eye. The eye was removed and she was given the all clear. Just six months later the melanoma cancer returned and scans revealed there were now tumours in her liver and hip.
Ending this Week
CSI, Wednesday, RTÉ2
The 15th and final season of the original CSI concludes with a double bill. First up, the team investigates a murder with ties to two teenage girls who are kidnapped. Later, the unit faces the final showdown with the Gig Harbor killer, whose motives are finally revealed.
CSI originals Marg Helgenberger and William Petersen talk about returning for the finale:
Angela Scanlon's Close Encounters, Tuesday, RTÉ2
In the final episode of her chinwags with well-known faces, Angela Scanlon travels to London to spend some time with Rory O'Neill and his alter ego Panti Bliss.
Chicago Fire, Tuesday, Sky 1
Tensions continue to run high at the firehouse when the squad enter a dangerous house without approval. Elsewhere, Casey continues to go undercover to bust the strip club owner for human trafficking.
Arne Dahl, Saturday, BBC4
The second season of the gritty Swedish crime drama concludes as A Unit begins to suspect its members are linked to a shared high school experience.
Dole Life, Sunday, RTÉ2
At last, things finally start to come together for the featured twenty-somethings who are struggling to make ends meet and some life-altering decisions are made.
Karl Pilkington: the Moaning of Life, Tuesday, Sky 1
Already grumpy, Karl Pilkington aims to determine what he will be like as an old man. An English Walter Matthau, maybe?
Drama
The Coroner, Monday, BBC One
This new crime drama, starring Claire Goose (Casualty, Waking the Dead), could be fun. Goose plays Jane Kennedy, a high-flying solicitor who decides to return to live and work in the small English town she escaped from when she was a teenager.
As coroner, Kennedy's job is to investigate sudden or unexplained deaths. With a new corpse and case to investigate in each episode, she finds herself having to work with her old flame Davey Higgins, who is now the local detective sergeant. And while she is talented and tenacious in seeking justice for the dead, her personal life is a bit more haphazard.
Comedy
Toast of London, Wednesday, Channel 4
The Rose D'Or-winning comedy, co-written by Drogheda United fan Arthur Mathews, returns for a third run. The great Matt Berry - what a voice! - plays Steven Toast, an eccentric actor with a chequered past who spends more time dealing with his problems off-stage than performing on it.
The supporting cast includes Doon Mackichan, Robert Bathurst, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Harry Peacock, while special guest stars include former Mad Men lead Jon Hamm, Brian Blessed and, eh, 'Bob Monkhouse'.
In the first episode, live on ITV chat show Lorraine, Toast tells a tale that could not only topple the US government but also destroy the entire world. Now, that's an opener!
Documentary
Party Pills: Reality Bites, Thursday, RTÉ2
What's on offer here is a non-judgemental approach to Ireland's current drug culture that explores the widespread and complex issue of recreational drug use in Ireland.
Recent findings of a National Student Drug survey, conducted earlier this year, revealed that a massive 34% of university students were willing to ingest an unknown white powder. This comes at a time when recreational drug use has never been more prevalent in Ireland.
On Demand
Marvel's Jessica Jones, From Friday, Netflix
Liked the Netflix take on Daredevil? You'll love this. In yet another Marvel-Netflix combo, this hard-bolied comic adaptation looks like attracting much more than the comics' crowd.
After a tragic ending to her short-lived stint as a super hero, Jessica Jones - played by Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - is rebuilding her personal life and starting a new career as a private detective who gets pulled into cases in New York City. The cast includes David Tennant, everyone's favourite Doctor Who, as her nemesis, who goes by the rather ominous name of Kilgrave.
We've got the only Irish interview with David Tennant here at TEN - so look out for that over the coming days.
Film of the Week
The Red Shoes, Saturday, BBC Two
This is a wonderful piece of cinema, although the accents are awfully plummy. Written, directed and produced by the incomparable partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, it stars Moira Shearer as a young ballerina who joins an established ballet company and becomes the lead dancer in a new production called The Red Shoes, based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
You don't have to be a ballet fan to enjoy this visual treat and tragic tale of love and ambition, which is widely - and deservedly - regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Just a pulse and a pair of eyes will do.
John Byrne
