Tuning in: On TV this week.

All the best new programming this week happens to air Sunday night. So set up the VCR and tape one while you watch another.

Tree House of Horror: XV (Fox, 8-8:30 p.m.): OK, it's a week late, but "The Simpsons" is the longest-running satire on TV and fans always look forward to the Halloween special with its flights of magic realism and mockery of all things ghoulish. This hilarious episode includes a segment featuring the Space Aliens (regulars on the show whenever a deus ex machina is required) who appear in their own galactic sit-com complete with laugh track.

Alexander the Great (The History Channel, 8-11 p.m.) is a riveting retelling of the Macedonian warrior's story. And it offers a fact-check in time for the opening of Oliver Stone's film epic on Nov. 24. Hosted by Shakespearian actor Peter Woodward, the film explores key mysteries surrounding the man often described as history's greatest general.

Henry VIII (PBS, 9-10:30 p.m., Part 2 follows Nov. 14): Driven by the need for a son, the 16th-century monarch defied the pope in order to divorce his first wife - who produced a daughter but not a male heir, then beheaded his second wife for treason - who also gave him a daughter but no surviving male infant. He got his son eventually, but both his daughters would one day rule, one of them badly, the other brilliantly.

Huff (Showtime, 10-11 p.m.) concerns a prosperous psychiatrist whose world suddenly implodes when a young patient commits suicide. What is most touching about this intelligent show is Huff's innate sweetness. It is his good heart that sees him through the serious trials before him. Hank Azaria is luminous, and with a knockout ensemble cast, 'Huff' is sure to be a hit. Strong language and some dicey situations.