Presidential Debate
The second of three debates between President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney will be staged town-meeting-style, with questions posed by an audience of undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization. Candy Crowley, CNN’s chief political correspondent, will moderate the event, which is to be staged at Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 9 p.m., various networks
The Men Who Built America
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During the half century that followed the Civil War, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and Henry Ford transformed America, building industries that remade the fabric of nearly all Americans’ lives and establishing the United States as a global power. This series tells the stories of these industrialists from their point of view and includes interviews with such contemporary business innovators as Steve Wozniak, Jack Welch, and Charles Schwab. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 9 p.m., History
Hunted
Melissa George makes a convincing La Femme Nikita–style heroine in this sleek new action-espionage series created by a former writer and producer of The X Files. Employed by a clandestine agency, her character, Sam Hunter, has just returned to work after a year in which she went missing, and she’s determined to discover who betrayed her and caused the death of her unborn child. Friday, Oct. 19, at 10 p.m., Cinemax
Voces: Lemon
Brooklyn native Lemon Andersen, a son of drug addicts and a three-time felon, discovered poetry while he was a fugitive from the law, then rode his talent all the way to a featured role in the Tony-winning Broadway show Def Poetry Jam. This documentary, part of a series on Latino voices, follows Andersen as he struggles to triumph over his demons and poverty by mounting a comeback one-man show. Friday, Oct. 19, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Night of Too Many Stars
The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart once again hosts an all-star comedy showcase to raise money for autism programs. Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, and singer Katy Perry are among the celebrities scheduled to perform. Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Saget, and Fred Armisen will help man the phone bank. Sunday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m., Comedy Central
Other highlights
The Brokaw Files
In this new series, Tom Brokaw revisits some of the major stories he covered during his long career in TV journalism, beginning with his 2004 visit to Normandy on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Monday, Oct. 15, at 10 p.m., Military Channel
Flashpoint
As this drama about a police tactical unit begins a fifth season, the team pursues a disgruntled divorcé across the city. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 11 p.m., Ion
Boss
A newspaper exposé threatens the power of Chicago’s secretly ailing mayor—Golden Globe winner Kelsey Grammer—in this drama’s season finale. Friday, Oct. 19, at 9 p.m., Starz
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