TV picks for Sept. 23-25: 'Exorcist,' 'MacGyver,' Springsteen, 'Simpsons'

Evil still lurks in the hearts of children in "The Exorcist," a reboot of the classic film that benefits from a sharp cast, including Geena Davis, and a chill that will make even horror veterans reach for an extra blanket. I'm just not sure how many people will want to kick off their weekends with such a nightmare-inducing tale.

8 p.m. Fri., KMSP, Ch. 9

"MacGyver" may be a re-imagining of the old TV series, but the first episode feels more like a "Mission: Impossible" tribute, with our hero — the boyish Lucas Till — even boarding a plane using Tom Cruise's flight plan. Till may get more of a workout than Minnesota's Richard Dean Anderson did in the original series, but he needs better dialogue if he wants audiences to keep running with him.

7 p.m. Fri., WCCO, Ch. 4

If Bruce Springsteen's appearance on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" mirrors his live concerts, CBS will have to extend the program well past midnight. The rock legend is making the rounds to promote his new memoir, "Born to Run."

10:35 p.m. Fri., WCCO, Ch. 4

On the surface, the 28th (!) season premiere of "The Simpsons" is another clever use of musical theater as C. Montgomery Burns explores some "Citizen Kane"-like issues through the staging of a town revue. Looming over the festivities, however, is a macabre tone usually reserved for "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, with characters drowning, having their arms lasered off and encountering ghosts of the deceased. Either producers are signaling a possible end of the series, or Bite Squad needs to deliver a van full of Happy Meals to the writers' room.

7 p.m. Sun., KMSP, Ch. 9

Neal Justin