What an interesting season of The Block it's been. Not the best, perhaps, but certainly the most interesting. It's always the dilemma for a long-running franchise: how to keep things fresh. There have been all manner of tweaks and gimmicks over the last few years. The projects themselves have become more ambitious. The producers continue to play around with the casting, trying to find that perfect blend of harmony and tension both within and between couples, and there's no question this time round they had their eyes more firmly on fireworks than usual. In the first week, everyone looked terrific. It was hard to pick a favourite. As the build progressed, though, the cracks began to appear. Max and Karsten, especially – either through the editing, or the natural entitlement and self-involvement of the young and pretty, or some combination of both – have frequently been unpleasant company. The other issue was the scale of the project. One of the chief pleasures of the series is its Cinderella aspect, seeing the incredible transformations from the start of the week to its end. Too often this time round all we've seen is a transformation from building site to less of a building site. It's made the Sunday night reveals a bit of a letdown. On the upside, it's been fascinating to see the curtain being continually twitched back, reminding us in all kinds of ways that this is both reality, and a television show – crafted, shaped, produced. And what can't be questioned is the artistry behind the scenes, especially in the edit suite. The structure within episodes, across the week, and across the competition has been a work of art. Making any kind of satisfying narrative from paint drying is quite the feat. Doing it with this level of skill is awe-inspiring. Tonight we get the final chapter, with the finished apartments going under the hammer. And if for some of us it won't have quite the usual feel-good factor, it's still guaranteed to provide terrific entertainment.

SCANDAL 
★★★
Tuesday 14 October 9.30pm, Seven

The first season of Scandal was kinda fun. The second season shifted up a gear and unexpectedly had many of us in its grip. Even as the plot become increasingly ludicrous – perhaps because the plot became increasingly ludicrous – we just couldn't get enough of feisty, unflappable Olivia, her devoted team, and her impeccable wardrobe. As season three gets underway we follow up on last season's big reveal: that Evil Eli is actually Olivia's father. The flashbacks of "young Olivia" are not even slightly convincing, but they're fun. And completely unconvincing fun is, after all, what this series is all about.

NCIS: NEW ORLEAN
★★½
Sunday 12 October 8.30pm, Ten

Anything with Scott Bakula in it is all right by me. He's one of those actors who automatically raise the tone just by walking on set. This is also, so far, the highest rating of all the "fall" debuts in the US this year. That said, there are a few kinks to iron out. The famous NCIS "snapshots" that open and close each act are here tinged pink, for no obvious reason. It's rather odd and off-putting. And some of the characters need to finesse their style, especially the resident ME (CCH Pounder), who seems to find every death quietly hilarious.

IT'S A DATE
Series return ★★★½
Thursday 18 October 9pm, ABC

This delightful and unusual comedy returns for another season, as funny, silly, warm and poignant as it was the first time round. Tonight's two stories centre around the dates your mates set up for you, which results (minor spoiler) in Kat Stewart having dinner with Roy Billing, and Celia Pacquola thrown into the arms of Matt Okine. Each vignette is cleverly plotted and beautifully delivered by the talented cast, with Lawrence Mooney very nearly stealing the show as Most Obnoxious FM DJ Ever.

THE LEFTOVERS
New series
★★★★
Tuesday 14 October 8.30pm, Showcase

We've seen a great many post-apocalyptic dramas since 9/11 but none have captured its angst quite so intelligently or powerfully as this. Based on Tom Perrotta's book of the same name and developed for television by him and Lost' Damon Lindelof, the key event is variously known as The Rapture and The Sudden Departure, in which two per cent of the world's population – 140 million people – suddenly and inexplicably disappear. Everyone on the planet is touched in some way by the loss, and this story – picking up on the third anniversary of the event – is keenly concerned with the way that loss plays out on both a macro and micro level. One of the most compelling aspects of the narrative is the way the world has continued to go about its business. Unlike other catastrophic imaginings, society hasn't broken down. Not really. People still go to work, governments continue to function. But it all happens in the shadow of this terrible and unexplainable tragedy: society, and individuals, have been irrevocably changed. Just as fascinating is the way a subtle script and some terrific performances have us more interested in the personal stories than the overarching mystery. By the end of this pilot, we're far more concerned with what the future holds for Garvey, Laurie, Meagan and Jill than what the hell happened to the vanished ones. And that promises to make this not just addictive, but very satisfying viewing.

THE WALKING DEAD
Series return
★★★★
Wednesday 13 October 8.30pm, FX

Unlike many, I rather enjoyed season four's meandering, contemplative style. That said, what fun to launch into season five in such explosive fashion. It's gory – super gory – but it's also ingenious, tremendously exciting and at times genuinely moving. Fans will remember that last season concluded with our battered crew making it to The Terminus, only to find themselves imprisoned. Even knowing that Rick, at the very least, and probably most of the core team will survive doesn't manage to dim the suspense of how that unfolds.

THE CIRCUS/CITY LIGHTS
★★★½
Sunday, October 12, noon, 1.15pm, Fox Classics

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin's first appearance as The Little Tramp, Fox Classics is screening a rare and rather wonderful collection of Chaplin's films throughout October. Everyone's seen clips of the guy but very few have actually sat down and watched one of his films in full. This is a fabulous opportunity to do just that, and it's quite an eye-opener. With the most rudimentary technology, Chaplin managed to create remarkably thoughtful, clever, moving and very funny cinema and these two examples are a couple of his best.