Full TCM listings for Wednesday, October 28, 2026, with times in Eastern Time (ET).

TCM tonight: the best films are in the wrong hours

See also: What's on tonight across all channels | Wednesday's TV guide

TCM’s strongest films on Wednesday aren’t in primetime. The Stranger at 1:45am ET and Deathtrap at 3:30am are the two most interesting titles on a fourteen-film day, and both fall in the hours when most people are asleep, so set a recording. Primetime is two solid, well-cast movies, but it’s not where the schedule is at its best.

The pick for the evening is 100 Rifles at 8pm ET/PT (7pm Central), a Western directed by Tom Gries with Burt Reynolds, Jim Brown and Raquel Welch in the cast. It’s the two-hour anchor of the night. Our rating is three stars because it’s a dependable big-name Western, not a classic of the kind TCM usually reserves for its marquee slots. Against it sit Survivor on CBS and Final Destination 2 on AMC. Nobody picking between those is choosing on quality alone, so a Western with a lively cast is a fair offer.

At 10pm, The Greatest is the more unusual choice: a 1977 film about Muhammad Ali, with Ali himself in the cast alongside Ernest Borgnine. It was directed by Tom Gries and Monte Hellman. Anyone interested in Ali on screen will want to see it, and it’s the sort of curiosity a movie channel exists to show. Its competition at that hour is Shark Tank on ABC and Ghostbusters II on FX. Three stars again, for the same reason: it earns its place without being the night’s best.

Back to the early hours. The Stranger is a 1946 film directed by Orson Welles, who also stars alongside Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson. It is a crime picture and a film noir, and at 105 minutes it’s brisk. Deathtrap follows at 3:30am, the 1982 Sidney Lumet film with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, a mystery and comedy thriller. These two are the genuine reasons to stay up, or to hit record. Four stars each.

The afternoon runs on older studio fare. Danger Signal at 2pm (1945, Robert Florey, with Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott) and The Secret Fury at 4:45pm (1950, Mel Ferrer directing Claudette Colbert and Robert Ryan) are both film noir, and make a decent double bill if you’re home. Of the pair, The Secret Fury has the stronger cast, and we rate it three stars. Earlier, Upperworld at 8:15am features Warren William, Mary Astor and Ginger Rogers, and Private Detective 62 at 9:45am has William Powell in Michael Curtiz’s 1933 film. The Secret Bride at 12:30pm brings Barbara Stanwyck.

None of the daytime films is likely to be anyone’s reason to change channel, but the unbroken run of 1930s and 1940s mysteries and crime pictures is why people leave TCM on. For an evening, though, set your sights on the small hours.


Also on TV tonight at 8pm ET

  • ABC: Scrubs
  • NBC: Chicago Med
  • CBS: Survivor
  • FOX: 2026 World Series
  • PBS: Nature
  • The CW: Police 24/7
  • ION: Blue Bloods
  • AMC: Final Destination 2
  • FX: Grown Ups 2 (from 7pm ET)
  • Freeform: Beetlejuice (from 6:45pm ET)

Every channel tonight, side by side · Movies on TV this week · Tomorrow’s TV


Frequently asked questions

What’s on TCM tonight?

On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, TCM shows 100 Rifles at 8pm ET and The Greatest at 10pm ET.

Is there a movie on TCM tonight?

Yes: Shadow of Doubt (1935) at 6:30pm ET, 100 Rifles (1968) at 8pm ET and The Greatest (1977) at 10pm ET.

What time does TCM’s evening start?

The evening schedule starts with Shadow of Doubt at 6:30pm ET.