TV news: Esquire Network launches with a focus on upscale gentlemen

NBC Universal has just launched Esquire Network, which replaces Style, and brings with it a new repertoire of programming targeting upwardly-mobile gentlemen.  

The network features a mix of shows about food, fashion, travel and other lifestyle-oriented topics.  

For foodies, on Tuesday nights, there's Knife Fight, hosted by The Gorbals Restaurant owner and second-season Top Chef winner Ilan Hall. 

Also on Tuesdays, the new docu-series Brew Dogs features Scottish beer aficionados James Watt and Martin Dickie.

You'll also find The Getaway, a travel series where celebrities like Joel McHale and Aziz Ansari set off for new destinations, and Boundless, which is about a pair of endurance athletes.  

Other shows coming to Esquire Network this fall and next year include: Risky Listing, a reality series about New York nightlife real estate; White Collar Brawlers, in which co-workers go up against each other in a boxing ring; and the docu-series Horseplayers, taking viewers behind the scenes in the world of professional horse race betting.  

Here are a few more picks for the new fall season:

• Hello Ladies — Sundays at 11:30pm HBO: 

This new comedy stars Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais' comedy partner, and the man behind the UK hit The Office.  

Merchant plays a gawky, clueless Englishman trying to find the love of his life in Los Angeles. His awkward approach to American women is compounded by his gangly, six-foot-seven-inch stature and sheer geekiness.

• Instant Mom — Sundays at 9:30pm on Nickelodeon:  

This new scripted family comedy series is produced by and stars Tia Mowry-Hardrict, of the reality series Tia and Tamara, and the hit comedy Sister Sister.

Mowry-Hardrict plays the role of Stephanie, who becomes a mom overnight after marrying Charlie, played by Michael Boatman, who already has three kids. 

Stephanie slowly grows into her new role as a full-time stepmom, while trying to hold on to some sense of her fun-loving, slightly irresponsible past.  

It should be an interesting stint for Mowry-Hardrict, who recently released her first book Oh Baby!: Pregnancy Tales and Advice from One Hot Mama to Another.

• Snake Salvation — Tuesdays at 10pm on National Geographic:

Deep in the heart of America's Appalachia, Pastor Andrew Hamblin of the Tabernacle Church of God is seeking to put an end to the law that prohibits snake handling in churches in his state. 

The practice has been outlawed since 1947, when five snake bite fatalities occurred in churches in Tennessee. 

Based on a literal belief in the Biblical statement found in the 16th Chapter of the Book of Mark, each week, Hamblin and his congregation bring out a slew of slithering copperheads to prove their faith. 

Hamblin knows he is walking a fine line, as he is one fatal bite away from
being jailed.   

• Burton and Taylor  — Movie Premiere — Wednesday, October 16 at 10pm on BBC America:

Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West star in this BBC made-for-TV movie about the on-again-off-again romance between two of Hollywood's most prominent and fascinating stars, Elizabeth Taylor  and Richard Burton.  

This BBC original promises to outshine the Lifetime version of the story (“Liz and Dick”) in which Lindsay Lohan played Taylor.

• Witches of East End — Sundays at 11pm on Lifetime:

In this new original drama series, Julia Ormond plays a non-practicing witch, Joanna, who has raised her daughters (Rachel Boston and Jenna Dewan Tatum) in a quiet seaside town without telling them about their secret witchly powers. 

All that changes when an ancient enemy threatens the family, prompting Joanna and her estranged sister (Madchen Amick) to reveal the truth to the girls and prepare the family for war. Expect a mix old-school witchery and Desperate Housewives-style drama.