Rooting for ‘Mr Bates,’ ‘Curb’ Signs Off, NCAA Basketball, Alex Edelman on Broadway, CMT Music Awards
A David-vs-Goliath Masterpiece docudrama depicts a miscarriage of justice in which postmasters across the U.K. fought back against false accusations of fraud and theft. Curb Your Enthusiasm hits the end of its dyspeptic road after 12 seasons. The men’s Final Four gets underway, with a women’s champion decided on Sunday. A filmed version of comic Alex Edelman’s provocative Broadway hit Just for Us airs on HBO. Sunday’s CMT Music Awards features an all-star tribute to the late Toby Keith.
ITV Studios and MASTERPIECE
Mr Bates vs The Post Office
SUNDAY: When this engaging and enraging David-vs-Goliath docudrama aired in the U.K. earlier this year, viewer response was so fierce that Parliament took action to speed the wheels of justice. You’ll see why in Masterpiece’s four-part presentation, depicting the plight of working-class sub-postmasters accused of theft and branded as criminals by a monolithic post office that refuses to concede that a software glitch is behind the accounting shortfalls. The marvelous Toby Jones (Detectorists) stars as Alan Bates, a defiant postmaster who spends 20 years doggedly compiling evidence and seeking out other unjustly accused victims who also were falsely told they were the only ones in this situation. An investigating forensic accountant is brought to tears by their story: “The more of you people I meet, the less I know how you’re all still standing.” Chances are you’ll weep as well while cheering on Mr. Bates and his crusaders.
HBO
Curb Your Enthusiasm
SUNDAY: After 12 seasons, Larry David’s caustic improvised comedy is kicked to the curb, with a looming trial in Atlanta that can’t help but bring back meta memories of the somewhat infamous Seinfeld series finale in 1998 (which David infamously returned to write). Curb’s finale, the only episode in the final season not provided to critics in advance, has a lot to live up—and down—to, and however David sticks the landing, it’s been quite the ride. Now give Susie Essman a spinoff!
March Madness
SATURDAY: After an Elite Eight round of mostly nail-biters, the men’s Final Four gets underway in Arizona, with No. 1 seed Purdue taking on the last remaining Cinderella, No. 11 NC State, followed at approximately 8:30 pm/ET by No. 1 UConn facing No. 4 Alabama. The women’s championship final, pitting No. 1 seeds Iowa and South Carolina in an epic battle, airs Sunday at 3 pm/ET on ABC and ESPN.
Alex Edelman: Just for Us
SATURDAY: “There’s a spectrum of Nazi?” Such is Alex Edelman’s puckish curiosity in a provocative and hilarious one-man comedy special, filmed last August during his show’s successful Broadway run. Just for Us tells a discursive story of how Edelman, whose Orthodox Jewish upbringing is an essential aspect of his humor, was inspired by anti-Semitic tweets directed at him to check things out first-hand by attending a meeting of White Nationalists in Queens. The result is both laugh-out-loud funny and deadly serious.
CMT
CMT Music Awards
SUNDAY: Kelsea Ballerini hosts the celebration of country’s best from Austin for the fourth consecutive year, featuring an emotional all-star tribute to Toby Keith, who passed away from cancer in February at 62. A friend of CMT, who performed 10 years in a row at this ceremony and co-hosted twice, the musical salute to Keith includes Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Sammy Hagar, backed by Keith’s own band, with appearances by Lukas Nelson and Roger Clemons. Other highlights: Trisha Yearwood takes home the first June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award and performs a world-premiere song, Little Big Town and Sugarland collaborate on another world premiere, and the talent lineup includes Ballerini, Keith Urban, Old Dominion, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Bailey Zimmerman, Megan Moroney, Sam Hunt, NEEDTOBREATHE and Jordan Davis.
Investigation Discovery
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
SUNDAY: The explosive docuseries about the toxic environment behind the scenes of Nickelodeon shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s adds a fifth bonus episode. Former child stars including Drake Bell reunite to share their reactions to the series, with jpurnalist Soledad O’Brien moderating the conversation, taking a forward look at how the industry can do better by its youngest performers.
Paramount+
A Gentleman in Moscow
SUNDAY: An eventful second chapter of the lovely literary adaptation introduces Mary Elizabeth Winstead (wife of series star Ewan McGregor) as Russian film star Anna Urbanova, who sweeps into the Hotel Metropol and into the life of Count Alexander Rostov (McGregor). This glamorous creature arrives at an opportune time, as Rostov prepares to say goodbye to his precocious young friend Nina (Alexa Goodall), who’s off to school—but not before presenting her beloved Count with a special gift.
INSIDE WEEKEND TV:
- WrestleMania XL (Saturday and Sunday, 7 pm/ET, streaming on Peacock): WWE stars go to work in a premium live event, with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship and Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship.
- CMT Crossroads (Saturday, 8/7c, CMT): The series takes on a rock vibe when rock band Nickelback and country-rocker HARDY collaborate, sharing stories and performing on each other’s hits.
- Two for One: Martin Scorsese (Saturday, 8/7c, Turner Classic Movies): For the next 12 Saturdays, renowned film directors present double features with special significance to them. First up is Martin Scorsese, with the eclectic pairing of two 1948 movies: Western noir Blood on the Moon and the musical romcom One Touch of Venus (9:45/8:45c).
- 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Erin Moriarty reports on the 2019 murder of Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos, whose estranged husband Fotis was charged with her murder, and after his suicide, his girlfriend Michelle Troconis was found guilty of conspiring with him, a charge she and her family deny.
- Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): Former cast member Kristin Wiig (Palm Royale) joins SNL’s Five-Timers Club with a repeat appearance as guest host, joined by first-time musical guest Raye.
- 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Scott Pelley reports on the land-mine crisis in Ukraine, medical correspondent Jonathan LaPook explores the rise of AI chatbots in providing mental health care, and Jon Wertheim interviews a master thief of sports memorabilia and small-museum artwork.
- American Idol (Sunday, 8/7c, ABC): The Top 24 sing their hearts out for America’s vote at Hawaii’s Aulani resort, with Tori Amos mentoring and performing, plus a special appearance by reigning Idol Iam Tongi.
- Blue Ridge: The Series (Sunday, 8/7c, Cowboy Way FAST Channel): Jonathan Schaech returns as Appalachian Sheriff Justin Wise in a contemporary Western sequel to the 2020 film. The series begins with Wise picking up the pieces after the town’s police station is destroyed by fire.
