The Axe Is Back on ‘Billions,’ Firing Up ‘Kings of BBQ,’ Manhunt on ‘Dark Winds,’ HBO’s ‘Telemarketers’

Season Premiere

8/7c

SUNDAY: Succession may be history, but there are still plenty of high-stakes and big-money shenanigans in the seventh and final season of Showtime’s brainy financial thriller. And look who’s back with an ax to grind: Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis), returning to close out the series after fleeing to Switzerland at the end of Season 5 to avoid jail time for money laundering. How he adjusts to and challenges the new world order, with billionaire and presidential hopeful Michael Prince (Corey Stoll) now in charge of his companies, should make for compelling conflict. Lest you be fearing separation anxiety when the series is over, Showtime is already developing franchise spinoffs. Are you ready for Trillions?

Series Premiere

9/8c

SATURDAY: Sitcom royalty Anthony Anderson (black-ish) and Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood) would love to be crowned the next “Kings of BBQ” with their new AC Barbeque brand. In a humor-laced reality series, the comedians explore the world of grilling, spicy rubs and sauces, picking the brains of pitmasters and chefs while touring the country’s most scrumptious eateries. Their journey begins in LA, where they sample the city’s tasty varieties of BBQ while an expert guides them to a food scientist who can assist with their research and development.

9/8c

SUNDAY: Looking for some edge-of-your-seat TV? The first 15 minutes of this episode are beyond suspenseful as psycho killer Colton Wolf (Nicholas Logan), disguised as a doctor, stalks recuperating P.I. Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) inside a hospital, while much of the staff is glued to TV coverage of a moon landing. Navajo Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) has his own personal reasons for embarking on a taut manhunt, and hardly needs to be told by the sheriff (A Martinez) about how “Life’s gotten cheap. The monsters ain’t just in the shadows, they’re in broad damn daylight.”

Documentary Premiere

10/9c

SUNDAY: Don’t hang up. This oddly compelling docuseries follows a 20-year crusade by two everyday muckrakers to take down the telemarketing industry from within. Sam Lipman-Stern, a co-director and featured player in the story, started working for Civic Development Group as a teenage dropout telemarketer, filming the colorful office horseplay when he wasn’t calling people on behalf of charities (who only saw a small portion of the donations). When he and top salesman Pat Pespas began to smell a rat, they channeled their inner Michael Moore to confront the corruption as whistleblowers of an under-regulated business.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Abducted by My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Executive produced by Elizabeth Smart, the docudrama stars Summer Howell as 15-year-old Thomas, who’s groomed and abducted by a trusted teacher (The Conners’ Michael Fishman). Followed by a documentary special at 10/9c.
• Hip Hop Treasures (Saturday, 10/9c, A&E): LL Cool J and Ice T work with collectors and museum curators to locate lost artifacts from hip hop’s formative years. In the opener, LL Cool J seeks prized possessions of The Notorious B.I.G. with a team from the Universal Hip Hop Museum.
• ID Special Report: The Long Island Serial Killer (Sunday, 8/7c, Investigation Discovery): Nancy Grace leads a panel of true-crime experts in a discussion of the heavily publicized serial murder case following the arrest of Rex Heuermann.
• The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): Food Network’s Bobby Flay is the special correspondent for a report on “Restaurant Nation: What’s Changed?” a look at how chefs and restaurant owners pivoted during the pandemic with new business models and the rise of outdoor dining. Flay rides along with DoorDash to illustrate the boom in food delivery services.
• The Chosen (Sunday, 8/7c, The CW): Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) leads his students to a wedding in Cana where the wine runs low. The rest is biblical history.
• Special Ops: Lioness (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): In Taylor Sheridan’s spy thriller, team leader Joe (Zoe Saldaña) is torn between family and duty when her daughter (Hannah Love Lanier) undergoes major surgery after a car accident while her crew heads to Texas for a clandestine mission that’s intended to clean up the mess of their unsanctioned actions.