Celebrating Willie Nelson’s 90th, ‘Archer’s Final Mission, ‘Gilded Age’ and ‘Fellow Travelers’ Finales, A Christmas Cavalcade

Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration

SUNDAY: High on life and music for 90 years, America’s favorite troubadour Willie Nelson marks his 90^th year with an all-star celebration filmed over two nights in April at the equally legendary Hollywood Bowl. Even the show’s hosts are wonderfully varied: Jennifer Garner, Chelsea Handler, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Helen Mirren and Owen Wilson. And then there’s the musical talent, some 45 stars collaborating with Wilson or paying tribute in song. Highlights include Sheryl Crow’s duet with Willie on “Far Away Places,” CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton’s rendition of “Always on My Mind,” a crowd sing-along with Miranda Lambert on “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” and appearances by Snoop Dogg, Dave Matthews, Beck, Gray Clark Jr., Norah Jones, George Strait, Keith Richards and his sons Lukas and Micah Nelson.

Archer

SUNDAY: The animated spy parody officially wrapped its final season in October—but in a special 90-minute farewell caper, there’s one more challenge for the handsome but hapless secret agent (H. Jon Benjamin) and his wacky crew of espionage operatives. The United Nations is in the process of banning independent spy agencies worldwide—“Why do the people who hate us have the best arguments?” laments sardonic sidekick Pam Poovey (Amber Nash)— when a longtime nemesis (who sounds an awful lot like Christian Slater) emerges with a plan to reignite a global Cold War. Time for the old gang to get busy and prove their usefulness one last time, and the perfect opportunity for the immodest Archer to remind us, “You know I’m the best when saving the world happens to coincide with being petty.” We’ll drink to that.

The Gilded Age

SUNDAY: Financial ruin and sudden widowhood for Ada (Cynthia Nixon) are just some of the calamities facing the Van Rhijn household in the Season 2 finale of Julian Fellowes’ attempt to conjure some Downton Abbey magic on this side of the Pond. But all High Society can talk about is the Opera War between Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) and Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) as the upstart Metropolitan Opera takes on the Academy of Music with simultaneous opening nights. Who has the clout to get the Duke of Buckingham to attend? In other much less compelling news regarding the younger set, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) and Peggy (Denée Benton) make important, yawn, decisions regarding their futures.

Fellow Travelers

SUNDAY: The elegiac finale of the moving historical drama jumps between the late 1950s and the 1980s as the closeted D.C. bureaucrat Hawk (Matt Bomer) tanks his on-and-off relationship with Tim (Jonathan Bailey) in favor of family and safety. Decades later, he comes to a reckoning when an ailing Tim demands to take political action before AIDS claims his life. A scene set at the first display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall in 1987 will resonate powerfully even for those who’ve never had the privilege to witness it in person.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

The greatest animated holiday special of all time no longer airs on network TV, but 1965’s Peanuts classic is available to non-subscribers for free streaming this weekend. Groove to Vince Guaraldi’s memorable jazz score, empathize with Charlie Brown as he rails against the commercialization of the season, and savor Linus’ quietly profound reminder of the meaning of Christmas. Other vintage offerings include Saturday replays on CBS of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (8/7c), Frosty the Snowman (9/8c) and Frosty Returns (9:30/8:30c) and screenings of The Wizard of Oz (Saturday, 8/7c, TBS) and The Sound of Music (Sunday, 7/6c, ABC).

Sealed with a List

The Yule Log: In the mood for a holiday movie? You’re in luck. On Hallmark Channel: Sealed with a List (Saturday, 8/7c) follows two coworkers finding love while trying to fulfill New Year’s resolutions at the last minute. In Friends & Family Christmas (Sunday, 8/7c), a fledgling artist (Humberly Gonzalez) and an entertainment lawyer (Ali Liebert) find a connection after pretending to date for their parents’ sake. On Lifetime: A Saturday double feature includes The Holiday Proposal Plan (8/7c), in which an ex-couple devises an elaborate plan to help their best friends become engaged, rekindling their own relationship; and A Christmas Intern (10/9c), starring Jackée Harry as a restlessly retired mom who becomes an intern at her daughter’s (Ciarra Carter) start-up “Cyber Santa” business. In Sunday’s Merry Magic Christmas (8/7c), a financial advisor (Patricia Isaac) relies on a magic number to help the manager (Andrew Dunbar) of a local children’s theater keep the lights on. On Great American Family: Designing Christmas with You (Saturday, 8/7c) gets its HGTV on when a decorator finds love while showcasing a house for a holiday gala. 12 Games of Christmas (Sunday, 8/7c) magically transports a group of friends and neighbors into a Christmas-themed board game. On UPtv: Christmas with a View (Saturday, 7/6c) cooks up romance between a restaurateur and a celebrity chef, while Dial S for Santa (Sunday, 7/6c) presents an insurance investigator (Sarah Dugdale) with a series of local robberies while visiting her family. OWN gets in the spirit with The Christmas Detective (Saturday, 8/7c), starring Batwoman’s Javicia Leslie as a beauty queen turned private eye who encounters an old flame (Brad James) while investigating an art theft.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Erin Moriarty reports on the 2020 death of in Texas of Maria Muñoz, whose toxicology report led to suspicion of her husband Joel, a nurse anesthetist.
• Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares? (Saturday, 10/9c, HBO): The rising British comic spoofs Gen Z and existential angst in a buzzy stand-up special.
• Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): The late-night institution welcomes back two-time Emmy winner Kate McKinnon for her first gig as guest host, with fellow Barbie contributor Billie Eilish (whose “What Was I Made For?” is up for five Grammys) as musical guest.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7:30/8:30c, 7 pm/PT, CBS): A 90-minute edition features Lesley Stahl’s interview with a freed Israeli hostage from the war with Hamas. Double-length segments include Anderson Cooper’s investigation into art thefts of ancient artifacts from Cambodia and Bill Whitaker’s report on the legacy of Gnawa music in Morocco which influenced the development of the blues in America.
• Chris Weidman: The Return (Sunday, 8 pm/ET, ESPN): A special edition of E60 depicts the comeback of UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman after enduring surgeries and rehab with the goal of re-entering the ring after a devastating leg injury in 2021.
• Bob’s Burgers (Sunday, 9/8c, Fox): The Belchers head to Mr. Fischoeder’s family hunting lodge to spend the holidays during a power outage. Followed by Family Guy (9:30/8:30c), where turmoil follows Lois’s (Alex Borstein) decision to sell the TV to pay for Christmas presents. Sacrilege!
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): The Western docudrama’s season finale finds the Black U.S. Marshal’s (David Oyelowo) fate in the balance after a dangerous mission goes sideways.