Rick and Michonne Return to the ‘Dead,’ Hallmark’s ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ Wendy Williams Update, Streaming the SAG Awards

Series Premiere

9/8c

SUNDAY: If absence makes the heart grow fonder, watch out when The Walking Dead’s original heroic leader, deputy sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), reconnects with his sword-wielding soulmate Michonne (Danai Gurira) in the best yet of the spinoffs following the long run of The Walking Dead. These characters were MIA long before the Dead mothership folded, and with Rick in the custody of the Civic Republic Military and Michonne on a grueling quest to find him, having left their family behind, the stakes are high as they work their way toward each other, with zombie peril always looming.

Movie Premiere

8/7c

SATURDAY: Borrowing style and sensibility tips from Bridgerton, Hallmark Mahogany presents a racially blended but otherwise faithful version of Jane Austen’s classic Regency romance about the down-on-their-luck Dashwood sisters Elinor (Deborah Ayorinde) and Marianne (Bethany Antonia). Channel veteran Dan Jeannotte (The Good Witch) is Edward Ferrars, the pragmatic neighbor who catches Elinor’s eye.

Documentary Premiere

8/7c

SATURDAY: Over two nights and more than four hours, a timely two-part documentary catches up with the colorful and controversial former talk-show host, whose diagnosis with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia was revealed this week. Williams’ family gave access to Wendy’s and their personal lives for nearly two years for this report on her mental and physical health issues. (Full disclosure: I appeared on her show a number of times over the years, easily the most energetic studio I ever witnessed.)

8/7c

SATURDAY: In a sign of the times, the SAG Awards ceremony moves from cable to streaming, with highlights including the presentation of the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award by Jennifer Aniston to multi-hyphenate singer-actor-director-producer (and now memoirist) Barbra Streisand. Expect few surprises among the film and TV nominees, with actors from Succession, Beef and The Bear the likely TV front-runners.

11:30/10:30c

SATURDAY: Success is the best revenge. So it appears as Shane Gillis makes his debut as guest host, having been hired in 2019 by the late-night comedy series as a featured player, then fired before he could even appear, following the backlash from a racial slur in a YouTube video for which he later apologized. Now a successful stand-up comedian and podcaster, Gillis will appear with first-time musical guest 21 Savage. The monologue should be particularly interesting this week.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Natalie Morales reports on the bizarre case of Kouri Richins, charged with the murder of her husband Eric in 2022 after she had written a children’s book to help her kids deal with grief.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): The newsmagazine goes global with Sharyn Alfonsi’s report on the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with Lesley Stahl traveling to China for a two-part segment in which she interviews U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns and assesses the nation’s mood following COVID.
• Sin City Murders (Sunday, 7/6c, Oxygen): A true-crime series revisits grisly cases in Las Vegas, opening with the tragic disappearance of a Luxor Hotel dancer.
• American Idol (Sunday, 8/7c, ABC): Things get personal during the audition process when judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie head with host Ryan Seacrest to their hometowns for memories and music.
• Urban One Honors (Sunday, 8/7c, TV One, simulcast on CLEO TV): Honorees in a ceremony celebrating Black excellence include Lifetime Achievement Honoree Dionne Warwick, Generation Next Honoree Chlöe, Living Legend Frankie Beverly (Maze) and gospel’s Donald Lawrence for inspirational impact.
• The Simpsons (Sunday, 8/7c, Fox): Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom and What We Do in the Shadows’ Matt Berry (also a star of Krapopolis) are guest voices when Lisa (Yeardley Smith) takes up go-cart racing.
• The Equalizer (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): While McCall (Queen Latifah) seeks a hit-and-run driver, her daughter Dee (Laya DeLeon Hayes) considers joining the military like her mom did.
• WWE Rivals (Sunday, 8/7c, A&E): In the Season 3 opener, a roundtable of wrestling greats‑Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano and John “Bradshaw” Layfield, with host Freddie Prinze Jr.—break down the classic feud between The Rock and Triple H. Followed by the Season 4 premiere of Biography: WWE Legends (9/8c), with a profile of third-generation wrestler Randy “the Legend Killer” Orton.
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, 10/9c, HBO): NBC’s Willie Geist guests as himself when Larry (Larry David) is the most likely suspect after an anonymous “Disgruntled” posts an open letter of complaint to the Golf Club.
• CSI: Vegas (Sunday, 10/9c, CBS): Folsom (Matt Lauria) faces questioning from Internal Affairs over his recent brush with the law. Elsewhere, Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) reopens a case from her past that remains unsolved because of a violent attack that put her in the hospital at the time.
• Vegas: The Story of Sin City (Sunday, 10/9c, CNN): A four-part docuseries takes a wide survey of the Las Vegas culture, from its marquee entertainment to its Mafia influences. Singers Paul Anka and Wayne Newton, former showgirls and entrepreneurs contribute commentary.