Nadal vs. Alcaraz at Netflix Slam, Oscar’s Best Actors, Kate Winslet Rules a ‘Regime,’ Michonne’s ‘Dead’ Journey

Netflix live-streams an exhibition tennis match between living legend Rafael Nadal and current No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” celebration focuses on past Best Actor nominees and winners all weekend. Kate Winslet is a delusional and despotic ruler of a Central European nation in HBO’s dark farce The Regime. AMC’s The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live retraces Michonne’s journey to reconnect with long-lost Rick.

Netflix Slam Rafael Nadal Carlos Alcaraz
Netflix

The Netflix Slam

Special

SUNDAY: Two of Spain’s favorite sons, tennis legend Rafael Nadal and rising star and current No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, face off in a battle of the generations. The exhibition game, streaming live from the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, pits the veteran winner of 22 Grand Slam titles who’s making a comeback from injury against one of today’s most reliably entertaining powerhouses. Among the pros offering commentary and play-by-play: Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mary Joe Fernández and Patrick McEnroe, with analysis from Prakash Amritraj and host Kay Adams. A separate stream for Spanish-language viewers features Feliciano López and David Ferrer weighing in through the match.

'Lincoln' Movie, Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln
20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved./courtesy Everett Collection

31 Days of Oscar

SUNDAY: The monthlong celebration of Oscar nominees and winners is nearing an end, with this year’s ceremony just one week away. Saturday and Sunday’s lineups salute the Best Actor candidates and champions, with the prime-time and overnight schedules devoted to winners. Saturday’s roster features portrayals of historical figures, starting with Daniel Day Lewis as Lincoln (8/7c) from 2013, Paul Scofield as Sir Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons (10:45 pm/9:45c) from 1966, Gary Cooper as 1941’s Sergeant York (1 am/12c) and James Cagney as George M. Cohan in 1942’s Yankee Doodle Dandy (3:30 am/2:30c). Sunday’s prime-time winners include George Mason in 1947’s A Double Life (8/7c) and Gregory Peck as the immortal Atticus Finch in 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird (10/9c), followed by Henry Fonda opposite fellow winner Katharine Hepburn in 1981’s On Golden Pond (12:30 am/11:30c), Sidney Poitier in 1963’s Lilies of the Field (2:30 am/1:30c) and Spencer Tracy in 1938’s Boys Town (4:15 am/3:15c). 

Kate Winslet in 'The Regime'
Miya Mizuno/HBO

The Regime

Series Premiere

SUNDAY: Hollow lies the head of state in a strained political satire, starring the peerless Kate Winslet (two-time Emmy winner for HBO’s Mildred Pierce and Mare of Easttown) as Elena Vernham, delusional and vain chancellor of an unnamed Central European nation. When she falls under the Rasputin-like spell of a volatile soldier (Matthias Schoenaerts), her nation falls into ruin and civil war as her government mutates into an authoritarian nightmare. It would feel timely if the silliness (to which Winslet commits fully) weren’t all so tiresome. 

Andrew Lincoln in 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live'
Gene Page/AMC

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

SUNDAY: We now know the circumstances of Michonne (Danai Gurira) finding her beloved Rick (Andrew Lincoln)—nearly taking his helmeted and masked head off before realizing he wasn’t the enemy, this after shooting down his CRM helicopter. But how did she get there? That story comprises most of this compelling episode, a dogged quest peppered with memorable guest appearances by Breeda Wool (Mr. Mercedes) and New Amsterdam’s Matthew August Jeffers among her fellow travelers.

Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm
HBO

Curb Your Enthusiasm

SUNDAY: Richard Lewis, who died earlier this week, shines in the final season of Larry David’s farcical masterpiece. He’s especially funny in a bit this week where he finds a new audience for his mordant humor at his regular AA session: “Another couple of meetings like this, I have a special.” Elsewhere, and fresh off his bit as Leap Year on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Sean Hayes guests as Larry’s new lawyer, who’s about to learn that any opinion Larry shares has dire consequences.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV: 

  • Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, 8:340 pm/PT, NBC): Euphoria and The White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney makes her hosting debut, with Kacey Musgraves the three-time musical guest. 
  • 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Another timely installment of the newsmagazine features Cecilia Vega interviewing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott about his border showdown with the federal government, Scott Pelley’s report on book banning efforts in South Carolina and Bill Whitaker at Kennedy Space Center with an update on NASA’s plans to send people back to the moon. 
  • I Am Jackie O (Sunday, 7/6c, The CW): A two-hour documentary profiles the glamorous Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, whose public life as a stylish First Lady and private life following JFK’s assassination was an endless source of global fascination. 
  • Small Town Potential (9/8c, HGTV): Transforming homes in the rural Hudson Valley in upstate New York is the mission of real estate agent/designer Davina Thomasula and life partner/contractor Kristin Leitheuser. Their first client: a couple renovating a farmhouse from the 1800s. 
  • Wicked Tuna (9/8c, National Geographic): The Gloucester bluefin fishery is open for business as the long-running reality series launches its 13th season. 
  • CSI: Vegas (10/9c, CBS): Wouldn’t a bad review have sufficed? The bodies of celebrity impersonators of Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop are discovered behind drywall during a home construction. Speaking of reviews, Folsom (Matt Lauria) faces a review board that could determine his career’s future, or lack thereof.