Ramy Youssef Shares His Feelings, Rick and Michonne on the Road, Battle of the ‘Simpsons’ Moms, AI Mystery on ‘CSI’

Special

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SATURDAY: Ramy Youssef is having a moment. He’s hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time next weekend, coming off a trip to the Oscars in support of his co-starring role in the award-winning Poor Things. And he returns to his native New Jersey for a terrific stand-up comedy special, his second for HBO, filmed in Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall. He addresses a diverse audience with droll yet barbed observations about keeping his cool as a Muslim American during a divisive election year. Riffs include getting backlash while doing appearances for charity (including a concert with Taylor Swift in the audience), and he’s especially enthralling as he delivers a long and rewarding anecdote about plagiarizing a book report on Gandhi.

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SUNDAY: One of the pleasures of this Walking Dead spinoff is getting to spend some rare downtime with soulmates Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), who after last week’s psychodrama in a doomed smart house are on the road in what for a time feels like a romantic idyll. Nothing lasts forever during a zombie apocalypse, and soon enough they’re back battling bandits and a familiar foe who could change the trajectory of their future, setting up next Sunday’s season finale. (Flashbacks provide a glimpse of another beloved character from the Dead-verse.)

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SUNDAY: Marge Simpson (voiced by Julie Kavner) is usually the peacemaker amid the chaos of The Simpsons, but when it comes to parenting, she’s the boss. When she clashes with Milhouse’s mother, Luann Van Houten (Maggie Roswell), over maternal issues, the spat becomes a life-or-death struggle in “Clan of the Cave Mom.” Followed by new animated episodes of Krapopolis (8:30/7:30c,) where there’s an opening for a new god and Deliria (Hannah Waddingham) has just the patsy; The Great North (9/8c), with the family decamping to New York for a cake competition; and Grimsburg (9:30/8:30c), spoofing horror movies with a summer-camp slasher on the loose.

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SUNDAY: The forensics team almost always gets their man (or woman), but what if the culprit isn’t human? That’s the dilemma when they investigate the murder of a mechanic in a dark factory, with clues suggesting the killer is a humanoid robot with an AI operating system. Which begs the question: Who’s operating the robot?

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SUNDAY: The clock is ticking in this delicious Masterpiece  show-biz dramedy, with British tabloids abuzz about 1980s soap star Noele “Nolly” Gordon (the great Helena Bonham-Carter), as her final episode of the hit series Crossroads looms. Her producer is gloating that it could be “bigger than [the Dallas cliffhanger] Who Shot J.R.?”, though nobody knows exactly how they’re writing off her beloved character of Meg Mortimer. “Do I die? Is it murder?” frets Nolly, taking solace in the company of campy TV host Larry Grayson (Mark Gatiss), who urges his dear and despondent friend towards the stage for her next act.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Shifting Gears (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): The annual “Spring into Love” movie series begins with a romcom directed by Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, as part of Hallmark’s “Make Her Mark” Directing Program. Katherine Barrell and Tyler Hines star as exes facing off in an auto-restoration competition.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Was a poisoned protein shake behind the March 2023 death of Colorado mother of six Angela Craig? Evidence allegedly points toward her dentist husband.
• Into the Wild Frontier (Sunday, 6/5c, INSP): Season 4 of the historical docudrama opens with the story of Jim Baker (Michael Deni), an inexperienced frontiersman who undergoes a trial by fire to become a leader.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Sharyn Alfonsi interviews Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Bill Whitaker reports on the race to mine valuable minerals from the Eastern Pacific’s sea floor, and Lesley Stahl tackles the issue of disinformation on social media during an election year.
• American Idol (Sunday, 8/7c, ABC): It’s the final round of auditions, with Hollywood Week looming.
• The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): In “Justice Delayed: The Story of C.J. Rice,” Jake Tapper recounts his crusade for justice that resulted in the exoneration of C.J. Rice, a Philadelphia man who spent more than 12 years in jail for attempted murder despite evidence (provided by Tapper’s doctor father) to the contrary.
• Tracker (Sunday, 9/8c, CBS): The search for a missing racehorse pits Colter (Justin Hartley) against his nemesis, Billie Matalon (Hartley’s wife Sofia Pernas), a rival reward seeker.
• Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard (Sunday, 9/8c, Bravo): The second season of the reality show, featuring Black professionals sharing quarters on the resort island, opens with Jordan Emanuel hosting a seafood boil, but it’s tempers that reach the boiling point.
• In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon (Sunday, 9/8c, MGM+): The second half of Alex Gibney’s acclaimed documentary profile follows Paul Simon after his split with Art Garfunkle as he embarks on a successful solo career, culminating in the recording of his album Seven Psalms while dealing with hearing loss.
• Alice & Jack (Sunday, 10/9c, PBS): The bittersweet romantic drama takes a turn when married-with-baby Jack (Domhnall Gleeson) reconnects with an emotionally fragile Alice (Andrea Riseborough) to accompany her to her mother’s funeral, but makes the mistake of keeping his wife, Lynn (Aisling Bea), in the dark.
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (10/9c, HBO): A strong episode for the late Richard Lewis finds him turning to Larry for help (bad idea) in buying a vintage car. Steve Buscemi co-stars.