Fantasy Lands (‘Last of Us,’ ‘Doctor Who,’ ‘Dead City’), Finales (‘Idol,’ ‘Miss Austen,’ ‘Simpsons’), Stanley Tucci in Italy

The Last of Us

SUNDAY: How is it possible that the second season of the gripping post-apocalyptic thriller is already almost over? With next week’s Season 2 finale looming, the series pauses to give context to last week’s coda that found a relatively content and smiling Ellie (Bella Ramsey) waking up to Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) “Hi, kiddo” in less traumatic times. HBO won’t let us say any more, but I’ll just add this is my favorite episode of the season, in the way that “Long, Long Time” was in the first season.

Doctor Who

SATURDAY: This fabulous sci-fi adventure, featuring one of the most charismatic Doctors (Ncuti Gatwa) to date, is unusually timely this week, when the Time Lord and his latest companion Belinda (Varada Sethu) stumble into the finale of the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest in 2925, held in a space station’s Harmony Arena. (It’s no coincidence that the actual Eurovision Song Contest is also ending Saturday, available for livestreaming from Basel, Switzerland on Peacock at 3 pm/ET.) The musical phenomenon is more popular than ever in the future, with an expected audience of 3 trillion life forms. Which makes it especially troublesome when the Doctor suspects someone with ill intent has taken over the control booth.

The Walking Dead: Dead City

SUNDAY: It’s hardly a carefree walk in the park when Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and the Babylonian team, including son Hershel (Logan Kim), head into an overgrown and eerie Central Park as they continue their methane mission in a devastated Manhattan. There are perils in the underbrush, to be sure, among other surprises. For young Hershel, it’s also a time to reflect on his captivity with the fearsome “Dama” (Lisa Emery) and her vision for a reinvented metropolis.

American Idol

SUNDAY: Airing live across the country, the singing competition wraps its 23rd season with an all-star blowout. The final three — John Foster, Breanna Nix, and Jamal Roberts — perform one last time, along with the judges (Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan) and artist-in-residence Jelly Roll. Special musical guests include Josh Groban, Jennifer Holliday, Patti LaBelle, Kirk Franklin, Jessica Simpson, Salt N Pepa, Goo Goo Dolls, Brandon Lake, Good Charlotte, and Myles Smith. And in the final moments, host Ryan Seacrest will announce who America chose to be their next American Idol.

Miss Austen

SUNDAY: The moving Masterpiece drama about Jane Austen’s surviving sister Cassandra (Keeley Hawes), and her attempt to keep Jane’s private letters private, concludes with two episodes. Temporarily felled by a fever, Cassandra relives a romantic escapade from her past, and when she recovers, she vows to secure a better future for her dear friend Isabella (Rose Leslie).

The Simpsons

SUNDAY: Say it isn’t so! Bart and Lisa have stopped watching those bloody Itchy & Scratchy cartoons together. Are they (shudder) growing up, or growing apart? Marge is understandably concerned in the Season 36 finale. Followed by a spoof of The White Lotus on Family Guy (8:30/7:30c) and the Season 3 finale of Krapopolis (9/8c), where Tyrannis sets out to prove to his mythological family that he’s important enough to be assassinated.

Tucci in Italy

SUNDAY: Stanley Tucci went Searching for Italy on CNN for two Emmy-winning seasons, and now the actor recently seen in Conclave returns to his ancestral land for National Geographic in a five-part culinary travelogue. Immersing himself in local cultures as he meets with chefs and other artisans at each stop, Tucci begins his journey in scenic and sensual Tuscany, where he indulges in an outdoor feast in Siena. Then it’s off to the Lombardy region, with visits to a space-age farm offering up a futuristic menu and service stations renowned for their taste treats.

 

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• I Was Honey Boo Boo (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson narrates her own life story, enacted by Vale Cooper as the 7-year-old beauty pageant fixture and Chelsea Larkin as the outrageous Mama June.
• Two for One: John Carpenter (Saturday, 8/7c, Turner Classic Movies): Horror-movie maven John Carpenter (Halloween) picks, what else, two famous fright flicks to introduce: 1931’s Frankenstein, with Boris Karloff as the Monster, and 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein, with Christopher Lee assuming the ghoulish role.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Bare bloody footprints help investigators solve the 1993 murder of Jeanie Childs in Minneapolis.
• House of Svengoolie (Saturday, 10:30/9:30c, MeTV): The Sven Squad welcomes a new movie into their haunting arsenal: 1999’s influential The Blair Witch Project.
• Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): To close out the milestone 50th season, Scarlett Johansson returns as guest host for the seventh time, with Bad Bunny on his third visit as musical guest.
• America’s Funniest Home Videos (Sunday, 7/6c, ABC): Two $100,000 winners compete in the Season 35 finale for a grand prize including a vacation at Disneyland Resort’s 70th Celebration.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): The magazine’s 57th season ends with reports on Chinese spying, mass firings at the IRS and A.I.-powered military weapons.
• Unknown Serial Killers of America (Sunday, 7/6c, Oxygen): A true-crime series puts the spotlight on serial killers who somehow evaded mass-media attention. Until now.
• Call the Midwife (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): The Season 14 finale brings four unmarried mothers and their infants to Nonnatus House after being displaced by a fire. Poplar is also preparing for Nancy’s (Megan Cusack) wedding, if she doesn’t give birth first.
• Sanjay Gupta Reports: Animal Pharm (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): CNN’s chief medical correspondent reports on breakthroughs in transplants of animal organs into humans, including the first people to receive genetically edited pig kidneys.
• Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing (Sunday, 8/7c, Discovery): A group of 14 fan favorites bare all in the Australian Outback, with the most resilient among them rewarded with a $100,000 cash prize. And maybe some socks.
• Suits LA (Sunday, 9/8c, NBC): Ted’s (Stephen Amell) and Samantha’s (Rachelle Goulding) firms join forces with a common goal in the season finale, but it’s too late to save this disappointing spinoff, now officially canceled.
• MobLand (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): Toby Jones (Mr Bates vs the Post Office) joins the intense gangster drama as Colin Tattersall, a former Deputy Chief Inspector with a devious plan to disrupt the feuding Harrigan and Stevenson crime families.