Remembering Rob Reiner, Glinda and Cher on ‘SNL,’ ‘Landman’ Back on the Road, Pickleball for Christmas

All in the Family

SUNDAY: Before launching his celebrated directing career, with highlights including When Harry Met Sally, This Is Spinal Tap, and the aforementioned hits, Rob Reiner was a household name as Mike “Meathead” Stivic on Norman Lear‘s groundbreaking All in the Family, winning two Emmys for the role. As a tribute, the nostalgia channel presents a four-hour block of episodes in which Reiner took center stage (starting at 6/5c), including the Season 2 episode in which Mike’s anxiety over college exams led to fears of impotence, the Season 4 graduation episode and, from Season 5, a memorable contest between Mike and his father-in-law Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) to see who could abstain the longest from their vices: cigars for Archie and overeating for Mike.

Saturday Night Live

SATURDAY: The last new episode of the calendar year is typically a Christmas treat, and for this year’s show, they’ve pulled out the stops. Ariana Grande, one of the most reliably funny and versatile guests, returns to host for the third time, riding high on the box-office success of Wicked: For Good. And she’ll be introducing a living legend when Cher returns to the Studio 8H stage as musical guest for the first time since 1987. May the TV gods put these divas in a duet.

Landman

SUNDAY: One of the pleasures of the slow-burning second season of Taylor Sheridan‘s Texas oil drama has been watching veteran scene-stealers like Andy Garcia and especially Sam Elliott play off of Billy Bob Thornton’s beleaguered Tommy Norris. Those pleasures are well represented when Tommy reluctantly lets his father, T.L. (Elliott), tag along for a road trip to Fort Worth, where negotiations continue between him and cartel boss Danny “Gallino” Morrell (Garcia) and the widowed Cami (Demi Moore). Back home, Tommy’s son Cooper (Jacob Lofland) meets yet another of Ariana’s (Paulina Chavez) extended family to impress and get their blessing for their union. And M-Tex lawyer Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) makes a surprising connection when she seeks expert guidance on drilling a new offshore well.

A Pickleball Christmas

The Yule Log: This was inevitable. Lifetime’s A Pickleball Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c) exploits the trendy sports craze, with One Tree Hill alum James Rafferty starring as a tennis pro who teams with a pickleball coach (Zibby Allen) for a holiday tournament to save his Florida family’s struggling local racquet club. Also on the Christmas movie marquee: On Hallmark Channel, A Make or Break Holiday (Saturday, 8/7c) takes a stressed-out couple (Hunter King and Evan Roderick) to the brink of separation when they host their families for the holidays; and in The Christmas Baby (Sunday, 8/7c), Ali Liebert and Katherine Barrell are a couple who aim to foster and adopt the baby boy who was left on their doorstep. On Great America Family: Another Sweet Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c), which enjoyed a brief run in theaters earlier this month, stars Candace Cameron Bure and Cameron Mathison as a couple whose love story inspires the production of a Christmas movie in their hometown; and Mario Lopez Presents: Chasing Christmas (Sunday, 8/7) stars Trevor Donovan as a morning-show host who joins an artist (Jillian Murray) and their children in a search for the season’s most coveted toy. UPtv’s The Best Thing About Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c) tells the musical story of a singer-songwriter coping with personal loss at the holidays, and Christmas with the Knightlys (Sunday, 7/6c) stars Celeste Desjardins as a teacher who agrees to pose as the girlfriend of a billionaire’s son. For laughs, CNN presents the rescheduled premiere of Roy Wood Jr.‘s Very Very Very Merry Holiday Special (Saturday, 8/7c), with the Daily Show alum making merry in Washington, D.C. with Dulcé Sloan, Craig Robinson, Jesse James Decker, and the U.S. Air Force Band.

CBS News: Rob Reiner—Scenes from a Life (Sunday, 8:30/7:30c, 8 pm/PT, CBS): As Hollywood and the world beyond continues to reel from the shocking tragedy of Rob Reiner and wife Michele’s murders last weekend, an hourlong special celebrates the actor-turned-director’s remarkable life and career. Among those reflecting on his legacy: Kathy Bates, who won an Oscar for his film version of Misery, Jerry O’Connell (Stand by Me), Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride), Annette Bening and Michael Douglas (The American President), and more. Also included are excerpts from the CBS News archives, including Reiner’s recent interview with 60 Minutes‘ Lesley Stahl.

CNN also weighs in with “Rob Reiner: His Life and Legacy,” a special edition of The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper (Sunday, 8/7c) that includes the latest updates on the murders and the investigation involving their son Nick as well as reflections on his career and political activism. Followed by an archival Larry King Live interview (9/8c) with Reiner that first aired in 1997.

NSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• College Football Playoffs: Games in the first round include No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M (Saturday, 12 pm/ET, ABC and ESPN), No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss (3:30 pm/ET, TNT, truTV, and streaming on HBO Max) and No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon (7:30 pm/ET, TNT, truTV, and streaming on HBO Max).
• Family Film and TV Awards (Saturday, 8/7c, CBS): Survivor‘s Jeff Probst receives the Television Icon Award and Penn & Teller the Outstanding Family Entertainers Award at the ceremony honoring family-friendly entertainment, hosted by Julie Chen Moonves and featuring a performance by Blake Shelton.
• Ordinary Girl in a Tiara (Saturday, 8/7c, The CW): Sparks fly when fashion devotee Caro (Katharine King So) gives her childhood rival and couture heiress Philippa (Kathryn Gallagher) a place to stay.
• CBS News Sunday Morning (Sunday, 9 am/8c, check local listings): The holiday edition includes host Jane Pauley‘s 100-year celebration of the Rockettes, who stop by to perform, and Ted Koppel‘s visit to Seneca Falls, N.Y., the inspiration for It’s a Wonderful Life‘s iconic Bedford Falls.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7:30/6:30c, 7 pm/PT, CBS): In a double-length segment, Cecilia Vega heads to the Himalayas, where a 19-year-old sherpa guides her to Mount Everest’s Base Camp. Sharyn Alfonsi interviews some of the now-released Venezuelan migrants who were deported to CECOT, the notorious El Salvador prison.
• Robin Hood (Sunday, 9/8c, MGM+): The penultimate episode finds Rob (Jack Patton) out for revenge and Marian (Lauren McQueen) in danger after Prince John (Graeme Thomas King) learns of her spycraft.
• The Road (Sunday, 9:30/8:30c, 9 pm/PT, CBS): The final three musicians learn their fate when executive producer Taylor Sheridan joins Keith Urban and Blake Shelton at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium to learn who the audience has chosen as the winner in the season finale.
• Words + Music (Sunday, 10/9c, MGM+): Alanis Morissette performs new songs alongside her hits, using music to illustrate her spiritual journey.
• I Love LA (Sunday, 10/9c, HBO): In the comedy’s season finale, Maia (Rachel Sennott) and Tallulah (Odessa A’Zion) return to New York for an exclusive fashion gathering, and they may wish they’d stayed on the West Coast.