The ‘Killer’ Patrick Dempsey, NFL Conference Championships, an Animal ‘Kingdom,’ Scott Foley in ‘It’s Not Like That’

Memory of a Killer

SUNDAY: The man we knew as McDreamy takes on a more McScreamy persona when Grey’s Anatomy‘s Patrick Dempsey returns to network TV in antihero mode as Angelo Flannery — or is that Doyle? Angelo’s living a double life, as Flannery, a khaki-wearing suburban widower who sells copy machines as a cover, but in his real job as Doyle, he transforms into a Porsche-driving Man in Black gun-for-hire who believes his targets always deserve it. As this entertainingly twisty thriller opens (the first episode following the NFC Championship game, then moving to Mondays), Angelo begins to fear he’s showing symptoms of the same dementia that claimed his brother, which makes the separation of his two lives harder to maintain. Worse, he discovers that his family, kept secret from his employer (The Sopranos‘ Michael Imperioli), is in danger. How to protect them when he can’t even trust himself?

NFL Football

NFL Conference Championships: A spot in next month’s Super Bowl beckons for two of the teams facing off in Sunday’s highly anticipated title games. First up: the AFC (3 pm/ET, CBS), where the Patriots travel to Denver to take on the Broncos, which is minus the talents of injured QB Bo Nix. Then the action shifts to the NFC game (6:30 pm/ET, Fox) in Seattle, where the No. 1 Seahawks confront No. 5 Los Angeles Rams. The winners set their sights on Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where Super Bowl LX will be played on Feb. 8.

Kingdom

SATURDAY: The dean of nature programming, 99-year-old Sir David Attenborough, returns to narrate one of the most ambitious shows yet to emerge from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit. The six-part series, filmed over five years, follows four distinct animal clans — a leopard family, a wild dog pack, a lion pride, and a hive of hyenas — as they try to cohabit, or at the very least survive, in a lush corner of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. The opener introduces leopard mom Olimba as she raises two cubs, protecting them from the roving packs of wild dogs and hyenas, until their balance of power is threatened by the arrival of lions on the scene.

It’s Not Like That

SUNDAY: If This Is Us had a love child with 7^th Heaven, the result might be something like this engaging family dramedy starring Scandal‘s Scott Foley (currently appearing on Will Trent) as widowed pastor Malcolm, raising three kids with the help of his late wife’s best friend Lori (Erinn Hayes), herself recently divorced with two teens. As these incredibly attractive single parents lean on each other during this emotional time of transition, they’re also inevitably drawn toward each other. Meanwhile, their offspring are going through the many tortures of adolescence. Unabashedly faith-based, the series also dramatizes Malcolm’s poignant return to the pulpit after tragedy at Atlanta’s Grace Community Church, “where all are welcome.” Launches with two episodes on Wonder Project’s subscription platform on Prime Video, which will stream the series at a later date.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

SUNDAY: In the diverting Game of Thrones spinoff, the humble Ser Dunk (Peter Claffey) makes a direct appeal to Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), heir to the Iron Throne, as the lowly hedge knight seeks to make a name for himself at the tournament in rural Ashford. “I mean to be a champion,” the earnest Dunk insists, making more sacrifices to purchase armor for what promises to be a grueling trial by fire. He’s also unexpectedly smitten by a traveling puppeteer (Tanzyn Crawford) who offers to decorate the battered shield he inherited from his late master. Acts of kindness are rare in this world, to put it mildly.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• NBA on ABC (Saturday, 3 pm/ET, ABC): The “game of the week” franchise returns for an 11th season with a tripleheader, starting with the New York Knicks at Philadelphia Flyers, followed by Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves (5:30 pm/ET) and L.A. Lakers at Dallas Mavericks (8:30 pm/ET).
• Caught by Love (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): The latest “Winter Escape” movie pairs Rachael Leigh Cook and Luke Macfarlane at a resort where a vacation turns into an undercover mission to find stolen jewels.
• Toni Braxton‘s Breathe Again (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Braxton stars with Essence Atkins and Cree Summer as dating-show contestants who form a sisterhood after their public humiliation.
• Have I Got News for You (Saturday, 9 pm/ET, CNN): Roy Wood Jr. returns with team captains Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black for a new season of up-to-the-minute comedy, with comedian Andy Richter and media exec Janice Min as guests.
• UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett (Saturday, 9 pm/ET, streaming on Paramount+): The streamer enters the ring for its first mixed martial arts live broadcast from the Octagon.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Natalie Morales reports on the 1988 strangulation murder of Oregon mother Debe Atrops, whose daughter Rhianna was only 8 months old at the time. Decades later, Rhianna believes the authorities are mistaken in identifying her father as the prime suspect.
• Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) makes her hosting debut, with Geese making its first appearance as musical guest.
• Diane Keaton Memorial Tribute (Sunday, 12:30 pm/11:30c, TCM): A marathon of films featuring the beloved actress, who passed away in October, begins with 1991’s Father of the Bride, followed by 1981’s epic Reds (2:30/1:30c), the comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery (6/5c), her Oscar-winning performance as Annie Hall (8/7c) and 1987’s Baby Boom (10/9c).
• Miss Scarlet (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): Moses (Ansu Kabia) returns to London on a treasure hunt. Followed by new episodes of All Creatures Great and Small (9/8c), with brothers Siegfried (Samuel West) and Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) sparring over the treatment of a wealthy family’s ailing horse, and the mystery series Bookish (10/9c), investigating a murder when a famous screen duo films their latest picture on Archangel Lane.
• Celebrity IOU (Sunday, 9/8c, HGTV): In the season finale, Star Trek icon William Shatner enlists Jonathan and Drew Scott to surprise his longtime assistant with a renovated dream kitchen.