‘Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’ Milestones, ‘Dark Winds’ Returns, Winter Olympics, Valentine Movies

The Simpsons

SUNDAY: They’re looking pretty good for 800. Matt Groening‘s undying animated comedy marks its latest milestone (an unprecedented 800th episode) with a star-studded outing that takes Marge and Homer to Philadelphia to showcase their prize pooch, Santa’s Little Helper (who was the focal point of the very first full-length episode way back in December of 1989). The hapless canine enters the Philadelphia Dog Show after Marge gets the dog back into shape, which entails a visit to the St. Bernard of Assisi Medical Clinic (with voice cameos by The Pitt‘s Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, and Taylor Dearden). The stacked guest-voice cast includes Abbott Elementary‘s Quinta Brunson, Kevin Bacon (so many six degrees), Questlove, and Boyz II Men. Followed by the season finale at 8:30/7:30c, where Homer goes into business with Kirk Van Houten on a crumb-free cracker. D’oh!

Family Guy

SUNDAY: When baby Stewie speaks, mama Lois finally listens — a first-of-its-kind breakthrough that sets the stage for the irreverent animated comedy’s 450th episode. When Brian brings gummies into the house, Stewie turns on (“I can feel my heartbeat in my eyes!”), then drugs Lois’s wine, allowing her to hear her infant child’s thoughts for the first time. As they mellow out and enjoy munchies, they come to terms with Stewie’s homicidal tendencies and Lois’s domestic future. But will they remember it the morning after?

Dark Winds

SUNDAY: The acclaimed crime drama based on Tony Hillerman’s novels returns for a compelling fourth season, with Navajo Tribal Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Sgt. Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) searching for Navajo teen Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson), who ran away from her oppressive boarding school in the company of a shady relative. Their investigation is complicated by the lurking presence of a lethal hitwoman (Run Lola Run‘s Franka Potente) as the bloody trail leads off the reservation to 1970s Los Angeles. Back at the precinct, Joe is contemplating retirement while Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) considers returning to the squad after her harrowing adventures with Border Patrol last season.

Winter Olympics

SATURDAY and SUNDAY: It’s another full weekend of Olympics action in Milan and Cortina, with medal events including men’s and women’s giant slalom, dual moguls, cross-country skiing, biathlon, 500m speed skating, large hill ski jumping, women’s and mixed team skeleton, men’s 1500m short track speed skating, and mixed team snowboarding. Pair skating begins Sunday with the short program. (For details, go to nbcolympics.com/schedule.) All events can be livestreamed and replayed on Peacock, with NBC, USA Network, and CNBC sharing broadcasting duties. NBC’s Primetime in Milan recap begins at 8/7c.

Because of Cupid

SATURDAY: “Loveuary” reaches its peak on Valentine’s weekend, with Cupid itself causing mischief. The romcom pairs best friends Noami (Amy Groening) and Marcus (Evan Roderick) in a holiday mocktail competition that gets heated when Cupid spikes the concoctions with a love potion. Are these besties’ newly rekindled passions genuine, or is it magic?

The heart knows what the heart wants in Great American Family’s Love for Starters (Saturday, 8/7c), when an interior designer (Stephanie Bennett) and a celebrity chef (Jonathan Cherry) team up to save her family’s lakeside restaurant. The main course: romance.

Industry

SUNDAY: As the intense fourth season of the high-finance drama barrels toward the finish line in two weeks, the machinations grow darker and even more bitter when Harper (Myha’la) uses a public stage to discredit Tender’s financial irregularities. The upstart banking app’s manipulative co-founder, Whitney (a chilling Max Minghella), counters with some diabolical moves of his own, threatening the partnership of Harper and Eric (Ken Leung). Too bad for Whitney that the airing of all this dirty laundry is beginning to spook his CEO, Henry Muck (Kit Harington). And the twists just keep coming.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Blue Moon (Saturday, streaming on Netflix): The melancholic drama starring Oscar-nominated Ethan Hawke as Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart makes its streaming debut.
• NBA All-Star Weekend (Saturday, 5 pm/ET, NBC): Get ready for the big game (Sunday, 5 pm/ET) with events including the Kia Shooting Stars, the State Farm 3-Point Contest, and the AT&T Slam-Dunk Contest.
• The Dating App Killer: The Monica White Story (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Cupid might frown on this fact-based drama, starring Lela Rochon as a single mom who has the bad luck to attract a possible serial killer (Jarod Joseph) when she enters the world of online dating.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Natalie Morales reaches back more than 50 years to revisit the 1969 stabbing death of 17-year-old Nebraskan Mary Kay Hesse, which was finally solved thanks to technological advances and renewed scrutiny by law enforcement.
• Catchy Loves Lucy (Sunday, 7/6c, 4 pm/PT, Catchy Comedy Network): Who doesn’t love Lucy? The vintage comedy channel celebrates the legacy of legendary comedienne Lucille Ball by showcasing each of her popular series as well as TV movies and specials, with commentary by her daughter Lucie Arnaz. The opening weekend includes the 1993 documentary Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie, classic episodes of I Love Lucy, and the 1968 pilot episode of Here’s Lucy.
• The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): Senior National Correspondent Ed Lavandera provides the latest updates on “What Happened to Nancy Guthrie?” in a report on the abduction of the mother of Today anchor Savannah Guthrie.
• Miss Scarlet (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): The sixth season ends with the Victorian private detective (Kate Phillips) investigating the death of a foreign ambassador. But will new police regulations disrupt her partnership with Scotland Yard’s Inspector Blake (Tom Durant-Pritchard)? Later on Sunday, the mystery series Bookish (10/9c) wraps its first season.
• CBS News Things That Matter: A Town Hall with Governor Wes Moore (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): Senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell discusses the current political climate and the future of the Democratic party with Maryland Governor Wes Moore in a town-hall format.
• Like Water for Chocolate (Sunday, 8/7c, HBO Latino, streaming on HBO Max): The evocative Mexican drama cooks up more magical realism in its second and final season.
• Naked and Afraid (Sunday, 8/7c, Discovery): The two-hour season premiere drops two survivalists, one a rookie, into the mosquito- and alligator-infested swamps of the Florida Everglades. I’d be afraid, too.
• The Real Housewives of Potomac (Sunday, 8/7c, Bravo): Tea will be spilled, and claws bared as the cast sits for the first of a three-part reunion with Andy Cohen.
• All Creatures Great and Small (Sunday, 9/8c, PBS): Tears will be jerked as Tristan’s (Callum Woodhouse) war trauma is triggered by an ailing horse while the rest of the town celebrates the end of WWII with VJ Day.
• Filthy Fortunes (Sunday, 10/9c, Discovery): Hoarding expert Matt Paxton returns with his crew for a second season of excavating cluttered homes in search of buried treasures.
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (11/10c, HBO): With 32 Emmys to its credit, the satirical platform for the outspoken John Oliver returns for a 13th season. Wonder what he’ll tackle first?