Bruce Willis Gets Roasted, ‘Succession’ Gathers for a Wedding, Shark Week Finale Gets ‘Naked’
A critical checklist of notable weekend TV:
The Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis (Sunday, 10/9c, Comedy Central): Dying hard is easy compared to being grilled to a profane crisp by a dais of smart-alecky celebrities. This year’s panel includes Roast Master Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who once played a younger version of Bruce Willis in Looper; Edward Norton, whose snarky set got the best reviews; surprise guest and ex-wife Demi Moore, who has certainly earned the right to roast; and Moonlighting sparring partner Cybill Shepherd, along with the inevitable Jeff Ross, plus Martha Stewart and an ill-prepared Dennis Rodman, who reportedly earned boos. There will be bleeping.
Succession (10/9c, HBO): The great Tony-nominated British actress Harriet Walter (Clementine Churchill in The Crown) adds a new level of venom to the penultimate episode of the increasingly addictive drama about a powerful media dynasty collapsing from within. Walter plays the viciously witty Caroline, ex-wife of mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and the hostess with the most wicked attitude as the family — minus Logan, scandalously — gathers at the ancestral castle in England for the less-than-blessed wedding of Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen). Intrigue and vitriol run thicker than blood as estranged son Kendall (Jeremy Strong) plots a hostile takeover, and several attendees become alarmed at the closeness of Shiv and her fellow political consultant, Nate (Ashley Zukerman). Little wonder Caroline’s idea of small talk is placing bets on how long the marriage will last.
Naked and Afraid of Sharks (Sunday, 9/8c, Discovery): Well, this was probably bound to happen. The 30th Shark Week swims off with a hybrid special, crossing over with the blur-tastic reality franchise. Five Naked and Afraid all-stars-is that a thing? — are stranded on the usual barren island, this time amid the most shark-infested water on Earth. Their challenge: survive 14 days on only what the ocean provides. And oh yeah, don’t get bit.
Preacher (Sunday, 10/9c, AMC): This twisted supernatural thriller gets more bizarre by the week. In the prologue, a long-absent character reappears — but to what diabolical purpose? Back in Angelville, Jesse (Dominic Cooper) enlists Tulip (Ruth Negga) in an elaborate caper to keep both her and his evil Gran’ma (Betty Buckley) alive, while in New Orleans, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) meets his match within a vampire cult, “Les Enfants du Sang (the Children of Blood).” Is all of this leading anywhere? Hard to say, but the ride is gruesomely exhilarating.
Inside Weekend TV: Vivica A. Fox takes The Wrong Cruise on Lifetime (Saturday, 8/7c), when a port excursion with her daughter goes awry and they’re on the run for their lives in a foreign country… Hallmark Channel goes global with Love on Safari (Saturday, 9/8c), filmed in scenic South Africa, starring Hallmark fave Lacey Chabert (Party of Five) as a Chicago web designer who inherits an animal reserve and flips, as one does, for the local ranger (Jon Cor)… The final stage of the Tour de France (Sunday, 9:30 am/8:30c, NBCSN) takes the riders to the Champs-Élysées in Paris for the ultimate victory lap… In the season finale of Endeavour on PBS’s Masterpiece (Sunday, 9/8c, check local listings at pbs.org), the young sleuth (Shaun Evans) investigates a public school after a teacher mysteriously vanishes.
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Sunday...looks like the ol' DVR is going to record (Season Passes)...
Sharp Objects
Preacher
The Affair
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Life's little cruelty: the only two shows I want to watch tonight are on at the same time. Secret Life of the Zoo and Doctor Blake Mysteries both at 9pm. I think Animal Planet reruns their shows more often than PBS does, so Doctor Blake will probably win out. 😀
I'm not sure I've heard of Succession. Yet another one-word generic series title, this time about a "media dynasty." I guess the next thing is for some channel to come up with a tense scripted drama about a family hardware-store business.
Just saw another ad for an upcoming fall show called God Friended Me. I don't know much more than what the title suggests, but from the promo, it reminded me of Joan of Arcadia, and that it seemed to have a similar premise.
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Looks like a repeat of last week for me: Animal Planet shows on Saturday and my eclectic mix of shows on Sunday. I might check out that Bruce Willis roast when it repeats after 11:00 because they usually don't bleep out the swear words then. LOL
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Glad that you suggested, Don, that they might not bleep the adult language after 11 PM...
I originally thought that the Roast of Bruce Willis might be interesting to check out...then read "There will be bleeping."...and figured Why Bother???
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That's true of almost all the shows on Comedy Central. They play most of the comedy specials and movies without bleeping after 11:00 or 12:00 too.
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