What’s Worth Watching: ‘American Masters’, ‘The Amazing Race’, ‘Saturday Night Live’ and more for Friday, Feb. 12 & Saturday, Feb. 13
B.B. King: The Life of Riley (Friday, 9/8c, check local listings at pbs.org): Born Riley B. King, the legendary blues guitarist reflects on his upbringing in the racist Mississippi South and the musical triumphs that brought him worldwide fame in an American Masters documentary filmed shortly before King’s death last May. (Masters is on a musical roll this month, with episodes saluting Carole King, Fats Domino and Loretta Lynn in weeks to come.)
The Amazing Race (Friday, 8/7c, CBS): Put down your devices and see the world—that would seem to be the motivation behind the 28th running of the Emmy-winning race, with all 11 teams comprised of social-media stars. I dare you not to tweet while watching.
Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, NBC): CBS’s Mike & Molly may be nearing its end, but Melissa McCarthy’s star just keeps rising, and this summer’s Ghostbusters reboot could even take her to the next level. She’s rarely funnier than when giving it her all before a live SNL audience, and this will be her fourth time as guest host. Still, she has a ways to go to match Kanye West, who’s making his seventh appearance as musical guest.
Inside Weekend TV: CBS is still grooving on Coldplay. As Hawaii Five-0 (Friday, 9/8c) marks Valentine’s Day with the team reliving their worst romantic experiences, four songs from the band’s new A Head Full of Dreams provide the soundtrack. … The field will be smaller this time, but the stakes even higher if that’s possible, as the leading Republican presidential candidates face yet another debate (Saturday, 9/8c, CBS), in Greenville, S.C., moderated by Face the Nation’s John Dickerson, Major Garrett and Wall Street Journal‘s Kimberley Strassel. … As part of TNT’s NBA All-Star Weekend, Nick Cannon and Rebecca Romijn host Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016 Revealed (Saturday, 10:30/9:30c), in which the magazine’s new cover model, and cover, will be unveiled with typical understatement.