Worth Watching: ‘Prince Charles at 70′, Kids Choice Awards, Gambling Fever on ’60 Minutes’ and Showtime
A selective critical checklist of notable weekend TV:
Prince Charles at 70 (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS, check local listings at pbs.org): Royal watchers can follow the man who would be king over the course of his 70th year in 2018, at work and at leisure, in Britain and beyond as he pursues his environmental and social causes while preparing for the day when he might assume the crown. His sons, Prince William and Harry, provide insights on their very busy father.
Kids Choice Awards (Saturday, 8/7c, Nickelodeon): It’s celebrity slime time on the awards show where kids pick the winners, with DJ Khaled hosting and scheduled appearances by the likes of Ariana Grande, Adam Sandler, Chris Pratt and Kiernan Shipka. Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther are the most nominated entertainments, and the fun comes in seeing who walks away covered in the most green goo.
Funny Women of a Certain Age (Saturday, 9/8c, Showtime): You’re not getting older, you’re getting funnier — that’s the pitch that gets them in the door at this bicoastal comedy showcase, which premieres on TV as the first comedy special featuring six female comics over 50. Host Carole Montgomery welcomes a lineup including former Nanny Fran Drescher, Luenell, Lynne Koplitz, Kerri Louise and Vanessa Hollingshead. Ladies, don’t be strangers.
60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Last year’s Supreme Court ruling lifting the ban on sports betting, leaving it up to individual states to legalize the practice, could lift ratings for the ongoing NCAA college basketball tournament. But a report by Jon Wertheim on the pre-eminent news magazine questions whether the upsurge in legalized sports betting could lead to more attempts by crooked gamblers to try to fix games and tempt unpaid athletes to influence an outcome.
Taking a cheerier look at this pivotal moment in the world of sports gambling, Showtime premieres a four-part documentary series, Action (Sunday, 8/7c), that glamorizes the world of professional sports betters, colorful handicappers and analysts who are taking full advantage of the new legal gambling boom. It’s an industry estimated to reap $400-$500 billion in the U.S., so don’t be surprised if some of these characters find their way into Showtime’s fictional Billions before it’s over.
Inside Weekend TV: Is there a greater proponent for animal rescue than Hallmark Channel? Now the issue has infiltrated its romantic movie slate. In Love to the Rescue (Saturday, 8/7c), a single mom (Nikki DeLoach) and single dad (Michael Rady) find each other while sharing custody of Bruce, a rescue dog each had promised their kids they could adopt… Fox’s Family Guy (Sunday, 9/8c) breaks form once again, presenting itself as DVD commentary on a recent episode, spilling secrets about Peter and Lois’s marriage… The fate of Mo’s (Don Cheadle) firm hinges on making sure his dupe of an employee, Blair (Andrew Rannells), marries denim heiress Tiff (Casey Wilson) on the penultimate episode of Showtime’s Black Sunday (Sunday, 10/9c). For better or (as we already know will happen) worse, indeed… It’s the beginning of the end for AMC’s martial-arts fantasy drama Into the Badlands (Sunday, 10:25/9:25c), returning for its final episodes and leading up to an epic final battle, as renegade assassin Sunny (Daniel Wu) reconsiders his alliance with cult leader Pilgrim (Babou Ceesay) while M.K. (Aramis Knight) is obsessed with revenge. Badlands moves to its regular time period Monday at 10/9c.
