Worth Watching: The Grammys, ‘Witches’ and ‘Allen v. Farrow’ Finales, Kids Choice Awards
A selective critical checklist of notable weekend TV:
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards (Sunday, 8/7c, 5/PT, CBS): The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah hosts what the music industry bills as its biggest night from L.A., with the Grammys adapting to the times by presenting a mix of live, taped and socially distanced performances. The starry roster includes last year’s Grammys star Billie Eilish, with fellow chart-toppers Taylor Swift, Cardi B, BTS, Harry Styles, Maren Morris and many more. In a nod to struggling clubs and theaters, employees from long-shuttered venues including L.A.’s Troubadour and New York’s Apollo Theater will step in as presenters.
A Discovery of Witches (Saturday, streaming on Sundance Now and Shudder): In the second-season finale of the lush time-traveling supernatural drama, the time is nigh for the powerful witch Diana (Teresa Palmer) and her vampire mate Matthew (Matthew Goode) to leave 1591 London and return to the present — but first Diana is in for a shock when a new “weaver” in town makes their presence known. And what’s awaiting the couple back at modern-day Sept-Tours? Possibly peril, as forces good and evil converge for a showdown at the family castle over those missing pages of the Book of Life.
Allen v. Farrow (Sunday, 9/8c, HBO): The final chapter of this blistering docuseries depicts the aftermath of the bitter 1993 custody battle and media war between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, which involved allegations of sexual abuse of their daughter Dylan. As the years pass, and Allen’s career continues unabated by scandal (including a rare appearance at the Oscars and a career salute at the Golden Globes), the fractured family tries to move on. But only after the #MeToo movement amplifies women’s voices, and with her brother Ronan Farrow’s encouragement, does Dylan feel emboldened to finally break her silence.
Kids’ Choice Awards 2021 (Saturday, 7:30/6:30c, Nickelodeon): It’s slime time again, and the very busy Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live, Kenan) steps up to host the annual celebration of kid-friendly pop culture, which goes to new heights as the network’s iconic Orange Blimp embarks on a virtual trip around the world. Justin Bieber is the musical headliner, and Vice President Kamala Harris appears during the show’s Generation Change presentation.
Inside Weekend TV: Reelz pays tribute to a sitcom classic with Golden Girls: Ageless (Saturday, 8/7c, 5/PT), narrated by Valerie Bertinelli, and salutes the spirit and gumption of a tragic film goddess in Marilyn, Misunderstood (Sunday, 8/7c, 5/PT), narrated by Kim Cattrall… The INSP movie Blue Ridge (Saturday, 8/7c) stars Jonathan Schaech, Sarah Lancaster, and Graham Greene in a murder mystery set in a mountain town where the case reignites a long-simmering feud between two powerful families… More movies: Lifetime’s A House on Fire (Saturday, 8/7c) is a troubling drama starring Law & Order: SVU’s Stephanie March as a brilliant but self-destructive doctor whose addiction and mental illness leads to fiery family tragedy… On a lighter note, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries brings back the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries franchise for its 15th film: How to Con a Con (Sunday, 8/7c), in which librarian and amateur sleuth Aurora (Candace Cameron Bure) looks into the murder of mom Aida’s (Marilu Henner) real-estate client with the help of fiancé Nick (Niall Matter) and the Real Murders Club… Nat Geo WILD launches a new season of Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet (Saturday, 9/8c), where there’s no such thing as a “routine reindeer castration.”… Set in neighboring Alaska, Fox’s delightful The Great North (Sunday, 8:30/7:30c) welcomes Catastrophe’s Rob Delaney, voicing the role of Beef’s (Nick Offerman) brother Brian from the “urban hellhole” of Anchorage. The main event, though, is the “Ladies’ Choice” school dance, where Judy (Jenny Slate) has her heart set on asking mall hottie Crispin (Julio Torres), who’s only got eyes for someone else in her offbeat family… AMC’s The Walking Dead (Sunday, 9/8c) follows Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) during an eventful supply run.
A Discovery of Witches where to stream
