‘Somebody Somewhere’ Returns, Earth Day Programming, Amityville Origin Story Joins ‘From,’ Peril on ‘Magnum’

SUNDAY: Rounding out a night of excellence on HBO (following Succession and Barry), Bridget Everett’s acclaimed comedy is one of those shows that can make you laugh till you cry—and vice versa. Everett is Sam, still adjusting in Season 2 to the Kansas family with whom she has reunited after the crushing loss of her sister. She finds solace with a chosen family of outsiders including her offbeat new bestie Joel (Jeff Hiller), who urges her to keep singing. But at some point she’ll need to mend fences with her disapproving sister, Trisha (Mary Catherine Garrison).

SATURDAY: Those thirsty for Earth Day programming will want to check out this three-part nature docuseries—a fourth “Making of” hour exclusively streams on AMC+—about animals seeking the basic sustenance of water amid a drought in Kenya, one of the worst in 20 years. In parallel narratives, the series (narrated by Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh) follows an elephant family, a wild dog matriarch with five new puppies and a cheetah mother with four cubs as they fight off predators while searching for elusive sources of water between rainfalls.

SATURDAY: Leonardo DiCaprio is an executive producer of a nature documentary telling the dramatic story of “Babs,” the first female panther known to have prowled Florida’s northern Everglades in 43 years. Photographer Carlton Ward Jr. is among those following Babs’ path as citizens work together to track and protect the endangered species.

SUNDAY: The second season of the supernatural thriller welcomes (if that’s the word) a bus full of newcomers to the town of no escape. But local sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau) isn’t there to greet the arrivals, as he’s still trapped in a strange and terrifying prison. Followed by the premiere of a four-part journey into real-life horror in the docuseries Amityville: An Origin Story (10/9c), featuring first-hand accounts of the frights that befell George and Kathy Lutz in 1975 when they moved into a dream home that turned out to be a nightmare, forcing them to flee after only 28 days.

SUNDAY: The sun-drenched procedural reaches its explosive midseason finale with the heroes in peril after an armed hit team attacks Robin’s Nest, where lovebird private eyes Magnum (Jay Hernandez) and Higgins (Perdita Weeks) reside. Caught in the crossfire: T.C. (Stephen Hill) and Rick (Zachary Knighton), who’s critically wounded.

SUNDAY: Everyone’s turning on everyone in another riveting chapter of the Emmy-winning dark farce, with Noho Hank (Anthony Corrigan) plotting against the incarcerated Barry (Bill Hader), who’s upset to learn that his mentor Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) appropriated his story for his own selfish purposes. At least Sally (Sarah Goldberg) may have found her true calling: stepping into Gene’s shoes as an uncompromising acting coach. It would be funny if it weren’t all so brutal.

SUNDAY: Six Feet Under’s Lauren Ambrose makes her first sustained appearance as the adult Van, who’s suspicious about Taissa’s (Tawny Cypress) reappearance in her life. Though given all of the VHS movies in her midst, it’s clear Van hasn’t completely abandoned the past. In the present, Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) tries to pull a fast one on the nosy cops on her trail, while in the past, a very pregnant teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) is losing her cool: “Having a bunch of psychos praying for me in some f—ing tree cult isn’t making my life any easier!” Do tell.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Murdoch Mysteries (Saturday, 7/6c, Ovation): In an episode filmed in noir-style black-and-white, the key witness in the murder trial of Black Hand henchman Frank Rhodes collapses and dies in front of Murdoch (Yannick Bisson).
• A Pinch of Portugal (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Big Sky hunk Luke Mitchell is an Aussie cameraman who helps prep cook Anna (Heather Hemmens) get her bearings when she takes over for a temperamental celebrity chef after he storms off of his TV show.
• American Idol (Sunday, 8/7c, ABC): In a three-hour extravaganza, the hopefuls are back in Hollywood awaiting the results of America’s first votes for the Top 20, each performing again in hopes of making the next cut into the Top 12. (Those results will be announced Monday.) 2022’s Idol winner Noah Thompson and runner-up HunterGirl perform.
• The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): Chief climate correspondent Bill Weir reports an Earth Day-themed episode titled “How to Unscrew the Planet,” traveling the globe from the Swiss Alps to Silicon Valley to spotlight those who are working to remove carbon from the sea and sky.
• Fix My Frankenhouse (Sunday, 9/8c, HGTV): Mike and Denese Butler, married renovation pros from Boston, specialize in homes that have been chopped up a few too many times, using their skills to restore a cohesive flow and recapture the property’s original charms. Preceded by a new season of Home Town Takeover (8/7c), with Home Town’s Napiers and the Marrs of Fixer to Fabulous converging on Fort Morgan, Colorado to tackle 18 renovation projects across the town. Farmhouse Fixer’s Jonathan Knight lends a hand in the opener.
• Sanditon (Sunday, 9/8c, PBS): Will it be happily ever after for Charlotte (Rose Williams) and Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) in the finale of the Masterpiece series inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel? Judging by my mail, many early fans still haven’t gotten over the death of Season 1’s Sidney (Theo James).
• NCIS: Los Angeles (Sunday, 10/9c, CBS): We’re a month away from the series finale, which may help explain why Kilbride (Gerald McRaney) is offering Sam (LL Cool J) the position of interim operations manager.