Violent Times in ‘MobLand,’ Bob Newhart at the Movies, Mikey Madison Hosts ‘SNL,’ Calling the Midwives

MobLand

SUNDAY: Ray Donovan had it easy compared to Harry Da Souza (a gruff Tom Hardy), whose hands get continually dirty while cleaning up bloody messes and fixing dangerous problems for the Harrigans, a British gangster family led by the steely Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and his even more ruthless wife Maeve (Helen Mirren, relishing every minute of this Lady Macbeth role). With Guy Ritchie directing the opening chapters of Ronan Bennett’s mob melodrama, the action kicks in early as Harry tries to avert a war between the Harrigans and the rival Stevensons, whose son has gone missing after an ill-advised night out with Harrigan bad seed Eddie (Anson Boon). Harry’s always on call, which creates domestic tension with his wife, Jan (Joanne Froggatt), who’s about the only one who can risk getting on Harry’s bad side.

The Bob Newhart Show

SATURDAY: Bob Newhart Double Feature: Before he became a TV legend in 1972 with The Bob Newhart Show (and later, Newhart), rising 1960s’ stand-up comedian Bob Newhart dabbled in movies, and TCM revives two of his more memorable early appearances as a tribute to the performer, who passed away last July at 94. First up: the 1968 caper Hot Millions (8/7c), with Newhart as a neurotic executive who’s suspicious of fraudster Peter Ustinov; followed by Mike Nichols’ 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 (10/9c), with Newhart as the hapless Major Major. (You can stream The Bob Newhart Show anytime on Prime Video.)

Saturday Night Live

SATURDAY: That didn’t take long. Not quite a month since she became the first Gen Z actor to win a Best Actress Oscar, as the feisty title character of Sean Baker’s Anora, Mikey Madison takes the Studio 8H stage in her debut as guest host. Anyone who watched her grow through the seasons of FX’s Better Things is already aware of her range, so this could be fun. Morgan Wallen makes his second appearance as musical guest.

Call the Midwife

SUNDAY: The beloved series moves into the 1970s in its 14th season, which begins with the sisters and midwives of Nonnatus House caught up in social unrest on the Isle of Dogs, with protests barring access to a mother in labor. An even trickier situation confronts Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and Dr. Turner (Stephen McGann) when parents insist their 13-year-old daughter became pregnant by immaculate conception.

The Last Anniversary

SUNDAY: From producers of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers comes an adaptation of one of author Liane Moriarty’s earlier page-turners, a six-part domestic mystery set on the small Australian island of Scribbly Gum. The island has become a tourist attraction because of the legend of Baby Munro, an abandoned infant whose parents mysteriously vanished, an enigma that has for decades been mined for profit by the family who adopted the baby—named Enigma, now an adult woman (Helen Thomson) with a daughter of her own. The intrigue begins when the family’s matriarch passes away and deeds her home to her grandson’s ex-girlfriend Sophie (A Discovery of Witches’ Teresa Palmer), who begins digging into the history of Baby Munro to the displeasure of the Scribbly Gum locals.

The White Lotus

SUNDAY: The tension mounts in the penultimate episode of the hit drama’s third drama, with Walton Goggins facing his demons, Natasha Rothwell meeting face-to-face with Gary (Jon Gries) and security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) having a shocking epiphany while on a date with Mook (Lalisa Manobal). Elsewhere, a drug-dazed Jason Isaacs tries to convince his alarmed son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) that all is well—no one’s buying it—and the girlfriend group splinters further, with Carrie Coon making her most reckless decision to date.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Wife Stalker (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Keshia Knight Pulliam stars in a thriller about a wife intent on shielding her husband (Trai Byers) from a predatory newcomer (Grace Byers) with a black-widow past.
• Hearts Around the Table: Shari’s Second Act (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): The second movie in the Table franchise stars Mishael Morgan as a heartbroken woman who takes up painting in Washington, D.C. and has a meet-cute with a repairman (Brendan Morgan) who owns a gallery.
• Wildlife Rehab (Saturday, 10/9c, National Geographic WILD): Injured and orphaned animals find a safe haven at Saskatchewan’s Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. In the two-part opener, the team led by Jan, the area’s first registered wildlife rehabilitator, tends to sick foxes and baby geese, then works to protect birds from avian influenza.
• The Simpsons (Sunday, 8/7c, Fox): The eternal animated comedy hit returns after a three-month hiatus with a spoof of The Banshees of Inisherin, when Homer finally pushes his cheery neighbor Flanders to the brink. In a subplot, Bart becomes a celebrity DJ. Guest voices include Fiona Shaw, Rachel Bloom and Jane Kaczmarek.
• The Americas (Sunday, 8/7c, NBC): The nature series explores the teeming waters and exotic island of the Caribbean. Followed by new episodes of Suits LA (9/8c) and Grosse Pointe Garden Society (10/9c), which moves to Fridays at 8/7c on April 4.
• Tracker (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): Sofia Pernas, wife to series star Justin Hartley, returns as fellow rewardist Billie Matalon, infiltrating a women’s prison to help Colter (Hartley) find an escaped inmate and her hostage. Followed by the recently renewed Watson (9/8c), which introduces Whoopie Van Raam as Sherlock Holmes’ friend and con artist Irene Adler.
• The Righteous Gemstones (Sunday, 10/9c, HBO): The tarnished Gemstone offspring conspire to break up their father Eli (John Goodman) and his late wife’s best friend Lori (Megan Mullally) while weekending at Galilee Gulch, the family’s lakeside estate. “Can’t Daddy just go back to being lonely and depressed?” whines Kelvin (Adam DeVine) as their crude plotting invariably backfires.
• 1923 (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): The body count rises significantly in the penultimate episode of the Yellowstone prequel’s second season, with the Duttons eagerly awaiting the return of Spencer (Brandon Sklenar), though fearful that he’s riding home into a trap, while Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) finds a helpful ride to the American West, though not without nature’s perils.