— Starz premieres the 2017 legal drama “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” (8 p.m. Saturday). A film-festival favorite with a fairly limited theatrical release, “Israel” gained attention when star Denzel Washington was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. That recognition points out the general consensus about the movie, at least according to film critics.
The folks at Rotten Tomatoes summed up the drama as an “intriguing yet heavy-handed” movie that “makes the most of — but never quite lives up to — Denzel Washington’s magnetic performance in the title role.”
— The most popular movie of 2017 began streaming on Netflix on Tuesday. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was the eighth film in the blockbuster franchise, featuring a cast of old favorites and new faces, including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels and Gwendoline Christie.
The space adventure clearly pleased fans enough to gross more than $1 billion worldwide, receiving generally positive reviews. A BBC critic called it “a blockbuster movie packed with invention, wit and action galore.” Some negative voices included Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, who felt the movie was too similar to earlier installments. In contrast, the review in Canada’s Globe and Mail said “Jedi” added too many new animals, villains and story elements.
While the motion picture academy rescued “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” from obscurity with Washington’s Oscar nod, the hugely popular “Jedi” received no acting, writing or directing nominations. It was recognized with nominations for John Williams’ score as well as nods for Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects, but didn’t win any Oscars.
— Speaking of Oscar winners, J.K. Simmons narrates “Detroit: Comeback City” (9 p.m. Sunday, History). Few cities better represent the boom and bust of the American story. A city all but synonymous with American industry and energy, Detroit went from motor city to ghost town to urban center, now witnessing the stirrings of renewal.
In addition to visits with Detroit natives, “Comeback” includes interviews with rock star Alice Cooper, professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winner Dr. Heather Ann Thompson, Bill Ford and NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger.
Much of “Comeback” revolves around the story of the Michigan Central Station, a train station built to rival New York City’s Grand Central Terminal and announce Detroit’s arrival as a world capital of industry. Six decades later, the station was shuttered, a grim reminder of the city’s decline. Recently, the Ford Motor Company purchased Michigan Central Station, with plans to transform the building into an innovation hub.
— On two helpings of “Ransom” (Saturday, CBS, TV-14), terror north of the border (8 p.m.), Eric’s enemy snaps (9 p.m.). The second episode is the season finale. CBS canceled this series after the first season, only to pick it up again for a second round of 13 episodes. There’s been no announcement of a third season.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Regional coverage of Major League Baseball (7 p.m., Fox).
— The team goes all out to thwart an assassination attempt on the series finale of “Taken” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— A ’90s rapper gets his own home-makeover special, “Sir Mix-A-Lot’s House Remix” (8 p.m., DIY). The artist (real name: Anthony Ray) searches, buys and flips rundown properties in his hometown of Seattle.
— An author fears for the worst in the 2018 shocker “Killer Ending” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— “Truth and Lies” (9 p.m., ABC, r) recalls the well-covered murder of Laci Peterson.
— An overscheduled chocolatier promises her intended that their fourth walk down the aisle will result in vows in the 2018 romance “Yes, I Do” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): a repeat glance back at “Fifty Years of ’60 Minutes.'”
— An Amazon (Gal Gadot) discovers her destiny in the 2017 comic book adaptation “Wonder Woman” (7:35 p.m., HBO).
— TMZ host Harvey Levin interviews Magic Johnson on the second season premiere of “OBJECTified” (8 p.m., Fox News), pre-empted last Sunday by a special on the late Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer.
— After disaster in Pearl Harbor, Americans join forces with Australians to resist a Japanese invasion of New Guinea on part two of “The Pacific War in Color” (8 p.m., Smithsonian).
— Angela faces a murder charge on the fifth season premiere of “Power” (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— A case taps into a decades-old mystery on the season finale of “Instinct” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— The arrival of a movie star coincides with a local murder on “Endeavour” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks” (9 p.m., National Geographic, TV-14) enters its fifth season.
— “Unsung” (9 p.m., TV One) profiles Cheryl Pepsii Riley.
— Noah’s lessons go unheeded on “The Affair” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Wozniak’s secrecy unsettles Harlee on “Shades of Blue” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— After news of her mother’s death, Blanca must face her estranged family on “Pose” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
— Kendall challenges his father on “Succession” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
TCM offers up a double-dose of James Dean movies, “Rebel Without a Cause” (8 p.m. Sunday) and “East of Eden” (10 p.m.), both released in 1955, the year of the star’s early sudden death.
SATURDAY SERIES
Captured shenanigans on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (8 p.m., r, TV-PG) … Two hours of “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC) … “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS).
SUNDAY SERIES
Julie Chen hosts “Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS) … Auditions continue on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Lisa falls for a soothing voice (Ed Sheeran) on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … Steve Harvey hosts “Celebrity Family Feud” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … On two helpings of “Bob’s Burgers” (Fox, r, TV-PG), Molly Shannon (8:30 p.m.), a brand-new game (9:30 p.m.).
Vladimir Putin visits Quahog on “Family Guy” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Joy Behar plays “The $100,000 Pyramid” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14) … The asteroid rattles the public on “Salvation” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Celebs are asked “To Tell the Truth” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
(Kevin McDonough can be reached at [email protected].)
