— Are we approaching a world without tigers? For nearly a century, nature documentaries brought the wonders of the wild into our theaters, then into our homes. Recently the films have become much more insistent, warning us of the vulnerability of the habitats we have taken for granted.
Made by two Oscar-winners, "Tigerland" (9 p.m. Saturday, Discovery) begins with a grim statistic. In 1900, there were an estimated 100,000 tigers left in the wild. Now, there are fewer than 4,000 remaining.
Directed by Ross Kauffman ("Born Into Brothels,") and produced by Fisher Stevens ("The Cove"), "Tigerland" follows two men from vastly different worlds, dedicated to saving the noble cat. Kailash Sankhala, known as "Tiger Man," spent a lifetime studying the big felines in his native India, where British colonials made an imperial fetish of hunting the animal, decimating its numbers.
A much younger man, Russian-born Pavel Fomenko dedicates his time to saving the Siberian Amur tiger from an epidemic of poaching that followed the chaos of the post-Soviet era.
Both men have become legends in their respective countries and have raised awareness of the tiger in the world’s ecosystem and the risks to humanity posed by the extinction of wild beasts.
"Tigerland" airs again on Sunday (10 p.m., Animal Planet).
— Wars may breed heroes and spies, but some of the deepest secrets reside in your own family. That’s just one of the lessons of the somber and engaging three-part miniseries "Mrs. Wilson" on "Masterpiece" (9 p.m., Sunday, PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
After 20 years of marriage to a charming spy novelist, Maj. Alexander Wilson (Iain Glen "Game of Thrones"), Alison (Ruth Wilson, "The Affair") discovers him dead in his study, the victim of a sudden heart attack.
They had met during World War II, when she was a secretary in a secret intelligence office and he was just leaving his wife after his adventures in espionage had torn them apart.
Or so she believed.
Things get a little hazy when she encounters a strange woman at his funeral, and old friends relate stories very at odds with Allison’s understanding of her husband’s past.
To reveal any more would spoil things.
Like a good Graham Greene novel, "Mrs. Wilson" blends a domestic drama of intimate betrayals with the deceptions of spycraft against a backdrop of a world at war.
At the risk of saying too much, I’d also compare it to the wartime classic "Mrs. Miniver," in that your understanding of the drama’s title tends to change once you’ve digested the story.
An added layer to "Mrs. Wilson" is that actress Ruth Wilson is actually playing her own grandmother and had a central part in producing the three-part series and bringing her family’s strange story to light.
— Honored with Emmys and critical praise, the dark comedy "Barry" (10 p.m. Sunday, HBO, TV-MA) leaves me totally cold. A tale of an unglamorous hit man (Bill Hader) who becomes an essential part of an acting class led by a sketchy teacher (Henry Winkler), "Barry" relies almost entirely on an "ironic" distance between its hyper-violence and its arch, inside joke-laden dialogue. If you find murderous gang members discussing a book by columnist Thomas Friedman a laugh riot, then this is a show for you.
— The brilliantly caustic "Veep" (10:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO, TV-MA) enters its seventh and final season, as Selina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gears up for another primary endurance test. A brilliant series, "Veep" is not so much directed as choreographed at a fast and furious pace.
Unlike most half-hour comedies, nearly every episode of "Veep" all but requires repeat viewings. The first just to keep up with the onslaught of profane dialogue, the second to follow the insane ballet between Selina and her sycophantic assistant Gary (Tony Hale), and a third just to keep up with the antics of everybody else. OK, maybe a fourth just to watch the chemistry between Louis-Dreyfus and Hugh Laurie ("House") who comes and goes as political rival Sen. Tom James.
Watching Louis-Dreyfus and Laurie together makes me wonder. A darling of British television comedy, Laurie ("A Bit of Fry & Laurie," "Jeeves and Wooster") transitioned into dramas ("House") and played a great villain in "The Night Manager," a miniseries that co-starred Olivia Colman, another performer who has done comedy ("Peep Show"), drama ("Broadchurch") and a blend of both ("The Favourite"). Does Louis-Dreyfus have the desire to play more serious characters? With three hit sitcoms and more acting Emmys than any other actress, she’s certainly conquered American TV comedy.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— A blackmailer dangles exonerating information in front of a death row inmate on "Ransom" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— A widow moves cross-country to spend time with her late husband’s twin sister in the 2019 shocker "The Killer Next Door" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— A frustrated painter captures the perfect man in more ways than one in the 2019 romance "A Brush With Love" (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— "Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle" (9 p.m., AMC, TV-14) recalls the cult behind the 1978 mass suicide.
— Sandra Oh hosts "Saturday Night Live" (11:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14), featuring musical guest Tame Impala.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): Parents of a murdered daughter who comfort other grieving survivors; a scheme to bring back the woolly mammoth; a Connecticut prison’s promising experiment.
— The Phillies host the Braves (7 p.m., ESPN) as Major League baseball gets underway.
— Duels enter their third round on "World of Dance" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— The top 40 performers put on a live show on a three-hour "American Idol" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— Lex leaves chaos in his wake on "Supergirl" (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
— The sports gambling series "Action" (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA) looks at legalized betting’s impact on an NFL season.
— Niko needs help on "Charmed" (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— A blizzard follows a tragedy on "The Walking Dead" (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— A key ally’s ruler has a citizen assassinated on "Madam Secretary" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Turner nears the truth on "Good Girls" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— A market crash reflects a broader trend on the season finale of "Black Monday" (10 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
— Missing and considered dead, a man’s (James Garner) wife (Doris Day) returns on the eve of his marriage to another woman (Polly Bergen) in the 1963 comedy "Move Over, Darling" (8 p.m. Saturday, TCM), a remake of the 1940 screwball comedy "My Favorite Wife" (10 p.m.), starring Irene Dunne, Cary Grant and Gail Patrick.
SATURDAY SERIES
Two hours of "Dateline" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Auditions continue on "American Idol" (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … Juveniles cook on "MasterChef" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … Tim Tebow hosts "Million Dollar Mile" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-G) … Chimney’s backstory on "9-1-1" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … "48 Hours" (10 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of "Saturday Night Live" (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
Return to sender on "God Friended Me" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Striking the right note on "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Tina’s mad crush on "Bob’s Burgers" (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
A cartel threatens a border patrol agent on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … On two helpings of "Family Guy" (Fox, TV-14) recycled emotions (9 p.m.), writing fiction (9:30 p.m., r).
