A summer miniseries event, "The Alienist: Angel of Darkness" (9 p.m. Sunday, TNT, TV-MA) will air back-to-back episodes over the next four Sunday nights. This is not so much the second season of "The Alienist" as an adaptation of its sequel novel, also written by Caleb Carr.
"Alienist" is a turn-of-the-20th-century term for a psychiatrist or one who studies the mentally ill, who had, in the logic of the times, grown "alien" from their true natures.
The series reflects rich production values and a lavish re-creation of the kind of gaslit urban jungle viewers have come to know from "Houdini," "Copper," "The Knick," and "Ripper Street."
Despite its impressive look, "The Alienist" was a slow-going affair, with its main character, the alienist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Bruhl), saddled with stilted period dialogue. The series took no historical pains to accurately reflect New York Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (Brian Geraghty). One of the most chronicled figures in American history, Roosevelt was often a patrician intellectual amongst ruffians, cowboys, cops and workers. He could have been played up for his eccentricity, but "The Alienist" portrays him as a laconic cowboy.
— "United Shades of America" (10 p.m. Sunday, CNN) returns for its sixth season. Documentary filmmaker W. Kamau Bell offers wry observations on race, class and caste in America while interviewing local representatives, activists and filmmakers. The series makes the most of Bell’s humor, empathetic interview style and CNN’s limitless wealth of news clips and archival footage.
This season’s debut seems charged by the moment, arriving deep into the COVID crisis and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement from the sidelines to the center of the political debate. It also arrives as the White House has defined its political and leadership strategies as an appeal to white fears and resentments.
In the first installment, Bell addresses the issue of white supremacy. He immediately describes the most obvious examples of the ideology, like Klansmen and neo-Nazis, as the tip of the iceberg. He then examines the institutional roots of racism, like lending and housing policies that create and sustain both ghettoized neighborhoods and all-white enclaves.
According to Bell, the high death rates of black and brown citizens from the COVID crisis are no mystery. Poor neighborhoods are also likely to be located in the most environmentally blighted areas, where access to public transportation, grocery stores and medical care are the most limited.
Worse, Bell argues, media coverage tends to enforce the attitudes that black and brown Americans "deserve" their status. According to one study he cites, more than 70% of television coverage of black men in Pittsburgh showed them to be either professional athletes or criminals.
Bell also looks into how the internet and emerging media like YouTube have been fertile ground for white extremist groups and terrorists. He shows clips of children under 10 praising the terrorist who killed dozens of Muslim worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand. In many ways these recruiting sites and videos mirror the efforts of ISIS, only with a white-power message.
And it’s not a fringe phenomenon. Bell shows how Swedish entertainer PewDiePie, YouTube’s biggest star, insinuates violent anti-Semitic messaging into his programming. PewDiePie has more than 100 million followers.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Kyrie Irving stars in the 2018 comedy "Uncle Drew" (7 p.m., TBS, TV-14), a fictional profile of a street basketball legend filled with cameos from basketball stars (as well as corporate product placements).
— Hair looms large in the Disney animated musicals "Brave" (7:45 p.m., Freeform, TV-PG) and "Tangled" (9:50 p.m., TV-G).
— On three helpings of "My Cat From Hell" (Animal Planet, TV-PG): litter box crises (8 p.m.); claws with a cause (9 p.m.); peer pressure (10 p.m.).
— A woman sends holiday cards to those who influenced her in the 2019 romance "Write Before Christmas" (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— A mother tries to protect her teenage daughter from anonymous bullies in the 2020 shocker "Murder in the Vineyard" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Cynthia Erivo stars in the 2019 biopic "Harriet" (8 p.m., HBO) as abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
— A patient’s care is shared on social media on "The Good Doctor" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Repeat reports scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): a profile of Nadia Murad, a woman who escaped ISIS and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize; Hungary’s efforts to boost its native population; a family of modern-day cowboys and rodeo stars.
— The plan congeals on "Black Monday" (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— The discovery of a nun’s body may be linked to earlier killings on the fifth-season finale of "Grantchester" on "Masterpiece" (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— The carwash receives surprising attention on "P-Valley" (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— An explanation for Beth and Jamie’s bad blood emerges on "Yellowstone" (9 p.m., Paramount, r, TV-MA).
— Mason visits his ex-wife (Gretchen Mol) in hopes of making amends on "Perry Mason" (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA). Like "Mason" stars Shea Whigham and Stephen Root, Mol also appeared in "Boardwalk Empire."
— Ronnie can’t escape his recollections "The Chi" (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— John discovers his betrayer on the season finale of "Beecham House" on "Masterpiece" (10 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings). This florid melodrama has not been renewed for a second season.
— Vic returns to the lake house on "NOS4A2" (10 p.m., AMC, BBC America, TV-14).
— A fresh look blows holes in the prosecution’s case on "Outcry" (10 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Michelle begins to feel the impact of her obsessions on "I’ll Be Gone in the Dark" (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
A one-armed veteran (Spencer Tracy) uncovers dark secrets when he tries to visit a small-town war hero’s family in the 1955 thriller "Bad Day at Black Rock" (4 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-PG). A wide-screen color Western with elements of film noir paranoia, the film boasts a great supporting cast including Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine.
SATURDAY SERIES
A client’s unsavory family may hurt his case on "Bull" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Two hours of "Dateline" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Jamie Foxx hosts "Beat Shazam" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … "America’s Funniest Home Videos" (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
Two hours of "48 Hours" (9 p.m., CBS) … "Ultimate Tag" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … Canned air on "Shark Tank" (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … A vintage helping of "Saturday Night Live" (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
Dwayne Johnson hosts "The Titan Games" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Homer bonds with Nelson on "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … "Celebrity Family Feud" (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14) … New recruits on "DC’s Stargirl" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … Betty’s secret on "Bless the Harts" (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
Terrorism and opiates on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … The auditions conclude on "America’s Got Talent" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Gene catches the acting bug on "Bob’s Burgers" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … "Press Your Luck" (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … Illusionists audition on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … Adding to the principal on "Family Guy" (9:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Sebastian goes dark on "NCIS: New Orleans" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … "Match Game" (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
