Want more proof that COVID ruins everything? “The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductions” (8 p.m. Saturday, HBO, TV-MA) arrives without ceremony or live performances, a red carpet or a gathering. Hosted, or at least introduced, by Dave Grohl, the “inductions” are little more than separate mini-documentaries about each artist. This year’s slate includes T-Rex, The Doobie Brothers, Depeche Mode, Notorious B.I.G. and Nine Inch Nails.
These events often spark debate. Whitney Houston seems like a completely arbitrary choice. Nobody was born with more talent and with a richer musical pedigree, and few had more hits. But, again, can her brand of R&B and pop be called rock and roll? If she belongs, how about her mother, Cissy Houston, whose backup singers, The Sweet Inspirations, were part of Elvis Presley’s act? For that matter, how about her cousin, the talented pop singer Dionne Warwick? Is Warwick excluded because she lived long enough to become the face of “soft rock” easy listening? Or because nobody ever considered it “rock”?
In addition to the performing artists, this year’s Ahmet Ertegun honorees are producer Irving Azoff and critic-turned-manager/producer Jon Landau.
The absence of a physical gathering and a live concert leaves a strange void. Clips of the new inductees The Doobie Brothers accentuate their origins as a bar band and their half-century of popular live concerts. Yet during their induction clip, they aren’t even interviewed as a band. All of their observations have been taped separately. No matter how you define “rock and roll,” social distance puts a damper on the feeling.
— What is it about space travel that inspires comedy? And some rather elaborate concepts for series? Technically, the new comedy “Moon Base 8” (11 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-14) doesn’t take place in space.
Fred Armisen, Tim Heidecker and John C. Reilly star as nerdy, over-the-hill and slightly overlooked astronauts stationed at NASA’s Moon Base Simulator in Arizona. They hope that mastering this pretend lunar mission will launch them onto the real thing, revive their careers and earn them the fame and respect that have eluded them.
Of the three, Cap (Reilly) is the biggest sad sack. He’s lost touch with his wife and kids after his stunt pilot business went bust. Skip (Armisen) is the son of a famous astronaut and hopes to walk in the old man’s footsteps. Rook (Heidecker) is a born-again Christian who sees space as part of his larger mission.
In addition to their middle-age malaise, “Moonbase” accentuates the banality of their test run. In the first episode, NASA assigns a former NFL star to join their team to get some needed publicity for the space agency. Cap develops a crush on the star athlete and trails after him with a pathetic and deferential puppy-dog adulation. John C. Reilly was born to play such roles.
Reilly has already worked with Heidecker on the absurd “Tim and Eric” sitcom sendup. In some ways, “Moonbase” is Showtime’s way of appealing to young male audiences who tune in to the Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” bloc on late Sunday nights. It has a deliberately deadpan atmosphere and is shot through with male-cringe humor. But it lacks the audacious cheap production values of “Adult Swim” as well as its anarchic violence. And this being Showtime, episodes run a full half-hour. In contrast, most episodes of “Tim and Eric” and other fare are mercifully short.
While hardly stellar, “Moonbase” is arguably better than the other two space comedies to arrive just this year. Fresh from the critical acclaim from “Veep,” writer/creator Armando Iannucci served up “Avenue 5” for HBO, a high-concept series set in the near future on a luxury interstellar liner marooned in deep space. Not even the presence of Hugh Laurie could propel many laughs. Steve Carell and Greg Daniels created “Space Force” for Netflix, a satire of Washington and military bureaucracy stuffed with talent (John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, Noah Emmerich, Jane Lynch, Patrick Warburton and many others). It seemed to have everything but laughs. “Space Force” still tops a short list of the worst new series of 2020.
In other space comedy news, “The Orville,” Seth McFarlane’s homage to classic “Star Trek,” has moved to Hulu from Fox. Efforts to create a third season have been stymied by COVID-19.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— College football action includes Clemson at Notre Dame (7 p.m., NBC), Texas A&M at South Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN) and Stanford at Oregon (7:30 p.m., ABC).
— While organizing a toy drive, a woman meets a handsome veteran in the 2020 romance “A Welcome Home Christmas” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-G).
— Facing the holidays alone, a woman finds herself with an unexpected houseguest in the 2020 romance “Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— There’s only so many ways to say “I’m sorry” on “The Trouble With Maggie Cole” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— A woman babysits a handsome man’s nieces and nephews in the 2020 romance “Christmas With the Darlings” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— A social media snob becomes enchanted by “A Very Charming Christmas Town” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— Russians violate U.S. airspace on the Season 12 debut of “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints meet in NFL action (8:20 p.m., NBC).
— A prison riot coincides with Peter’s new job on “Roadkill” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— A plot against Ginny sparks a power struggle on “Fear the Walking Dead” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— California residents recover from a devastating fire in the 2020 documentary “Rebuilding Paradise” (9 p.m., National Geographic, TV-14).
— Jonathan presents his version of events on “The Undoing” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— A move on Harper’s Ferry on “The Good Lord Bird” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— COVID fills the morgues of the Big Easy on the seventh-season debut of “NCIS: New Orleans” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Josto puts his feelings on the line on “Fargo” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
— “Real Life Nightmare” (10 p.m., HLN) returns for a second season with the true-life tale of a decapitated husband and his wife found bound, gagged and weighed down by a cinder block in the lake behind their million-dollar home.
CULT CHOICE
Lee Marvin, Angie Dickenson, Keenan Wynn and Caroll O’Connor star in the stylish 1967 thriller “Point Blank” (4:30 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-14), directed by John Boorman.
SATURDAY SERIES
On two episodes of “Manhunt: Deadly Games” (CBS, TV-14): an appeal to local militias (8 p.m.); Eric faces justice (9 p.m.) … “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS).
SUNDAY SERIES
“Football Night in America” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … A lass takes a liking to Homer on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … “Supermarket Sweep” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Feeling vulnerable on the outer rim on “Pandora” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Jenny’s promotion on “Bless the Harts” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
Tina grows assertive on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … Improvisations on two episodes of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., CW, r, TV-14) … Godfather fantasies on “Family Guy” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … “Card Sharks” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
