Some of the most serious television work is being done by comedians. Straddling the line between awkward humor and deep tragedy, the new BBC-produced series “Back to Life” (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-MA) offers rich material for its co-creator and star.
Daisy Haggard plays Miri, a character whose situation seems as far from sitcom material as possible. Miri returns to her parents’ home in a dowdy British resort. She’s out of touch with her contemporaries and literally out of sorts. That’s because she just served 18 years in prison. For murder.
“Life” explores her dreadfully awkward adjustment to “normal” life, and her spectacularly grim circumstances add pathos to what might seem like ordinary cringe comedy.
And her plight makes those characters who are kind to her, such as a possible employer and a friendly neighbor (Adeel Aktar), near saintly in their compassion.
Viewers may recognize Haggard from her role on “Episodes,” where she played the weird, sour-faced Hollywood “comedy” producer who never seemed to get anyone’s jokes. She was also cast in the mad British comedy “Peep Show” as well as the 2008 adaptation of “Sense & Sensibility,” proving she can hold her own in any genre on either side of the Atlantic.
Miri’s chilly mother, Caroline, is played by veteran actress Geraldine James, most recently seen on these shores as the stepmother in Netflix’s Canadian series “Anne With An E,” a worthy adaptation of “Anne of Green Gables.”
Both are excellent here, exploring roles just this side of unbelievable. Miri’s backstory and the crime that sent her away for nearly two decades emerge in dollops of flashbacks and references, against the backdrop of a stunning British coastline. It’s easy to see this series as the unsettling answer to the unasked question, “What if they remade ‘Broadchurch’ as a comedy?”
— Don’t go looking for humor in “Dublin Murders” (8 p.m. Sunday, Starz, TV-MA). Very well received in the U.K., this crime procedural is based on Tana French’s novels “In the Woods” and “The Likeness.”
They have been adapted for the screen by Sarah Phelps, who wrote the screenplay for the J.K. Rowling series “The Casual Vacancy,” which aired on HBO.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Clemson and NC State meet in college football action (7:30 p.m., ABC), as do Iowa State and Oklahoma (8 p.m., Fox).
— Performers burst from the screen on the repeat performance of “The Wonderful World of Disney Presents The Little Mermaid Live!” (8 p.m., Freeform).
— While caring for an ailing grandmother, a photographer develops an interest in the hunk next door in the 2019 romance “Picture a Perfect Christmas” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— With his Philadelphia station closed for repairs, a brash DJ decamps for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the 2019 holiday romance “Radio Christmas” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Completed before his death but after its subject’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s, the 2014 documentary “Glen Campbell … I’ll Be Me” (9 p.m., CNN) captures his farewell tour and offers a moving tribute to a beloved talent and deeply flawed human being.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): Interviews with banker Jamie Dimon and reporter Maria Ressa, who has covered Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
— The Vikings and Cowboys meet in NFL football action (8:15 p.m., NBC).
— Fans choose the winners on “E!’s People’s Choice Awards” (9 p.m., E!, TV-PG).
— An adventure for Carol and Daryl on “The Walking Dead” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— “Memphis Belle in Color” (9 p.m., Smithsonian) presents remarkable footage of a World War II B-17 aircraft.
— Angela needs help on “Watchmen” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Frank makes the most of his injury as “Shameless” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA) returns for a 10th season.
— Bumpy uses Chin’s dark history against him on “Godfather of Harlem” (9 p.m., Epix, TV-MA).
— Deep fakes loom large on “Madam Secretary” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Things get weird between John and Jessica on “The Rookie” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— “The Weekly” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA) examines the making of an eroticized form of yoga.
— Thanksgiving brings out the “Worst Cooks in America” (10 p.m., Food, TV-G).
— Jared saves the day on “Silicon Valley” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
— Alec Baldwin, Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon lead a stellar cast in the 1992 adaptation of David Mamet’s searing stage drama “Glengarry Glen Ross” (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO2). The art of the deal never seemed so desperate.
SATURDAY SERIES
Harsh advice on “Mom” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Knockouts conclude on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … A case out of the blue on “Carol’s Second Act” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Online gaming comes under scrutiny on “All Rise” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC) … “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
“Football Night in America” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-14) recaps the day’s action … A lottery winner behaves strangely on “God Friended Me” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Marge makes the cut on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Tiffany Haddish hosts “Kids Say the Darndest Things” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Gotham needs a new hero on “Batwoman” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … More sizzle than steak on “Bless the Harts” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
Stolen drones on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … A celebrity goes awry on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Children’s shoes reinvented on “Shark Tank” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A captured villain spills information on “Supergirl” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … A Wi-Fi outage sparks a romantic reminiscence on “Family Guy” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
