Some subjects cry out for adaptation. Who hasn’t read of some ghastly news and wondered if a Lifetime movie wasn’t already in the works? Other characters and subjects are too unique and even sacred for cheap dramatization. Or classy "Masterpiece" (9 p.m., Sunday, PBS, TV-14, check local listings) adaptations. That PBS showcase offers a glance at "The Chaperone," a film released earlier this year, starring Elizabeth McGovern and written by her "Downton Abbey" collaborator Julian Fellowes.
Set right after World War I, "The Chaperone" follows the teenage Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) before she became the iconic silent-film star. A dance student accepted at an elite New York academy, she finds her mother will only let her go to the big city if she’s accompanied by a responsible adult. Enter Norma (McGovern), a neighbor who sees a trip to the city as the perfect tonic for her wanderlust. Not to mention an escape from her suffocating marriage.
Anyone who has ever seen Louise Brooks on screen in such films as "Pandora’s Box" knows that she remains the most stylish and effortlessly erotic of all silent stars. After nearly a century, she seems remarkably contemporary, audaciously modern and the very definition of cool.
"The Chaperone" is exactly none of those things. Its young heroine is a spunky striver, and McGovern’s Norma, like most of the adult characters, has to chew through paragraphs of stilted dialogue filled with historical explication. In the early going, much of that is screamed over strumming banjos.
While some may love seeing McGovern return to "Downton" period clothes, it may remind others that Julian Fellowes’ American dialogue was often the weakest part of that series. Shirley MacLaine’s "Downton" character was always more brassy than believable.
"The Chaperone" is not the first mediocre costume drama to land with a thud. But it continues a sad losing streak for the "Masterpiece" franchise. Once the only venue for U.K. and American-British co-productions, it now has to compete with HBO and every deep-pocketed streaming outlet out there. The "Victoria" series was insipid in its own ways, but it had the added disadvantages of being compared to Netflix’s lavishly produced "The Crown," a series made for a reported cost of $130 million per season. Anything would look cheap next to that.
Recent "Masterpiece" fare "The Durrells" and "Poldark" both seem decidedly second-rate and rather more pretty than interesting. As a longtime fan, I can’t wait for "Masterpiece" to return to form. "Sanditon," an adaptation of a fragment of a Jane Austen novel, debuts on "Masterpiece" in January.
— Freeform reaches for an elusive goal: the memorable Thanksgiving movie. In "Turkey Drop" (9 p.m. Saturday, TV-14), Olivia Holt ("Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger") stars as Lucy, a college freshman returning home for the holidays, worried that her longtime high school boyfriend will use the break to dump her. Apparently, this is a common holiday tradition. Common enough to give the film its title.
"Drop" follows Lucy as she sets out to prove she’s not worthy of such treatment, only to discover that she’s grown assertive enough to chart a course independent of any love interest.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Oregon and Arizona State (7:30 p.m., ABC) and TCU and Oklahoma (8 p.m., Fox) meet in college football action.
— Holidays put extra pressure on a holiday planner to sparkle in the 2019 holiday romance "Twinkle all the Way" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— A former tour guide meets a handsome single father visiting the Presley estate in the 2019 romance "Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays" (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G). Nothing blue about it.
— A wife wonders why her spouse doesn’t seem himself in the 2019 shocker "My Husband’s Secret Twin" (8 p.m., Lifetime Movie Network, TV-14).
— Will Ferrell hosts "Saturday Night Live" (11:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14), featuring musical guest King Princess.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS)
— The San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers meet in NFL football action (8:15 p.m., NBC).
— The 2019 American Music Awards (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) includes an Artist of the Decade nod for singer Taylor Swift.
— Ray tries to evade Det. Perry on "Ray Donovan" (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— The town mourns as Katy’s funeral approaches on "Dublin Murder" (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— Under new management on "Supergirl" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG).
— Uneasy in Oceanside on "The Walking Dead" (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— Angela gains new insight into her grandfather’s story on "Watchmen" (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— A tech giant goes missing abroad on "Madam Secretary" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— "The Weekly" (10 p.m., FX, r, TV-14) focuses on a single story featured in the New York Times.
— Gavin’s slippery embrace of ethics makes Richard seethe on "Silicon Valley" (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA)
— A new tragedy puts Miri in the spotlight on "Back to Life" (10 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA). This series has been renewed for a second season.
CULT CHOICE
— Long considered one of the most beloved movies of all time, the 1953 romance "Roman Holiday" (8 p.m. Sunday, TCM, TV-G) was written by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, but credited to his "front," Ian McClellan Hunter, who won an Oscar for the movie. Credit was returned to Trumbo when the DVD was released in 2003, but Trumbo had died in 1976.
SATURDAY SERIES
A yard sale bargain sparks regret on "The Neighborhood" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Eliminations on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … A dream deferred on "Bob (Hearts) Abishola" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … A double life on "NCIS: New Orleans" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … "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 … Cara must be warned on "God Friended Me" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Futuristic Thanksgiving horrors on "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Kate relies on Bruce’s legacy on "Batwoman" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … A holiday shopping tradition on "Bless the Harts" (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
Hetty’s mission ends in a hostage crisis on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … A stove mishap threatens the big meal on "Bob’s Burgers" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Peter prefers jail to Thanksgiving family time on "Family Guy" (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
