As noted in an earlier column, Austin’s South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) has been scuttled by social distancing. But films scheduled for a SXSW showcase can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
Country music and movie fans might enjoy “My Darling Vivian,” a documentary look at Johnny Cash’s first wife, a woman pretty much erased from country music legend and lore. It’s a very personal and heartbreaking tale of young love and a woman overwhelmed by the demands of celebrity and publicity and her husband’s addictions. A tale of a faithful wife and loving children abandoned as a wandering husband unites with a more glamorous woman, it could be the subject of a country song by Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette.
Filled with home movies, old love letters and painful recollections from Rosanne Cash, Kathy Cash Tittle, Cindy Cash, Tara Cash Schwoebel, the four daughters Johnny and Vivian had together, it challenges the Johnny Cash myth, immortalized in movies like the 2005 biopic “Walk the Line.”
An exotic Sicilian-American beauty educated in convent schools in San Antonio, Vivian’s dark features were often highlighted in newspaper photos. During the 1960s, Johnny Cash had to fight rumors that he was married to a “negress.” Before 1967, interracial marriages were still illegal in many states.
True to the nature of personal recollection, the surviving Cash daughters don’t merely challenge the “official” view, they can’t even validate with each other’s family memories. In all fairness, “Vivian” could use some editing. At the same time, it offers an intimate celebration of a woman who refused to be a celebrity. And that makes it all the more powerful.
— With so much to worry us, it’s nice that Saturday nights on Lifetime and ID are still devoted to “normal” things like stalker boyfriends and serial killers!
This week’s all-you-can-eat buffet of paranoia includes the 2020 shocker “Deadly Mile High Club” (8 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime, TV-14) about a flight instructor who goes berserk when a student doesn’t respond to his flirtation. A young girl recoils when the family that rescued her from homelessness comes under attack in the 2020 shocker “Escaping My Stalker” (8 p.m. Saturday, LMN, TV-14).
Fans of nostalgia might enjoy “Dating Game Killer” (9 p.m. Saturday, ID, TV-14), a true-life tale of gameshow-related gore about Rodney Alcala, who committed a series of grisly murders during the 1970s, but still took out time to appear on “The Dating Game.” Was he Bachelor No. 1, 2 or 3?
— Victoria Justice (“Victorious”) hosts the 2020 Kids’ Choice Awards (8 p.m. Saturday, Nickelodeon), honoring stars and personalities chosen by kids themselves. NBA legend LeBron James will receive the 2020 Generation Change Award.
— I’m not saying Sundays will never be the same, but for the month of May, CBS has thrown out its schedule to air old favorites from the Paramount vault. Does it matter that “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” (8 p.m., TV-PG) has already aired a gazillion times on cable?
Over the course of the month, CBS will dust off old favorites including “Forrest Gump” (May 10), “Mission: Impossible” (May 17), “Titanic” (May 24) and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (May 31).
CBS isn’t the only network to shift gears. Next Sunday, ABC will return with “The Disney Family Singalong, Volume II,” hosted by Ryan Seacrest and accompanied by Mickey Mouse himself, who guides harmonizers at home to follow along with the music.
— “Billions” (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-MA) enters its fifth season. As action begins, Axe (Damien Lewis) is asked to choose between continuing his spiritual journey of self-discovery and a spot on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Meanwhile, Chuck (Paul Giamatti) has to attend the celebration of his father’s wedding to a much younger woman even as his marriage is falling apart.
Not unlike HBO’s “Succession,” this series asks us to care deeply about characters who might not be that interesting if they weren’t followed around by so many dollar signs. And it saddles them with awkward and pretentious dialogue, a weird combination of fake Shakespeare and business buzzwords.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— A Formula One driver’s (Milo Ventimiglia) best friend is a dog (with the voice of Kevin Costner) bent on being reincarnated as a human in the 2019 comedy “The Art of Racing in the Rain” (8 p.m., HBO).
— Recovering from a breakup, a woman nurses a military support dog only to find a handsome suitor in dog tags has been tailing her in the 2019 romance “Love and Sunshine” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Like the rest of us, “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14) tries to operate from remote locations.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): Rural health care at the breaking point; how federal farm subsidies ignore small farmers; the difficulty of reentering the labor force.
— Ryan Seacrest hosts “American Idol” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— Wayne Williams’ lawyer receives shocking evidence on the series finale of “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children” (8 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— “Vice” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA) explores the embrace of TikTok by young people.
— A possible return to the 20th century on “Outlander” (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— Eve tries to patch things up with Niko on “Killing Eve” (9 p.m., AMC, BBC America, TV-14).
— Cassie and Sam anticipate their first anniversary on the sixth season premiere of “Good Witch” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-PG).
— Viola Davis springs a renovation on some old friends on “Celebrity IOU” (9 p.m., HGTV, TV-G).
— A gloomy song may be a bad portent on the season finale of “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Facing the music on the season finale of “Westworld” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Daddy issues on “Vida” (9 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— Susan’s behavior gets noticed on “Belgravia” (9 p.m., Epix, TV-14).
— Evacuation at Dunkirk on “World on Fire” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— An offer seems hard to refuse on the season finale of “Good Girls” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— An officer misfires on “The Rookie” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— Bonding with Tiffany’s newborn on “Insecure” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— The murder investigation leads to an encounter with a radio evangelist on “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” (10 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
A leadfoot good ole boy (Burt Reynolds) tangles with a husky sheriff (Jackie Gleason) and a runaway bride (Sally Field) in the 1977 comedy “Smokey and the Bandit” (8 p.m. Sunday, Sundance, TV-PG).
SATURDAY SERIES
Divide and conquer on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “Dateline” (8 p.m., NBC, r) … An apartment blaze on “9-1-1” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Healthy choices on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … Working with allies on “SEAL Team” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Pizza in the Ozarks on “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … Ryan Seacrest hosts “American Idol” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
“The Wall” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Lovejoy investigates the new pastor’s background on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Wayne’s world on “Batwoman” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Breathing space on “Duncanville” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
Louise’s secret shame on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Lex schemes on “Supergirl” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Meg vanishes on “Family Guy” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … A kind gesture backfires on “Man With a Plan” (10:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).