The more television changes, the more it remains the same. Or at least that’s what TV audiences keep telling us. In a period that has seen at least two “Columbo”-ish reboots, “Poker Face” and “Elsbeth,” the brand-new series “Tracker” (9 p.m. Sunday, CBS, TV-14) has emerged as one of the most-watched series on any platform.
A veteran of daytime soaps (“The Young and the Restless”) and prime-time comic-book adaptations (“Smallville”), Justin Hartley stars as the handsome, brooding, troubled and talented loner Colter Shaw, a survivalist who works for a fee, helping cops and private citizens locate the lost, the kidnapped and the missing.
In some ways, this notion of a good-looking lone wolf who pops up in new strangers’ (and guest stars’) lives every week dates back to ancient series like “The Fugitive.”
Colter’s damaged past offers a recurring backstory, but each episode of “Tracker” can be enjoyed in standalone fashion. That narrative tradition stands in stark contrast to series that ask audiences to binge five or six episodes before a coherent story even emerges.
In tonight’s season-ender, Colter looks for two missing amateur storm chasers after the police conclude they’ve been swept away by rising waters. Along the way, he uncovers the seedy side of a resort town, a frequent plot device in Peacock’s “Poker Face,” another “new” old-fashioned series that has hooked viewers by demanding less of a commitment in time and concentration.
— The whole notion of reality contestants sharing digs under one roof takes on a foreign flair with “Ciao House” (8 p.m. Sunday, Food, TV-G). Now entering its second season, the series offers views of a villa located in Puglia, Italy, where hosts and mentors Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabe Bertaccini welcome a dozen aspiring chefs to share food, techniques and stories as they prepare feasts together.
The charming setting and fresh ingredients do not dispel all the bitter conventions of the reality genre. At the end of every installment, one aspiring cook must leave this Olive Garden of Eden after being evicted in a secret ballot. Arrivederci, Puglia!
— Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law and Johnny Depp star in the 2018 fantasy “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” (7 p.m. Sunday, NBC, TV-PG). Written by J.K. Rowling as an expansion of her “Wizarding World” post-“Harry Potter” franchise, the film was met with mixed reviews that included words like “cluttered,” “overlong,” “charmless” and “grindingly complicated.”
— Known for his influence on French new wave auteurs and American independent filmmakers, avant-garde director Sam Fuller is most associated with groundbreaking movies like “Shock Corridor” from 1963 (set in a mental institution) and the stunning 1964 noir drama “The Naked Kiss” (about an outcast “fallen” woman whose “savior” turns out to be a pedophile). He made these challenging films after spending the 1950s putting his own personal stamp on war movies and Westerns.
They include the 1957 effort “Forty Guns” (10 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-PG). Praised as Fuller’s strangest Western, it stars Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan and Gene Barry.
It’s the closing picture of a double feature curated and presented by director Steven Spielberg. First up: the 1957 Elvis musical “Jailhouse Rock” (8 p.m., TV-PG).
This film contains a scene of Presley’s angry character snarling at sophisticated jazz lovers who try to talk him into an appreciation for Dave Brubeck. It’s at least the second movie from the 1950s, after “Blackboard Jungle,” in which rock-obsessed youth express violent disdain for the older generation’s music.
Many contemporary critics seemed genuinely frightened by Presley and his character, a convict who picks up the guitar behind bars. The film presents Presley at his audacious start, a time when he seemed poised to become what Jackie Gleason described as “Brando with a guitar.”
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— The Braves host the Padres in MLB action (7 p.m., Fox).
— NHL hockey (8 p.m., ABC).
— After her father suffers a fall, a woman begins to suspect the motivations of his assigned caregiver in the 2024 shocker “The Bad Guardian” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— An ambitious pet product entrepreneur finds herself smitten by a handsome client in the 2024 romance “Everything Puppies” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Jake Gyllenhaal hosts the season finale of “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14), featuring musical guest Sabrina Carpenter.
SUNDAY’S SEASON FINALES
— A fellow veteran kidnaps Mel on “The Equalizer” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Bart makes a new friend on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— Jon Bon Jovi guest-judges as “American Idol” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) crowns a winner.
— Enchanted by the sound of a magic shell on “Krapopolis” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Mary’s mysterious actions reverberate on “MaryLand” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— The biolab explodes on the series finale of “CSI: Vegas” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Max and Jake fail to anticipate their pursuer’s plans on “Guilt” on “Masterpiece” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): An interview with Pope Francis.
— A new assignment puts the count at a crossroads on “A Gentleman in Moscow” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-14).
— In the near-present day, Louis continues to recount his dark tale on “Interview With the Vampire” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— The General’s financing comes under scrutiny on “The Sympathizer” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Kathie’s family seeks closure on “The Jinx: The Lives and Deaths of Robert Durst” (10 p.m., Sunday, HBO, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
Director Wes Anderson uses his precious, jewel-box set design to evoke the spirit of Roald Dahl’s picture book in the 2009 adaptation of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (8 p.m. Sunday, Cartoon Network, TV-PG), featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe and Owen Wilson, among others.
SATURDAY SERIES
A real estate mogul’s accidental death may have been planned on “The Equalizer” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “The Wall” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … A factory worker may have fallen at the mechanical hands of a malevolent robot on “CSI: Vegas” (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “Weakest Link” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … The season finale of “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
Beef speed-dates on “The Great North” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Tina anticipates Chelsea’s party on “Bob’s Burgers” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
