It’s worth noting that the first word in this week’s most anticipated "news" special "Oprah With Meghan and Harry" (8 p.m. Sunday, CBS) is "Oprah."
The talk show veteran will chat with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, about her life with and without the royal family and her plans for a bigger family. They will later be joined by Prince Harry. The couple have formally distanced themselves from the Windsors, leaving royal duties behind to live in North America and expand their own personal "brand."
They have had a contentious relationship with the peculiar corner of the British tabloid press dedicated to covering all things royal. It’s a well-established fact that Meghan was singled out for negative coverage. Journalists on that particular beat have shown side-by-side comparisons of Meghan and William’s wife, Kate, doing and saying the exact same things with wildly different slants accorded to each by the tabloid papers, or what Harry has referred to as the "Toxic Brexit Press." Just as Brexit was animated by a nostalgia-laced xenophobia, reaction to an American duchess of color has not been warm or welcoming.
So it’s easy to have some sympathy for the estranged couple. Anybody who’s watched "The Crown" for four seasons can see what an insular clique those Windsors can be.
But after watching brief review clips of Harry, Meghan and their hostess chatting, such sympathy can begin to evaporate. What we see are three individuals whose entire adult lives have been performances. And two of them just walked away from the magic kingdom. The artificiality is only exaggerated by the faux-lush setting. It looks like the ex-royals have moved into the "Bachelor" mansion.
Color me cynical, but everything Oprah touches becomes "Oprah," and that carries a lot of baggage. A 2018 Vox article, "Oprah’s Long History With Junk Science" by Julia Belluz, chronicles her championing dubious doctors named Phil and Oz, as well as her welcoming couch for the anti-vaccine gibberish of celebrities including Jenny McCarthy.
No discussion of Oprah’s malarkey-fueled trajectory is complete without flashing back to her 1993 interview with Michael Jackson, when she introduced 90 million viewers to his girlfriend, Brooke Shields. It was a moment right out of classic Hollywood whitewash and ballyhoo. Up there with Rock Hudson’s wife, Phyllis, and Roy Cohn’s "fiancee," Barbara Walters.
For viewers with half a brain, Oprah has always hosted a moveable feast of "Who are you kidding?" And it looks like Harry and Meghan have pulled up their chairs.
— Among the first mysteries to disturb the minds of inquisitive and empathetic children is just how wild critters survive the ravages of winter. The hourlong "Snow Animals" (8 p.m. Saturday, BBC America) shows how creatures adapt to thrive in the colder weather, or at least slow down enough to stick around until spring.
— "Apollo 11: Quarantine" (9 p.m. Saturday, CNN) recalls an overlooked chapter of the space race, the 21-day isolation of the astronauts, conducted just in case they were returning from the Sea of Tranquility with something contagious.
— You just can’t have too much Kevin. Costner, that is. The "Yellowstone" star is all over the Saturday schedule, playing a charming, washed-up golfer in search of a comeback in the 1996 sports comedy "Tin Cup" (9:50 p.m., Starz), a football franchise’s general manager playing all the angles in the 2014 drama "Draft Day" (8:10 p.m., Pop, TV-14) and a legendary lawman in the 1994 Western "Wyatt Earp" (9 p.m., Outdoor).
— Feeling nostalgic? The Shout! Factory TV streaming service unspools a marathon of "The Greg the Bunny Tapes," starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday. "Greg" originally aired on Fox in 2002 and starred Seth Green ("Buffy, the Vampire Slayer"), Eugene Levy ("SCTV," "Schitt’s Creek") and Sarah Silverman.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— A tight-knit island community reels after a neighbor is found dead on the day after Christmas in the 2021 shocker "Circle of Deception" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Hired to work for a royal charity event, a seamstress snags the attention of the host in the 2021 romance "Fit for a Prince" (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— A rebellious daughter plans a weekend of reconciliation with her estranged father, only to have their remote cabin invaded by escaped convicts in the 2020 thriller "Becky" (9 p.m., Showtime).
— A series about another series, "The Inside Story" (9 p.m., TNT, TV-PG) looks at three decades of "Inside the NBA." Tonight: an appreciation of Charles Barkley.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): Low-wage earners bearing the brunt of the pandemic economy; a pharmaceutical response to obsessive-compulsive disorder; plans to return to the moon.
— Taye Diggs hosts the 26th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards (7 p.m., CW, TV-14), honoring the year’s best film and television. Once again, my invitation seems to have been lost in the mail!
— Wearing its edge on its sleeve, the newsmagazine "Vice" (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA) returns for a second season.
— Civil war rages as "Pennyworth" (9 p.m., Epix, TV-MA), the elaborate backstory of Batman’s butler, Alfred, returns from hiatus to its second season.
— Legal proceedings and exonerations from 1992 get a second look on "Allen v. Farrow" (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Lucy’s body is discovered, complicating matters on the fourth season premiere of "Good Girls" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Yul Brynner stars in "Westworld" (10 p.m. Sunday, TCM, TV-MA), written and directed by Michael Crichton. From 1973, it was recently reimagined as an HBO series. Crichton also wrote the novel "Jurassic Park," another place where "amusement" runs amok.
SATURDAY SERIES
Another dead sailor in the Big Easy on "NCIS: New Orleans" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Chairs swivel on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Peculiar calls keep the precinct on edge on "9-1-1" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … A new twist on the sports drink on "Shark Tank" (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).
Empathy for the devil on "Bull" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Alien objects have special properties on "Debris" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) … "Name That Tune" (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … Ryan Seacrest hosts "American Idol" (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
"48 Hours" (10 p.m., CBS, r) … Two vintage helpings of "Saturday Night Live" (10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
"The Voice" (7 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Musical fame goes to Cletus’ empty head on "The Simpsons" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Ryan Seacrest hosts "American Idol" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Curling coaching on "The Great North" (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
"Ellen’s Game of Games" (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … A dangerous fib on "Bob’s Burgers" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Termination day on "Family Guy" (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Human trafficking on "The Equalizer" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Thomas Middleditch ("B-Positive") plays for charity on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
