Steeped in legends of a race of reptiles who sacrificed themselves to save mankind, the 2021 animated adventure “Raya and the Last Dragon” (8 p.m. Sunday, ABC, TV-PG) continues the tradition of blending mythic themes and imagery with Disney magic.
— In other animation news, Apple TV+ celebrates the 50th anniversary of the holiday cartoon special “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” As part of the festivities, it invites non-subscribers to stream the cartoon for free on Nov. 18 and 19.
It depicts a backyard celebration held by the “Peanuts” gang, complete with a re-creation of the first Thanksgiving in the Plymouth colony in 1621.
— Proof that not even Disney animation can outdo the real thing, the BBC series “Planet Earth III” (8 p.m. Saturday, BBC America) returns. After the first two installments explored the world’s coasts and oceans, this weekend’s segment invites us to visit deserts and grasslands.
It does so with a twist on the primordial question: Which came first, the ostrich or the egg? We follow a group of chicks fresh from their warm albumen bath who are introduced to harsh conditions where water is scarce and predators abound.
As always, these lessons in natural history and species survival unfold in mini-melodramas. The ostrich mother is faced with a dreadful choice: Does she lead her just-hatched brood to safety and leave just one unhatched egg or wait for it to open and risk losing everybody? She takes the first path, abandoning the slowpoke. Luckily for that chick (or at least viewers), the camera crew is still around to see it peck its way to daylight. But that means the chick must face the arid world alone in a landscape that includes a pack of hungry baboons. And like Tolstoy’s unhappy families, theses primates have a story all their own.
— Proof that natural splendor is not limited to “Planet Earth III,” the new documentary series “Incredible Animal Journeys” (9 p.m. Sunday, National Geographic, TV-PG) debuts. Actor Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”) narrates.
“Journeys” begins with ocean voyages, and will follow fish, fowl and other animals as they migrate in search of food, water and places to give birth and hatch. Renner’s voice does not pack the raspy, antique authority of Attenborough’s. But the photography is stunning and the music stirring. The narration, as written, tends to blur that fine line between awe-inspiring information and advertising copy. “Some journeys will last a lifetime; but they all begin with a first step.”
“Incredible Animal Journeys” will stream on Mondays on both Hulu and Disney+.
— The History channel devotes three nights and eight episodes to “Kennedy” (8 p.m. Saturday, TV-PG) profiling the 35th president as we near the 60th anniversary of his assassination on November 22, 1963.
It remains to be seen what new revelations or footage can emerge or when it comes to the most documented of 20th-century American figures. Participants include Bruce Greenwood, who once played Kennedy on film in “13 Days” (2000) and comedian, writer and host Conan O’Brien.
The inclusion of these personalities may dismay those looking for actual historians, but it does remind us of how much the Kennedy years were associated with celebrity, fashion and glamour.
The president’s easy wit made his frequent press conferences entertaining, and his fashionable young wife hosted her own prime-time special, giving a tour of the White House. The son of a Hollywood producer, President John F. Kennedy was not the first American leader to master mass media, but he may have been the most charismatic.
During JFK’s 1,000-day administration, social observers were a little concerned by the increasing association of the presidency and entertainment. Mad Magazine spoofed the Kennedy White House as a kind of TV show. Jean Shepherd, the radio raconteur and author whose stories would inspire “A Christmas Story,” expressed worry about how much political and civic discourse was being devoured by show business. The comedy LP “The First Family” spoofed the president’s accent and burgeoning dynasty on its way to becoming the fastest-selling album of all time. It sold seven million copies and seemed to be on every record player, until shots fired in Dallas turned it into a sad keepsake, a reminder of a lost era.
For the record, O’Brien not only participates in this rather somber affair, but appears in the decidedly silly 2023 comedy “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” streaming now on Peacock. Now that’s quite a weekend!
— The 2023 Billboard Music Awards (8 p.m., Sunday) will take place, but not on television. The ceremonies will stream instead on Billboard’s platforms on social media.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— College football action includes North Alabama at Florida State (6:30 p.m., CW); Florida at Missouri (7:30 p.m., ESPN); Nebraska at Wisconsin (7:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock); Washington at Oregon State (7:30 p.m., ABC); Texas at Iowa State (8 p.m., Fox) and Georgia State at LSU (9 p.m., ESPN2).
— Sisters set a holiday deadline to meet Mr. Right in the 2022 holiday romance “Christmas Plus One” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— Estranged siblings visit their mother in the highlands in the 2023 romance “A Merry Scottish Christmas” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Jason Momoa hosts “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14), featuring musical guest Tate McRae.
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7:30 p.m., CBS): Ukraine’s abducted children; firefighters recall the Lahaina disaster; a profile of musician and actor Steven Van Zandt; the 2018 discovery of the Clotilda, the last ship to bring slaves to North America.
— Bella must save her investment on the season finale of “Hotel Portofino” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— The Vikings and Broncos clash in NFL Football action (8:15 p.m., NBC).
— Harry returns to Manchester on the season finale of “World on Fire” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— “Fear the Walking Dead” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA) ends its eighth season.
— A visit to the Tuskegee Institute on “The Gilded Age” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Hawk’s private life comes under scrutiny on “Fellow Travelers” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— A cadaver in a canal on the season finale of “Annika” on “Masterpiece” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
— The 2023 documentary “Periodical” (10 p.m., MSNBC, streaming on Peacock) explores the health science and politics surrounding the discussion (or lack thereof) of the menstrual cycle.
— An often-savage satire of a reality TV flipping and makeover show set in a hardscrabble city, “The Curse” (10 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA) is not always easy to watch.
CULT CHOICE
Bruce Lee stars in the 1973 martial arts thriller “Enter the Dragon” (8 p.m. Saturday, TCM, TV-MA). John Saxon and Jim Kelly co-star in a movie that introduced audiences around the world to Asian martial arts. It was released a month after Lee’s premature death at 32, making him the greatest posthumous screen sensation since James Dean’s death in 1955.
SATURDAY SERIES
A Marine is exposed to a deadly drug “NCIS: Hawai’i” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “48 Hours” (9 p.m., r, and 10 p.m., CBS).
SUNDAY SERIES
Homer’s holiday legend on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Enforcing a dress code on “Krapopolis” (8:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
On two episodes of “Yellowstone” (CBS, TV-14): Jamie’s course correction (9 p.m.); strange bedfellows (10 p.m.) … A critter saved on “Bob’s Burgers” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-PG) … Boston Stewie on “Family Guy” (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … “Generation Gap” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
