Nature TV (Penguins and the Making of ‘The Americas), Alan Cumming Gets Animated on ‘Doctor Who,’ Titus Welliver on ‘Equalizer,’ High Flying ‘Rehearsal’

Secrets of the Penguins

SUNDAY: Among the many things we can give thanks for this Easter weekend, the splendor of nature ranks high. And what better guide than National Geographic, which devotes three consecutive hours to studying and celebrating the fascinating ways of penguins. Filmmaker Bertie Gregory spent two years shooting this dazzling and enchanting series, narrated by Blake Lively and executive produced by James Cameron, which depicts rarely seen behaviors including the sight of hundreds of emperor chicks base-jumping off a 50-foot Antarctica cliff, an event never before captured on camera. Penguin-philes can also marvel at a mama penguin fighting off a sea lion, cave-dwelling African penguins and resourceful Galapagos penguins stealing fish right out of pelicans’ beaks. Go, penguins!

The Americas

SUNDAY: Kudos to NBC for this breathtaking return to nature programming on commercial broadcast TV, cited as the most-watched nature documentary on linear TV in more than 15 years. For two months, millions of viewers have watched enthralled at the flora, fauna and marine life of the great American continents. But how did they do it? A special hour, once again narrated by Tom Hanks, goes behind the scenes with filmmakers who spent over five years and 180 expeditions to capture the stunning footage with cutting-edge cinematography.

Doctor Who

SATURDAY: “Don’t make me laugh!” crows Mr. Ring-a-Ding, a vintage cartoon character voiced by the irrepressible Alan Cumming. A trick of light brings the animated dancing sprite to life within a 1952 Miami movie palace, trapping spectators inside celluloid as a projectionist (Linus Roache) helplessly watches. Naturally, this bizarre situation is catnip to the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), who brings a reluctant Belinda (Varada Sethu) along for the adventure. “You’re Scooby Doo!” she barks, but the Doctor insists, “Honey, I’m Velma.” Together, they tackle this whimsical yet sinister challenge, with Russell T Davies’ clever script presenting several existential hurdles on the way to a classic movie-movie ending.

The Equalizer

SUNDAY: In what is being reported as a potential “backdoor pilot” for a spinoff, though not yet ordered to series, Titus Welliver (whose Bosch: Legacy just ended its run) guest stars as legendary ex-CIA agent Elijah Reed. When he goes missing, his daughter Samantha (Juani Feliz) reaches out to McCall (Queen Latifah) for help, learning secrets about her family’s past in the Dominican Republic along the way.

The Rehearsal

SUNDAY: Nathan Fielder (The Curse) is something of an acquired taste, but his oddly subdued sincerity lends credence to his season-long quest to discover if “maybe a clown can change the world.” In Season 2 of his docu-style hybrid which he insists is a comedy, Fielder creates elaborate simulations of reality to explore a pressing issue involving airline safety. “Was I really the man to do this?” he wonders. Hard to say, but fans will be enthralled watching him try.

HBO‘s busy Sunday lineup includes the second thrilling episode of The Last of Us (9/8c), which continues exploring the fallout of Joel’s (Pedro Pascal) actions that put the vengeful Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) on the survivors’ trail; and the rollicking The Righteous Gemstones (10/9c), where Kelvin (Adam Devine) sulks in his treehouse after his disastrous roundtable appearance, Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) begs for more funding for his Teenjus teen-savior project (“I need some good mojo in this family”) and BJ (Tim Baltz) bonds with his service monkey, Dr. Watson.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Faith of Angels (Saturday, 8/7c, Great American Family): An inspirational film for Easter weekend is based on the true story of a boy lost in a Utah mine and a guardian angel determined to find him.
• Journey to You (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Fan favorite Erin Cahill stars as a woman who gets over a career setback by hiking Spain’s Camino de Santiago trail, finding inner peace and romance on the trek.
• Desire: A Temptations Story (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): A Temptations movie franchise kicks off with the story of talk-show host Kendra (Tasha Smith), who finds the man of her dreams (Adrian Holmes) while on vacation but wakes up to reality after their spontaneous marriage.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): A report on the 2017 murder of Oregon dad Aaron Friar, which led to the conviction of his 15-year-old daughter Ellie and her 19-year-old boyfriend, features Natalie Morales‘ interview with Ellie’s younger sister, Sierra.
• CBS News Sunday Morning (Sunday, 9 am/8c, CBS, check local listings): Segments include interviews with TV producers Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the upcoming Étoile) and David Hyde Pierce.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Bill Whitaker explores the ramifications of the bird flu outbreak, Scott Pelley profiles Google DeepMind CEO and A.I. pioneer Demis Hassabis, and Anderson Cooper observes the remarkable migration of millions of monarch butterflies from Mexico.
• Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries: Blessings in Disguise (Sunday, 7/6c, UPtv): Galadriel Stineman stars in a cozy mystery as Cheryl, who moves to the Amish town of Sugarcreek, Ohio, after a broken engagement, where she finds community while investigating a local secret.
• Tracker (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): Randy (Chris Lee) enlists Colter (Justin Hartley) to find his ex’s best friend when she goes missing after a night partying in Reno. Followed by Watson (9/8c), featuring Rachel Hayward as Detective Lestrade, working with the medical sleuth (Morris Chestnut) to determine if his patient’s alien hand syndrome is responsible for pushing his brother in front of a bus.
• Wolf Hall (Sunday, 9/8c, PBS): It could be the beginning of the end for Cromwell (Mark Rylance) when his plan to wed King Henry (Damian Lewis) to Anne of Cleves (Dana Herfurth) backfires.
• Dark Winds (Sunday, 9/8c, AMC): Season 3’s penultimate episode sends a wounded Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and his deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) on the trail of a killer, while FBI Agent Washington (Jenna Elfman) confronts Joe’s wife, Emma (Deanna Allison), over her alibi for Joe in the death of B.J. Vines. Down at the border, Bernadette (Jessica Matten) seeks an ally to pursue her suspicions about the Spenser ranch.