Welcome to Derry’) and Anne Rice (‘Talamasca’), ‘Mayor’ Back in Business, Boston Strangler Speaks

SUNDAY: They’re not clowning around with this prequel to the hit It franchise, derived from Stephen King’s massive novel that spawned a memorable 1990 miniseries and two blockbuster movies in 2017 and 2019. Set in 1962, with nuclear-war fears and civil-rights social turbulence as context, the series from It feature-film director Andy Muschietti sets an ancient evil loose on the otherwise quaint Maine town, terrorizing the kids most susceptible to succumbing to primal fears. The military also has a stake in figuring out just what it is that’s lurking in the woods and, inevitably, the sewers. The series bides its not-so-sweet time in revealing the dreaded clown Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård reprising his movie role), but until then, terror takes many grisly shapes and gruesome forms. Beware those red balloons. (See the full review.)

SUNDAY: If your tastes lean more toward the late Anne Rice’s supernatural universe, AMC offers an original thriller built around the clandestine, centuries-old agency that tracks and tries to control the antics of vampires, witches, and other ghouls. Nicholas Denton stars as Guy Anatole, a young law-school grad recruited by the mysterious Helen (Elizabeth McGovern) to join the shadowy group, then sent to London on an off-the-books mission. No one’s exactly who they seem to be in this twisty tale — except for devious vampire Jasper (the terrific William Fichtner), who’s commandeered the London “motherhouse” HQ for his own purposes. He’s the undead life of the party, proving once again that in Rice’s world, vampires have more fun.

SUNDAY: Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) is used to running the show in Kingstown, a Michigan prison town that’s the setting for Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon‘s grim drama. A broker between cops and criminals, currently working both sides of a gang war, Mike faces perhaps his greatest challenge in the Season 4 premiere when a new boss arrives at the prison: The Sopranos‘ Edie Falco as Nina Hobbs, the tough new warden.

SUNDAY: Controversy continues to swirl regarding the crimes allegedly committed by Albert DeSalvo, who confessed to being the “Boston Strangler” responsible for at least 11 murders of women in the Boston area in the early 1960s. A two-hour documentary features excerpts from 16 hours of DeSalvo’s audio tapes, which contradict some aspects of the official accounts, raising more questions about his true culpability. DeSalvo reportedly was preparing to recant his confession when he was stabbed and killed in prison in 1973. Will the truth ever be known?

The Heist: The Louvre’s Stolen Crown Jewels (Sunday, 8/7c, CNN): CNN’s FlashDocs unit delivers an hour-long special with new reporting on the brazen daylight theft last weekend of valuable Napoleonic jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris. The special explores the shocking robbery, which took less than eight minutes, with thieves disguised as construction workers as they raided the Galerie d’Apollon. The report also examines the vulnerabilities of one of the world’s most iconic art institutions.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper! (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Fan favorite Robert Buckley stars as the title hard-luck Ted, whose string of holiday mishaps lands him in a clinic where he reunites with his high-school crush Hope (Kimberley Susted), now a doctor. Maybe she can reverse his fortunes.
• A Royal Icing Christmas (Saturday, 8/7c, Great American Family): Another holiday outing stars Ellise Roth as a European princess who runs away to a New England town where a baking contest brings sweet romance.
• Taken at a Truck Stop: A Black Girl Missing Movie (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Bucking the holiday trend, a drama stars Garcelle Beauvais as a trucker who rallies her trucking network to find her neurodivergent niece after she’s abducted by an online predator.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Anne-Marie Green reports on the 1994 murder in Springfield, Virginia, of Robin Lawrence, found days later in her home with her unharmed 2-year-old daughter. The crime went unsolved for nearly 30 years until advanced genealogy technology led investigators to the killer.
• Collector’s Call (Sunday, 6:30/5:30c, MeTV): The Season 6 finale takes on a Halloween vibe when visiting David Kostman’s “dungeon.” A horror buff who (like me) was obsessed with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine as a kid, Kostman built a collection of props, costumes, and posters from horror, sci-fi, and fantasy movies. I’m envious.
• The Simpsons (Sunday, 8/7c, Fox): Albert Brooks is a guest voice on an episode where the men of Springfield are in crisis. Followed by new animated episodes of Universal Basic Guys (8:30/7:30c), Krapopolis (9/8c), and Bob’s Burgers (9:30/8:30c).
• Sunday Night Football (Sunday, 8:15 pm/ET, NBC): The Green Bay Packers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Tracker (Sunday, 8:30/7:30c, CBS): Colter (Justin Hartley) and brother Russell (Jensen Ackles) work together to take down the secret underground operation “The Process” in the conclusion of the season opener.
• Maigret (Sunday, 9/8c, PBS): Maigret (Benjamin Wainwright) suffers personal and professional setbacks in the case of a missing social-media influencer.
• The Road (Sunday, 9:30/8:30c, CBS): Executive producer Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) joins the audience in Dallas at The Factory in Deep Ellum, where the 11 remaining musicians are split into two groups, performing original songs and covers while opening for Keith Urban.
• The Chair Company (Sunday, 10/9c, HBO): Things get even weirder in this bizarre comedy of paranoia when Ron (Tim Robinson) installs a security system in his house after spotting an intruder.
• Tulsa King (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): Dwight (Sylvester Stallone) has his hands full, with a dead inspector in the storage room, Kansas City mobster Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo) missing, and a meeting with crime boss Quiet Ray (James Russo) on the books.