Hi-Surf’ Premieres, ‘Industry’ in Crisis Mode

SUNDAY: Sometimes TV is bigger than just TV. That’s the argument of a provocative four-part series subtitled “Moments That Shaped Our Culture,” reliving flash points that generated headlines well beyond that week’s ratings charts. The opener relives an incident that inspired one of the better jokes at last weekend’s Emmys, when five-time Murphy Brown Emmy winner Candice Bergen recalled the fallout in 1992 from then-Vice President Dan Quayle assailing her character, a high-profile TV anchorwoman, for “mocking the importance of fathers” in an Emmy-winning episode during which she gave birth as a single mother. The ensuing debate over so-called family values lingers today, and in contemporary segments, Bergen chokes up while reading from the original script, while series creator Diane English reflects on “this whole world that, you know, just exploded that I never thought I would be a part of.” Future installments address Ellen DeGeneres coming out in public and as her Ellen TV character in 1997, Oprah Winfrey displaying a wagonful of animal fat in 1988, and Kanye West dissing then-president George W. Bush during a post-Hurricane Katrina telethon in 2005.

SUNDAY: After four seasons, and a change of networks when TNT dropped the series after the final season had already been filmed, the apocalyptic thriller ends with a tense countdown that could decide the fate of a frozen world. Mad scientist Nima (Michael Aronov) is determined to launch a rocket that he alone is convinced will warm the planet, and it’s up to Layton (Daveed Diggs) and his fellow New Eden citizens—who once led a revolution aboard the super train Snowpiercer—to stop it.

SUNDAY: Kathy Bates makes a triumphant return to TV as Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a folksy but cunning 70something who charms her way into an associate’s job at a posh New York law firm in the pilot episode of a series that’s anything but a traditional reboot. Though much is made of Matty’s surname, “like the old TV show,” there’s more to it—and to her—than meets the eye. While playing off the legend of the long-running Andy Griffith series (1986-95), Matty has her own agenda, reminding her employers that “When women age, we become damn near invisible.” Which can be useful, she insists, “because nobody sees us coming.” That’s definitely true with this new version of Matlock, who goes to work alongside two hungry young associates to prove she’s got what it takes to help a wrongly incarcerated man get what’s owed to him. The courtroom scenes so far leave a lot to be desired, but Bates still has many tricks up her sleeve. This early preview will be repeated Oct. 10 in the show’s regular Thursday time period (9/8c), with new episodes beginning Oct. 17.

SUNDAY: And sometimes a show is exactly what meets the eye. Or in this case, eye candy, considering the hot and hard bodies in and out of the Hawaiian sun and surf. Aiming for a somewhat grittier vibe than the iconic Baywatch, though not without its sudsy elements, the series stars Arielle Kebbel as Em, the first female lieutenant to patrol Oahu’s fabled North Shore as part of the Ocean Safety crew. With killer waves requiring them to stay alert at all times, the Ocean Safety gang includes her boss, Captain “Uncle” Sonny (Robbie Magasiva), who’s not coping well after his nephew’s recent death; Will (Adam Demos), an Australian hunk who was once involved with Em and is engaged to a woman who’d rather he become a firefighter; the charismatic and carefree Laka (Kekoa Kekumano, a former lifeguard); and two competitive rookies from different sides of the beach, Hina (Zoe Cipres) and Kainalu (Alex Aiono). After Sunday’s premiere, the series continues Monday in its regular 9/8c time period.

SUNDAY: The Pierpoint bank is celebrating its 150th anniversary, but the suits in charge of the failing institution are hardly in a partying mood as the blistering third season of the high-finance drama nears its end. “The bell’s tolling,” sales manager Eric (Ken Leung) somberly tells one of his associates before heading to a board meeting where the new CEO (Harry Hadden-Paton) is desperately trying to negotiate a government bailout. Is Pierpoint too big to fail? Or can the cutthroat execs find another way to survive? Former employee Yasmin (Marisa Abela) is also on the ropes, fearing she’ll be made a scapegoat for her late father’s financial malfeasance. A getaway to Wales with Robert (Harry Lawtey) may be just what she needs to clear her head. Or maybe not.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• Falling Together (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Channel fave Ashley Williams stars in a romcom with a message as Natalie, new to Pittsburgh and clashing with her building’s super (Paul Campbell) when she tries to bring the residents together. Failing that, she channels her energies into volunteering with the local Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): The 37th season officially opens with Erin Moriarty’s report on “The Unending Search for Sara Anne Wood,” a 12-year-old girl who disappeared in 1993 and whose alleged killer, Lewis Lent, refuses to divulge her whereabouts from prison. Preceded at 9/8c by Tracy Smith’s report on “The Life and Death of Blaze Bernstein,” about a University of Pennsylvania student’s 2018 murder, allegedly because he was gay and Jewish, and the trail of his former high-school classmate Sam Woodward.
• Collector’s Call (Sunday, 6:30/5:30c, MeTV): Christopher Lee (not to be confused with the horror/fantasy actor) is a famed LEGO collector and LEGO Masters winner, showing off his LEGO treasure trove and considering a trade with LEGO store owner/expert Aaron Fike.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Bill Whitaker reports on the fentanyl drug crisis, Norah O’Donnell explores the National Archives and Lesley Stahl interviews Lina Kahn, the youngest-ever chair of the Federal Trade Commission.
• Sunday Night Football (Sunday, 8:15 pm/ET, NBC): Back-to-back Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs visit the Atlanta Falcons in the weekend’s marquee match.
• From (Sunday, 9/8c, MGM+): Winter is coming to the secluded town of no escape in Season 3 of the supernatural thriller, and the frigid weather just adds to the woes of self-appointed Sheriff Boyd (Lost’s Harold Perrineau) as he tries to keep the community safe from those nocturnal forest monsters.
• Moonflower Murders (Sunday, 9/8c, PBS): Susan (Lesley Manville) checks into the Trahernes’ hotel to investigate the murder that occurred there eight years earlier and its connection to the Atticus Pünd novel that may hold a clue (and which we see enacted in a parallel storyline).
• Halloween Wars (Sunday, 9/8c, Food Network): Host Jonathan Bennett welcomes four teams to a qualifying round in the Season 14 premiere, tasking the sugar and pumpkin artisans to create a scene depicting monsters from various historic periods.
• Truths with Vivek Ramaswamy (Sunday, streaming on Fox Nation): The former Republican presidential candidate helms his own series, with a condensed version airing at 10/9c on Fox News Channel.