CMT Music Awards, NCAA Final Four, ‘SNL’ Gets Schooled, More ‘Succession’ Dirty Dealing

CMT Music Awards

SUNDAY: Austin’s favorite son Gary Clark Jr. performs a tribute to late Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughn in one of many musical highlights during the annual awards fest, airing live for the first time from Austin’s Moody Center. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini are the hosts and participate in the roster of talent performing on stage, with highlights including a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd (on the 50th anniversary of their debut album and following the passing of the last surviving founding member, Gary Rossington) featuring Billy Gibbons, Chuck Leavell, Cody Johnson, Paul Rodgers, Slash and Warren Haynes joined by LeAnn Rimes and Wynonna Judd as “The Honkettes.” Shania Twain receives the third-ever “CMT Equal Play Award,” with more headliners including Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Tyler Hubbard, and collaborations of The Black Crowes with Darius Rucker and Gwen Stefani with Carly Pearce.

Saturday Night Live

SATURDAY: Though not unprecedented, it’s still rare for a star from a competing network to be tapped to guest-host this venerable comedy institution. But Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary is that popular, and that good. With an Emmy (for writing), SAG Award, Television Critics Association Award, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award among other accolades, Brunson hosts SNL for the first time, joined by first-time musical guest Lil Yachty.

Succession

SUNDAY: His kids “the Munsters” may have outbid him for a rival media company, but Logan Roy (Brian Cox) is unrepentant as he prepares to sell his conglomerate in the final season of the gripping drama. Rallying the troops at his news network as only Logan can, he later crashes the karaoke party his offspring attends for groom-to-be and hapless eldest son Conner (Alan Ruck). The showdown is almost as unpleasant as the machinations going on among various factions of this dysfunctional family. And who’s going to break the news to Logan’s “assistant” Kerry (Zeo Winters) that her audition tape as a news anchor is a non-starter?

Yellowjackets

SUNDAY: The stranded Yellowjackets are restless, and starving, as the trippy survival melodrama takes even darker turns. In the present day, Natalie (Juliette Lewis) settles in, skeptically, at Lottie’s (Simone Kessell) cult compound, while Misty (Christina Ricci) makes first contact with nerdy citizen detective Walter (Elijah Wood) and Taissa’s (Tawny Cypress) grasp on reality becomes even more tenuous. There’s a lot going on, and you don’t want to miss it.

Lucky Hank

SUNDAY: Professor Hank (Bob Odenkirk) isn’t feeling so lucky in this satire of academia when he’s ordered to cut his English department of insecure ingrates by 20 percent. Even worse, his estranged and newly retired literary-critic father decides to empty out his office, sending the shed-sized storage container to Hank’s home, blocking his driveway. Hank sees no comparison between his curmudgeonly self and his sire: “I specialize in minor strife and insignificant irritation. … My father is into life derailment.” Even so, Hank should know better than to go snooping inside his dad’s stuff, bearing witness to yet another soul-crushing betrayal.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• NCAA Basketball Tournament (Saturday, 6 pm/ET, CBS): After so many upsets, and not a single No. 1 seed (or a No. 2 or even 3) remaining, the Men’s Final Four gets underway in Houston with No. 9 FAU vs. No 5 San Diego State, followed by No. 5 Miami vs. No. 4 UConn. On Sunday, the final two Women’s teams play for the championship, broadcast live for the first time on ABC (3 pm/ET).
• 100th Anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios (Saturday, starts at 6 am/ET, Turner Classic Movies): In a monthlong takeover, TCM celebrates a century of Warner Bros. movies starting with its earliest years (for a full lineup, go to tcm.com). Weekend highlights include the 2007 documentary The Brothers Warner (Saturday, 8/7c) and the TCM premiere of 1993’s Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul (Sunday, 9:45/8:45c), preceded by the 1933 gangster classic The Public Enemy (Sunday, 8/7c).
• The Ten Commandments (Saturday, 7/6c, ABC): In advance of Palm Sunday and Passover beginning this week, the perennial Cecil B. DeMille Eastertime favorite from 1956 returns, with Charlton Heston a commanding Moses and special effects (including the parting of the Red Sea) that earned the epic film an Oscar.
• Love in the Maldives (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): A travel columnist (Jocelyn Hudon) leans on a “Guest Experience Expert” (Jake Manley) to show her the most adventurous, and romantic, way to enjoy the exotic Maldives.
• Collector’s Call (Sunday, 6:30/5:30c, MeTV): The fourth season of the nostalgic series honoring all things collectible opens with host Lisa Whelchel visiting L.A.’s Rich Correll, whose horror and sci-fi treasure trove includes an original raptor from Jurassic Park and the Xenomorph costume from Alien.
• 60 Minutes (Sunday, 7/6c, CBS): Lesley Stahl interviews GOP firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene, Bill Whitaker explores an Icelandic volcano that erupted in 2021 and Sharyn Alfonso heads to the U.S. Mexico border, interviewing Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the migrant crisis.
• Violent Minds: Killers on Tape (Sunday, 7/6c and 8/7c, Oxygen True Crime): In back-to-back episodes, psychiatrist Dr. Al Carlisle shares excerpts from taped conversations with the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy.
• American Idol (Sunday, 8/7c, ABC): Look for fan favorites from past seasons to mentor the contestants lucky enough to make it to the always challenging Hollywood Week.
• A Kind of Spark (Sunday, 8/7c, 5/PT, BYUtv): A new series, launching on World Autism Awareness Day, stars neurodivergent actress Lola Blue in an adaptation of Elle McNicoll’s novel about Addie, an autistic teen who fights for acceptance within her community while exploring a local mystery that dates to the 16th century. The cast and crew on this series identify as 50% neurodivergent.
• Vinyl Obsession (Sunday, 8:30/7:30c, AXS TV): Music industry notables stop by Nashville’s Grimey’s Record Shop to pick five albums on vinyl that influenced their careers. First up: Styx and Damn Yankees’ Tommy Shaw and Handbanger’s Ball MC Riki Rachtman.
• Unsung (Sunday, 9/8c, TV One): The pop-culture series returns with a spotlight on “Best in Black” fashion influencers, followed by the season premiere of Uncensored (10/9c), featuring R&B singer Tevin Campbell.