AMC, 9:50 a.m. ET
This weekend, the Breaking Bad marathon concludes, which means we’re down to the final episodes of the show’s final season. And today’s mini-marathon begins with Season 5, Episode 7, the unforgettably titled, and written and directed and acted, “Say My Name.” Five episodes are shown today – and tomorrow, we get the rest, as TV’s best dramatic series comes to an end, once again. (And to the reader who can't find this marathon, please look again, and check your channel; I've been watching this all along, and I swear, it's there on AMC, right where it should be...)
HBO, 6:00 p.m. ET
Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. And Sheila Levins, the veteran HBO documentary chief who has presented and generated excellent, important documentaries for many decades now, has found a special way to both honor and exemplify the day, This new HBO documentary by Amy Schatz, just under 20 minutes long, is a full-family special combining animation with a simple, compelling narrative. A 90-year-old man named Jack is interviewed by his 10-year-old great-grandson, Elliott, about the elder man’s childhood in Poland, his wartime experiences in the Lodz ghetto and the Auschwitz concentration camp, and his postwar emigration to America. And as they talk, tasteful, visually accurate watercolor animation illustrates his memories. Sheila Nevins is scheduled to retire soon from HBO, and will do so as one of the TV executives who contributed most to her medium – in terms of not just quantity, but quality. Thanks for everything, Sheila – including
The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
Reelz Channel, 8:00 p.m. ET
This is an overview of the career and artistry of Elton John, but it’s not a standard biography. Instead, it’s John himself, holding court to explain the inspirations behind the 20 most popular songs in his catalog, as voted by fans. Considering that his collaborator, Bernie Taupin, wrote the lyrics for virtually all of them, expect a lot of input from him as well.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
In this 1949 classic, James Cagney revisits the gangster genre that made him famous more than 15 years earlier in 1931’s The Public Enemy, and reclaims it entirely. This time he plays a psycho convict who escapes from prison and resumes his life of crime on the outside, with a woman (Virginia Mayo) by his side and his mother (Margaret Wycherly) always on his mind. “Made it, ma! Top o’ the world!” Another classic, proudly and correctly presented as one of “The Essentials.”
BBC America, 9:00 p.m. ET
Watch this! Record this! I can’t be more effusive about Blue Planet II, the latest entry in the astounding nature documentary series from the Planet Earth crew. Tonight is episode 2, “The Deep,” which utilizes the latest advances in technology, in both filmmaking and underwater exploration, to send its human filmmakers deeper in the ocean than any human has ever been before. They descend to a world of darkness where you’d expect nothing to be able to survive – and they find and photograph, instead, all manner of life. Luminescent creatures. Patient, predatory sharks. Cannabilistic killer squid (pictured). And other things, all of which will leave you amazed by nature, and by television.
TBS, 10:00 p.m. ET
SPECIAL PREMIERE: Conan O’Brien stamps his passport, once again, to visit a country and have them laugh at him, rather than him laugh in their direction. It’s a goodwill tour to a place that sorely needs a few laughs. And this special, it should be pointed out, was planned and filmed long before the President of the United States, by several accounts, recently described this spot on the globe, among others, as a word that rhymes with pit-hole.
NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET
Returning to the roost, tonight’s guest host is Will Ferrell – who, on this show and on Broadway, famously portrayed the President of the United States. But that was three chief executives ago, when George W. Bush was in the Oval Office. The question is: Tonight, in some sketch within tonight’s SNL, will Ferrell’s Bush meet Alec Baldwin’s President Donald Trump? The musical guest, either way, is Chris Stapleton, pictured here with Ferrell.