What to Watch Saturday: ‘Crawdads,’ murder and Dave Chappelle
Here’s what’s on TV tonight.
Where the Crawdads Sing (Netflix)
Released in theaters this summer, “Crawdads” moves to Netflix today. Based on the book by Delia Owens, the story follows the life of a young girl abandoned to grow up on her own in a North Carolina marsh. To enhance your viewing experience, read reporter Korie Dean’s story about where exactly the story takes place.
Reindeer Games Homecoming (8 p.m., Lifetime)
In this new Christmas movie, sparks fly between a Vermont biology teacher and her high school crush as they compete in a holiday fundraising tradition.
The Royal Nanny (8 p.m., Hallmark)
Working undercover as a nanny, an MI5 agent must resist the charms of Prince Colin while keeping the royal family safe ... during Christmastime.
Our Italian Christmas Memories (10 p.m., Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
As their grandfather struggles with dementia, the Colucci siblings set out to re-create their late grandmother’s legendary pasta sauce to help jog his memory.
48 HOURS: The ‘Unsolvable’ Murder of Roxanne Wood (10 p.m., CBS)
Correspondent Peter Van Sant looks at the February 1987 murder of Roxanne Wood, discovered by her husband Terry, dead on the kitchen floor of their home in Niles, Michigan. From CBS: “Detectives said that Roxanne Wood had been sexually assaulted and her throat slashed. DNA was preserved from the crime scene, but given technological limitations of the time, there wasn’t enough evidence to charge any suspects. The case went cold. Then, 34 years later, investigative genetic genealogist Gabriella Vargas got to work on what had been deemed unsolvable by many because of the scant amount of DNA that was left.”
CBS reports on how the incredible work of Vargas, an undercover cop, and a cigarette butt led investigators to their killer and solved the case. The episode will be available to stream on Paramount+.
Saturday Night Live (with Dave Chappelle) (11:30 p.m., NBC)
Comedian Dave Chappelle hosts tonight with musical guest Black Star. There’s been a bit of controversy surrounding Chappelle’s hosting gig, with several reports that some SNL writers walked off in protest (related to the anti-trans material that continually shows up in Chappelle’s material).
This will be the third time Chappelle has hosted the sketch show in the week immediately following a major election. (Chappelle previously hosted “SNL” on the Saturday after the 2016 and 2020 elections.)
I wrote the following for our weekly Happiness is a Warm TV newsletter, if you’re interested in a little local media history (there’s a link to subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of this story):
The Chappelle + “SNL” combo will always make me think of his 2016 appearance, which resulted in some local infamy: WRAL, the local NBC affiliate, “muted” Chappelle’s language a number of times during the show, including in his monologue and in various sketches. (NBC muted one word at the network level.) Station management at the time said that Chappelle’s language violated the station’s “obscenity, decency and profanity” policy.
After cries of censorship from viewers and a fair bit of national media exposure, WRAL reversed its language policy the next week, airing this message before the episode: “Look, you’re a grown-up watching a late night comedy show. So starting right now, during every episode of ‘SNL,’ we are walking away from the dreaded silencer button. And live from New York, it’s Saturday Night! And Raleigh is keepin’ all the words in!”
I confirmed with current WRAL vice president and general manager Joel Davis that the “hands off” policy when it comes to the mute button for late-night shows still stands at the station, so watch with abandon (or don’t).
Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.
