Today's TV highlights include the cable premiere of an Oscar favo(u)rite, a grown up Winnie Cooper looking for love, sharks running wild on the Discovery Channel, and a reality competition staggering across the finish line:
CABLE PREMIERE: HBO's big Saturday Night movie premiere this week is The Favourite. Loosely based on historical events, the film tells the story of Britain's troubled Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), who essentially governs the country while caring for the physically and mentally ill queen. The balance of power is put to the test when Abigail (Emma Stone) a willful new servant with aristocratic roots, arrives on the scene and quickly insinuates herself into the lives of the two women. The critically acclaimed film was nominated for ten Academy Awards (including Best Picture) with Colman memorably winning the award for Best Actress. Watch the trailer. 8:00 PM ET on HBO
TV MOVIE PREMIERE: Ally (The Wonder Years' Danica McKellar) is caring for a retired military dog named Sunshine while working through the pain of a wedding engagement that was not meant to be in Love and Sunshine. When the dog's former military handler Jake Terry (Mark Deklin from Grace and Frankie) returns for his canine buddy, he quickly realizes Sunshine may not be the only light in his life. Watch the preview. 9:00 PM ET on Hallmark
SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Take a look at every unbelievable shark-related event of the past year in Sharks Gone Wild 2. Using cutting edge science, news clips, and viral videos, this special should keep viewers' adrenaline pumping as this year's Shark Week nears its conclusion. 8:00 PM ET on Discovery
TV MOVIE PREMIERE: Picking up where last week's Heaven left off, Dark Angel is the second installment in Lifetime's five part V.C. Andrews’ Casteel Saga. Jason Priestley co-stars (before stepping behind the camera to direct the fifth and final installment on August 24th). Watch the preview. 8:00 PM ET on Lifetime
ALSO TONIGHT
Joe Reid is the senior writer at Primetimer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His work has appeared in Decider, NPR, HuffPost, The Atlantic, Slate, Polygon, Vanity Fair, Vulture, The A.V. Club and more.
TOPICS: HBO, Emma Stone, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz