Steve Carell Goes to College, Dark Winds to L.A., Harry Styles in Manchester, Werner Herzogs Ghost Elephants

SUNDAY: Cloaked in the wry, warm sensibility of Bill Lawrence (Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Scrubs), collaborating with Scrubs vet Matt Tarses, this whimsical college-set comedy stars Steve Carell as Gary, a milquetoast writer of beach-read novels—his hero, a stud named Rooster, “gets to do everything I wish I could,” he says wistfully. When the forlorn Gary visits the New England campus of (fictional) Ludlow College for a reading, but really in hopes of reconnecting with his professor daughter Katie (a tart Charly Clive), he ends up staying. Both of their lives are a mess: He’s unhappily single, and Katie just split from her pompous and cheating husband (Lasso‘s Phil Dunster), so maybe they can pull each other out of their funk. Or not. Co-stars include Scrubs’ John C. McGinley as the wellness-obsessed and meddling college president, and the terrific Danielle Deadwyler as a prof who can’t decide what to make of the awkward Gary, who becomes a writer-in-residence without ever having gone to college.

SUNDAY:With a pungent period soundtrack (The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Santana), the 1970s-set crime drama sends its Navajo police heroes from the reservation to Los Angeles in search of the runaway teen Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) and the mysterious assassin Irene Vaggan (Franka Potente) on her trail. For Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), this is an opportunity to reach out to his estranged wife, Emma (Deanna Allison), while his deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) continues to sulk over his girlfriend-partner Bernadette (Jessica Matten) keeping Joe’s impending retirement and her potential promotion a secret. Chee’s nosebleeds, a symptom of “ghost sickness” and psychological trauma, are becoming more than a distraction.

SUNDAY: The Grammy-winning music superstar is back on home turf in England for a concert special recorded live in Manchester on Friday. Harry Styles performs songs from his fourth studio album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, which not so coincidentally was also released on Friday in advance of a global tour later this year. This front-row seat is a bargain.

SATURDAY: Legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog knows a thing or two about obsession, making him the perfect visionary to direct and narrate this mesmerizing nature documentary. The 90-minute film follows National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes into the highlands and forests of Angola in Africa on a dreamlike quest to lay eyes on the possibly mythic ghost elephant, descendants of the planet’s largest land mammal (a replica is on display at the Smithsonian, though his actual tusks are in storage, too heavy to be attached). Boyes and Herzog immerse themselves in the local tribal culture to be granted permission to observe and study these elusive creatures, if only for a moment.

SUNDAY: Milestone alert: The clip show that has kept family audiences in stitches since 1989 marks its 800th episode, with host Alfonso Ribeiro presiding over the fun. This week’s playlist includes a typical rundown of slapstick antics at the beach, with adorable glimpses of cats wrangling with dogs. Awww.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• UFC 326: Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 (Saturday, 8 pm/ET, CBS): The network enters the UFC ring for the first time in a simulcast with Paramount+, with select fights from the prelims in the first hour and the first hour of the main card at 9 pm/ET, with the remainder of the action available exclusively on the streamer.
• Sugar & Vice (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Alison Sweeney writes, executive produces, and stars in the latest Hannah Swensen Mysteries installment, with the baking sleuth solving a murder during a masquerade ball where all the suspects are trapped while a storm rages.
• Vanished in an Instant (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Widowed teacher Megan (Vinessa Antoine) frantically searches for her feisty teenage daughter Whitney (Arista Arhin) when she disappears from a gas station while on a road trip together.
• Love & Marriage: Huntsville (Saturday, 8/7c, OWN): The reality show set in the Alabama community returns with 15 new episodes.
• Duck Dynasty: The Revival (Saturday, 10/9c, A&E): The Robertsons are back for the reboot’s second season, paying tribute to their patriarch Phil in the opener.
• Saturday Night Live (Saturday, 11:30/10:30c, 8:30 pm/PT, NBC): Ryan Gosling is getting closer to joining the Five-Timers Club when he makes his fourth appearance as guest host, with Gorillaz making their debut as musical guest.
• CBS News Sunday Morning (Sunday, 9 am/8c, check local listings): Luke Burbank goes on set of NCIS in advance of the crime drama’s upcoming 500th episode.
• Crossroad Springs (Sunday, 8/7c, Great American Family): The family ranching drama returns for the final four episodes of its first season, with James (Jonathan Stoddard) preparing to open the Cowboy Church at Red Oak Spring as a source of community healing and support.
• Family Guy (Sunday, 8/7c, Fox): A “Viewer DMs” installment features a retelling of The Lord of the Rings. Another new episode at 9:30/8:30c finds Brian’s sensitive nose sniffing out cancer in the Griffin home.
• Marshals (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): A new case leads Kayce (Luke Grimes) back to the “Zone of Death” on the Wyoming border, dumping ground for many a Dutton skeleton. Followed by new episodes of Tracker (9/8c) and Watson (10/9c).
• DTF St. Louis (Sunday, 9/8c, HBO): As the detectives dig deeper into Floyd’s (David Harbour) death, they and we learn more about his buddy Clark’s (Jason Bateman) secret and torrid relationship with his wife Carol (Linda Cardellini), casting doubt on who made the first move.
• American Classic (Sunday, 9/8c, MGM+): In the theatrical comedy, Richard (Kevin Kline) hopes to find an “angel” to finance his ambitious Our Town at the family-run theater, while his sister-in-law and town mayor Kristen’s (Laura Linney) deal with the devil—local developer Connor (Billy Carter)—takes a controversial turn.