Holiday marathons put repetition on the agenda
Memorial Day marathons and mini-marathons include an 85-episode helping of “The Incredible Hulk” on the El Rey network that began on Friday afternoon and includes episodes from all five seasons. It’s hosted by the Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno.
Expect the green tide to run high until Monday at 5 a.m. The marathon anticipates the arrival of “Hulk” repeats on El Rey’s schedule. Beginning Tuesday, the series will air every weekday afternoon.
Bravo anticipates the travel plans with helpings of “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (5:30 and 11:30 p.m. today), “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday) and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1:30 a.m. today).
CNN invites viewers to return to “The Eighties” (8 p.m. today3 a.m. Sunday). On Sunday, the news network embarks on a seven-episode binge of “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (8 p.m.-3 a.m. Monday).
AMC wants viewers to spend Memorial Day with the Corleones, offering “The Godfather” (1 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday) and “The Godfather, Part II” (5 p.m. Sunday and 1:30 a.m. Monday).
Discovery has long used holiday weekends to showcase its series in marathon fashion, and this year is no exception. Look for “Dirty Jobs” (8 a.m.-2 p.m. today); “Fast N’ Loud” (2 p.m. today-3 a.m. Sunday) and a bit of overexposure for “Naked and Afraid” (9 a.m. Sunday-3 a.m. Monday).
History goes about evading history with “American Pickers” (noon today-4 a.m. Sunday), until offering “Vietnam in HD” (2-8 p.m. Sunday).
TCM devotes the entire weekend to combat drama and a few service comedies with an all-day festival of films set in the Korean War from “Target Zero” (7 a.m. today) to “Battle Hymn” (6 p.m. today).
USA offers couch potatoes a solid Saturday of “NCIS” (10 a.m.1 a.m. Sunday) repeats. Sunday belongs to “Law & Order: SVU” (9 a.m.-11 p.m.).
CROCODILE HUNT
A nature photographer who uses only one name gets his own TV show, “Expedition Mungo” (10 p.m. Sunday, Animal Planet, TV-PG). Mungo, who has worked with Bear Grylls, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, Simon Cowell, Freddie Flintoff and Charley Boorman, will invite viewers to join him in exciting and occasionally hostile environments from Asia to Africa to South America.
Each hourlong adventure is dedicated to exploring local legends about rarely seen creatures. The action begins in Liberia, with tales of a crocodile-like creature known as the Gbahali, infamous for killing random people. Some believe it may be closer in size to an ancient dinosaur than any known crocodile.
MUSICAL SALUTE
An annual event for 28 years, the National Memorial Day Concert (8 p.m. Sunday, PBS) honors the sacrifice of fallen servicemen and women. Joe Mantegna and Laurence Fishburne host the concert, featuring a tribute to the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders, airmen who flew a bombing mission over Japan just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Featured performers and presenters include Renee Fleming, Vanessa Williams, Scotty McCreery, Five for Fighting, John Ortiz, Christopher Jackson, Auli’i Cravalho, Gen. Colin Powell, Gary Sinise, and conductor Jack Everly and the National Symphony Orchestra.
TEPID ‘PEAKS’
“Twin Peaks: The Return” (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime, TV-MA) returns for a third and fourth installment. Can they be as baffling, boring and pointless as the first two? As we’ve been repeatedly reminded, the original “Twin Peaks” was a real jolt to the TV landscape in 1990. This new helping is just the opposite. With so much good TV to view, binge and stream nowadays, why would anyone waste time on this excruciatingly slow and pretentious exercise in hipster nostalgia?
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
› Regional coverage of Major League Baseball action (7 p.m., Fox).
› Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson star in “Fast and Furious 6” (8 p.m., NBC).
› A fertility doctor has dark motives in the 2016 shocker “Give Me My Baby” (8 p.m., Lifetime).
› The sudden appearance of an ancient pyramid inspires thoughts of imminent doom on “Doctor Who” (9 p.m., BBC America, TV-PG).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
› Scott Dixon is in pole position for the 101st Indianapolis 500 (noon, ABC).
› The Monster Energy Cup Series continues in the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m., Fox), live from Charlotte, North Carolina.
› Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): a profile of a 99-year-old survivor of the Bataan Death March; wilderness and wild fires; inflatable technology and space exploration.
› A single mom falls for a man of the cloth who could be a serial killer in the 2017 shocker “Sinister Minister” (8 p.m., Lifetime).
› Elizabeth’s position may cost the president votes on “Madam Secretary” (9 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› “America’s Secret Space Heroes” (9 p.m., Smithsonian) recalls the unsung engineers and mathematicians behind the Space Shuttle’s many flights.
› Cassie soothes a stir-crazy chef on “Good Witch” (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-PG).
› Kevin assumes a new identity on “The Leftovers” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
› Shadow’s reunion with his dead wife is short-lived on “American Gods” (9 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
› Holmes is kidnapped on “Elementary” (10 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
› Richard looks outside of the valley for venture capital on “Silicon Valley” (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
› While awaiting the unveiling of her official portrait, Selina has difficulty completing her memoirs on “Veep” (10:30 p.m.,
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.