You can’t avoid it, so just enjoy it If you love something cheesy, melodramatic and carefree: Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance If you’re really into princesses:
There are plenty of ways to tune in, sincerely or not
Whether you’re an Anglophile or you can’t stand the monarchy, there’s no escaping the drumbeat for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19.
The nuptials are all over the Internet, a hot topic at local bars, in every tabloid and on every TV set.
Plenty of specials and TV movies are on tap for fans of the royal romance, and even those in the mood to mock it. We offer five options to watch ironically, sincerely or somewhere in between:
Judged by promos, the Harry and Meghan Lifetime movie (Monday, 11 ET/ PT Tuesday, 8 ET/PT) delivers exactly what you’d want from a Harry and Meghan Lifetime movie: Furtive glances, romantic kisses, commentary from Duchess Kate and dialogue including, “She makes me happy, so to hell with tradition!” Million Dollar American Princesses: Meghan Markle
This special episode of the series (Smithsonian Channel, Monday, 10 ET/ PT and Tuesday, 1 ET/PT) marks Markle’s place in the history of American princesses, from Consuelo Vanderbilt to Rita Hayworth and Grace Kelly. It also examines how societal attitudes about the royals have changed over time and how the royals’ attitudes about society (along with race, class and modern customs) have changed.
If you miss early 2000s SNL:
The Royal Wedding Live With Cord and Tish! “Broadcast legends” Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan (Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon, playing an unctuous local news team) host HBO’s coverage of the wedding as only they can. The hilarious characters, who hosted this year’s Tournament of Roses Parade on Amazon, will start at 7:30 a.m. ET/ 4:30 PT on May 19 (airing again at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT), commenting on all things royal and profane, with some special guests along the way.
If you want to watch like a true Englishman: BBC America’s simulcast
If you feel like experiencing the royal wedding the way Brits will, tune into BBC America’s all-day coverage May 19, a simulcast of BBC’s coverage. British commentators will make incredibly polite remarks about the proceedings, very early in the morning.
If you want to be insulated in the world of happily ever after: Hallmark celebrates the royal wedding with all-royal, all-day programming
You may know that Markle spent seven seasons on the USA legal drama Suits, but you probably missed the entry on her IMDb page for her Hallmark movie, Dater’s Handbook. Because no wedding would be complete without someone dredging up something embarrassing from the past, Hallmark is airing Markle’s film on her wedding day (10:30 a.m. ET/PT), along with a new film, Royally Ever After (9 p.m. ET/PT), and some monarchy-themed treasures from its archive, including My Summer Prince (6:30 a.m. ET/PT), Once Upon a Prince (5 ET/PT) and The Royal Matchmaker (7 ET/PT).