‘Dexter’, ‘Highway to Heaven’ return
Showtime revives one of its most popular series from the “difficult men” era of “Peak TV.” Michael C. Hall returns in “Dexter: New Blood” (9 p.m. Sunday, TV-MA). In the original series, Dexter Morgan had an interesting way of hiding his life as a serial killer: He was a forensic blood expert for the Miami Police Department.
“New Blood” begins some 10 years later. Dexter has buried his past and resurfaced in the frozen upstate New York town of Iron Lake. He’s now Jim Lindsay, a nice guy and assistant at the local sporting goods store. He fits into the life of a small town that’s not terribly far removed from “Gilmore Girls” fare. In a strange way, the setup resembles a sick take on a Hallmark movie. A busy urban killer decides to slow down and smell the roses in an idyllic small town. As in many romances, he even falls for the local police chief (Julia Jones).
It would be unfair to say too much more, as the pilot episode deals with some of the loose ends of Dexter’s life from the first series. Suffice it to say, Dexter/Jim has been on his best behavior, checking off the calendar boxes to note every day without a bloody homicide. But just how long can he keep that up?
› Lifetime lurches from women-in-peril fare to holiday uplift with the 2021 movie reboot of “Highway to Heaven” (8 p.m. Saturday, TV-G). Jill Scott reprises the late Michael Landon’s role as Angela Stewart, an angel among us who takes a job as a temporary high school guidance counselor, in which she assists a grief-stricken student and helps junior high school principal Bruce Banks (Barry Watson) live out unrealized dreams.
Strenuously pleasant and upbeat with a piano score to match, this may prove a tonic for some and a throwback for others. Not to give too much away, but the film appears readymade to be serialized or subject to sequels. When Banks suggests that he may have a more permanent job for Stewart, she defers, saying she’ll have to clear it with her “boss” first.
› The 2021 documentary “Attica” (9 p.m. Saturday, Showtime, TV-MA) recalls a prison riot 50 years in the past that resonates to this day. In the fall of 1971, inmates at an upstate New York maximum security facility took staff hostage to negotiate for better conditions. The situation was highly flammable. More than two-thirds of the inmates were Black and Latino, and all the prison guards were white. 1971 was a time of great social upheaval and racial unrest, when the fringes of the antiwar movement had gone underground. Urban bombings and campus riots were frequent.
Against the backdrop of civil chaos, many politicians recalibrated their positions to emerge as “law and order” candidates. Among the most notable was New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. Once the face of the Republican party’s moderate-to-liberal wing, he became an enthusiastic advocate of draconian drug sentencing and tough policing. Given this transformation, Rockefeller could not afford to look “weak” at Attica. The standoff ended with a crackdown that left 29 inmates and 10 hostages dead.
“Attica” presents interviews with former prisoners as well as former guards and their family members. What emerges is a look at the kind of carnage that can result when “the other side” is seen as less than human and when it might seem politically advantageous to open fire.
› “Yellowstone” (8 p.m. Sunday, Paramount, CMT, Pop, TV Land, TV-MA) returns for a fourth season with the Duttons facing several crises. In addition to multiple cable outlets, “Yellowstone” can be streamed on Paramount+.
The use of streaming services to complement, develop or take over shows continues. Starting tomorrow, NBC will “borrow” episodes of the Dan Brown series “The Lost Symbol” from Peacock. CBS viewers wondering where “SEAL Team” has gone, should look for it on Paramount+, where it now streams exclusively.