Marital murder plots spawn guilty pleasure
Divorce can be murder. That’s the theme of “Fatal Vows” (9 p.m. Saturday, ID), a new true- crime series devoted to stories about marriages that end in one spouse planning to kill the other. Every story is hosted by Brian Russell, an attorney as well as a forensic and clinical psychologist, and Stacy Kaiser, a licensed psychotherapist and relationship expert.
Our experts explain the motivations that drive some people to murder instead of divorce. The series kicks off with the tale of a “perfect couple,” a Navy commander and his seemingly doting wife. But when she learns that her officer was not a gentleman and had a thing for strip clubs, she files for divorce. This starts a chain of events leading to the grave.
While grim, this series is clearly intended as a Saturday night guilty pleasure. “Fatal” is not the first cable show to cover this territory. Some years back, writer/director John Waters hosted “’Til Death Do Us Part,” a series on Court TV that had a decidedly tongue-in-cheek take on these deadly doings.
Lacey Chabert of “Party of Five” fame stars as a star-crossed baker in the cookie-cutter holiday romance “Matchmaker Santa” (7 p.m. Saturday, Hallmark). She’s not the only one cast for her “where are they now?” status. Look for Florence Henderson (“The Brady Bunch”) and John Ratzenberger (“Cheers”).
Not content to leave the Christmas movie stunt casting to Hallmark, the Lifetime Network counters with the 2012 romance “Holiday High School Reunion” (7 p.m. Saturday), featuring Harry Hamlin (“L. A. Law”) and Marilu Henner (“Taxi”). Rachel Boston (“American Dreams”) stars.
Imagine a scenario in which greed contributes to environmental damage, leading to a natural disaster of unimagined fury — a decade-long nightmare that some people interpret as stirrings of the biblical apocalypse. This may sound like contemporary misgivings about global warming, but it’s the story of “The Dust Bowl” (8 p.m. Sunday, PBS, check local listings), a new documentary from Ken Burns airing over two nights.
“Bowl” includes interviews with survivors of the calamity, which saw the topsoil of America’s heartland literally blow away after unprecedented plowing was followed by a record drought and heat waves. It’s filled with little-seen film footage of devastation and Burns’ patented pan-and- scan use of startling still photography.
The OWN network offers a variation on Lifetime’s “Army Wives” with the documentary-style series “Married to the Army: Alaska” (9 p.m. Sunday).
“Married” is set at an Alaska Army base, home to more than 10,000 soldiers and their wives and families. According to OWN, this is the first time the Pentagon has allowed camera crews to “embed” themselves with the families of the deployed.
We see the daily routine of women who are worried about their husbands in Afghanistan. Technology allows them to keep in touch via Skype and other methods, but “Married” is essentially about women raising families on their own (not to mention coping with Alaska’s remarkable climate), while continually worrying about receiving bad news from the front. And because this is cable television, the Army wives are remarkably telegenic.
Carrie Fisher stars in the 2012 holiday bauble “It’s Christmas, Carol!” (7 p.m. Sunday, Hallmark). She’s the ghost who tries to teach Carol, a Scroogelike publisher (Emmanuelle Vaugier), the error of her ways. Carol resists her lesson with cranky reluctance right up until the bitter end.
Faithful to the plotting of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the movie departs a bit from the Hallmark formula of sending overscheduled urbanites to the country to get their groove back in the arms of a cowboy type. That doesn’t necessarily make it better.
Lifestyle expert Carson Kressley stars as an elfin editor. He has many talents. Acting is not one of them.
SATURDAY’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Released in 3- D, IMAX and regular-screen formats, the 2012 fantasy “John Carter” (8 p. m., Starz) was a box- office disappointment for Disney in the United States, but its special effects had appeal overseas.
Scheduled on “48 Hours” (9 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3): A single highway linked to 20 murder and missing-person cases.
The gang plays Comic-Con and meets a cult actress on “Wedding Band” (9 p.m., TBS).
Cameron Diaz, Sarah Millican and Rod Stewart appear on “The Graham Norton Show” (10 p.m., BBC America).
Jeremy Renner hosts “Saturday Night Live” (10: 30 p. m., WMC-TV Channel 5), featuring musical guest Maroon 5.
SUNDAY’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., WREGTV Channel 3): the end of a drug cartel; money, power and college football; new notions about morals learned in infancy.
Justin Bieber and Kelly Clarkson are among the talents on hand for the 40th Anniversary American Music Awards (7 p.m., WPTY-TV Channel 24).
A legal strategy risks alienating every judge in town on “The Good Wife” (8 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3).
“Superstorm 2012: Hell and High Water” (8 p. m., History) looks at Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath.
Michonne makes a choice regarding Woodbury on “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m., AMC).
Margaret considers her options on “Boardwalk Empire” (8 p.m., HBO).
“Breaking Amish” (9 p.m., TLC) presents a cast reunion.
Terry faces a threatening situation on “Treme” (9 p.m., HBO).
An escape hatch on “Homeland” (9 p.m., Showtime).