‘The Missing’ a thriller spanning, time, places
Starz ’ eight- part psychological thriller “The Missing” (8 p.m. Saturday) begins in the present, as a desperate and slightly threatening Tony Hughes (James Nesbitt, “The Hobbit”) returns to the rundown French city where his 5-year-old son Oliver vanished without a trace. It then slips back six years to revisit the circumstances of his disappearance and then bounces back and forth rather seamlessly between the two periods and between France and London, Tony’s home.
Like (too) many Christmas fantasies, “Northpole” (6 p.m. Saturday, Hallmark) blends the sad spirits of mere mortals (suburban Americans, mostly) with a crisis at the North Pole and an overarching fear that Christmas itself may be imperiled.
Tiffani Thiessen stars as Chelsea, an unhappily divorced single mother and intrepid reporter raising a daydreaming young son, Kevin (Max Charles), who makes it his mission to revive his once-festive town’s flagging Christmas spirit.
Look for Robert Wagner as the worried Santa Claus and Jill St. John as the missus. It looks like she’s put the jolly guy on a serious diet!
At first glance, the cuter-than- cute holiday movie “Northpole” and the music biopic “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” (7 p.m. Saturday, Lifetime) have nothing in common. But this tale of Brooklynborn, Detroit-raised Aaliyah Dana Haughton’s (Alexandra Shipp) rise from “Star Search” contestant to queen of R&B, actress and tragic plane crash victim at the tender age of 22, plays it decidedly safe.
The often-hungover Don Draper may be a stranger to the crack of dawn, but your DVR might find him there anyway. AMC heralds the spring 2015 final half-season of “Mad Men” by repeating every single episode of the acclaimed series on Sunday mornings (5 a.m., AMC). That’s what you call an eye-opener.
Comedy Central may pride itself on edgy comedy but it often gets very good ratings for specials featuring an old-school prop comic who works with puppets. “Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map” (8 p.m. Sunday) follows Dunham and his ensemble of characters as they embark on a five-continent tour.
The second season of “The Paradise” on “Masterpiece Classic” (7 p.m. Sunday, WKNO-TV Channel 10; WMAV-TV Channel 18) concludes with the plucky Denise expanding her dreams beyond the confines of the department store.
For those keeping score, “Mulaney,” while not technically canceled, will move out of prime time to 7:30 p.m. next Sunday, Nov. 23, a spot where it will probably be preempted when NFL games run late. “Bob’s Burgers” (8: 30 p. m., WHBQ-TV Channel 13) takes its place this Sunday.
SATURDAY’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
The queen needs Jason’s help on the second season premiere of “Atlantis” (8 p.m., BBC America).
Shirley Bassey, David Walliams, Catherine Tate, Richard Ayoade and Annie Lennox appear on “The Graham Norton Show” (9 p.m., BBC America).
Woody Harrelson hosts “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m., WMCTV Channel 5), featuring Kendrick Lamar.
SUNDAY’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., WREGTV Channel 3): Boston’s Archbishop Sean O’Malley discusses the impact of Pope Francis; the global groundwater crisis; a profile of Mandy Patinkin.
The mystery behind the plane crash death of Elizabeth’s predecessor deepens on “Madam Secretary” (7 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3).
Alicia balks at campaign advice on “The Good Wife” (8 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3).
A woman overdoses in a rehab center on “CSI” (9 p.m., WREG-TV Channel 3).