What's On Tonight (Saturday): Ta-Nehisi Coates' letter comes to life

Between the World and Me

Good tidings! Here's what's on television for tonight, Saturday, November 21!

Tonight's Top Pick is the HBO movie Between the World and Me, which is an adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates book that he wrote to his teenage son about growing up in Black America. This adaptation gives it interpretations as passages are created by various Black performers. The cast list is... impressive.

Elsewhere, Mario Lopez's relatives want him to find a woman, Hell Den celebrates the 4th of July, the Croods are challenged, the Doctor regenerates, Ethan Hawke has struggles, and Abbott and Costello meet monsters.

STREAMING & EARLY PRIMETIME

Doctor Who 📺 (Retro TV, 6 p.m.): In this excellent serial, the Doctor becomes involved in a war between the ruthless Morgus and the android builder Sharaz Jek, both of who want control of the life-prolonging substance called spectrox. Also: goodbye, Fifth Doctor.✔️

The Fall (Ovation, 7 p.m.): Gibson realises that her mistakes have put the life of witness Rose Stagg in danger. Desperate to save Rose's life, she steps up the police investigation as serial killer Paul Spector continues to stalk Belfast's streets.

QUICK HITS:

Saturday Night Football 🏈 (ABC, 7:30 p.m.): Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

FOR THE RECORD: Killer Siblings (Oxygen, 6 p.m.); NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure (MotorTrend.com, 3 a.m.)

Doctor Who, The Caves of Androzani, "Part 4"

🕗 EASTERN / 🕖 CENTRAL

⭐ Between the World and Me 🎥 (HBO, 8 p.m.): The book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which was a letter to his 15-year-old son about coming of age in Black America, comes to life as it is performed by a variety of Black performers. The book was also given a stage adaptation a couple years ago, and that director helmed his film. The performers include Angela Bassett, Mahershala Ali, Oprah Winfrey, Wendell Pierce, Yara Shahidi, Courtney B. Vance, Jharrel Jerome, Mj Rodriguez, T.I., Phylicia Rashad, and Joe Morton.✔️

Big City Greens: Shortsgiving (Disney Channel, 8 p.m.): SPECIAL. A Thanksgiving special that I think is mostly a compilation of the show's shorts. Plus characters from Amphibia, The Owl House, and Phineas and Ferb. Maybe? Either that or the extended Green family comes to visit and they are turned away. Don't they know there's a pandemic!

The Croods 🎥 (NBC, 8 p.m.): A caveman catches the eye of a less-evolved female, as she and her family seek a new home. I quite enjoy this animated family flick.

Danger Force (Nickelodeon, 8 p.m.): An ancient prank war reignites between Swellview and Rivalton.

Earth's Great Seasons (BBC America, 8 p.m.): Autumn, which is my pick for the best season.

Felix NaviDAD 🎥 (Lifetime, 8 p.m.): Mario Lopez is a single dad who has family that wants him to find love, so they nose around in his business. Despite the title, I don't think it is in Spanish.

A Nashville Christmas Carol 🎥 (Hallmark Channel, 8 p.m.): White people love them some Christmas love.

Pretty Cheaters, Deadly Lies 🎥 (Lifetime Movies, 8 p.m.): After being tricked into a compromising situation by her cousin Madison, Hanna thinks she can stop her cousin's blackmail scheme by taking her college entrance exam for her. Hanna has never seen a Lifetime movie.

Side Hustle (Nickelodeon, 8:30 p.m.): The kids throw a yard sale, which is a success, but a miscommunication causes the toy that Lex stores their KidDING! money in to be sold.

Svengoolie: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 🎥 (MeTV, 8 p.m.): In this classic horror comedy, the Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.

Tour of Duty 📺 (Heroes & Icons, 8 p.m.): Taylor, Ruiz and Johnson go in search of Purcell after he goes AWOL. They look for 3 days, finally being taken to a heroin parlor by three drug dealers. 

Traffik 🎥 (BET, 8 p.m.): "Refuse to be a victim." Huh?

QUICK HITS:

Fox College Football 🏈 (Fox): Arizona at Washington

FOR THE RECORD: Should I Stay or Go? (HGTV)

🕘 EASTERN / 🕗 CENTRAL

First Reformed 🎥 (Showtime, 9 p.m.): Minister Ethan Hawke is a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past. This is not for those looking for something even slightly uplifting. That said, I think writer-director Paul Schrader shoulda won an Oscar for the screenplay.✔️

This Weekend in Pop Culture (WOT&Pop Culture, 9:30 p.m.): What pop culture have you consumed lately? Have you been to the theater? Those are a thing again for some brave souls. 

Underwater 🎥 (HBO, 9:25 p.m.): Members of a deep-sea drilling crew find themselves in a fight for their lives when they come under attack from mysterious and deadly creatures six miles below the ocean surface.

QUICK HITS:

History's Greatest Mysteries (History): Titanic

FOR THE RECORD: Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet (Animal Planet); Ghost Nation (Travel Channel, season finale); Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN); The Substitute (Nickelodeon)

🕙 EASTERN / 🕘 CENTRAL

The Angel Tree 🎥 (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 10 p.m.): Angels don't come from Heaven, they grow on trees.

QUICK HITS:

Behind Every Man (OWN): Crystal Smith

FOR THE RECORD: 48 Hours (CBS); Destination Fear (Travel Channel); Mega Zoo (Animal Planet); Secrets of the Zoo: North Carolina (Nat Geo Wild)

🕚 EASTERN / 🕙 CENTRAL

Barnaby Jones 📺 (Decades, 11 p.m.): Barnaby investigates the death of a woman who was killed in a car accident after the woman's daughter claims that it was no accident. An aging movie star with something to hide is Barnaby's number one suspect.

QUICK HITS:

Premier Boxing Champions 🥊 (Fox, 11:30 p.m.): Errol SpenceJr. vs Danny Garcia

First Reformed (via Giphy)

💤💤😴💤💤

Assassination Classroom (Adult Swim, 1:30 a.m.): The E Class boys must play the Baseball Club in an exhibition game meant to humiliate them.

Fire Force (Adult Swim, 1 a.m.): Obi goes to see the chief with news of a fifth Adolla-Burst bearer. Schoolgirl Inca becomes notorious.

Gēmusetto: Death Beat(s) (Adult Swim, 2 a.m.): Our heroes board a ferry attempting to navigate multiple mythological rivers to reach the Center Of All Death. Later, The ferry crashes into the Inuit frozen underworld of Adlivun, where the Hindu Death God Yama awaits.

Hell Den (Syfy, midnight): Andrew plans on enjoying the Fourth of July despite the fact that the U.S.A. is rubble.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker 📺 (MeTV, midnight): "A Hindu Rakshasa terrorizes a Jewish neighborhood."

Lost in Space 📺 (MeTV, 1 a.m.): After the Jupiter 2 is sucked through a time warp, the Robinsons find themselves near Earth. Upon arrival to their planet, however, they discover the year is 1947. But they could stayed and recorded all those old TV shows that are lost!

Naruto: Shippuden (Adult Swim, 2:30 a.m.): A reanimated Granny Chiyo attacks Kankuro and Mifune's team. Kankuro fights back using the human puppet of Sasori.

The Six Million Dollar Man 📺 (Cozi, midnight): A test pilot claims a Japanese zero shot down her plane.

Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld (Adult Swim, 12:30 a.m.): Bercouli pursues Vecta, who has abducted Alice. The two enter a long, vicious battle that only ends with Bercouli's secret sword skill, Uragiri.

LATE-NIGHT TV

Austin City Limits (PBS, 11 p.m.): The Mavericks
The Greg Gutfeld Show (Fox News, 10 p.m.): Michael Loftus, Emily Compagno, Kat Timpf, and Tyrus

SNL Vintage 📺 (NBC, 10 p.m.): Kerry Washington and Eminem (2 Nov 2013)

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Note: All times are Eastern.

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; IMDb; TV Passport; Zap2it
⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included

🏈🏒🥊🏎️: Sportsballs

Happy watching, everyone!