Now streaming on Freevee, the comedy “Dinner With the Parents” has all the hallmarks of a show that, back in the day, never would have made it through pilot season. It’s pretty dreadful, but in an old-fashioned way. It’s comfort food — like the meatloaf you forgot you’d left in the back of the fridge.
David Langer (Henry Hall) first is seen approaching a suburban home in a stealthy fashion. He’s planning to take his girlfriend to meet his parents, Jane (Michaela Watkins) and Harvey (Dan Bakkedahl), for the first time. But first he must run the gauntlet of his little brother, Gregg’s (Daniel Thrasher), water pistols. Pushing 30 at least, David is reduced to the age of 7 when he’s around his family.
This might explain (spoiler) why his girlfriend doesn’t show and dumps him via Facetime before she even can meet the parents. So, in the logic of 1930s screwball comedies, he bribes the pizza deliverer to pretend she’s his girlfriend for the night.
There isn’t a joke or situation that doesn’t seem forced. Look for veteran actress Carol Kane (“Taxi,” “Annie Hall”) as a vaguely ethnic grandmother, given to earthy observations and cigarettes.
• Today brings a spate of personality-driven series that might just fall under the “vanity project” umbrella.
Peacock streams “Orlando Bloom: To the Edge.” In three episodes, the “Lord of the Rings” star pushes himself in daunting physical undertakings. Whether climbing cliff faces or plunging to ocean depths, he’s full of philosophical asides about how hard things are and how he might just kill himself in the process of pursuing these daunting tasks. Help yourself.
• The Max original travel series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” follows the former late-night talk show host as he meets fans from all over the world.
O’Brien has been doing this for years.
In some way, “Go” reminds us of the debt Conan owes, and frequently has acknowledged, to classic 20th century funnyman Bob Hope. As in Hope’s “Road” movies, O’Brien plays the fool floundering abroad, engaging in the delusional conversations with strangers, where the joke is always on himself, and emphasizes his less-than-imposing physical appearance and lack of movie-star looks.
We live in an unsubtle age when he-men giants including The Rock, Jason Momoa and John Cena are cast as comedians — or at least as the stars of expensive comedies. O’Brien reminds us of a time when comedy was the province of the awkward, the weak and the silly-looking.
• Prime Video streams “Going Home With Tyler Cameron,” following the former “Bachelor” star as he lives out his dream of starting his own construction company. Along the way, Tyler takes out time to chat with fellow “Bachelor Nation” stars Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell, Jason Tartick and Hannah Brown, “The Bachelorette” with whom he once shared meaningful glances.
• Hulu streams “Sins of the Parents: The Crumbley Trials.” Produced by ABC News, it explores the first case of parents facing prison for the actions of their son, a school shooter.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• A celebrity chef is stabbed in his own kitchen on “Law & Order” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• Carisi zeroes in on a conviction on “Law & Order: SVU” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• The tennis court oath on “Elsbeth” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
• Beekeepers shelter a hive of illegal contraband on “Law & Order: Organized Crime” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the 1955 low-budget ($75,000) thriller “Killer’s Kiss” (8:45 p.m., TCM, TV-PG) concludes with a showdown in a mannequin factory.
— OK, that was weird. The least expected story of the week was the scandal involving Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) and Lori Loughlin, star of “When Calls the Heart” (7 p.m. Sunday, Hallmark, TV-G), in a bribery/cheating plot to get their respective daughters into elite universities.
This is obviously an ongoing case, and all sides must have their say, or day, in court. But the motivation at the center of this story is worth discussing. It involves some overwhelming need to do anything to get children into elite schools. As if anything “lesser” were unthinkable.
Television plays no small role in this insecurity. I can’t remember how many times I’ve had to describe an ABC legal drama where every single character hails from only the most exclusive Ivy and spends most of the pilot bragging about it.
There was a time, not that long ago, when John Grisham wrote best-selling books about young, barely accredited lawyers from no-name institutions who took on impossible cases against massive corporations and eventually won. And got the girl, to boot.
So, our current era’s neurotic obsession with elitism and inequality is hardly hard-wired.
If anything comes of this sordid affair, it’s an appreciation that shoddy efforts at snobbery are always essentially pathetic. Or on classic TV, comedic. Watching “Gilligan’s Island,” we identified with Mary Ann and the Skipper, and pitied the millionaire and his wife.
— CNN launches the four-hour documentary “Tricky Dick” (8 p.m., Sunday), profiling the life and times of Richard Nixon’s public career, which spanned the decades from the dawn of the Cold War to the Clinton years.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— An anxious new mother joins a group for solidarity and support, only to discover that it has darker plans on its agenda in the 2019 shocker “Mommy Group Murder” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— The Thunder and Warriors meet in NBA action (7:30 p.m., ABC).
— An old kidnapper returns to form on “Ransom” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): Embassy workers in China and Cuba complain of mysterious ailments; AOL founder Steve Case and his plans to invest in the future of overlooked American small towns and cities; a visit to Monaco.
— The duels begin on “World of Dance” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— Auditions continue on “American Idol” (7 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
— Lex Luthor is on the loose on “Supergirl” (7 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
— Mr. Wednesday prepares for battle on “American Gods” (7 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— After learning about her royal lineage, an adopted 10-year-old becomes a little tyrant in the 2019 shocker “Mommy’s Little Princess” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— A secret room holds dangers on “Charmed” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— Hidden secrets revealed on “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— A new trial is pursued on “The Case Against Adnan Syed” (8 p.m., HBO, TV-14).
— Axe is determined to destroy Taylor on the fourth season premiere of “Billions” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Ulysses pursues a conspiracy theory on “Now Apocalypse” (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— “Unsung” (8 p.m., TVONE) profiles the Jets.
— Pacific overtures on “Madam Secretary” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
— Tensions rise on “Good Girls” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Mo’s past is revealed on “Black Monday” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
— St. Patrick’s Day inspires many traditions. Syfy offers a marathon of “Leprechaun” movies, from “Leprechaun 5: In the Hood” (4 p.m. Saturday, TV-14) to “Leprechaun 2” (8 p.m.). TCM takes the traditional approach, ladling out the Technicolor blarney of director John Ford’s 1952 romance “The Quiet Man” (7 p.m. Sunday, TV-PG).
SATURDAY SERIES
“Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) ... “NBA Countdown” (7 p.m., ABC) ... The kids are all right on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... “48 Hours” (9 p.m., CBS) ... A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
A visit from an old friend inspires Miles on “God Friended Me” (7 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... Homer can’t leave Bart’s virtual realm on “The Simpsons” (7 p.m., Fox, TV-14) ... Empathy for all things on “Bob’s Burgers” (7:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
A walk down the aisle on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ... On two episodes of “Family Guy” (Fox, TV-14), Meg’s winter Olympics (8 p.m.), fighting over a dowager (8:30 p.m., r) ... Aches and pains on “Shark Tank” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
SERIES NOTES
House arrest on “Young Sheldon” (7 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... “Next Level Chef” (7 p.m., Fox, TV-14) ... On three helpings of “9-1-1” (ABC, r, TV-14): a honeymoon cruise (7 p.m.); an explosion below deck (8 p.m.); capsized (9 p.m.) ... With mortal chaperones away, specters let their hair down on “Ghosts” (7:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... A judge’s sexual orientation becomes a question mark on “So Help Me Todd” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ... “Farmer Wants a Wife” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Sandra Oh, Reid Scott and Daniel Radcliffe are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (10:35 p.m., CBS) ... Jimmy Fallon welcomes Shakira, Dakota Fanning and Mo Gilligan On “The Tonight Show” (10:34 p.m., NBC, r) ... Zendaya, Freddie Miller and Uriel Valenzuela and Bleachers appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (10:35 p.m., ABC) ... Joel McHale, Kyle Kinane and Adrian Young visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (11:37 p.m., NBC, r) ... Taylor Tomlinson hosts Jon Lovett on “After Midnight” (11:37 p.m., CBS).
