Is there anything left to be said about Bruce Lee? As it did with its treatment of O.J. Simpson, ESPN’s "30 for 30" (9 p.m. Sunday) series uses the lenses of sports and entertainment to explore societal attitudes about race in the documentary "Be Water."
Rich in home movies and videos, film clips and news footage, "Be Water" explores Lee’s life as a martial artist, actor and filmmaker, and as a man wrestling with his identity as an Asian male born in America and raised in Hong Kong.
Directed by Vietnamese American filmmaker Bao Nguyen, "Be Water" makes the case that Lee’s stardom occurred at a critical moment in America’s civil rights era and deeply affected filmgoers of color, both black and Asian, who cheered at the sight of a virile non-white star in action roles.
The film explores Lee’s family life, his brief stardom in ABC’s "The Green Hornet" and his return to Hong Kong to make martial arts movies on his own terms. It explores Hollywood’s resistance to casting an Asian lead with a discernible accent and how the studios and networks took Lee’s pet project "Kung Fu" and later cast white actor David Carradine in the lead role.
"Water" argues that while Lee was never an activist and projected an air more spiritual than political, he soaked up the ferment of the 1960s, particularly the dissent rocking Hong Kong, where native residents revolted against British colonial rule. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who studied martial arts with Lee and appeared in a fight sequence in "Game of Death," appears here and underscores Lee’s role in the movements of the time.
This film reminds us of historical trends often overlooked in contemporary conversations about America and racism. The civil rights movements of the mid-20th century did not happen in a vacuum. They were deeply affected by anti-colonial movements in both Africa and Asia. Lee was not only rebelling against Hollywood’s depiction of Asians as subservient coolies, he was trying to assert himself as a male lead at a time when America was fighting a brutal war in Southeast Asia, the third to pit Americans against Asians in as many decades.
Sadly, in its focus on the personal, the film reflects Lee’s all-too-truncated story, ending with his sudden death in 1973. It would have been fruitful to explore the decades-long affinity between black audiences and Lee’s martial arts movies and legacy. Long after the 1970s blaxploitation era curdled into camp, Lee’s movies and others featuring kung fu fighting continued to be some of the few thrillers where the action hero wasn’t white.
— HBO promotes its own. Yvonne Orji, who plays Issa Rae’s friend and sidekick Molly on "Insecure," gets her own comedy special "Yvonne Orji: Momma, I Made It" (10 p.m. Saturday, HBO, TV-MA). The standup parts were performed before a live audience at Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. "Momma" also includes short filmed vignettes of her return to her native Nigeria, her thoughts about her culturally traditional mother and a culture where cursing at someone can also mean putting curses on them.
— Eight compete in PBA Bowling (7 p.m. Saturday, Fox). The notion of a major network airing bowling in prime time reflects Fox’s desire to showcase elements of its Fox sports networks’ content; a desire for sports (and sports betting); fans starved for any kind of televised competition and the fact that the more television evolves, the more it reverts to its origins. Back in the early 1950s and the days when the DuMont Television Network still flickered, TV devoted many hours of prime time to boxing and bowling.
Fox is hardly alone in this back-to-the-future move. ABC’s Sunday lineup consists of game shows once consigned to afternoon syndication.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— IndyCar Racing (8 p.m., NBC).
— Episodes four, five and six of the ESPN documentary series "The Last Dance" (8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., ABC, TV-14) continue to examine Michael Jordan’s years with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.
— A woman’s life and marriage are imperiled when her teacher becomes a downward facing rabid dog in the 2020 shocker "Psycho Yoga Instructor" (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— His role in the 1962 wide-screen epic "Lawrence of Arabia" (8 p.m., TCM, TV-14) turned Peter O’Toole into a major star. Some thought he was just too good-looking for the rugged role. "If you had been any prettier," quipped Noel Coward to O’Toole, "it would have been ‘Florence of Arabia.’"
— A singer and a songwriter meet in Nashville in the 2019 romance "Country at Heart" (9 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Piglets, a rooster and a goat with anger issues get a new lease on life when they are rescued from abusive situations on "Saved by the Barn" (9 p.m., Animal Planet, TV-PG).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m., CBS): Minneapolis and the death of George Floyd; reopening America’s cities after COVID-19.
— John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John star in the 1978 adaptation of the Broadway musical "Grease" (8:30 p.m., CBS), presented as a sing-along.
— When Charles returns to the hot seat for a second night, his change in tactics and fortune begins to raise suspicions on "Quiz" (9 p.m., AMC, BBC America, TV-14, part two of three).
— The murder investigation takes a dramatic turn on "Snowpiercer" (9 p.m., TNT, TV-MA).
— New insights into family history disturb Dominick on "I Know This Much Is True" (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Axe faces problems on a new front on "Billions" (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Corporate contracts and cocaine change the communal vibe as the music documentary "Laurel Canyon" (9 p.m., Epix) concludes.
— Advice for Molly on "Insecure" (10 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
— Enter Santa Muerte on "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels" (10 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— An author (Michaela Cole) and rape victim’s efforts to recall her attack begin to worry her entourage of friends and professional colleagues in the new series "I May Destroy You" (10:30 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
— A reclusive religious woman (Nicole Kidman) shelters her light-sensitive children in a rambling mansion she’s convinced is haunted in the 2001 gothic psychological thriller "The Others" (9 p.m. Saturday, HBO Signature), directed by Alejandro Amenabar.
SATURDAY SERIES
Career regrets on "Bull" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … A missing officer on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Stacking blocks on "Lego Masters" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … "48 Hours" (10 p.m., CBS) … A vintage helping of "Saturday Night Live" (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
SUNDAY SERIES
Dwayne Johnson hosts "The Titan Games" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Lovejoy investigates the cool new preacher on "The Simpsons"(8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … "Celebrity Family Feud" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … Pat warns Courtney on "DC’s Stargirl" (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … Halloween on "Bless the Harts" (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
Auditions continue on "America’s Got Talent" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … A dark and stormy night on "Bob’s Burgers" (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … "Press Your Luck" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A whale of a tale on "Supergirl" (9 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … Brian receives unsolicited advice on "Family Guy" (9:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … "Match Game" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
