Television continues to change, but constants endure. A hit show will always change the trajectory of programming and spawn imitators good and bad, sometimes for years on end.
The arrival of “Batman” on ABC in 1966 inspired a glut of similar shows that quickly followed, including “Captain Nice,” “Mr. Terrific” and “The Green Hornet.”
The best kinds of hits are cheap to make and easy to imitate. As recently noted in this space, we’ve just passed a quarter-century since the arrival of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” a prime-time game show that spawned a torrent of imports and imitations, including “Weakest Link” (8 p.m., Saturday, NBC, r, TV-PG).
If Netflix made an initial impression with ambitious series like “House of Cards” and “The Crown,” it hit a sweet spot with the ridiculously cheap and binge-able “Tiger King,” which arrived in 2020, just as the world found itself stuck on the couch for the duration of the COVID pandemic.
A Netflix executive once famously cracked that “we want to become HBO before HBO becomes us.” Well, that ship has sailed. Netflix has evolved in myriad ways as HBO’s desperate quest to imitate Netflix continues. As demonstrated by the “Tiger King”-like four-episode docuseries “Chimp Crazy” (10 p.m. Sunday, HBO, TV-MA).
Directed by Eric Goode (“Tiger King”), “Crazy” follows former nurse and exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix, a woman who has dubbed herself the “Dolly Parton of Chimps.” Her story sheds light on the difficulty of raising, caring for and feeding mischievous higher primates, the colorful demimonde of chimp breeders and collectors and the very special intersection of the chimp world and entertainment. We meet chimps who have appeared in commercials, TV series and movies.
In addition to Tonia, the “star” of the proceedings is Tonka, a 32-year-old retired performer. Tonia claims to love Tonka more than her own human children. So, when the chimp goes missing, an adventure ensues, involving litigious agents of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), an undercover clown and actor Alan Cumming (now appearing in Peacock’s “Traitors”), who co-starred with Tonka in the 1997 comedy “Buddy.”
Tonia and Tonka’s great adventure will unfold over four Sundays, through Sept. 8. It remains to be seen if “Chimp Crazy” will be a hit, but it marks a certain departure for HBO’s long lock on Sunday nights as the home to prestige series like “The Sopranos,” “Game of Thrones” and “Succession.”
It’s easy to look down on the exploitation of primates on screen, but their use as “co-stars” predates television itself. In the 1950s, NBC was smart enough to lock down viewers from morning till late night with the development of “The Today Show” to “The Tonight Show.” The first morning host, Dave Garroway, was accompanied by a chimpanzee mascot called J. Fred Muggs. Over the years, comedies like “The Hathaways” (1961) featured chimps, as did “B.J. and the Bear” (1979).
Esteemed actor/director Clint Eastwood shared the big screen with an orangutan in “Every Which Way But Loose” (1978). So did Jason Alexander (and Faye Dunaway!) in “Dunston Checks In” (1996). Screen monkeyshines did not keep Eastwood from being elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1986. And they proved no hardship for his fellow Californian, Ronald Reagan, elected 40th president of the United States, despite sharing a movie, “Bedtime for Bonzo” (1951) with a chimpanzee co-star named Peggy.
— As noted yesterday, Hulu will begin streaming the season five opener of “Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog,” starting Saturday. It also celebrates the 20th anniversary of his first television appearance as “The Dog Whisperer.”
— The National Geographic series “OceanXplorers” (9 p.m. Sunday, TV-PG) debuts. It will take viewers aboard the deep diving craft OceanXplorer. Employing cutting-edge technology, it promises to explore the sea depths like no other vessel. It features a team of explorers, adventurers and scientists, including sea researcher Zoleka Filander, shark biologist Melissa Cristina Marquez, ocean technology innovator Eric Stackpole and ex-Royal Marine commando Aldo Kane.
Together, they will take audiences to the depths of the Atlantic in the Azores, diving into the shallows of the Bahamas and warm waters of the Caribbean before embarking north to the frigid Arctic shores of Svalbard, Norway. It is said that more than 80% of the oceans remain undiscovered, so count on OceanXplorer to make a small dent in that mystery.
Produced by the team behind “Blue Planet II” and filmmaker James Cameron (“Titanic,” “Avatar,” and, more to the point, “Deep Sea Challenge” and “The Abyss”). “OceanXplorers” will stream on Hulu starting Aug. 19
— Hulu also streams two recent horror movies. In “Immaculate,” a devout young novitiate is delighted to retreat to a picturesque convent in the Italian countryside until she discovers that its walls harbor gothic terror.
A therapist treats a woman who claims to have been haunted by creepily happy people after witnessing her professor’s suicide in the 2022 shocker “Smile,” directed by Parker Finn. A feature based on an 11-minute short, “Smile” earned an impressive profit on its modest budget. While it has received generally favorable critical praise, some wondered if it reflects an improvement on the original.
SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— The St. Louis Cardinals host the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB action (7 p.m., Fox).
— Featuring David Attenborough, “Planet Earth: Mammals” (8 p.m., BBC America, TV-PG), spotlights creatures of the forest.
— A chef thinks a younger lover may help her get her groove back while waiting to exhale in the 2024 romance “Tempted by Love: A Terry McMillan Presentation” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— A handsome groomsman saves a clumsy bridesmaid as she stumbles in the 2024 romance “A Costa Rican Wedding” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): a water crisis at Pearl Harbor; landmines in Ukraine; the long history of the Indian relay race.
— The San Francisco 49ers host the New Orleans Saints in NFL preseason action (8 p.m., Fox).
— Bella focuses on business on “Hotel Portofino” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
— Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt star in the 2021 adventure comedy “Jungle Cruise” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— A new conspirator emerges on “Snowpiercer” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— Taj’s personal life unravels on “Emperor of Ocean Park” (9 p.m., MGM+, TV-MA).
— Craig recovers from his wounds on “Orphan Black: Echoes” (10 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— Filmmakers try to reflect the civil rights struggle on screen on “Hollywood Black” (10 p.m., MGM+, TV-MA).
CULT CHOICE
Jerry Lewis, the manic comic actor and entertainer whose Labor Day telethons were hallmarks of late-summer programming for several decades, is the focus of TCM’s “Summer Under the Stars.” The daylong salute to his films includes the 1963 comedy “The Nutty Professor” (8 p.m., Saturday), a variation on “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Remade with Eddie Murphy in 1996.
SATURDAY SERIES
On three episodes of “Will Trent” (ABC, r, TV-14): a long-missing cadaver reopens a cold case (8 p.m.); family ties (9 p.m.); a string of cases share grim souvenirs (10 p.m.) … Two episodes of “Dateline” (9 p.m., NBC, r) … “48 Hours” (10 p.m., CBS, r).
SUNDAY SERIES
Back to Oklahoma on “Tulsa King” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … “American Ninja Warrior” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
“Big Brother” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “America’s Got Talent” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … An extreme fighter has Visa problems on “Tracker” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
