‘Marble Hall Murders,’ Kit Harington in ‘Tale of Two Cities,’ ‘Dead’ Standoff, ‘Lanterns’ Manhunt

SUNDAY: Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War) adapts his own novel for the third clever Masterpiece meta mystery starring the terrific Lesley Manville as intrepid book editor Susan Ryeland (from Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders), who often consults fictional detective Atticus Pünd (Tim McMullan) when his literary whodunits shed light on actual crimes. It happens again when Susan is assigned to edit Pünd’s Last Case, a continuation of the Pünd series by a new writer who’s haunted by the death 20 years earlier of his famous grandmother (All Creatures Great and Small‘s Patricia Hodge), an author of successful children’s books. Once again, much of the guest cast plays dual roles, as characters in the new book and suspects in the real-life mystery.

SUNDAY: Charles Dickens‘ “best of times/worst of times” French Revolution warhorse receives a lavish new four-part adaptation, starring Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington as jaded (and often soused) London lawyer Sydney Carton, who becomes embroiled in violent political intrigue across the channel in Paris during the Reign of Terror. Mirren Mack co-stars as the spirited émigré Lucie Manette, who returns to her French homeland in search of her long-thought-dead father, accompanied by the earnest Charles Darnay (François Civil), whose uncanny resemblance to Carton adds complexity to their love triangle, which plays out against the shadow of the guillotine.

SUNDAY: How do you solve a problem like Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)? That’s Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) latest dilemma as zombies once again take a backseat to human conflict in Season 3’s penultimate episode. Negan has killed to protect Maggie and Renata (Aimee Garcia) and threatens to kill again if they try to jail him for his latest act. A standoff ensues, with Maggie trying to broker peace and preserve the seeds of civilization within their new Manhattan community, while other forces rally to start a new uncivil war.

SUNDAY: The superhero saga returns to its main plot after last week’s origin-story detour, with Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and Lantern-in-waiting John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) uneasily partnered as they continue their search for the elusive alien Manhunter in rural Rushville. “So everybody’s a threat and we’re all in danger?” sputters local sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald). That about sums it up.

SATURDAY: TV’s most durable sci-fi franchise has been celebrating its 60th anniversary all year, with September 8 the official date when it all began back in 1966. Among the many outlets marking the occasion is nostalgia channel MeTV, showing themed marathons each Saturday night in September. The first lineup features Star Trek specials, including Leonard Nimoy: Star Trek Memories (11/10c) from 1984, Star Trek: Beyond the Final Frontier (midnight/11c) from 2007, Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special (2 am/1c), Ultimate Trek: Star Trek’s Greatest Moments (4 am/3c), and Star Trek: A Captain’s Log (5 am/4c).

More highlights: Sister channel MeTV Toons airs six episodes of the 1970s’ Star Trek: The Animated Series on Saturday (1 pm/12c). And starting Sunday at 11 am/10c (through Monday at 6 am/5c), the Heroes & Icons (H&I) network begins showing each episode of the original Star Trek series over six days, starting from the beginning. The stunt continues Tuesday through Friday with episodes airing from 8 pm/7c to 6 am/5c (with the series finale airing overnight Friday at 1 am/midnightc). As an extra treat, the legendary William Shatner appears on MeTV’s Toon In With Me on Tuesday, September 8 (7 am/6c) with host Bill Leff and Toony the Tuna to share some favorite Star Trek memories.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• College GameDay (Saturday, 9 am/ET, ESPN and ESPNU): The popular pregame show opens its 40th season with a milestone 500th show on the road, broadcasting from LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge before a Week 1 game against Clemson.
• Crossroad Springs (Saturday, 8/7c, Great American Family): The family ranching drama returns for a second season, with James (Jonathan Stoddard) and his Cowboy Church open for business while Maggie (Brittany Underwood) launches a community food pantry. Followed by a new episode of Jep & Jess: Beyond the Bayou (9/8c).
• Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Prelude to a Wedding (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): The fourth film in the franchise finds Gethsemane (Tamera Mowry-Housley) invited to play at a wedding, where she and Eamon (Risteard Cooper) end up investigating the death of a member of the bridal party.
• Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Roxane Gay is writer and narrator of a film version of her 2017 memoir (Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body), depicting the trauma of her sexual assault at age 12 and her ensuing struggle with food and body image. Hilda Martin portrays Roxane as a teen and Sunnii E. Bartee as an adult.
• CBS Sunday Morning (Sunday, 9 am/ET, CBS, check local listings): The newsmagazine reflects on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in several segments and replays Rita Braver‘s 2023 interview with the late Gloria Steinem.
• The Marlow Murder Club (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): The cozy mystery returns for a third season of two-part puzzles, with the trio of amateur sleuths (Samantha Bond, Jo Martin, Cara Horgan) working with DI Tanika Malik (Natalie Dew) to solve the murder of the mayor, who drops dead in the middle of a meeting.
• The Great Food Truck Race (Sunday, 9/8c, Food Network): The season finale sends the last two teams to the Louisville Slugger Museum, the Muhammad Ali Center, and finally, the iconic Churchill Downs, where a showdown judged by 500 fans decides who wins the $50,000 grand prize.
• The Librarians: The Next Chapter (Sunday, 9/8c, TNT): Josh Gates guests in the penultimate episode of the fantasy-adventure’s second season, when Merlin (Dominic Monaghan) sends the Librarians to a town where everyone’s in a deep sleep, and the team must face their worst nightmares to break the spell.
• Lioness (Sunday, streaming on Paramount+): The frantic search for a kidnapped Joe (Zoe Saldaña) has the team scouring nearby runways and suburban safe houses to keep her from being flown to a near-certain death.