This weekend, holiday treats are hard to come by. But CBS has one in its Easter basket, “A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys” (8 p.m. Sunday). Bruce Johnston, Mike Love and Al Jardine, survivors of the Beach Boys, will be present to hear their greatest hits performed by a variety of contemporary artists.
There’s at least a double album’s worth of performances here, including “Sloop John B” by Beck; “Good Vibrations” performed by Beck and Jim James; “In My Room” (Brandi Carlile); “God Only Knows” (Brandi Carlile & John Legend); “The Warmth of the Sun” (Norah Jones); “Help Me Rhonda” (Little Big Town); “California Girls” (Weezer) and many more.
The Beach Boys are a great paradox of 20th century pop culture. They created a number of memorable, catchy songs and unique arrangements. Murray, their father and manager, abused the Wilson boys, portraying them as surfers and boys-next door who embody the Southern California dream. Perhaps their music remains resonant because so many of their most popular tunes (“In My Room,” “Caroline, No”, “The Warmth of the Sun”, “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,”) depart from their “Fun, Fun, Fun” mandate to reflect melancholy, reflection and misgivings.
Not all of their songs were bad. “Be True to Your School” can seem like an ancient relic today, or something to be performed in “High School Musical.” “All Summer Long” is about as escapist as they come. “Remember when you spilled Coke all over your blouse?”
Even in the midst their fame, The Beach Boys have been around for so long that they have become nostalgic about their own image. A year after Jimi Hendrix sang the lyrics “You’ll never hear surf music again,” the Beach Boys’ 1968 single “Do It Again” yearns for the simpler days of surfer girls and sunny beaches. The 1971 song “Disney Girls,” from the album “Surf’s Up,” shows a band already looking back at a lost American Eden.
Drew Carey and Tom Hanks were there as well as celebrities like Elton John, Harvey Mason Jr. Bruce Springsteen, John Stamos and Jimmy Jam. Springsteen appeared, among others, in a recent PBS “American Masters” documentary about Brian Wilson, “Long Promised Road.” In it, he described Wilson and the Beach Boys as masters of creating atmosphere. You entered their imaginary world the instant you heard one of their songs.
– MGM+, the streaming platform formerly known as Epix, streams and broadcasts the 2023 Henson Company fantasy “The Portable Door” (7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday).
Based on a young-adult fantasy novel by Tom Holt, “Door” concerns a young man, Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson), who goes to work for a secretive firm shot through with “Harry Potter”-like magic and pneumatic-tube steampunkery. Its digitally enhanced whimsy offers a pointed if breezy satire of today’s social media “influencer” culture. This magic kingdom will have middle managers named Christoph Waltz or Sam Neill.
• Viaplay, the streaming service dedicated to Scandinavian content, presents “Cell 8,” a six-part dramatic series exploring controversial death row cases from Ohio to Stockholm.
• Now streaming on Netflix, the stylish period drama “Transatlantic” follows a team of operatives smuggling artists, intellectuals and controversial figures out of Nazi-occupied France. Filmed in Marseilles, France.
• Weir’s ex-wife is dragged back into his wilderness of mirrors in the fourth episode of “Rabbit Hole,” streaming on Paramount+.
Saturday’s highlights
• Los Angeles hosts Austin in MLS soccer (8 p.m., Fox).
• The Boston Bruins host the New Jersey Devils in NHL action (8 p.m., ABC).
• Third-round play at the Masters Tournament (8 p.m., CBSSN) in Augusta, Georgia.
• A distinctive Cape Cod house takes center stage as “Houses With History” (8 p.m., HGTV) returns for a second season.
• A search to save a friend inspires a journey in the 2020 animated sequel “Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe” (8 p.m., Disney, TV-G).
• A baker and reality TV star finds her life unraveling in the 2023 shocker “Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14). I’m eagerly awaiting sloth.
• A woman goes undercover in a bridal party to save the wedding of the mayor’s daughter from disruption in the 2023 romance “The Professional Bridesmaid” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
• Molly Shannon hosts “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14), featuring musical guest the Jonas Brothers.
Sunday’s highlights
• Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): The James Webb Space telescope; Saudi Arabia’s use of sports to launder its image; rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral.
• NASCAR action (7 p.m., Fox).
• Ryan Seacrest hosts “American Idol” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
• Some doubt Nurse Crane’s competence on “Call the Midwife” (8 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings).
• “Raven’s Home” (8 p.m., Disney, TV-G) enters its sixth season.
• Undercover lifeguards on “Magnum P.I.” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG).
• Amid downsizing rumors, the staff turn to their union representative on “Lucky Hank” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
• Georgiana becomes unglued on “Sanditon” on “Masterpiece” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings).
• The resentful young Roys may still scuttle Dad’s merger on “Succession” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).
• Plane crash survivors look back decades later on “Yellowjackets” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
• Philby blacks out on “A Spy Among Friends” (9 p.m., MGM+, TV-MA).
• A photographer develops an interesting theory on “The Blacklist” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• A social event offers perfect cover on “The Company You Keep” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
• The king’s sudden illness casts a shadow on Marie and Louis on “Marie-Antoinette” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-MA, check local listings).
Cult choice
The wayward son (Russell Brand) of the Easter Bunny runs away to Los Angeles in the 2011 animated holiday comedy “Hop” (7 p.m. Saturday, Nickelodeon).
Saturday Series
A retired cop and whistleblower is silenced by a suspicious suicide on “East New York” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “The Wall” (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-PG) … Two repeat hours of “48 Hours” (9 p.m. and 10 p.m., CBS) … “Weakest Link” (9 p.m., NBC, r. TV-PG) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (10 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
Sunday series
“Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) … Safe house architects find their security compromised on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).