Jeremy Irons in ‘Monte Cristo,’ ‘Rooster’ Goes Joe College, ‘Comeback’s Big Secret, Weaving a ‘Golden Thread’

The Count of Monte Cristo

SUNDAY: Time flies in Masterpiece‘s new adaptation of the Dumas classic, with the second episode covering 15 years of captivity for unjustly imprisoned hero Edmond Dantès (Sam Claflin), for whom time presumably passes much more slowly. Things pick up when he makes the unexpected acquaintance of his neighboring prisoner, the Abbé Faria (played by a grizzled Jeremy Irons), who’s been secretly tunneling for seven years to find a way out of the dungeon of their island fortress. When he arrives in Edmond’s cell, the two men form a strong bond, and while plotting their exit strategy, the Abbé reveals the existence of a hidden fortune on the island of Monte Cristo. If only Edmond knew that on the outside, everyone who knew and loved him thinks he’s dead.

Rooster

SUNDAY: The campus comedy finds its footing in an episode that taps into the show’s Walter Mitty roots, a fitting literary reference as visiting professor and author Greg Russo (a forlorn Steve Carell) embraces his inner “Rooster” — the name of his action-hero alter ego — by ditching his boss’s faculty party to enjoy an “epic night out” on the town with his students. “This is college. You get to reinvent yourself here,” says “townie” outsider Tommy (Maximo Salas), whose precarious academic future prompts Greg to become his “accountability buddy.” Greg’s daughter Katie (Charly Clive), with her marriage in shambles, is also considering a fresh start in her dating life.

The Comeback

SUNDAY: The riotous Hollywood satire shifts into high gear as sitcom star Valerie Cherish (the brilliant Lisa Kudrow) takes her first meeting with her new network — Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott plays Brandon, the shifty network head — and realizes just how secret “the AI of it all” is. Bad branding, don’t you know. “We are within the Writers Guild agreement,” Brandon assures the nervous star as she and fellow “producing partner” Billy (Dan Bucatinsky) meet the in-name-only showrunners and writers (Abbi Jacobson and John Early). Valerie’s next challenge: convincing sitcom directing legend James Burrows (once again playing himself) to helm the pilot of How’s That?

Blessings in Disguise

SATURDAY: A new “Golden Thread” programming initiative, described as “woven with the quiet, enduring presence of everyday faith,” takes its mission quite literally in the inaugural film. Blessings stars Shae Robins as Katie, a New York designer who leaves the big city for her late grandmother’s hometown seamstress shop, where she discovers the secret of hand-stitching scripture verses into each piece as a private blessing for the recipient. While restoring the shop, Katie reunites with Luke (Casey Elliott), a woodworker who was her first crush. Sounds like providence.

Betrayal: Secrets & Lies

SUNDAY: The docuseries dissecting relationships ruined by lies, fraud, and scandal moves from Hulu (where episodes stream the next day) to ABC with eight new episodes. In the opener, Tina rebounds from a broken marriage with carefree Neil, until things go south after an unexpected pregnancy, and she learns Neil’s baggage includes a long line of deceived women seeking justice.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV;

• NCAA College Basketball Tournament: The women’s Sweet 16 continues Saturday, with games starting at 12:30 pm/ET on ABC and at 5 pm/ET on ESPN, with Elite 8 action starting Sunday at 1 pm/ET on ABC. The men’s Elite 8 coverage kicks off Saturday at 6 pm/ET on TBS, with No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 3 Illinois, followed by No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona, with two more games on Sunday.
• A Royal Setting (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): Jen Lilley stars in a royal romance as Ruby, a well-named gemologist who’s probably going to put a ring on it when she accepts a job offer from Prince Luca (Dan Jeannotte) to restore the crown jewels and design his crown.
• The Man in the Window (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Teri Polo stars as Sarah, a widow who thinks she’s found Mr. Right (Dylan Walsh) until she begins to suspect he killed her neighbor.
• 48 Hours (Saturday, 10/9c, CBS): Tracy Smith provides an update in the case of convicted serial kidnapper Matthew Muller, when his victim Denise Huskins Quinn and her husband Aaron enlist law enforcement to help discover more of his crimes.
• The Faithful (Sunday, 8/7c, Fox): Alexa Davalos (The Man in the High Castle) stars in the latest chapter of the Biblical drama anthology as Rebekah, “The Woman Who Risked Everything,” deceiving her husband Isaac (Tom Mison) to ensure God’s plan that younger twin Jacob (Tom Payne) will become the family’s rightful heir over older twin Esau (Ben Robson).
• Crossroad Springs (Sunday, 8/7c, Great American Family): The Cowboy Church celebrates its first Easter service in the Season 1 finale.
• Call the Midwife (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): A rabies scare disrupts the community’s Easter egg hunt. Followed by a new episode of The Forsytes (9/8c), with more complications in the personal lives of finance cousins and rivals Jo (Danny Griffin) and Soames (Joshua Orpin).
• Marshals (Sunday, 8/7c, CBS): Kayce (Luke Grimes) goes rogue to find a girl who’s gone missing from the Broken Rock reservation. Who does he think he is, Tracker? On that missing-persons show (9/8c), Colter (Justin Hartley) helps a desperate dad find his son, who vanished during a school field trip to an aquarium.
• DTF St. Louis (Sunday, 9/8c, HBO): Floyd (David Harbour) has a most unusual reaction upon learning his best friend Clark (Jason Bateman) is cavorting with his wife Carol (Linda Cardellini).
• Dark Winds (Sunday, 9/8c, AMC): In Season 4’s suspenseful and emotional penultimate episode, Navajo Police Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and his crew try once again to shield runaway teen Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson), who’s just reunited with her long-absent mother, from the deadly German assassin Irene (Franka Potente).
• Watson (Sunday, 10/9c, CBS): Sherlock (Robert Carlyle) returns to Pittsburgh to reopen unsolved cold cases, while Watson (Morris Chestnut) and his team work to help a woman get a life-saving kidney donation.