Saturday on TV – 5/8/21

Overnight was the series premiere of Meet the Meerkats on Discovery+. Welcome to the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, where three rescued meerkat families (mobs) are learning the way of life in the wild for the very first time. In Meet the Meerkats, audiences will meet a cast of distinct characters and personalities and be submerged into the incredible world of meerkats while following the journey of three rehabilitated mobs, most of whom were snatched from the wild as pups and returned to their rightful home in Africa after being rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. Witness their stories of resilience and evolution as their lives ebb and flow in their new environment bringing the inevitable mix of joy, wonder and jeopardy that make these gregarious animals so irresistible. The series is narrated by actor/comedian Rob Delaney (Catastrophe). Dominant females Zola, Marli and Bela run the show — the first meerkat mob is overseen by Zola, the heart and soul of her family, along with her partner, Scar, the dominant male. The second mob is run by matriarch Marli, who is pregnant and has two love interests: Zewli, the father to her two daughters, Thandi and Thembi, and her unborn pups; and gentle giant Arno, her protector, who is absolutely dedicated to her. The third mob, introduced later in the season, is run by Bela, a streetwise rewilded meerkat mom raising her young family alone after losing her partner. These families must learn what all meerkats born in the wild know: the strict rules of meerkat society and how teamwork is the key to survival.
 

Tonight is a 1-hour special, VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World, on ABC & CBS at 8/7c and FOX at 11/10c. Selena Gomez hosts an event aiming to inspire vaccine confidence worldwide and help get the COVID-19 vaccines to everyone; Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin and H.E.R. perform.
 
Tonight is also a 1-hour special Attenburough’s Journey on BBC America at 8/7c. A look at David Attenborough’s career as a broadcaster and the production of the nature documentary series David Attenborough’s First Life.
 
Tonight is also the TV movie Baby It’s Cold Outside on Hallmark at 10/9c. Top-level travel agent Hanna (Jocelyn Hudon, When Hope Calls, The Strain) is asked by her company to forgo her family holiday cruise and travel to the Ice Hotel to research it as a vacation destination. Hanna convinces her best friend Phoebe (Kathryn Kohut, Love at Look Lodge), who is sad about a recent breakup, to join her. When they arrive at the hotel, Hanna is dazzled with its icy wonder and meets Ben (Steve Lund, Blue Mountain State, Hemlock Grove), the designer and co-owner. Hanna and Phoebe enjoy all the luxuries the Ice Hotel has to offer from the outdoor spa to snowshoeing. When Phoebe begins to reconnect with her ex, Hanna starts to spend more time with Ben. Meanwhile, a hotel reviewer has also checked in so Hanna and Ben team up to make sure he has a memorable stay. Along the way, Hanna feels herself falling for Ben. When Ben offers Hanna an opportunity she always wished for, will Hannah’s doubts and insecurities take hold or will she find the confidence to make her dreams come true?
 
Tonight is also the premiere of the highly anticipated film Pink Skies Ahead on MTV at 10/9c. Written and directed by New York Times best-selling author Kelly Oxford, the critically-acclaimed film, which made its world premiere at the AFI Film Festival, showcases mental health issues in a nuanced and authentic way as part of MTV’s newly-launched Mental Health is Health initiative. This marks Oxford’s feature-length directorial debut and is based on “No Real Danger,” an essay from her second book, “When You Find Out the World Is Against You.” The coming-of-age film stars Jessica Barden (End of the F***ing World, The New Romantic), Mary J. Blige (The Umbrella Academy), Devon Bostick (The 100, Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River, Pollock), Michael McKean (Better Call Saul, This Is Spinal Tap), Lewis Pullman (Bad Times at the El Royale, The Strangers: Prey at Night), Evan Ross Cameron (The United States vs. Billie Holiday, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay), Odeya Rush (Goosebumps, Lady Bird), Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel, Undone), and Henry Winkler (Barry, Happy Days). Set in Los Angeles in 1998, it follows Winona (Barden) who, after dropping out of college and moving back home to live with her parents, is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Skeptical of her doctor’s opinion — she hasn’t had a panic attack after all — Winona carries on with her wild lifestyle. Only when things begin to truly unravel around her, does she reluctantly decide to see a therapist and face her truths.