Mel Brooks Turns 100, Battle-Scarred ‘Dragon,’ BET Awards, An All-American Songbook

SUNDAY: One of his favorite sketch characters was as the “2,000-Year-Old Man,” but it’s remarkable enough that the maestro of mirth Mel Brooks has made it to the great age of 100. To mark the occasion of his birthday, TCM devotes much of the day and night to Brooks’ comic masterworks. The lineup starts with one of his personal favorites, 1970’s The Twelve Chairs (2:30/1:30c), and includes his Oscar-winning The Producers (4:15/3:15c), the Star Wars parody Spaceballs (6/5c), and his iconic hits Blazing Saddles (8/7c) and Young Frankenstein (10/9c), which, like Brooks, never grow old.

SUNDAY: “If this be victory, I hope I never see another,” says a survivor of the Battle of the Gullet as the Game of Thrones prequel assesses the political and deeply personal fallout of the devastating conflict. While a grieving Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) prepares to take her rightful place at King’s Landing, her foes continue to make their bloody presence known throughout the sprawling kingdom.

SUNDAY: Druski hosts the annual celebration of Black culture from L.A.’s Peacock Theater, with special awards going to singer/songwriter Lauryn Hill (the Living Icon Award), One Battle After Another breakout Teyana Taylor (Icon of the Year Award), and music executive Sylvia Rhone (the Ultimate Icon Award). Scheduled performers include Cardi B, who leads the nominations with six, Queen Latifah, Common, Jill Scott, Doechii, Kehlani, Tems, and more.

SUNDAY: What is the most quintessential American song? CBS News surveyed an eclectic array of 90 notable Americans to assemble a digital “Essential American Songbook” listing, with Woody Guthrie‘s “This Land Is Your Land” the top pick, and Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin among the artists most cited. (Check out the full list here.) In a special edition of the peerless newsmagazine celebrating America’s 250th birthday, Tracy Smith reports on the Songbook project, with James Taylor, Sara Bareilles, and Jon Batiste performing their selections. Other segments include Lee Cowan traveling along Route 66, David Pogue reflecting on how the railroad shaped the nation, and special correspondent Susie Essman chatting with her pal Larry David about his irreverent new HBO series Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness.

SUNDAY: “You’re a Greek flipping tragedy, Alphy,” Detective Inspector Geordie (Robson Green) tells his friend the vicar (Rishi Nair), who’s still moping about the latest abandonment by the mother he never knew until recently. Alphy’s moodiness carries over into their latest case, when he drops his guard and shares drinks (and more) with a potential suspect in the suspicious death of an elderly titled neighbor. Their sensitive buddy Leonard (Al Weaver) is similarly adrift, seeking purpose and a pathway back to the church. His and Mrs. C’s (Tessa Peake-Jones) hunt for a culprit who’s been stealing milk and other wares from village porches could bring Leonard the answers he’s been seeking. And back in the precinct, Geordie mulls over a potential promotion that could take him out of the field.

INSIDE WEEKEND TV:

• FIFA World Cup: Saturday’s final games of the initial group round include Panama vs. England at New York New Jersey (aka Met Life) Stadium (5 pm/ET, Fox), Croatia vs. Ghana in Philadelphia (5 pm/ET, FS1), Colombia vs. Portugal in Miami (7:30 pm/ET, Fox), Congo DR vs. Uzbekistan in Atlanta (7:30 pm/ET, FS1), Argentina vs. Jordan in Dallas (10 pm/ET, Fox), and Algeria vs. Austria in Kansas City (10 pm/ET, FS1). The Knockout Round of 32 opens Sunday in L.A. with South Africa playing Canada (3 pm/ET, Fox).
• A Castle of Our Own (Saturday, 8/7c, Hallmark Channel): We’re talking sandcastles in this romance about a workaholic architect (Erica Cerra) who finds love with a contractor (Brennan Elliott) and reconnects with her daughter during a summer getaway.
• Single Black Tenant (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): Tia Mowry stars in a “Ripped from the Headlines” thriller as Esme, whose good luck at finding an affordable apartment in Cleveland takes a dark turn when she suspects her weird landlord is a killer who’s framing her for murder.
• Patience (Sunday, 8/7c, PBS): A dead magpie provides a clue for Patience (Ella Maisy Purvis) and Frankie (Jessica Hynes) to solve the murder of a lawyer shot in a crowded boardroom where no one saw the killer.
• From (Sunday, 9/8c, MGM+): In the supernatural thriller’s Season 4 finale, Boyd (Harold Perrineau) faces yet another spooky crossroads in his quest to free his trapped neighbors. They’ll all have one more season to escape. Good luck with that.
• The Vampire Lestat (Sunday, 9/8c, AMC): As the “Marginal Mystery Tour” continues its chaotic road tour, rock star Lestat (Sam Reid) handles his mother Gabrielle’s (Jennifer Ehle) absence with his usual lack of grace, while Armand (Assad Zaman) attempts to make amends and Louis (Jacob Anderson) is obsessed by a spunky waitress who’s the spitting image of Claudia (Delainey Hayles).
• In the Eye of the Storm (10/9c, Discovery): The docuseries’ new season opens with eyewitness accounts of powerful tornadoes causing damage across 11 states in May 2025.
• The Patriot War (streaming on Fox Nation): The historical docuseries, narrated by Kelsey Grammer, drops its final three chapters, depicting Martha Washington’s visit to her husband and his troops at Valley Forge, the betrayal of Benedict Arnold, and General George Washington’s final campaign to bring the Revolutionary War to a successful conclusion.