Off the Wall TV: Mother's Day edition
Off the Wall loves its mommy. Don't you?
SUCCESS HURTS. Marc Maron tries to cope with making it in Season 3 of comic self-portrait "Maron" (Thursday at 10 p.m., IFC; after marathons Saturday 6:15 a.m.-2:15 p.m., Sunday 5-8:30 a.m., Monday 5-8:30 a.m.). Look for guests Patton Oswalt, Andy Kindler, Andy Dick, Whitney Cummings and returning parents Judd Hirsch and Sally Kellerman. Preview at ifc.com/maron
ARMCHAIR SAFARI. It's back for Mother's Day weekend. "Safari Live" (Saturday-tomorrow 9 a.m.-noon, NatGeo Wild) beams direct from South Africa's Sabi Sands Park, seeking lions, leopards, giraffes and elephants. Chat with your guides at wildsafarilive.com
MOMMY DAY. It's all about maternal love as "For the Love of Ruth" (Saturday at 8 p.m., TV One) updates the biblical story with Loretta Devine and "Grey's Anatomy" co-star James Pickens Jr., plus Denise Boutté and Gary Dourdan. Turner Classic Movies stays vintage motherly, from Ginger Rogers' turn as "Bachelor Mother" (Sunday at 6 a.m.), through Barbara Stanwyck's "Stella Dallas" (9 a.m.) and Rosalind Russell's "Gypsy" (5:30 p.m.), into Joan Crawford's "Mildred Pierce" (10:15 p.m.). Sara Gilbert's Darlene challenges the parenting skills of "Roseanne" (Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., WE). Other sitcom moms: Bonnie Franklin's '80s divorcee in "One Day at a Time" (Sunday 7 a.m.-3 a.m., Antenna TV); the title star of "Reba" (Sunday noon-2:30 p.m., CMT; 4-9 p.m., TV Land); Diahann Carroll's '60s mom "Julia" (Sunday 2-6 p.m., Aspire); today's ladies of "Modern Family" (Sunday 4 p.m.-midnight, USA).
SEASON FINALES. Deep breath. It's a long list. Toppers include the series finale of Long Island-set "Revenge" (Sunday at 10 p.m., ABC/7) and the first-season finale of "Jane the Virgin" (Monday at 9 p.m., CW/11). Also: Sunday night's "Once Upon a Time" (8-10 p.m., ABC/7) and "The Good Wife" (9 p.m., CBS/2); Monday's "The Originals" (8 p.m., CW/11), "Bates Motel" (9 p.m., A&E), "Castle" (10 p.m., ABC/7), "The Returned" (10 p.m., A&E); Tuesday's "NCIS" and "NCIS: New Orleans" (8 and 9 p.m., CBS/2), "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9-11 p.m., ABC/7), "Chicago Fire" (10 p.m., NBC/4);
Wednesday's "Arrow" (8 p.m., CW/11), "The Middle" (8 p.m., ABC/7), "TheGoldbergs" (8:30 p.m., ABC/7), "CSI: Cyber" (9-11 p.m., CBS/2), "Nashville" (10 p.m., ABC/7); Thursday's "Grey's Anatomy" (8 p.m., ABC/7), "The Vampire Diaries" (8 p.m., CW/11), "The Odd Couple" (8:30 p.m., CBS/2), "The Blacklist" (9 p.m., NBC/4), "Reign" (9 p.m., CW/11), "Scandal" (9 p.m., ABC/7), "American Crime" (10 p.m., ABC/7), "Elementary" (10 p.m., CBS/2); Friday's "The Amazing Race" (8 p.m., CBS/2), "Shark Tank" (8 p.m., ABC/7), "Grimm" (8 p.m., NBC/4).
LIVE SUDS. In TV's early days, soap operas aired live. And now, one daytime drama will, again. "General Hospital" (Friday and next Monday at 3 p.m., ABC/7) beams two episodes direct from its Hollywood studio on no tape delay. Tweet your reaction at #GHLive.
WHERE IN THE WORLD? That's the question on this year's "Geo Bee 2015" (Friday at 8 p.m., NatGeo), taking place in Washington with host Soledad O'Brien. Quiz yourself at nationalgeographic.com/geobee
BARKFEST WEEKEND. What took so long for this to be launched? Among Friday night's introductory NatGeo Wild thrills: "World's Greatest Dogs" (8 p.m.), the second-season finale of "Cesar 911" (9 p.m.), and "Is Your Doga Genius?" (10 p.m.). Go dog wild at natgeowild.com/barkfest
