What's on TV this week—The White Lotus finale, Kindred, National Treasure: Edge Of History

Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, December 11, to Thursday, December 15. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]

The biggies

The White Lotus (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m., season two finale)

Mike White’s The White Lotus wraps up its Italy-set second season. The HBO drama has invited a ton of speculation—who’s dying? who’s scamming? who’s cheating?—over the past six episodes. We’ll get all the answers in episode seven, titled “Byg.” The A.V. Club will recap the final hour. Thankfully, the show is already renewed, and let’s hope Aubrey Plaza’s Harper survives to hop onto the third season.

Based on Octavia Butler’s acclaimed 1979 novel, Kindred is an epic eight-episode fantasy drama centered on Dana James (Mallori Johnson), a young Black woman and aspiring writer who uproots her family life and moves to Los Angeles. However, she finds herself being violently pulled back in time to a 19th-century plantation linked to her ancestors. Dana is forced to confront long-buried secrets and an unexpected romance. The cast includes Gayle Rankin, Ryan Kwanten, Austin Smith, Micah Stock, and Sophina Brown. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:

The premise itself is engrossing enough to propel an eight-episode season, and showrunner Branded Jacob-Jenkins expands on the book’s plot to include subplots and characters that enhance the show’s main quandary: How would a modern-day Black woman withstand the abuse of slavery? 

No, Nicolas Cage isn’t starring in the National Treasure TV show, but Edge Of History still expands on the mythology of the movie franchise. The show follows Jess (Lisette Olivera), a resourceful dreamer searching for answers about her family who discovers a lost Pan-American treasure along the way. Justin Bartha reprises his role, and the rest of the cast includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Harvey Keitel, Lyndon Smith, and Jake Austin Walker. Look out for The A.V. Club’s review on Monday.

Hidden gems

Baking It (Peacock, Monday, 3:01 a.m.)

Baking It returns for season two with a major cast change. Amy Poehler replaces Andy Samberg as Maya Rudolph’s co-host in this, you guessed it, baking show, in which a new set of competitors team up for hilarious challenges designed by the duo to win a hefty cash prize.

Harry & Meghan wraps up with the three-episode second part of this docuseries. (The first trio of eps dropped December 8.) Directed by Liz Garbus, the documentary delves into the Duke and Duchess’ relationship and eventual distancing from the Royal Family over the last few years, and includes interviews with family and friends who have never spoken publicly about the couple.

We’re getting a mini Arrested Development reunion for the holidays. Will Arnett and Jason Bateman star in improv crime comedy Murderville’s Christmas special, titled Who Killed Santa? Arnett’s clumsy Detective Terry Seattle teams up with Bateman and Maya Rudolph, neither of whom has a script, to catch the murderer. Eliza Coupe, Tawny Newsome, and Haneefah Wood co-star.

More good stuff

The Battle For Justina Pelletier (Peacock, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Directed by Davit Metzler, this true-crime docuseries covers the harrowing story of 14-year-old Justina Pelletier, who entered Boston Children’s Hospital with a mysterious set of symptoms. The hospital accused the parents of abuse in the form of Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, while the family called the ordeal “medical kidnapping.”

The second eight-part season of Last Chance U: Basketball gives us another glimpse into community college b-ball. Co-directed by Greg Whiteley, Adam Leibowitz, and Daniel George McDonald, the docuseries picks up a year after COVID caused an abrupt end to ELAC’s championship run in 2020, as the team’s head coach, John Mosley, eagerly returns to the court with a new roster of Huskies.

Helmed by Alexandra Pelosi, Pelosi In The House is a candid documentary about her mother, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The film explores her career milestones leading up to the inauguration of President Biden.

Can’t miss recaps

Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday, 11:30 p.m.)

Welcome To Chippendales (Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)

Willow (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m.)

Mythic Quest (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m.)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+, Friday, 12:01 a.m)

Ending soon

The Simpsons, The Great North, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy (FOX, Sunday, 8-10 p.m., fall finales)

Let The Right One In (Showtime, Sunday, 10 p.m., season one finale)

The Cleaning Lady (FOX, Monday, 8 p.m., season two finale)

The Good Doctor (ABC, Monday 10 p.m., season six fall finale)

FBI, FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted (FOX, Tuesday, 8-11 p.m., fall finales)

The Voice (NBC, Tuesday, 9 p.m., season 22 finale)

The Santa Clauses (Disney+, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season one finale)

Too Hot To Handle (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season four finale)

Survivor (CBS, Wednesday, 8 p.m., season 43 finale)

The Sex Lives Of College Girls (HBO Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season two finale)

Ghosts, So Help Me Todd, CSI: Vegas (CBS, Thursday, 8-11 p.m., fall finales)