TV's Best Bets

Saturday, Aug. 20

“Jaws” (1977), 7 p.m., AMC; or “Back to the Future” (1985), 8 p.m., CMT. More than anyone else, Steven Spielberg has shown that a movie can be artfully crafted and wildly entertaining. He proved that by directing “Jaws” and by producing “Back to the Future” — a film that (under director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis) can best be described as Spielberg-esque. And yes, that’s a good thing.

More movies. There are plenty of recent action-adventures, including “John Wick” (2014), 8 p.m. on Paramount, and a Spider-Man double-feature — “Far From Home” (2019) at 6:17 pm. and “No Way Home” (2021) at 8:30. But there’s also a Joan Crawford marathon on Turner Classic Movies. For “Mildred Pierce” (1945), at 8 p.m., she won an Oscar; for “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962), Bette Davis was nominated and Crawford was bitter.

Nature films, BBC America. The gorgeous “Blue Planet” series reruns at noon, followed by a new “Africa’s Wild Year” at 8, viewing the autumn migration. At 9, in a truly dizzying switch, the channel shows “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977).

“NCIS: Los Angeles,” 9 p.m., CBS. While helping migrants cross the border, Kensi is kidnapped by a shadowy militia group; now the others scramble to find her. That’s preceded at 8 p.m. by another rerun: In “FBI: Most Wanted,” the team races to stop someone who annihilates families; also, Barnes has her own family troubles with an intrusive mother.

“$100,000 Pyramid,” 10 p.m., ABC. In a change, ABC has ultimate fighting at 8 p.m. (instead of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” reruns) and this rerun at 10. One round has rappers, with Wiz Khalifa facing Ty Dolla $ign; the other has comedians Bobby Moynihan and Ron Funches.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Saturday TV's Best Bets