Having just completed two seasons of “The Crown” playing the disappointed and dissipated Princess Margaret, actress Helena Bonham Carter narrates the new BBC series “Eden: Untamed Planet” (7 p.m. Saturday, BBC America, AMC and AMC+, TV-PG).

As the title implies, “Eden” travels to remote regions generally untouched by human habitation. At the same time, it explores the effects of man-made climate change on even these bucolic outposts.

First up is “Borneo: Sacred Forest,” a visit to the island rainforest that boasts some 40,000 species of plants and animals — 6,000 of them unique to Borneo. But don’t let the lush tropical feel fool you. The soil is actually quite thin, having been washed away by eons of heavy rain. In the logic of natural selection, the very paucity of nutrients has inspired resourcefulness among the survivors and some of the Earth’s most diverse assortment of plants.

Next week’s installment, “Namib: Skeleton Coast and Beyond,” visits one of the Earth’s hottest and driest deserts. How does this produce an “Eden”? A dense sea fog offers moisture to compensate for the stingy clouds and creates a shrouded landscape quite unlike any other on the planet.

• An enchanted blade helps an aging serial killer (Vince Vaughn) switch bodies with a teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) in the 2020 shocker “Freaky” (7:15 p.m. Saturday, HBO). An obvious nod to “Freaky Friday,” released under the Blumhouse Productions imprint, “Freaky” received positive reviews and numerous award nominations for its cheeky blend of slasher horror and comedy.

• Cord-cutters who hope to keep up with the summer games, or wish to apply portion control and limit their viewing to recaps, might turn to Peacock, NBC Universal’s streaming service. Peacock has created a dedicated Olympics channel called Tokyo NOW, offering events and recaps. Fans can start their day with “Tokyo Live” streaming 5 to 10 a.m. “Tokyo Gold” will anticipate the day’s most compelling events and feature profiles and interviews with athletes. “Tokyo Tonight” (6:30 p.m.) wraps up the day’s coverage. This menu of Peacock programs kicks off Saturday.

• Does stand-up comedy lend itself to cartoon animation? “Tig Notaro: Drawn” (9 p.m. Saturday, HBO, TV-14) presents a standup routine by the acclaimed comedian in several different cartoon styles. Notaro’s comic style leans heavily toward storytelling, and many jokes are based on personal experiences, including a hospital bed marriage proposal, an altercation with a fellow comedian and a road trip with Dolly Parton.

The relationship between a standup and her audience is pretty electric when it’s working. There’s a certain power derived from a mass of people sitting in the dark, hanging on every word and erupting in nervous laughter. I’m not sure if animation distracts or detracts from the experience. I have a similar reaction to recent attempts to repackage podcasts with footage. Podcasts and comedy monologues tap into an almost primordial oral tradition. We like to listen to stories. Turning radio into television or comedy into cartoons is an interesting experiment but not necessarily an improvement on the original(s).

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

• In a 2019 sequel, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah demand another rematch with “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (6:45 p.m., TNT, TV-14).

• Scheduled coverage of beach volleyball, gymnastics, 3x3 basketball and swimming at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (6 p.m., NBC).

• Expecting their first child, a couple moves into a new neighborhood where an older neighbor shows obsessive interest in the 2021 shocker “Next-Door Nightmare” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).

• Photos taken from space reveal a curious pattern formed by giant mounds found in the Utah desert on “What on Earth?” (7 p.m., Science, TV-PG).

• A retired policeman (Henry Winkler) and his niece (Brooke Burns) are entertained by a stranger (Warren Christie) in the 2008 romance “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).

• “Destination Fear” (8 p.m., Travel, TV-14) returns for a third season with a visit to an abandoned sanitarium, considered to be “the most haunted place in America.”

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

• Updated repeat segments scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): Curtis Flowers, a man tried four times for the same murder; the Wright family of Utah that shares five world rodeo titles; a visit to the Paisley Park studio explores Prince’s enduring appeal.

• The Brewers host the White Sox in MLB action (6 p.m., ESPN).

• Scheduled coverage of men’s triathlon, swimming and women’s gymnastics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (7 p.m., NBC).

• Matthew shares a fateful secret on “A Discovery of Witches” (7 p.m., AMC, TV-14).

• Christmas sets the agenda at the retirement home on “The End” (7 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

• “History of the Sitcom” (8 p.m., CNN) explores the theme of work and office “families.”

• Quinn takes the plunge on “The White Lotus” (8 p.m., HBO, TV-MA).

CULT CHOICE

An expectant mother and drug addict (Laura Dern) finds herself exploited by activists on both sides of the abortion rights battle in the 1996 satire “Citizen Ruth” (7 p.m. Saturday, TMCX). A game cast includes Swoosie Kurtz, Kelly Preston, Burt Reynolds, Kurtwood Smith, Mary Kay Place, Kenneth Mars and Tippi Hedren. The film marked the directorial debut of Alexander Payne, who later would helm “Election,” “Sideways” and “Nebraska,” among others.

SATURDAY SERIES

A missing wife on “Magnum P.I.” (7 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) ... “Hell’s Kitchen” (7 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) ... “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) ... Two hours of “48 Hours” (8 p.m., CBS, r) ... “Lego Masters” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... Beauty products on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) ... A demonstration turns violent on “The Good Doctor” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-14).

SUNDAY SERIES

Julie Chen hosts “Big Brother” (7 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... Homer feels tempted on “The Simpsons” (7 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... “Celebrity Family Feud” (7 p.m., ABC, TV-14) ... Sixteen candles on “D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow” (7 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) ... Wedding plans on “The Great North” (7:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) ... “Love Island” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ... Love blossoms at the language lab on “Bob’s Burgers” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... “The Chase” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) ... Bite marks on “Wellington Paranormal” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) ... Stewie’s mail order bride on “Family Guy” (8:30 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) ... Meg’s decline worries Allison on “Dead Pixels” (8:30 p.m., CW, TV-14) ... “To Tell the Truth” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

— OK, that was weird. The least expected story of the week was the scandal involving Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) and Lori Loughlin, star of “When Calls the Heart” (7 p.m. Sunday, Hallmark, TV-G), in a bribery/cheating plot to get their respective daughters into elite universities.

This is obviously an ongoing case, and all sides must have their say, or day, in court. But the motivation at the center of this story is worth discussing. It involves some overwhelming need to do anything to get children into elite schools. As if anything “lesser” were unthinkable.

Television plays no small role in this insecurity. I can’t remember how many times I’ve had to describe an ABC legal drama where every single character hails from only the most exclusive Ivy and spends most of the pilot bragging about it.

There was a time, not that long ago, when John Grisham wrote best-selling books about young, barely accredited lawyers from no-name institutions who took on impossible cases against massive corporations and eventually won. And got the girl, to boot.

So, our current era’s neurotic obsession with elitism and inequality is hardly hard-wired.

If anything comes of this sordid affair, it’s an appreciation that shoddy efforts at snobbery are always essentially pathetic. Or on classic TV, comedic. Watching “Gilligan’s Island,” we identified with Mary Ann and the Skipper, and pitied the millionaire and his wife.

— CNN launches the four-hour documentary “Tricky Dick” (8 p.m., Sunday), profiling the life and times of Richard Nixon’s public career, which spanned the decades from the dawn of the Cold War to the Clinton years.

SATURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

— An anxious new mother joins a group for solidarity and support, only to discover that it has darker plans on its agenda in the 2019 shocker “Mommy Group Murder” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).

— The Thunder and Warriors meet in NBA action (7:30 p.m., ABC).

— An old kidnapper returns to form on “Ransom” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).

SUNDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): Embassy workers in China and Cuba complain of mysterious ailments; AOL founder Steve Case and his plans to invest in the future of overlooked American small towns and cities; a visit to Monaco.

— The duels begin on “World of Dance” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).

— Auditions continue on “American Idol” (7 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).

— Lex Luthor is on the loose on “Supergirl” (7 p.m., CW, TV-PG).

— Mr. Wednesday prepares for battle on “American Gods” (7 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).

— After learning about her royal lineage, an adopted 10-year-old becomes a little tyrant in the 2019 shocker “Mommy’s Little Princess” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).

— A secret room holds dangers on “Charmed” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).

— Hidden secrets revealed on “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).

— A new trial is pursued on “The Case Against Adnan Syed” (8 p.m., HBO, TV-14).

— Axe is determined to destroy Taylor on the fourth season premiere of “Billions” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

— Ulysses pursues a conspiracy theory on “Now Apocalypse” (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).

— “Unsung” (8 p.m., TVONE) profiles the Jets.

— Pacific overtures on “Madam Secretary” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).

— Tensions rise on “Good Girls” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).

— Mo’s past is revealed on “Black Monday” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).

CULT CHOICE

— St. Patrick’s Day inspires many traditions. Syfy offers a marathon of “Leprechaun” movies, from “Leprechaun 5: In the Hood” (4 p.m. Saturday, TV-14) to “Leprechaun 2” (8 p.m.). TCM takes the traditional approach, ladling out the Technicolor blarney of director John Ford’s 1952 romance “The Quiet Man” (7 p.m. Sunday, TV-PG).

SATURDAY SERIES

“Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) ... “NBA Countdown” (7 p.m., ABC) ... The kids are all right on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) ... “48 Hours” (9 p.m., CBS) ... A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).

SUNDAY SERIES

A visit from an old friend inspires Miles on “God Friended Me” (7 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) ... Homer can’t leave Bart’s virtual realm on “The Simpsons” (7 p.m., Fox, TV-14) ... Empathy for all things on “Bob’s Burgers” (7:30 p.m., Fox, TV-14).

A walk down the aisle on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) ... On two episodes of “Family Guy” (Fox, TV-14), Meg’s winter Olympics (8 p.m.), fighting over a dowager (8:30 p.m., r) ... Aches and pains on “Shark Tank” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).