Holiday brings marathon madness
After wrapping up May sweeps and anointing a new “American Idol,” the lords of television take a well-deserved rest and leave viewers pretty much to their own devices, offering a strange assortment of marathons, repeats and movies.
• The voice of John Travolta animates the 2008 CGI comedy “Bolt” (8 p.m., ABC Family) about an animated dog with delusions of super hero status.
• Hallmark falls back on old favorites, offering mini-marathons of “The Golden Girls” (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.); “Frasier” (7 p.m. to 10 p.m) and “Cheers” (10 p.m. to 1 a.m.).
• In other marathon news, BBC America devotes 24 hours to “Doctor Who” (5 a.m. through 5 a.m. Sunday) and Discovery offers 14 consecutive hours of “MythBusters (11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday). Science invites folks to spend Saturday and more with “Oddities” (5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday, Science).
• Viewers in search of comfort food of another sort can sample the new series “From Spain with Love” (8:30 p.m., Cooking). Food writer and host Annie Sibonney offers a gastronomic tour of Iberia from the rustic fishing villages of Galicia to the cutting-edge restaurants of Barcelona and Madrid.
In the first half hour episode, Sibonney travels to Basque country, a semi-autonomous and proudly independent region that claims more cooks per capita than any other place in the world.
Tonight’s other highlights
• Fox covers regional Major League Baseball action (6 p.m., Fox, check local listings).
• Ashley entertains suitors as cameras roll on “The Bachelorette” (8 p.m., ABC)
• Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (9 p.m., CBS): how an LAPD coverup kept an innocent man in jail for 26 years.
• Zach Galifianakis hosts “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guest Jessie J.
Saturday series
“Minute to Win It” (7 p.m., NBC) … Stunts galore on “Wipeout” (7 p.m., ABC) … A deadly Malibu fire on “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (8 p.m., NBC) … Losing big at the casino on “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (9 p.m., NBC).