TV & Movies

What to Watch on Friday: With ‘Ivan’ and ‘Kingdom,’ animals rule the night

In the National Geographic Channel nature documentary series “Savage Kingdom,” Tsebe has coaxed her cubs out of the den site to suckle. With full bellies the cubs relax in the safety of their mother’s presence.
In the National Geographic Channel nature documentary series “Savage Kingdom,” Tsebe has coaxed her cubs out of the den site to suckle. With full bellies the cubs relax in the safety of their mother’s presence. NHFU

The Greatest #AtHome Videos (8 p.m., CBS) - Don’t miss Cary sisters Smirthi and Harini Selvaraj, featured in tonight’s episode for their Bollywood dance routine on TikTok.

Savage Kingdom (9 p.m., National Geographic) - This documentary series — a three-week event narrated by Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones”) — was filmed in Mombo, Northern Botswana, and chronicles kings and queens of the jungle as they return to purge hyenas and regain control of their kingdom. But the worst drought in years has devastated the area and turned it into a potential war zone. Every animal must fight to survive and to defend his or her rightful place in an ever-changing, cut-throat kingdom. In tonight’s two new episodes, lioness Tsebe is forced to make a hard decision to save her beloved pride’s cubs, and the teenage cats decide to go it alone and put themselves in mortal danger. We’ll get two new episodes over the next two Friday nights.

The One and Only Ivan (Disney+) - This new film based on the book by Katherine Applegate tells the story of a silverback gorilla named Ivan (voiced by Sam Rockwell) who lives in a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall along with Stella the elephant (Angelina Jolie), Bob the dog (Danny DeVito) and other animals. When a new baby elephant named Ruby arrives, Ivan is touched and begins to question his life, where he came from and where he wants to be. Ivan and the other animals learn that life isn’t defined by place and circumstance, but by the power of friendship and the courage to make change happen. This stars Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and Ariana Greenblatt in live action roles, with additional voices provided by Helen Mirren, Brooklynn Prince, Chaka Khan, Ron Funches and Mike White.

Ivan (voiced by Sam Rockwell) and Mack (Bryan Cranston) in the Disney+ movie “The One and Only Ivan.”
Ivan (voiced by Sam Rockwell) and Mack (Bryan Cranston) in the Disney+ movie “The One and Only Ivan.” DISNEY+

Shark Week 2020 (Discovery) - Discovery’s Shark Week runs through Sunday, Aug. 16. Here’s the full schedule.

SharkFest 2020 (Nat Geo Wild) - SharkFest jumped over to Nat Geo Wild and runs through August 20. Click here for a schedule of some of the highlights.

Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.

Brooke Cain
The News & Observer
Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer and McClatchy for more than 30 years as a researcher, reporter and media writer. She is the National Service Journalism Editor for McClatchy. 
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