Super Bowl LIV Dominates a Weekend of Football-Adjacent Programming

Once a year, television cedes its weekend airwaves over to all things football, as the nation collectively gears up for the Super Bowl, the most watched TV program of the year. This year is no exception, with good potential for an all-time classic, at least according to the oddsmakers. The Kansas City Chiefs — who last played the Super Bowl a whopping 54 years ago — enter the game as the slight favorites over the 49ers. The halftime show sees another even match, with pop superstars Jennifer Lopez and Shakira co-headlining, and then there's all the Super Bowl-adjacent programming — from the commercials, to The Puppy Bowl, to this year's recipient of the prized post-game timeslot: the Season 3 premiere of The Masked Singer. Here's what's new and noteworthy on TV this Super Bowl Weekend:

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 1

NEW EPISODE: We can expect at least a few football sketches as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watts hosts Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Luke Combs. 11:30 PM ET/8:30 PM PT on NBC

SPECIAL: Animal loving football fans may want to check out Puppy Bowl Presents: The Dog Bowl III, in which older canine champions square off in teams dubbed the Oldies and the Goldies. 8:00 PM ET on Animal Planet

SPECIAL: Cat lovers haven't been forgotten. Hallmark Channel's Cat Bowl II features special needs kitties and senior cat competitors. 11:00 PM ET on Hallmark

SEASON FINALE: Three Man vs Bear champions return to Bear Mountain as Tank, Bart, and Honey Bump battle their human rivals in the season finale. 8:00 PM ET on Discovery Channel

NEW EPISODE: The third installment of Seven Worlds, One Planet takes viewers to South America, a continent filled with sea lions, penguins, and bears (no lie!). 9:00 PM ET on BBC America

MADE FOR TV MOVIE: Nia Vardalos throws her Big Fat Greek Wedding fans a curveball with the true crime tale Poisoned Love: The Stacey Castor Story. Vardalos plays Stacey Castor who, following her husband's death, found new love with her employer David (Mike Dopud). But when he turned up dead, police began to get suspicious. 8:00 PM ET on Lifetime
 

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE: Kicking off Fox's pre-game programming is a special presentation of NFL Films' annual Road to the Super Bowl, featuring never-before-seen footage of the season's key moments leading up to today's game. 12:00 PM ET / 9:00 AM PT

LIVE COVERAGE: Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson and Jay Glazer anchor the 4+ hour-long FOX Super Bowl Pregame Show, including the traditional pre-game interview with the President (scheduled to air around 3:30 PM ET). 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT 

NFL FOOTBALL: Live from Miami, the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira sharing the stage for the halftime show. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman  call the game from the booth, with Erin Andrews and Chris Meyers on the field. 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT on Fox

SEASON PREMIERE: Earning the prized post-Super Bowl spot this year is none other than Fox's reality smash hit The Masked Singer. In tonight's Season 3 premiere, special guest Jamie Foxx joins Nick Cannon and his hapless panelists Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke. Watch the preview. After the game on Fox

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: For the sixteenth year in a row, Animal Planet is going to the dogs on Super Bowl Sunday, with Puppy Bowl XVI. Watch as adoptable puppy athletes compete for the legendary Lombarky Trophy. 3:00 PM ET on Animal Planet

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Not to be outdone, Hallmark once more remembers the cat fanatics out there. Kitten Bowl VII features adoptable kittens fighting tooth and claw to get their paws on their own championship trophy. 2:00 PM ET on Hallmark

NEW EPISODE: With the economy weakening, Our Cartoon President enlists Cartoon Don Jr. and Cartoon Eric in an elaborate scheme to fool their supporters into believing everything is better than it seems. 8:30 PM ET on Showtime

NEW EPISODE: Cheryl Hines directs tonight's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which Larry has an uncomfortable run-in with Alice (Megan Ferguson). Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) guest stars. 10:30 PM ET on HBO

NEW EPISODE: If heartburn is keeping you up, join Giada De Laurentis and Sunny Anderson as they attempt to Beat Bobby Flay with Indian and Caribbean cuisine. 11:00 PM ET on Food Network

Mike Attebery is Senior Editor at Primetimer and the author of seven mystery thrillers. Follow him on Twitter at @mikeattebery.