Weekend TV : ‘Connie Chung’ to Focus on Alaska Oil Spill; ‘Elvis’ Bows in Regular Time Slot on Sunday

As Alaska crude oil continues to taint the beaches in Southern California this weekend, “Saturday Night With Connie Chung” tonight offers a re-creation of that other oil spill--the 11 million gallons dumped in Prince William Sound, Alaska by the Exxon Valdez last March.

The CBS report (at 10 p.m. on Channels 2 and 8) comes while Joseph Hazelwood, the captain of the Valdez, is being tried in Anchorage on charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and negligent discharge of oil. But the program focuses primarily on the failure of the state, the Coast Guard and the oil company to contain and clean up the spill.

Elsewhere, “Elvis,” ABC’s new series that chronicles the early life of perhaps the world’s most famous pop star, premieres in its regular time slot at 8:30 p.m. Sunday (7)(3)(10)(42).

“Blind Faith,” based on Joe McGinniss’ book about a husband suspected of arranging his wife’s murder, begins Sunday at 9 p.m. (4)(36)(39). The two-part saga, starting Robert Urich and Joanna Kerns, concludes Tuesday at 9 p.m.