Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, September 9 and Saturday, September 10. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
Stand Up To Cancer (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, 8 p.m., Friday): Celebrities—they’re just like us! In that they are really, really not on board with cancer, to the extent that they’re taking over four networks to raise money for cancer treatment. The list of the famous destined to make you write a check includes: Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Emma Stone, Anna Kendrick, Josh Gad, Niecy Nash, Eric Stonestreet, Alison Sweeney, Ken Jeong, Marcia Cross, Greg Grunberg, Danielle Campbell, Charlie Wilson, Brittany Daniel, Viola Davis, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Matt Bomer, Dave Franco, Sonequa Martin-Green, Rob Riggle, Tony Hale, Terry Crews, Mel B, Bree Turner, and Stand Up To Cancer co-founder Katie Couric.
Martin Lawrence: Doin’ Time (Showtime, 9 p.m., Friday): It’s been 14 years since Martin Lawrence aired a new standup special. So if that’s great news for you, then rejoice, as the not coming back to Saturday Night Live any time soon Lawrence does his thing on Showtime.
10th Annual ACM Honors (CBS, 9 p.m., Friday): That’s American Country Music honors to you, people. Ideally, no winners will sound too much like this:
Jeff Ross Roasts Cops (Comedy Central, 11 p.m., Saturday): Knowing a good thing when he sees one, Ross may decide to bring world’s easiest target Ann Coulter along as he makes fun of the police. As they’re both white and there’ll be plenty of cameras, they should come out of it okay.
Premieres and finales
One Mississippi (Amazon, 3:01 a.m., Friday): Following in the laugh-’til-you-cry footsteps of peers like Aziz Ansari, Louis C.K., Maria Bamford, and Cameron Esposito, standup comedian Tig Notaro brings us this autobiographical sitcom(?) about returning to her hometown after the death of her mother. As anyone who’s followed Notaro’s recent career knows, there are other, perhaps even more wrenching issues going on as well as this version of Tig tries to reconnect with her brother, stepfather, and the place she left—for very good reasons—a long time ago. In his pre-air review, Erik Adams says, “One Mississippi has big laughs, but the source of some of those laughs and much of the subject matter would make for a difficult binge.” But we know you—you’re gonna binge on this uniquely bittersweet sort-of comedy. Maybe just come up for a nice, cleansing breath between episodes.
Quarry (Cinemax, 10 p.m., Friday): Based on the novels by Max Allan Collins, this newest Cinemax series follows a returning Vietnam vet played by Tom Hardy’s long-lost brother (just a theory) Logan Marshall-Green as he tries to adjust back into civilian life in 1972 Memphis. Not aiding the process is Peter Mullan, playing the smilingly malevolent Broker, who’s in the market for highly trained hired killers. In his pre-air review, Les Chappell says the show is an entertainingly uneasy amalgam of more action-oriented Cinemax fare (like his dearly departed and bananas Banshee) and Sundance’s shimmeringly meditative Rectify. Look for able support from the likes of Justified’s Damon Herriman, The Wire’s Jamie Hector, and The Leftovers’ Ann Dowd.
Aquarius (NBC, 10 p.m., Saturday): Things are not looking good for David Duchovny’s Detective John Hodiak. Apart from being investigated by Internal Affairs, suspended, stalked by a serial killer, and confounded by that pesky young Charles Manson, Aquarius’ ratings have been… not the best. No one’s said yet that this two-episode season finale (don’t call it a “burn-off”—it’s been here for years) is also the series finale, but no one’s jumping up and down to deny it, either. Console yourself with the wise words of Gwen Ihnat who—before we dropped coverage of this perpetually disappointing, often ugly show—shared this hope: “As always, David Duchovny does what he can with this material, making us long for a better 1968-set show where he drives around in a snazzy convertible, taking perps down with his knee and solving crimes.” Amen, Gwen.
Reguar coverage
Narcos (Netflix, 3 p.m., Saturday)
Streaming pick
“Last Forever—Parts 1 & 2,” How I Met Your Mother (Netflix). Speaking of comedies about dead mothers, odds are One Mississippi won’t end with Tig Notaro’s character concluding her eulogy by telling everyone she’s found another, better mother. But you never know. Side note: Has there ever been a series finale where the title doubled as its ranking among every episode of the show more than this one?