Series
Whither the Scud Stud? Former Gulf War correspondent Arthur Kent starts a new gig as host of History's Mysteries (8 p.m. EDT/9 PDT, Sat., History Channel), which is the old "In Search of History" series with sexier trappings. The debut episode looks at the Spanish Inquisition. Hard Rock Live (midnight Sat., VH1) kicks off a new season with a performance from Sheryl Crow. Homer inadvertently becomes the toast of the art world on a rerun of The Simpsons (8 p.m. Sun., Fox), which is followed by a rerun of Futurama (8:30 p.m. Sun., Fox) in which Bender goes on a bender and winds up in robot hell. The Beastie Boys' heads guest star. On GvsE (8 p.m. Sun., USA), Chandler is buried alive in a coffin that's filling with water and only Emmanuel Lewis can save him. Really. The Monkees are profiled on an episode of E! True Hollywood Story (9 p.m. Sun., E!) that might actually be worth watching (Davy!). On Sex and the City (9 p.m. Sun., HBO), Carrie tries to break Big of his "toxic bachelor" ways. Behind the Music (9 p.m. Sun., VH1) has a new profile of Melissa Etheridge. On a rerun of The Practice (10 p.m. Sun., ABC), Ellenor is wrongfully arrested for possession of heroin.
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Specials
In 1993, Fox did a very foolish thing. It cancelled The Ben Stiller Show after a mere 13 episodes. The brilliant sketch comedy/pop culture parody series, which starred Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and Bob Odenkirk (HBO's "Mr. Show"), then went on to win an Emmy for best variety series. And as for its amazing cast, well, they did OK, too. Fox's cable arm, FX, is airing all 13 episodes in a six-and-a-half-hour Ben Stiller Show Marathon (beginning 6 p.m. Sun., FX). All the classic bits are here: "Cape Munster," "The Grungies," "Tales of Springsteen," the Daniel Day-Lewis "Last of the Mohicans" workout and the legendary "U2 Rockumentary," with Stiller as Bono (which may be the funniest thing Stiller's ever done that did not involve a bodily secretion). You will want to invest in a couple of blank tapes. Trust me.
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Sports
Baseball:
Phillies at Braves (7:35 p.m. Fri.; 7:05 p.m. Sat.; 1:05 p.m. Sun., TBS)
Diamondbacks at Dodgers or regional action (4 p.m. Sat., Fox)
Rockies at Cardinals (8 p.m. Sat., FX)
Yankees at Red Sox (8 p.m. Sun., ESPN)
WNBA:
Starzz at Sparks (9 p.m. Fri., Lifetime)
Mercury at Comets (4 p.m. Sat., NBC)
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Talk
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Sandra Bullock, Brian Dennehy (rerun)
David Letterman (CBS) Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong
Jay Leno (NBC) Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Matthew Broderick, Michael Moore (rerun)
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