Series
On Popstars (8:30 p.m. Fri., WB), the girls rehearse for a performance before an audience of TV critics. Uh-oh. Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m. Sat., NBC) reruns the pretty decent Jennifer Lopez episode from a couple of weeks back. When it originally aired, the East Coast start of the show was delayed by an XFL game that ran overtime, which resulted in low ratings for what should have been a ratings whopper. On The Simpsons (8 p.m. Sun., Fox), Homer goes on a hunger strike when the Isotopes threaten to leave Springfield. Chris Carter launches the "X-Files" spinoff The Lone Gunmen (9 p.m. Sun., Fox), in which the three geeks who help out Mulder and Scully get into all sorts of comical yet spooky adventures -- sort of like "Abbott and Costello Meet Flukeman." Which is all well and good, except that last week's "X-Files" left us hanging on a note of utter despair -- is Mulder really dead? -- and now the momentum is interrupted by these clowns. Anyway, "Lone Gunmen" will soon move to Fridays in the slot that killed Chris Carter's other attempts, "Millennium" and "Harsh Realm." Behind the Music (9 p.m. Sun., VH1) reminds us about "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and other Rod Stewart moments we'd rather forget. Heat up the baked ziti and put the Chianti on ice -- the long-awaited third season premiere of The Sopranos (8 p.m. CT/ 9 PT and ET, Sun., HBO) is here. Two episodes air back-to-back. La Femme Nikita (10 p.m. Sun., USA) ends its five-year run with Nikita thrust into the position of deciding the fates of Michael's son, her father and herself.
Specials
If you've been going through William Shatner withdrawal ever since he stopped doing those Priceline commercials, take heart. The Musically Challenged One returns to host The Miss USA Pageant (9 p.m. Fri., CBS). The two-hour documentary It's Burlesque (8 p.m. Sun., A&E) chronicles the history of the entertainment form that gave us belters, hoofers, fan dancers and top bananas. Nick at Nite begins a weeklong Revenge of the '80s Marathon (8:30 p.m. Sun., Nickelodeon) with way more episodes of "Diff'rent Strokes" than anyone needs to see. The two-part miniseries Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot (9 p.m. Sun., NBC) picks over the Kennedy myth yet again, this time thrusting the perpetually pregnant wife of Robert Kennedy and the perpetually soused wife of Ted Kennedy into the spotlight. Jill Hennessy plays Jackie, Lauren Holly is Ethel and Leslie Stefanson is Joan. The new TV movie Amy & Isabelle (9 p.m. Sun., ABC) -- which could be subtitled "Women of Oprah" -- adapts Elizabeth Strout's Oprah's Book Club selection about a repressed single mother and teenage daughter who both harbor sexual secrets. Elisabeth Shue and Hanna Hall star; Oprah produced. The two-hour documentary The '70s: Bell-Bottoms to Boogie Shoes (9 p.m. Sun., Learning Channel) reminds us of all the stupid things we wore and did in the '70s. To quote '70s icon Linda Blair, "Mommy, make it stop!"
Sports
Hockey:
Penguins at Rangers (8 p.m. Fri., ESPN)
Penguins at Capitals (7 p.m. Sat., ESPN2)
Red Wings at Kings (10 p.m. Sat., ESPN2)
Sabres at Stars (3 p.m. Sun., ESPN2)
Avalanche at Coyotes (8 p.m. Sun., ESPN)
Basketball:
Knicks at Raptors (12:30 p.m. Sun., NBC)
Talk
Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated) Ricky Martin (rerun)
David Letterman (CBS) TBA
Jay Leno (NBC) Lauren Holly, Joe with Mystikal
Politically Incorrect (ABC) Bryan Cranston, Shakara Ledard
Conan O'Brien (NBC) Edie Falco, Snoop Dogg
Craig Kilborn (CBS) David Hasselhoff
All times Eastern unless noted.
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