TV Daily

Weekend Pick

Photo: Ken Regan/HBO

You might wonder why Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes would deign to appear in a made-for-TV movie about Doris Duke -- that is, until you watch these two turn in heart-wrenching performances that have Emmy written all over them. Sarandon is mesmerizing as eccentric heiress Doris Duke, while Fiennes brings a restrained softness to his role as Duke's butler (and eventual heir), Bernard Lafferty. Even though it's a small, relatively inconsequential story, "Bernard and Doris" (premieres 9 p.m. EST Saturday on HBO) had us riveted from the moment Sarandon's Duke strutted in until the credits rolled. Instead of serving up another temperamental monster and her sycophantic sidekick, director Bob Balaban brings to life a fragile connection between two lonely souls.

-- H.H.

Also…

On Friday, you can thank the good Lord for the last brand-new episode of "Friday Night Lights" (9 p.m. EST on NBC) along with the finale of "Flash Gordon" (8 p.m. EST on Sci Fi). BBC America premieres its sketch show "That Mitchell and Webb Look" (9:20 p.m. EST), while VH1 debuts its new improv comedy "Free Radio" (9:30 p.m. EST). On Saturday, kids will enjoy "A Charlie Brown Valentine" (8 p.m. EST on ABC), while their parents might prefer the riveting small-town tale "Little Children" (9 p.m. EST on HBO). On Sunday, the 50th annual Grammy Awards will feature performances by John Legend, John Fogerty and Fergie, among others (8 p.m. EST on CBS), and Alec Baldwin hosts global warming special "Six Degrees That Could Change the World" (8 p.m. EST on National Geographic). We find out what happened to flying Omar on another great episode of "The Wire" (9 p.m. EST on HBO), and "The Whitest Kids U' Know" (premieres 11 p.m. on IFC) are back with some absurd but committed sketch comedy.

Last night

What did you think of "Lipstick Jungle" on Thursday? Go here to discuss.

On the talk shows -- Friday

Contributors: Molly Eichel, Heather Havrilesky, Amy Reiter, Charly Wilder

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