TV Critic's picks for Saturday: Go west, old man

Last update: June 11, 2009 - 5:16 PM

Go west, old man

Tommy Lee Jones may not be the most laconic cowboy in the land, but I'll be hanging on his every syllable when he provides commentary during the restored widescreen version of 1989's "Lonesome Dove" (7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, AMC), the eight-hour film that remains a class-act example of what both a miniseries and a western should be.

Bloody fun

Your interest in a second season of "True Blood" (8 p.m. Sunday, HBO) hinges largely on your tolerance for vampire stories and Anna Paquin's Southern accent. Both give me the willies, but I completely understand why you might be champing at the bit to see what creator Alan Ball has in store now that new threats move into Bon Temps, La.

Bad rap

If MC Hammer wants us to reignite our love affair with him, he's going to have to slip back into those puffy pants. Without the flamboyant wardrobe, his new series "Hammertime" (9 p.m. Sunday, A&E) is a thin attempt to recapture the magic of "The Osbournes." His family seems very nice and normal -- and in the world of reality TV, that's a mortal sin.

NEAL JUSTIN

A rose in bloom

TCM's monthlong tribute to directors spotlights Woody Allen with the fine 2002 documentary "Woody Allen: A Life in Film" (7 p.m. today), followed by a marathon of five of his films. Have time for only one? Pluck 1985's "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (12:15 a.m. Saturday) with an angelic performance by Mia Farrow and a career-making turn by recent Tony nominee Jeff Daniels.

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