TV critic's choice: This week

I'd trust Dr. Drew Pinsky with my life (well, at least the lives of washed-up celebrities), but I'm not sure why "Sex Rehab With Dr. Drew" (9 p.m., VH1) houses male and female patients directly across the hall, giving porn stars and rock drummers an easy chance to ogle one another. The setup is some obscure form of therapy -- or a guaranteed twist to heighten the tension.

A film featuring Anne Hathaway, Annette Bening, Susan Sarandon and Spike Lee may tempt you to put some extra butter on the popcorn and settle in for a big-time movie, but be warned: Barry Levinson's "Poliwood" (6:30 p.m., Showtime) is an all-too somber, navel-gazing film about the celebrity's role in politics. Levinson's conclusion seems to be that because TV is now such a major force in our daily lives, stars naturally are going to play a role in social issues. Interesting theory, but one better suited for a think piece in the New Yorker, not a 90-minute documentary.

"The Biggest Loser" (7 p.m., KARE, Ch. 11) goes to Washington as cast members make a salad out of ingredients from the White House garden, vie for immunity at the Washington Monument, visit with members of Congress and weigh-in at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Not on the agenda: a visit to the grave of tubby President Howard Taft.

Cynics may think that Clint Eastwood produced "Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me" (7 p.m., TCM) only to give his daughter Morgan a chance to sing on camera, but the documentary quickly proves to be more than a family affair. Eastwood and director Bruce Ricker are determined to prove that Mercer is one of the most important, underrated songwriters of all time, and by the time you hear singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Barbra Streisand perform "That Old Black Magic," "Skylark" and "Moon River," you'll be firmly in their camp. Heck, you'll even want to be Facebook friends with Morgan Eastwood.

Will the cycle ever end? "The Real Housewives of Orange Country" (9 p.m., Bravo), which prides itself as the original hit in the franchise, returns for a fifth season, one marred with economic difficulties. Guess that means the gals will be downgrading from Ketel One to Smirnoff.

NEAL JUSTIN