Getting the party started "Party Down" (9 p.m. Friday, STARZ), the woefully underrated sitcom about hapless Los Angeles caterers, may have lost a valuable cast member when Jane Lynch moved to "Glee," but it hasn't lost a step in skewing the Hollywood dream -- and anyone who dares to get wrapped up in it. It helps that Lynch's replacement is "Will & Grace" veteran Megan Mullally, who's a real treat as a would-be showbiz mom. If she's disappointed that she's been shuffled off to cableland, she doesn't show it.
Hoo-ahh! Al Pacino slips perfectly into the disheveled figure of Dr. Jack Kevorkian in Barry Levinson's new film, "You Don't Know Jack" (8 p.m. Saturday, HBO). Nothing spectacular to report in this rather straightforward biopic, other than terrific performances by Pacino, who seems less frantic than usual, and Brenda Vaccaro, mesmerizing as Kevorkian's much put-upon sister.
A session named desire University of Minnesota students Mariam Schwartz and Caleb Carlson were lucky enough -- and talented enough -- to get some coaching from actress/director Liv Ullmann -- and you get to listen in. "Masterclass" (4:30 p.m. Sunday, HBO), a nine-part documentary series, gives young people the chance to learn from legends. In this case, Ullmann leads her actors through a classic scene from "A Streetcar Named Desire."
Clean and sober Winona Ryder's performance as Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon, may draw you into "When Love Is Not Enough" (8 p.m. Sunday, WCCO, Ch. 4), but it's Barry Pepper's turn as her husband, Bill, who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, that really sticks with you.
NEAL JUSTIN
