TV picks for Dec. 3-7: 'Psych: The Movie,' Bob Hope, 'Happy!'

To the generation that grew up in the 1970s, Bob Hope was a joke, and not in a good way. His prime-time specials depended more on his cue-card holders than his out-of-touch gag writers. "American Masters: This Is Bob Hope" doesn't ignore that dark period, or the comedian's philandering, but in wisely chosen clips and testimonials Hope comes across as a pivotal figure in comedy, one whose spirited influence stretches from Woody Allen's early films to Jimmy Fallon's monologues.

6 p.m. Sun., TPT, Ch. 2

Just because Patton Oswalt voices an animated character who could have flown off a cereal box doesn't mean his tricks in "Happy!" are for kids. This super-dark, often hilarious drama about a disgraced ex-cop wrangled into doing one last good deed for an imaginary "friend" is strictly for adults. Christopher Meloni taps his inner Bruce Willis and yippee-ki-yay's his image as a bottled-up detective on "Law & Order: SVU."

9 p.m. Wed., Syfy

Enjoying "Psych: The Movie" doesn't require any familiarity with the 2006-14 series, but an appreciation for pop culture will be helpful as the bickering detectives (James Roday and Dulé Hill) are more obsessed with dropping references to obscure Nick Nolte movies and decorating their office to resemble the "Gremlins" set than with solving murders. That said, you don't need to be a Trivial Pursuit master to howl at the sight of Princess Leia and Prince covering the Gin Blossoms' "Allison Road."

7 p.m. Thu., USA

Neal Justin