Foo for thought
Foo Fighters fans have a strong reason to stay home Friday night. First, the band stars in "Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways" (10 p.m. Friday, HBO), an eight-part documentary series that explores musical roots in different cities, starting with Chicago. Then, the lads conclude a weeklong run on "The Late Show With David Letterman" (10:35 p.m. WCCO, Ch. 4)
They say it's your birthday
"The Birthday Boys," an offshoot of the Upright Citizens Brigade, returns for a second season of sketches with guest appearances from Jack Black, Dana Carvey, Carmen Electra, Chris Elliott and Casey Wilson, all helping to poke fun at WASP culture, the failure of the Internet and rectal health. 10:30 p.m. Friday, IFC
The comeback
Artie Lange has hovered near death so many times, he could be a zombie on "The Walking Dead." Fortunately, the recovered addict seems to be in fine form in "Artie Lange: The Stench of Failure," a very personal stand-up special in which he talks about his stints in rehab and a psych ward. 11 p.m. Saturday, Comedy Central
No lost causes
The first step in fixing what ails our national political scene may be locking every senator and congressman in a theater and screening "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," the idealistic 1939 classic in which a sleep-deprived Jimmy Stewart stages one heck of a filibuster. I'll pay for the popcorn. 6 p.m. Sunday, Get TV
Neal Justin
