Star gazing
For the sixth time, some of Hollywood's biggest names will "Stand Up to Cancer" in a one-hour telethon airing on all four major networks and many cable outlets. Bradley Cooper, Mahershala Ali, Reese Witherspoon and Kathy Bates are among the celebrities appearing in this live event.
7 p.m. Friday, various channels
There goes the neighborhood
Jim Carrey plays a creepy Mister Rogers-like character in "Kidding," his first TV series in two decades. Watching a seemingly nice guy slowly fall apart — divorce, the death of a child and working with puppets will do that to you — is a process we've seen many times on TV. What does feel new is Frank Langella as a father/executive producer who firmly believes ratings are thicker than blood. Michel Gondry, who teamed up with Carrey on "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," directed the first two episodes.
9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime
New newlyweds
Ashlee Simpson slips on big sister Jessica's boots in "Ashlee + Evan," a clear attempt to copy the success of "Newlyweds: Jessica and Nick." Ashlee has a hard time filling the "dumb blonde" role (I'm pretty sure she knows what Chicken of the Sea consists of) but the six-part series does include some fleeting glimpses of mother-in-law Diana Ross.
9 p.m. Sunday, E!
Small minded
Amsterdam comes across as the gloomiest place on Earth in "The Miniaturist," a three-part series set in the Dutch Republic in 1686, a time and place where sugar was considered a sin and homosexuality could lead to public execution. The story, based on Jessie Burton's novel, should have been told in one 90-minute movie.
8 p.m. Sunday, TPT, Ch. 2
Neal Justin
