Weekend TV: 'Bing Crosby Rediscovered,' 'Comeback'
Bing Crosby Rediscovered
PBS, Friday, 9 ET/PT
Some of us remember Bing Crosby from his Road pictures with Bob Hope, or the seasonal favorite White Christmas. Some of us remember him from the long string of TV holiday specials he did with his second family. And some of us are too young to remember him at all. For those viewers, this American Masters repeat makes the case that he is worth discovering — and remembering.
The Mentalist/CSI
CBS, Sunday, 9:30 ET/9 PT
Let Bing give you one last burst of holiday cheer because, as of Sunday, it's back to solving murders, at least on CBS, with new episodes of The Mentalist and CSI. Coincidentally, both shows are solving old murders as their crime-busting heroes reopen two cold cases. On The Mentalist, it's the murder of a military officer's wife; on CSI, it's a 10-year-old murder/suicide.
The Comeback
HBO, Sunday, 10 ET/PT
Popularity isn't everything. Initial ratings for the comeback of The Comeback have been dreadful, but they weren't great the first time around, either. For some reason, people seem to take their time finding this Lisa Kudrow series, which ends its second run on Sunday. Should you eventually do so, you'll discover a show that can be hard to take, and a performance that is hard not to embrace.