Coma
Lauren Ambrose plays a wide-eyed young doctor probing a sinister conspiracy inside her hospital in this reworking of a 1978 film adapted from a Robin Cook best seller. The two-night miniseries is visually rich and boasts Geena Davis, James Woods, Richard Dreyfuss, and Ellen Burstyn in supporting roles. But even those seasoned pros can’t quite camouflage the fact that the dark doings often don’t make much sense. Monday–Tuesday, Sept. 3–4, at 9 p.m., A&E
Later…with Jools Holland
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The former keyboardist for Squeeze serves as the genial host of this showcase for live music, a long-running institution in Great Britain. This week, Holland’s guests include Paul McCartney, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello, and the Black Keys. The hourlong program will be followed by the Palladia premiere of Live From Daryl’s House, a long-running Web series in which guest artists jam with Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates. Thursday, Sept. 6, at 10 p.m., Palladia
Stand Up to Cancer
Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, and Tim McGraw will perform live in this hourlong benefit special, which raises funds for cancer research and will air on all four major broadcast networks and many cable channels. Celebrities scheduled to appear at the Los Angeles event include Michael Douglas, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Samuel L. Jackson, and Katie Couric. Friday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m.
Klitschko
Ukrainian boxers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are the first brothers ever to hold all of the sport’s heavyweight titles simultaneously. This documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, chronicles the journey of these highly educated pugilists from humble beginnings to sports and political stardom. The same evening, Vitali will be in Moscow to defend his WBC title in an HBO-televised bout against Manuel Charr. Saturday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m., HBO
Masterpiece Mystery! Wallander III
The first of three atmospheric new mysteries based on Henning Mankell’s hugely popular Inspector Wallander novels begins as the Swedish detective, played by Kenneth Branagh, is moving into a new home with his lover. Could his Nordic gloom finally be pierced by happiness? Not once the dismembered corpse of a young woman washes up on a nearby beach. Sunday, Sept. 9,
at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Other highlights
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
The satirical newscast heads to Charlotte, N.C., for a week of shows focusing on the Democratic National Convention. Tuesday–Friday, Sept. 4–7, at 11 p.m., Comedy Central
Great Performances: Paul McCartney’s
Live Kisses
The former Beatle performs in front of Hollywood’s Capitol Records Building, singing songs from his album Kisses on the Bottom, a celebration of American songwriting. Friday, Sept. 7, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Scanningthe Skies: The Discovery Channel Telescope
This special documents the construction in Arizona of Discovery’s new $53 million telescope, one of the nation’s largest. Sunday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., Discovery
