Movies

Weekend TV: 'Nikita,' 'Night of Too Many Stars'

Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

'Nikita' starts its third season far removed from its first
'Night of Too Many Stars' is a comedy-fueled fundraiser for autism
1939's 'Gulliver's Travels' delights with its cutting-edge (for its time) animation

Ben Stiller resurrects Derek Zoolander for a good cause at Comedy Central's 'Night of Too Many Stars autism benefit, airing Sunday' at 8 ET/PT.

Nikita
CW, Friday, 9 ET/PT

If you haven't been watching Nikita, you may be surprised to hear the show that kicks off its third season Friday is a fairly far stretch from the show that premiered a few years ago. Xander Berkeley's Percy is now dead — as is the evil version of the spy agency Division he once ran — and Nikita is no longer an outsider trying to bring his corrupt organization down. She now works for the rebooted Division, and her task is to round up its remaining bad-apple agents. Sounds like much steadier employment, and it probably comes with benefits.

Night of Too Many Stars
Comedy Central, Sunday, 8 ET/PT

Jon Stewart hosts this special, which is a fundraiser for autism programs. Among those slated to appear are Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Jack McBrayer, Ed Asner, Louis CK, Ben Stiller, Chris Matthews, Amy Poehler, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Sudeikis, Katy Perry, Matthew Broderick, Anderson Cooper, Jimmy Kimmel, Julianne Moore, Meredith Vieira and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

Gulliver's Travels
TCM, Sunday, 8 ET/5 PT

All's well, Gulliver fans. This seldom-aired — but, in some corners anyway, much-loved — 1939 film, only the second feature-length cartoon ever made, highlights an evening devoted to rare animation. Produced by Max and Dave Fleischer, the animators behind Popeye and Betty Boop, Gulliver lacks the emotional pull of the best Disney films (blame the young lovers, who get a pretty song but are otherwise a bit of a pill). But the animation itself remains a witty, intricate delight.

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