Goldie Hawn has ‘Hope’ about serious issues; ‘Over the Top’ is under the wire; HBO’s ‘Joe’

Sunday

“Hope” / 5, 7 and 9 p.m. TNT

In her directorial debut, Goldie Hawn has the distinct advantage of working with a very good cast. At the heart of this ensemble is the expressive Jena Malone (“Bastard Out of Carolina”) as Lily Kate, a young outcast with a pathetic aunt (Christine Lahti), a hate-filled uncle (J.T. Walsh) and a mother (Mary Elen Trainor) felled by a stroke in the South of the ‘60s. The storytelling, which deals with racism and truth, is slow and scattered, but the actors, including Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey D. Sams, hold their own nicely.

****

“Twin Stories” / 6 p.m. TBS

Here’s a documentary that should be twice as interesting as any other. It opens at New York’s Twins restaurant, where 150 sets of identical people recently attended a gathering. Afterward, the hour focuses on three sets of doubles: Marti and Stephanie reunite after being separated at birth; wheelchair racer Scott and brother Sean always rely on one another; Joel and Steven have a relationship cut short by tragedy. Those stories are interspersed with comments from look-alikes who are happy not to be a “singleton,” a.k.a. non-twin.

****

“Love in Another Town” / 9 p.m. CBS

The title of this Barbara Taylor Bradford opus clues you into the story, about a 40ish interior designer (Victoria Principal) who falls for a younger man (Adrian Pasdar) after her bitter divorce. Principal’s Maggie Sorrell initially resists her attraction to Jake, an electrician in his 20s. What’s the inevitable complication, you ask? Well, it turns out the charming Jake is married (as if that’s a shock).

Monday

“Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?” / 8 p.m. HBO

Producer Ross Greenburg sets out to explore the personal side of the Yankee Clipper, no easy task in light of his penchant for privacy since retiring from baseball in 1951. The facts themselves are well-chronicled. “Joltin’ Joe” is the son of a San Francisco fisherman who joined the New York Yankees in 1936, played for nine world championship teams and had a record 56-game hitting streak in 1941. He also married Marilyn Monroe, who divorced him less than a year later.

****

“The Adventurers” / 10 p.m. KCET

Happily, PBS is not presenting an update of the old Harold Robbins book. Instead, this five-week documentary tells the stories of indomitable individuals. Using a mix of historical footage, firsthand accounts and reenactments, the series opens with a profile of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Subsequent programs recall the accomplishments of mariner Thor Heyerdahl, physicist August Picard, mountain climbers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, and explorer Richard Byrd.

Tuesday

“Over the Top” / 8:30 p.m. ABC

Television doesn’t get any more underwhelming than this new sitcom. An ebullient Tim Curry stars as an egocentric actor in need of room, board and cash after losing his job on a daytime soap. Enter Annie Potts as his former, short-term wife, the beleaguered owner of a troubled Manhattan hotel, who graciously and predictably offers him a place to live. Originally set to premiere in September, the show’s belated debut is not likely to boost its quality or laugh quotient. In other words, check out while you can.

Wednesday

“The GI Bill: The Law That Changed America” / 8 p.m. KCET

It was a controversial piece of legislation that created an educated workforce and stable economy with the single stroke of a pen from President Frankin D. Roosevelt in 1944. With 15 million veterans returning from World War II to lowly blue-collar jobs, fortunes were reversed forever by the bill guaranteeing them education, housing and business loans that led to the establishment of new homes and businesses. This PBS documentary also looks at renowned beneficiaries such as Harry Belafonte, Tony Curtis, Art Buchwald and Bob Dole.

****

“Divided by Hate” / 9 p.m. USA

Goldie Hawn is not the only actor making a behind-the-camera debut this week. “Picket Fences” Emmy-winner Tom Skerritt is the pivotal figure and director of this cable movie about a charismatic cult leader. He plays Steve Riordan, a manipulative preacher whose message prompts a Midwestern wife (Andrea Roth) to leave her husband (Dylan Walsh of “Brooklyn South”), who seeks her out with the help of a private eye.