Awards, Documentaries and Animated Series Top Lineup

It’s a big weekend for awards shows on TV.

Ben Stiller hosts “The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards,” tonight at 8 on MTV. After four years in New York, the show returns to Los Angeles and the Universal Amphitheatre. Madonna, Hole, Master P and Dave Matthews Band are among the performers.

“Merlin” was the big Emmy winner Aug. 29 at the “Creative Arts Awards,” taking home four statues. TV Land presents a one-hour version of that ceremony Friday at 5 and 9 p.m.

E! Entertainment Television presents “The Primetime Emmy Countdown,” Saturday at 10 p.m. Melissa Rivers and Todd Newton host from the Shrine Auditorium. The channel features its annual “Live Emmy Pre-Show,” Sunday at 5 p.m., hosted by Joan and Melissa Rivers, who will interview nominees, presenters and celebrities and rag on their outfits as they arrive. Following the awards at 11 p.m. is “The 1998 Live Emmy Awards Post-Show.”

Tom Hanks and Gillian Anderson are among the presenters on NBC’s four-hour coverage of “The 50th Annual Emmy Awards,” Sunday at 7 p.m. on Channel 4. Telecast from the Shrine Auditorium, the program will pay tribute to the finest in TV of the last five decades.

Sports

USA continues coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament at 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. today. CBS picks up the action Friday and Saturday at 8 a.m. on Channel 2. Sunday’s action is scheduled for 10 a.m. on USA and 1 p.m. on CBS.

Documentaries

The PBS documentary “The Prince of Wales: Kings in Waiting,” tonight at 10 on KCET-TV Channel 28, examines the lives and loves of the British royalty during the 20th century.

Science writer Margaret Wertheim hosts “Faith and Reason,” Friday at 10 p.m. on Channel 28, a documentary that travels into seldom-seen areas of the Vatican, as well as the National Institute of Health labs.

TBS’ “Dying to Tell the Story,” Sunday at 6 p.m., deals with journalists who must be close to the action. The film focuses on Dan Eldon, a 22-year-old journalist who was stoned to death with three of his colleagues.

PBS’ “The U.S.-Mexican War,” Sunday at 9 p.m. on Channel 28, is a four-hour documentary marking the 150th anniversary of the conflict. Part 2 is scheduled for Monday at 9 p.m.

Series

“Seinfeld” gets its final airing on NBC tonight at 8 with a repeat of the wonderful 45-minute clip show and the not-so-wonderful finale.

AMC’s “Remember WENN” concludes its fourth season Friday at 7 and 10:30 p.m. with a cliffhanger in which the radio station must face U.S. involvement in World War II.

Fox premieres “Living in Captivity,” Friday at 8 p.m. on Channel 11, a new comedy from executive producer Diane English (“Murphy Brown”). Dondre T. Whitfield and Kira Arne play an African American couple who move into a white community.

Fox’s low-rated comedy series “Getting Personal,” Friday at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 11, kicks off its second season on a new day and time.

Fox’s reality-based series “Cops” begins its 11th season Saturday at 8 p.m. on Channel 11 with an original episode from Atlanta. At 9 p.m., John Walsh returns in his search for criminals on “America’s Mosted Wanted.”

Vivica A. Fox is the host of the fourth-season opener of Fox’s “Mad TV,” Saturday at 11 p.m. on Channel 11.

WB gets an early start on the fall season Sunday with new episodes of “Sister, Sister” at 8 p.m., “Smart Guy” at 8:30 p.m. and “Unhappily Ever After” at 9 p.m. At 9:30 p.m. is the premiere of its new comedy series “The Army Show.”

Specials

“13 at 50,” Friday at 8 p.m. on Channel 13, is a two-hour celebration of the 50th anniversary of KCOP-TV.

The Learning Channel’s “Great Books Festival,” beginning Saturday at 6 a.m., is a two-day event that looks at acclaimed literature through archival footage and interviews. There will be 17 encores and two premieres: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Next,” at 7 p.m., and “The Naked and the Dead,” Sunday at 7 p.m.

KCET presents “The 15th Annual Report of the Secretaries of State,” Saturday at 3 p.m. on Channel 28. Taped recently at USC, the special features Warren Christopher, Lawrence Eagleburger, George Schultz and Alexander Haig.

Kids

ABC presents its new animated series “Hercules,” Saturday at 7 a.m. on Channel 7. Fox introduces several new series on Channel 11 including “Mr. Potato Head” at 7 a.m. and “Godzilla” at 8 a.m. NBC unveils “Our World” at 8:30 a.m. on Channel 4.

Justine Waddell, Jason Flemyng and Oliver Milburn star in A&E;’s four-hour adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles,” Sunday at 6 and 10 p.m. The conclusion airs Monday at the same times.

CBS counters the Emmy Awards with the network television premiere of Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mob drama, “GoodFellas,” Sunday at 8 p.m.