With Twain Prize, Murphy joins comedy elite

By Kevin McDonough

Eddie Murphy joins a comedy pantheon with only 17 other members. "Eddie Murphy: The Mark Twain Prize" (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) salutes a comic talent who dominated television and movies in his time, reaching enormous audiences as himself, under prosthetics and as a CGI cartoon character. He's the 18th recipient of the award, a regular annual event since 1999 when Richard Pryor was first honored.
Murphy has been a dominant force for a solid generation, since joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1980 when he was only 19 years old. Some feel that Murphy all but saved a series that appeared to be floundering and only sporadically funny after the original cast had departed. Few other performers have appeared in as many high-grossing movies over several decades.
Beginning with "Beverly Hills Cop," Murphy appeared in a string of hits. A subsequent string of bombs ("Harlem Nights," "The Adventures of Pluto Nash") is no secret. In many ways, Murphy pioneered a trend in celebrity reinvention. When audiences tired of his likeness and personality, he buried himself in prosthetics in hits like "The Nutty Professor." And he joined former "SNL" veteran Mike Myers to appear (or disappear) in the lucrative animated "Shrek" franchise. Not all of his later performances have been so two-dimensional. He won a Golden Globe for a supporting role in "Dreamgirls," proving that a great talent can continually surprise, and challenge, audiences.
Not to quibble, but it's interesting to see that Murphy, who created a remake of "The Nutty Professor," joins the select group of Mark Twain recipients, but Jerry Lewis, the creator of the original film and other comedy classics, has not been given that award. Lewis has been a controversial and occasionally unlovable figure. The same could be said for Murphy. Lewis not only dominated box office comedy in the 1950s and 1960s, but he did so while making remarkable films that he directed with an obsessive perfectionist's eye for detail. Perhaps an outsized and cantankerous personality and a half-century of hosting a telethon have obscured his reputation. The folks behind the Mark Twain prize should be smart enough and big enough to overlook that and honor Jerry Lewis's contributions to comedy while he's still around to make a memorable acceptance speech.

• "Independent Lens" (10:30 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents "Mimi and Dona." A remarkably intimate film, "Mimi" explores the intimate bond between a 92-year-old mother and her 64-year-old intellectually disabled daughter. Created by Dona's niece and Mimi's granddaughter, the film presents a family portrait as harrowing and heartbreaking as it is inspiring. On a very basic level, this film asks questions about the nature and limits of love and dependency, and offers surprising observations on how much a longtime caregiver may depend on their "burden," and even feel lost without it. Powerful and deeply personal, "Mimi and Dona" is hardly a feel-good movie, but deals with a subject far more prevalent than many suspect.

TONIGHT'S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

• A baby-sitting assignment confounds Kara on "Supergirl" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
• The top 11 perform on "The Voice" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
• Gordon questions a suspect linked to Galavan on "Gotham" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
• Dr. Phil guest-stars (as himself) on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
• Feds close in on "Minority Report" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
• The Patriots host the Bills in NFL action (8:15 p.m., ESPN).
• A fungus sends the team into quarantine on "Scorpion" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
• The 2015 documentary "3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets" (9 p.m., HBO) looks at one shooting to explore the implications of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law.
• A stellar cast, including David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels and Robert Downey Jr. star in the 2005 drama "Good Night, and Good Luck" (9 p.m., Cinemax) recalling TV journalist Edward R. Murrow's coverage of Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
• A terror cell may have recruited a teen on "NCIS: Los Angeles" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
• Sleeper spies awaken on "Blindspot" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
• Lost at sea on "Castle" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
• "Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals" (10 p.m., ID, TV-14) recalls the Menendez Brothers, tried for murdering their parents in 1989.
• The guys cobble together a train-themed vehicle on "Vegas Rat Rods" (10 p.m., Discovery, TV-14).
• Lou and Hank have their hands full on "Fargo" (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).

CULT CHOICE

A simple gardener (Peter Sellers) is mistaken as a profound sage by Washington, D.C. power brokers (Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden and Melvyn Douglas) in the 1979 satire "Being There" (8 p.m., TCM).

SERIES NOTES

A last chance to sparkle on "Dancing With the Stars" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) * Getting choosey about a baby-sitter on "Jane the Virgin" (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).

LATE NIGHT

Matt LeBlanc, Jessica St. Clair and Hot Chip appear on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS, r) * Sylvester Stallone, Ted Koppel and My Morning Jacket are booked on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (11:35 p.m., CBS) * Jimmy Fallon welcomes Kelly Ripa, Adele and Kool Keith on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) * Sarah Palin, David Tennant, Holly Holm, a performance by the Broadway cast of "Spring Awakening" and Brian Chase visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC) * Rob Lowe, David Spade and Shawn Mendes appear on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS).

© 2015, United Feature Syndicate