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Yeah, yeah. The Super Bowl (Sunday, 6 p.m., CBS, CTV). It’s big. Might be 100 million people watching. Then again, might not. Might be 60 million. Everything about the Super Bowl is big, overhyped and taken way too seriously. In the larger world of sports, the thing is a pipsqueak. But enjoy. There are alternatives this weekend, though. Saturday you can catch an Olympics primer on CTV, including Athletes In Motion (4 p.m.), comprising 11 short, artsy films about Canadian athletes; Sid the Kid vs. Alexander the Great (5 p.m.) about Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin; and The Great Tournament (7 p.m.) about filmmaker Francis Damberger taking his son Joe on a road trip to Vancouver “in anticipation of the greatest hockey tournament in the history of the game.” Also this weekend: a fine movie about an unusual woman; and the mystery of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts.

Temple Grandin (Saturday, 8 p.m., HBO Canada)

This excellent biopic is entrancing for two reasons: an astonishing performance from Claire Danes; and the central figure is utterly compelling. Danes is almost unrecognizable as Grandin, a woman born with severe autism who eventually went through high school and university and became one of the world’s leading authorities on animal behaviour. Specifically, livestock behaviour and the design of facilities for humane slaughter. Eventually, her work transformed the design of both cattle ranches and slaughterhouses. There is just a tincture of sentimentality here, but it’s kept low-key as we see Grandin’s childhood difficulties, her often-painful experiences at school, and her journey to success – with help from her mother (Julia Ormond), an aunt (Catherine O’Hara, who just smiles through it all) and a high-school science teacher (David Strathairn). The real Grandin is much celebrated; a BBC documentary about her was called The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow and in that program, she said, “My theory is that there are similarities between my autistic mind and animal thinking.” Here it’s more about feelings than theories, but it’s very good.

Des McAnuff: A Life in Stages (Sunday, 8 p.m., Bravo)

The point here is to celebrate the work and career of McAnuff, the artistic director of the Stratford Festival, and director of musical theatre and numerous Broadway productions. It’s about two things, really – his search for some understanding of his early life, and his astonishing commitment to music and the theatre. It follows him to Stratford, Ont., for the start of summer season and to Australia for the launch of Jersey Boys. Among those who turn up to sing his praises are Pete Townshend and Billy Crystal. Given its focus on the theatre world, it’s understandable that there is extensive use of superlatives and multiple declarations of undying respect and love. “I told him I’d do anything, even a porno film,” Christopher Plummer jokes of working with McAnuff. That’s the way theatre people talk. For the cameras, anyway. McAnuff is an intriguing figure and his world is about as far as you can get from the Super Bowl as possible.

Conspiracy Files: bin Laden Dead or Alive (Sunday, 10 p.m., CBC NN)

This fascinating documentary looks at the various theories – conspiracy theories and very elaborate conjecture – that surround “the world's greatest bogeyman.” It opens with a reasonable question about why bin Laden has never been caught. It also examines claims that bin Laden's video and audio messages to the world have been faked. On the first question, it’s suggested that vast amounts of money were spent getting the help of Afghan warlords, who took the money and did little. It’s also suggested that the CIA and the U.S. military failed to agree on a strategy and that both screwed up. A CIA figure says of the bin Laden case, “It’s not cold. It’s frozen over.” Also there are people interviewed who suggest that bin Laden might have had contact with the CIA during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. And then there’s almost a parade of people who say that a videotape in which bin Laden boasts about the 9/11 attacks was faked. The program offers a very good overview of all the machinations and manoeuvres that have made the bin Laden case more than murky.

Check local listings.