TV picks for Feb. 23-24: 'Independent Film Spirit Awards,' 'O.G.,' 'It's a Hard Truth Ain't It'

The Oscars may be flying without a host Sunday, but "The 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards" will be in the hands of Aubrey Plaza, an unpredictable comic force who once "sabotaged" Will Ferrell's acceptance speech at the MTV Movie Awards. It should be fun, especially if Ferrell uses the occasion to seek retribution. Films overlooked by the Academy Awards, including "Eighth Grade," "We the Animals" and "You Were Never Really Here," get their chance to shine, even if it's from under a tent on a Santa Monica beach.

4 p.m. Saturday, IFC

If "O.G." feels more authentic than other prison movies, it's because the title character, a seen-it-all murderer eyeing the end of a 24-year sentence, is played by Jeffrey Wright, a minimalist actor who speaks volumes in the way he savors a breath mint and darts his eyes. It's also because the film was shot entirely within the confines of an operating prison in Indiana, with real inmates in key roles. Director Madeleine Sackler used the occasion to also supervise a companion documentary, "It's a Hard Truth Ain't It," in which many of those convicts take control of their own story. That project, available for streaming late Saturday and airing at 9 p.m. Monday on HBO, is equally powerful.

9 p.m. Saturday, HBO

Neal Justin