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What’s a group from Jersey gotta do to get some respect? Arena rock mega-stars for nearly 30 years, members of Bon Jovi have never been critical favorites, despite popular music, sold-out shows and the business-like efficiency of their operation. The promotional documentary “Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful” (8 p.m., today, Showtime) strives to set the record straight. And it strives just a little too hard.

Jon Bon Jovi and the guys are quite open about the loneliness of the road, the pitfalls of the lifestyle and the ever-present tension between performing audience favorites and challenging fans with new material. In fact, Bon Jovi seems intent on making us aware that the performing business is a bit of a chore — a gig with a big payoff, but a job notwithstanding. Jon calls himself a “CEO.”

Shot entirely in black and white, “Beautiful” seems burdened with the need to present Jon Bon Jovi as an artist. Bereft of critical raves or third-party testimonials, the band members do a lot of talking about themselves. The guys discuss spiritual growth and side projects with a wide-eyed earnestness that tiptoes close to “Spinal Tap” territory.

• No actor lives up to his name like William Hurt. With few exceptions, his film roles call for him to play an upper-middle-class white man of a certain age who carries the painful burdens of the world around with him like a festering ulcer.

Hurt’s tortured countenance looms large in the “Masterpiece” (8 p.m., Sunday, PBS, check local listings) presentation of “Endgame,” an engaging and intelligent drama about secret negotiations that brought an end to South Africa’s apartheid regime.

Hurt portrays professor Will Esterhuyse, a white South African who participates reluctantly in secret talks organized by Michael Young (Jonny Lee Miller), a representative of the corporation Consolidated Goldfields, whose management feared that a looming civil war would destroy South Africa and their business.

“Endgame” also explores the complicated efforts of the South African regime to play rebel factions against each other. We see their attempts to use imprisoned leader Nelson Mandela (Clark Peters) as a pawn while African National Congress strategist Thabo Mbeki (Chiwetel Ejiofor) engages in talks.

This intimate and intense drama celebrates heroes both famous and unsung who took the first steps to end a cycle of hatred, repression and violence that everyone assumed would never end.

• Betty takes the children on a trip as nearly every character on “Mad Men” (9 p.m., Sunday, AMC) becomes grimmer than the next. What happened to the occasional absurd or humorous scenes that used to break the mood?

Today’s highlights

• Prince John leaves Nottingham without a drop on “Robin Hood” (8 p.m., BBC America).

• A bus filled with college kids breaks down in the middle of a “Ghost Town” (8 p.m., SyFy).

Sunday’s highlights

• Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): Medicare fraud; epilepsy and Tyler Perry.

• The “Seinfeld” reunion plans continue on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (8 p.m., HBO).

• Cult comedy favorite “Arrested Development” (9 p.m., IFC) returns to the dial. IFC will air all 53 episodes on Sundays and Tuesdays.