TOP PICK
Sherlock (PBS, 9:58 p.m.): The second series of the BBC’s Arthur Conan Doyle update ended on a cliffhanger both literal and figurative. Not that it left many Sherlock fans holding their breath: The literary Holmes survived his plummet from the Reichenbach Falls, and so surely Benedict Cumberbatch would, too. But how? And for what greater purpose? Myles McNutt is underwhelmed by the comeback, though it remains to be seen what Genevieve Valentine will think about series three on a case-by-case basis.
ALSO NOTED
Revenge (ABC, 9 p.m.): Emily Thorne’s quest for vengeance takes a two-month hiatus after tonight’s episode. Because everyone deserves a little rest, even those whose lives are consumed with an unquenchable thirst for REEEEEEEEEEVEEEEEEEEEEEEEENGE!!!
The Following (Fox, after football): Oh no, it’s back—and it’s bringing some super creepy Joe Carroll masks with it. Sonia Saraiya confirms that minor improvements aren’t keeping the show from being bad, meaning you have 15 more chances to get a peek inside David Sims’ slowly fraying psyche.
Looking (HBO, 10:30 p.m.): “It’s more than just the gay Girls” Todd VanDerWerff’s pre-air review declares. “We’ll be the judge of that,” Brandon Nowalk’s weekly reviews reply. (Apparently we have problems bigger than The Following on the horizon, and those problems are self-aware, sentient television reviews.)
REGULAR COVERAGE
True Detective (HBO, 9 p.m.)
Downton Abbey (PBS, 9 p.m.)
Shameless (Showtime, 9 p.m.)
Girls (HBO, 10 p.m.)
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Doctor Who (11 a.m.): Introducing (or, more accurately, re-introducing) David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. (Or the Eleventh Doctor. Look, things are getting really screwy in the Doctor Who mythos—perhaps Alasdair Wilkins can decode them in his “This Week In Mythos” section.)
The Simpsons (Classic) (3 p.m.): Season seven pivots out of the Mr. Burns cliffhanger to tell a fairytale of Hollywood in “Radioactive Man.” Here’s Erik Adams audition for the part of Fallout Boy: “Watch out, Radioactive Man!”
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Keeping Up With The Kardashians (E!, 9 p.m.): The toil of keeping up with the only family keeping the supermarket tabloid industry in business reaches its ninth season. But will we ever truly catch up to them, or is it humanity’s Sisyphean fate to be forever just barely keeping up?
#Richkids Of Beverly Hills (E!, 10 p.m.): The hashtag’s don’t end with just the title of this “privileged children of the rich and famous” docuseries—the entire title of the premiere is a hashtag. #barf
Castle Secrets & Legends (Travel, 10 p.m.): In lieu of poking its cameras into the luxurious estates of modern-day monsters, Travel Channel kicks off this new series with a look at the truth behind the Frankenstein story, a purported “mummy’s curse,” and The Man With The Iron Mask (which we hear partially inspired Lamar Odom’s storyline on the new season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.)
Adam’s Rib (TCM, 6 p.m.): Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn play a feuding husband and wife who take their differences to court—as the prosecuting and defensing attorney, respectively, in a murder trial.
Bridesmaids (NBC, 8 p.m.): Tonight in brilliant counter-programming strategies: NBC’s first Sunday of the 2013-14 season without an NFL game welcomes a blockbuster comedy that’ll look mighty attractive to the non-NFL crowd. And just think of the possibilities for creatively censored swears!
NFC Championship: 49ers at Seahawks (Fox, 6:30 p.m.): The question of who will represent the National Football Conference in Super Bowl XLVIII is settled in Seattle. Though there’s always the chance for a last minute curveball, like Sal Bennington of Midland, Michigan rising from obscurity to be the NFC’s sole representative in Super Bowl XLVIII.
TOMORROW IN TV CLUB
In the wake of Sherlock’s return, Zack Handlen has some thoughts on contemporary Sherlock Holmes adaptations that should inspire vibrant discussions/vitriolic accusations. For those summing up their disagreement with the piece with a wry “Missed it by that much,” you’ll find some kindred spirits in Todd VanDerWerff’s 100 Episodes column on the classic spy comedy Get Smart.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Saturday Night Live (Saturday): If SNL got through an entire episode with Drake serving as host and musical guest and failed to drop a single Degrassi reference, then the current generation of up-and-coming comedy writers has let itself down. And they’ve not only let themselves down, they’ve let David Sims down, too. Becuase this is serious business. [Cue the instrumental buildup from Stars’ “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”.] They’re not kids anymore—they’re maturing comedy writers who have a responsibility to an audience that still cracks up every time it thinks about the “Started From The Bottom” guy playing guitar for Downtown Sasquatch.
Also, What’s On Tonight is pregnant. [/scene]