Let the show rage on, the Oscars never bothered us anyway

Here’s what’s up in the world of television for Sunday, March 2. All times are Eastern.

TOP PICK

The 86th Annual Academy Awards (ABC, 8:30 p.m.): It seems like only yesterday that Jennifer Lawrence was tripping up stairs and Seth MacFarlane was pissing everyone off by singing about boobs. Yet once again it’s time for Hollywood’s biggest night to take over our TV screens, our hearts, and our Twitter feeds. Join us for our A.V. Club livechat and chime in on Twitter with the #avctv hashtag. They’ll be plenty to say about Ellen DeGeneres’ hosting chops and whatever fabulous gown Lupita Nyong’o is wearing, but we’re predicting the biggest moment of the night will be Idina Menzel’s performance of “Let It Go.” (Especially if she decides to troll us all and perform “Defying Gravity” in her full-on Elphaba costume instead.)

True Detective (HBO, 9 p.m.): While Matthew McConaughey will most likely be winning an Oscar over on ABC, he’ll also be hunting down a serial killer on HBO. But how can he be in two places at once, you ask? Sounds like it’s time for Erik Adams to finally explain how television works.

The Walking Dead (AMC, 9 p.m.): This week’s Walking Dead synopsis seems suspiciously vague: “Faced with the day-to-day survival of life outside shelter, a simple request by someone in the group leads to a bizarre but enlightening mission.” Zack Handlen is betting Daryl and Beth stop by an abandoned library to read up on Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, but then again Zack’s been wrong about this sort of stuff before.

Girls (HBO, 10 p.m.): Tonight’s Girls may not involve Patti Lupone, but it does feature Adam and Hannah pretending to be engaged to appease her ailing grandmother! Not that that’s something Todd VanDerWerff can relate to. No sir, not at all, that’s not even remotely how he got engaged.

Looking (HBO, 10:30 p.m.)

In honor of a true Broadway diva taking the stage during tonight’s ceremony, let’s all remember that time a bunch of vaguely uncomfortable-looking actors performed a stilted version of “One Day More.” We’re actually pretty sure this could have been saved if they’d just done the musical’s iconic marching-choreography at the end.

Doctor Who (11 a.m.): Alasdair Wilkins reaches the sad (really sad) end of Doctor Who’s second season and bids a fond farewell to one of the show’s most beloved characters. He’s burning up a sun just to write this review. And, he supposes, since it’s his last chance to say it. Rose Tyler—

E! Countdown to the Red Carpet (E!, 1:30 p.m.): E! may spend 364 days of the year airing fairly irrelevant, celebrity-based programming, but even we have to admit that today is E!’s day. The channel kicks off its Oscar celebrations with this four-hour “countdown to the red carpet.” While the celebrities eat breakfast at home (or skip breakfast if they are ladies), E!’s correspondents desperately try to fill air time by guessing what the nominees will wear in a few hours.

E! Live from the Red Carpet (E!, 5:30 p.m.): Finally that sweaty desperation turns to pure joy as the stars arrive for this three-hour block of red carpet coverage. Giuliana Rancic and Ryan Seacrest have undoubtedly spent the week praying Jennifer Lawrence will fall down in the middle of one of their interviews while simultaneously eating Doritos and screaming “BUTT PLUGS!” over and over.

Oscars Red Carpet Live! (ABC, 7 p.m.): But after an hour and a half of unrivaled coverage, E! must face-off against its nemesis: ABC’s red carpet special. What ABC lacks in experience (E!’s had practice with pretty much every major awards show this season), it makes up for in host Tyson Beckford’s smoldering eyes.

E! After Party (E!, 11:30 p.m.): And while we could use this spot to tell you that HGTV is airing the season finale of Beachfront Bargain Hunt, we’re gonna go ahead and give this one to E! as well. It’s your day little guy. Soak it in with the booze-fueled interviews and blatant product placement of your After Party special.

Disney Movie Marathon (ABC Family, 11:30 a.m.): Those who need a break from E!’s eight and a half hours of Oscar coverage can switch over to ABC Family’s classic Disney movie marathon. Starting at 11:30am with Dumbo, ABC Family is cycling through a slew of honest to goodness Disney classics including Peter Pan, Pocahontas, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Mulan.

Star Wars Marathon (Spike, 2 p.m.): If Oscar coverage and Disney movies are a bit too lightweight, spend the day with Spike’s Star Wars marathon instead. Relive the excitement of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi while pretending those prequels were just some bizarre fever dream.

NHL Hockey: Bruins at New York Rangers (NBC Sports, 7 p.m.): The real cutthroat competition is happening at the Oscars, but there’s also some sort of vaguely-competitive thing happening between two groups of men wearing shoulder pads and skating around on blades over on NBC Sports.

We start off the work week with a brand new inventory featuring 16 realistic depictions of overweight people in pop culture. Elsewhere, Todd VanDerWerff takes a look at A&E’s generic new serial-killer drama in his Those Who Kill TV review. And in case you missed it, Bryan Fuller walked us through the second season premiere of Hannibal. We recommend reading it with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Enlisted: We’re as excited as anyone that Hannibal returned on Friday, but we’re still hoping we can improve Enlisted’s chances of getting picked up for a second season by telling everyone how awesome it is. This week Les Chappell marvels over the show’s talented ensemble in an episode that highlights its two strongest relationships. (Oh and it was really funny, too.)