It’s great to have “Downton Abbey” back on “Masterpiece Classic” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings), though public television seems set on messing with the magic by its odd manner of presentation, lumping the first two episodes together tonight makes it an unwieldy and nearly exhausting exercise that messes with the pace.
Shirley MacLaine, portraying Countess Grantham’s American mother, comes to visit, providing the perfect foil for Maggie Smith. There is drama in the estate’s finances as we move to the 1920s and there is the prevailing question whether the marriage of the principal characters Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley will occur. Even as the new Mrs. Bates continues her quest to find her jailed husband innocent, Daisy becomes slightly revolutionized. There are new faces downstairs as well to add the intrigue.
Future installments of the “Downton” season will be the proper hour in length until the finale next month, which will be back to two hours.
If you want to make the comeback event three- hours, the premiere tonight is accompanied by the travelogue “Secrets of Highclere Castle” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) where “Downton” is filmed.
Jillian Michaels return as trainer after two seasons off is the big change on “The Biggest Loser” (NBC, 9 p.m.), which begins its new season by plucking 15 new competitors from an auditorium. their approach with adults is relentless, while their new focus on three overweight young people is just the opposite, with kind encouragement, off-camera weigh-ins and no eliminations. They might want to try that approach with the adults some time.
T.R. Knight guest stars as a political advisor on a new episode of “The Good Wife” (CBS, 9 p.m.) that also features Michael J. Fox.
“Once Upon a Time” (ABC, 9 .m.) returns with its first new episode in weeks, as Snow White and Prince Charming plot the execution of the Evil Queen. Also back from a brief holiday break, Victoria finds a new target on “Revenge” (ABC, 9 p.m. ).
David Letterman sits down for an interview on a new “Oprah’s Next Chapter” (OWN, 9 p.m.)
The men signing up for a reality show they think is called “Match Me if You Can” are actually being secretly guided in the competitions in the new “Making Mr. Right” (VH1, 9 p.m.). The three females pretending to be matchmakers brought in by professional April Beyer are actually molding the dudes into their dream guys.
It follows the third season start for “Mob Wives” (VH1, 8 p.m.) which introduces a new cast member in Love Lajewski, a reliably hot-headed moll with a checkered past.
“Gator Boys” (Animal Planet, 9 p.m.) also return for a second season, as reptiles start to get wary of reality shows full of good old boys after their hides.
Neve Campbell stars in the latest television event to take advantage of a defenseless sect (since they don’t have televisions). The movie “An Amish Murder” (Lifetime, 9 p.m.) is about a woman who left her Amish community only to return years later as the area’s chief of police.
It’s about time Homer became a Doomsday Prepper on “The Simpsons” (Fox, 8 p.m.).
Closing out the NFL’s wild card weekend are Indianapolis at Baltimore (CBS, 1 p.m.) and Seattle at Washington (Fox, 4:30 p.m.). No more Sunday Night Football on NBC.
A Jimmy Stewart double feature from the early 60s offers “Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation” (TCM, 8 p.m.) with Maureen O’Hara and “Take Her, She’s Mine” (TCM, 10 p.m.) with Sandra Dee and Audrey Meadows.
College hoops includes Temple at Kansas (CBS, 1:30 p.m.).
Sunday Talk
ABC: Sens. Mitch McConnell and Heidi Heitkamp, Reps Joaquin Castro and Tom Cotton, former labor secretary Robert Reich. CBS: Sens. McConnell, Jeff Flake and Chris Murphy. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Rick Nolan, Matt Salmon and Mike Kelly. NBC: Sens. McConnell and Angus King, former Sen. Alan Simpson, Erskine Bowles, Newt Gingrich, Rep. Xavier Becerra. CNN: Sens. Heitkamp, Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham, Rep. Richard Hudson and President of the Center for American Progress Neera Tanden. Fox News: Sen. Ted Cruz, Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Jim Jordan.