With Seth MacFarlane at the helm, so much can go wrong at The 85th Academy Awards (ABC, 8:30 p.m.). But it will survive potty-mouthed gibes from talking teddybears or cartoon characters with the strength of its star-power, and some serious films among the merely popular.
Increasingly, ads too are a focus of the annual event, second only in importance to the Madison Avenue showing at the Super Bowl. This time, though, there will be an even greater reliance on peeks at upcoming big screen fare. Adele will sing, so that will be good.
If it’s the dresses that have you excited, the arrival coverage begins hours early, with three full hours of Red Carpet (E!, 5:30 p.m.) from Ryan Seacrest and company, two and a half hours from TV Guide network at 6 p.m. and the official Oscars preshow expanded to 90 minutes at 7 p.m.
Stay up late to see Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC, approximately 11:35 p.m.) for his take, and his annual star-studded spoof, ready for viral download.
Just about the only thing that could compete with the Oscars is “The Walking Dead” (AMC, 9 p.m.), which since it has returned has been one of the most watched scripted shows on all of TV.
Can’t get enough McFarlane? More of his lame humor is on display on “The Cleveland Show” (Fox, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.), “Family Guy” (Fox, 9 p.m.) and “American Dad” (Fox, 9:30 p.m.).
Elsewhere, just about the only new thing on network TV will be “The Amazing Race” (CBS, 8 p.m.). It had one of its lowest rated debuts in its history last week and shouldn’t do much better tonight against the Oscars. One thing that might help it: Trying to start it on time so people who tape it don’t always have the end cut off.
Rerunning its clip retrospectives like “Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again” (NBC, 9 p.m.) didn’t do that well on Super Bowl night, and probably don’t do so well tonight either.
“Downton Abbey” is over, but you can still catch last week’s season finale on “Masterpiece Classic” (PBS, 7 p.m., check local listings) before a decent replay on “Masterpiece Contemporary” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings), ” Bill Nighy as an MI5 agent in “Page Eight.”
Circle of life means playing “The Lion King” (ABC Family, 8 and 10 p.m.) twice. Other movies battling the Oscars include “Jaws” (Cinemax, 8 p.m.), “The Bourne Supremacy” (Encore, 8 p.m.), “Adventures in Babysitting” (Flix, 8 p.m.). “Avatar” (Fox Movie Channel, 9 p.m.), and “Tootsie” (TCM, 8 p.m.), part of a night of Columbia Oscar films and nominees that includes “Kramer vs. Kramer” (TCM, 10:15 p.m.), “Awakenings” (TCM, 12:15 a.m.), “Midnight Express” (TCM, 2:30 a.m.) and “Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice” (4:45 a.m.).
NHL action today includes Boston at Florida (NHL, 3 p.m.) and Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m.). In the NBA it’s Lakers at Dallas (ABC, 1 p.m.), Memphis at Brooklyn (ESPN, 7 p.m.) and Chicago at Oklahoma City (ESPN, 9:30 p.m.).
Men’s college hoops includes Illinois at Michigan (ESPN, 1 p.m.), Cincinnati at Notre Dame (CBS, 2 p.m.), Michigan State at Ohio State (CBS, 4 p.m.), Florida State at Virginia Tech (ESPNU, 6 p.m.) and LIU-Brooklyn at Wagner (ESPNU, 8 p.m.).
Women’s games include Purdue at Minnesota (ESPN2, 1 p.m.), North Carolina State at North Carolina (ESPNU, 1:30 p.m.), St. Bonaventure at George Washington (CBS Sports, 2 p.m.), Duke at Maryland (ESPN2, 3 p.m.), Notre Dame at DePaul (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.) and Texas A&M at Vanderbilt (ESPN2, 5 p.m.).
Sunday Talk
ABC: Reps. Mike Rogers and Eliot Engel, Donna Brazile, Steven Rattner. CBS: Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Tim Kaine, Govs. Martin O’Malley, Bob McDonnell, Jan Brewer and John Hickenlooper, Rep Tim Murphy. NBC: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Govs. Bobby Jindal and Deval Patrick, former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. CNN: LaHood, Sens. John McCain and Patrick Leahy, Govs. Dan Malloy and Haley Barbour. Fox: Sens. Tom Coburn and Claire McCaskill, Govs. Jack Markell and Scott Walker, former Sen. Evan Bayh, strategist Nick Ayres.