“Orphan Black” (BBC America, 9 p.m.) begins when a young woman takes the train into Toronto and is freaked out by a couple of things: First, another young woman that looks just like her on the platform, who promptly steps into the path of an oncoming train.
Sarah, the dazed witness, has the presence of mind to grab the purse she left behind, and she decides rather quickly to take over her life since they looked so much alike. Suddenly she’s better off financially, but also learns that she’s a cop. Then a second woman who looks like her gets in the picture.
“Orphan Black” has a lot of intrigue packed into it, but initially some of that is confusion: Is there a train for New York from Toronto? Why is she using a pay phone? Why does everyone in Canada have an English accent?
Tough and appealing actress Tatiana Maslany is good enough to pull us in, though, and the mystery seems at least initially solid enough to seem worth watching for a while.
And because it has as its lead-in, the first new episode of “Doctor Who” (BBC America, 8 p.m.) in a while, it’s guaranteed a pretty good sized audience as well. And then Chris Hardwick talks with stars from both shows on the season premiere of “The Nerdist” (BBC America, 10 p.m.).
The Saturday before Easter is the night for Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (ABC, 7 p.m.), which stretches over four hours (providing an average of 2.5 commandments an hour). As corny as the life of Moses as played by Charlton Heston may seem, it’s still loads better than the current miniseries “The Bible” (History, 8 and 10 p.m.), which you can switch back and forth over to during commercials and get really confused.
Better holiday fare is “The Wizard of Oz” (Cartoon Network, 6:30 p.m.), whose magic outshines that of the recent theatrical “The Great and Powerful Oz,” which was of the computer generated overdrive of last year’s “Snow White and the Huntsman” (HBO, 8 p.m.). It makes its debut tonight on premium cable as does “Hope Springs” (Starz, 9 p.m.) and “Cleanskin” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.).
Also not a bad family double feature: “Mulan” (ABC Family, 7:05 p.m.) and “The Lion King” (ABC Family, 9 p.m.).
“The Secret Life of Money” (Discovery, 9 p.m.) is about its manufacture, not how it seems to disappear on its own. It’s from the Planet Money people on NPR so it might not be so bad.
In the special “Rebel Eats” (Food, 10 p.m.) “Food Network Star” winner Justin Warner, traveling South and trying to match their weird food like fried peanut butter and jelly and bacon beer.
Shorty goes to Miami on a new “Pit Boss” (Animal Planet, 9 p.m.).
One episode of “Cops” (Fox, 8 p.m.) is the only thing new on broadcast TV tonight once basketball is over.
Just two games in the NCAA men’s tournament, now that we’re down to the Elite Eight: Syracuse vs. Marquette (CBS, 4:30 p.m.) and Wichita State vs. Ohio State (CBS, 7:05 p.m.).
The Sweet 16 is just starting for the NCAA women, with Delaware vs. Kentucky (ESPN, noon), Maryland vs. Connecticut (ESPN, 2 p.m.), Georgia vs. Stanford (ESPN, 9 p.m.) and LSU vs. California (ESPN2, 11:30 p.m.).
Con artists are the theme on Turner Classic Movies with “The Lady Eve” (8 p.m.), “I Love You Again” (9:45 p.m.), “Mr. Lucky” (11:30 p.m.), “The Sting” (1:15 a.m.) and “The Fortune” (3:30 a.m.).
Bonnie Raitt plays an old “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings).
The Justin Bieber hosted “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) is a rerun, as is the one hour cut-down of the Jamie Foxx, Ne-Yo show at 10 p.m. Neither was particularly memorable.