The title of the new TV movie “Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight” (HBO, 8 p.m.) might be a little misleading, especially on a night when some fans expect to see actual boxing.
It actually refers to Ali’s court fight against his jail term for refusing to go to Vietnam on religious grounds. Courts hadn’t accepted the Nation of Islam as an actual religion and couldn’t square with the thought that even though he wanted to fight in the ring, he rejected all fighting elsewhere.
Ali himself only appears in news clips of the time and he’s such a big personality that they actually suffice as the focus turns to the Nixon era court led by Chief Justice Warren Burger, played here with some authority by Frank Langella. His opposition comes from Christopher Plummer’s John Harlan II, whose vote he thought he could count on. But wracked with cancer and convinced by his long-haired clerk – played by Benjamin Walker — finds the other side of the question.
From a script by Shawn Solvo, what could be a dry legal argument is given some muscle from a court that includes Danny Glover, Ed Begley Jr., Barry Levinson and Fritz Weaver. Director Stephen Frears makes New York City look like D.C. circa 1970s.
Good movie. But if it’s boxing you actually want, they follow it with Cotto vs. Rodriguez (HBO, 9:45 p.m.).
Another period TV movie, from the 90s, is the sassy “House of Versace” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.) — the story of how Donatella Versace tried to maintain the fashion house after the murder of her designer brother. Maya Rudolph used to do a devastating impression of the out-of-it woman in long blonde hair; Gina Gershon is a little more subtle and a lot more glamorous. But as she drives her family away from her with her drinking, drugs and drive, she returns in time to bring the place back. More cheese? Raquel Welch plays her aunt. For a guilty pleasure, it will be Lifetime’s best offering this season.
A third TV movie tonight is a horror B-movie in which a “Scarecrow” (Syfy, 9 p.m.) lives up to its name. Lacy Chalbert, once of “Party of Five” and current Maxim cover girl, stars. It’s paired with another rural scare fest, “Children of the Corn” (Syfy, 7 p.m.) — the 2009 version.
And Gail O’Grady stars in the TV movie “The Mystery Cruise” (Hallmark, 9 p.m.) in which a mystery game cruise starts to become all too real. It’s based on a book by Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, who also appears in the film.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams star in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” (Showtime, 9 p.m.), said to be patterned after the Scientology world. It makes its premium cable premiere tonight, confusingly, after a replay of the pilot of “Masters of Sex” (Showtime, 8 p.m.).
Also new on cable tonight: The zombie movie from earlier this year, “Warm Bodies” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.).
It may be too soon to her media moment to have Miley Cyrus return to “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.). But maybe she agreed to host and be musical guest just to keep the show from making fun of her new image. I expect her to tear up a photo of Sinead O’Connor during her musical number.
“SNL” is on season 34 but “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) is starting its 39th, with a performance of the Colombian singer Juanes.
College football dominates primetime once again, with TCU at Oklahoma (Fox, 7 p.m.), Arizona State vs. Notre Dame (NBC, 7:30 p.m.) from Arlington, Tex., and Ohio State at Northwestern (ABC, 8 p.m.).
Also on tonight: Mississippi at Auburn (ESPNU, 7 p.m.), Arkansas at Florida (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), LSU at Mississippi State (ESPN, 7 p.m.), Louisiana Tech at UTEP (CBS Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.) and West Virginia at Baylor (Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m.).
The American League divisional series continue with Tampa Bay at Boston (TBS, 5:30 p.m.) and Detroit at Oakland (TBS, 9 p.m.).
Walter Connolly, who was often seen in old movies as a businessman type with a ltitle triangular mustache is featured on Turner Classic Movies tonight in “Libeled Lady” (8 p.m.), “The Bitter Tea of General Yen” (10 p.m.) and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (11:45 p.m.).
Later comes some unusual intersections between the Wild West and the Universal horror world: “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula” (2 a.m.) and “Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter” (3:15 a.m.).
If you’re planning your day around college football it begins before noon with Air Force at Navy (CBS, 11:30 p.m.), the game that was almost canceled by the government shutdown. Then at noon are Maryland at Florida State (ESPN), Michigan State at Iowa (ESPN2), Texas Tech at Kansas (Fox Sports 1), Illinois at Nebraska (ESPNU), Rutgers at SMU (ESPNews) and Lehigh at Fordham (CBS Sports).
After North Carolina at Virginia Tech (Fox, 12:30 p.m.) comes the following games at 3:30 p.m.: Georgia Tech at Miami (ESPNU), Minnesota at Michigan (ESPN2), Clemson at Syracuse (ABC), Georgia at Tennessee (CBS), North Texas at Tulane (Fox College Sports) and Rice at Tulsa (CBS Sports), followed by Washington State at California (Fox Sports 1, 4 p.m.).