Before he parlays his character from the excellent British “Broadchurch” into the remade Fox “Gracepoint,” former “Doctor Who” David Tennant dons a barrister’s wig in the taut drama “The Escape Artist,” starting a movie-length first of two parts tonight on “Masterpiece Mystery!” (PBS, 9 p.m.).
The title comes from the ability of Tennant’s character to get most of his defendants off the hook. Yet the well-drawn modern thriller written by David Wolstonecroft of “Mi-5” fame is meant to show the drawbacks of being too good a defense attorney. Its pleasing cast includes Sophie Okonedo as his legal rival, Ashley Jensen of “Extras” as his wife and Toby Kebbell as the accused murderer. It concludes next week.
The big event tonight is the fourth season finale for “Game of Thrones” (HBO, 9 p.m.) which has more than a few story lines to tidy up, from the disposition of Tyrion Lannister to the future of the Wall, besieged last week by Mammoths. Be advised, special effects fans, that the dragons usually show up for the finales as well.
Madison Stewart is an impressive enough teen in that she can swim freely with the sharks everybody else demonizes on cable — especially in the annual weeklong blood fest. But on the one hour special “Shark Girl” (Smithsonian, 8 p.m.), the young Australian woman, now 20, tries to preserve the species even as they help keep coral alive in the Great Barrier Reef by going after those who would slaughter the fish for shark fin soup, which she shows is not just tasteless but probably toxic as well. Good on her.
Either perfectly well timed or well out of date, the follow-up special “Combat Rescue: The Last Stand” (National Geographic Channel, 9 p.m.) follows a crew out of Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban.
The Spurs could win it all in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, with Miami at San Antonio (ABC, 8 p.m.). They lead the series 3-1.
World Cup games today are Switzerland vs. Ecuador (ABC, noon), France vs. Honduras (ABC, 3 p.m.) and Argentina vs. Bosnia (ESPN, 6 p.m.).
The final round of the U.S. Open (NBC, noon) is played in North Carolina.
An odd night for “Independent Lens” (PBS, 10:30 p.m., check local listings), which is scheduled to show “The New Black” which examines how the African American community has been handling the gay rights issues. Director Yoruba Richen focuses on the struggles in the state of Maryland, which passed a same-sex marriage law in 2012 only to be put up on a referendum.
On the other hand, the excesses of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kandi’s Wedding” (Bravo, 8 p.m.) was never put to a vote.
“41 on 41” (CNN, 9 p.m.) features 41 people, including Presidents Obama, Clinton and George W. Bush talking about the 41st President, George H.W. Bush, who just celebrated his 90th birthday with a skydive.
For those who may have dropped out along the way, “True Blood: A Farewell to Bon Temps” (HBO, 8:30 p.m.) provides a refresher of what happened in the first six seasons before the seventh and final season starts next week.
Computer geeks will have to decide between “The Social Network” (Fox Movie Network, 8 and 10:30 p.m.) or the latest episode of “Halt and Catch Fire” (AMC, 10 p.m.), though they could probably stream both of them later.
“Penny Dreadful” (Showtime, 10 p.m.) examines the idea of the plague ship.
A new season starts for the crazed “Superjail!” (Cartoon Network, 11:45 p.m.).
Jane Squibb adds another cable show to her resume, with an appearance on “Devious Maids” (Lifetime, 10 p.m.).
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime, 9 p.m.) indulges just a little more, while Hank has his dinner with Karen interrupted on “Californication” (Showtime, 9:30 p.m.).
Father’s Day lingers on Turner Classic movies with “The Yearling” (8 p.m.) and “Sounder” (10:15 p.m.) in prime time, preceded by “Life with Father” (1:30 p.m.), “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” (3:45 p.m.) and “Father of the Bride” (6 p.m.).
Baseball today includes Cleveland at Boston (MLB, 1:30 p.m.) and Angels at Atlanta (ESPN, 8 p.m.).
College world series baseball today includes Texas Tech vs. TCU (ESPN2, 3 p.m.) and Mississippi vs. Virginia (ESPN2, 8 p.m.).
WNBA action includes Phoenix at Minnesota (ESPN2, 1 p.m.).
Sunday Talk
ABC: Reps. Eric Cantor and Mike McCaul, former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli. CBS: Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus. NBC: Mitt Romney, Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Peter King. CNN: Cantor, Graham, Reps. Adam Kinzinger and Tulsi Gabbard. Fox News: Reps. Mike Rogers, Greg Walden and Tom Price.