Another Sunday means another way with way too many offerings to watch in one night.
The big news tonight is the fifth season return of “Game of Thrones” (HBO, 9 p.m.), which distinguishes itself right away by doing some things that will surprise even the smarty pants fans who have been through all of the books by diverting the story to interesting areas. As we catch up with the story lines from last year, we are reminded of the sheer number of characters and plots to keep straight. The good news is that at least some of these story lines will converge this season so that, numerically at least, there will be fewer to track. All of them have the same grand production values, smart pacing, convincing acting and thoughtful writing. And dragons. The dragons have gotten bigger.
The return of the drama may overshadow season returns of two comedies that are just as good in their ways: “Silicon Valley” (HBO, 10 p.m.), entering season two, finds just the right way to handle the death of an actor who played a key character last season, even as it brings new hurdles to the nerdy team that ended season one on such a high
“Veep” (HBO, 10:30 p.m.), too, has to react to the unexpected career boost at the end of season three — the elevation of candidate Selina Meyers to President. Like Frank Underwood on “House of Cards,” she’s President who’s bent on also running for president. And the humor, again, is fast and salacious and probably true to life.
With the HBO onslaught, let’s not forget about the return of “Nurse Jackie” (Showtime, 9 p.m.) for its seventh and final season, with Edie Falco’s great performance as the troubled nurse who is again at the bottom and has to fight her way back to her career, her family and her life.
Amy Schumer hosts the 2015 MTV Movie Awards (MTV, 8 p.m.), which tends toward lowbrow box office successes rather than arty or actually good movies. The films with the most nominations, for example, are “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Neighbors,” with seven each. Charli XCX, Fall Out Boy and Tinashe perform.
Having just shown the third film in the series last week, “If There Be Thorns” (Lifetime, 6 p.m.), the network quickly presents the fourth “Seeds of Yesterday” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.). It all began with V.C. Andrews “Flowers in the Attic” (Lifetime, 2 p.m.) and was followed by “Petals on the Wind” (Lifetime, 4 p.m.).
On episode two of “Wolf Hall,” the amiable Cardinal Wolsey, played by Jonathan Pryce, is exiled to York, while Cromwell (Mark Rylance) gets closer to Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) in London to undo it on “Masterpiece” (PBS, 10 p.m.)
“Legends & Lies: The Real West” (Fox News, 8 p.m.), documenting bygone outlaws, is an unusual programming choice for a network that maintains it is a news station (I like that there’s an actual show on Fox News though labeled “Lies”).
A Doris Day double play has “Love Me or Leave Me” (TCM, 8 p.m.) and “Tea for Two” (TCM, 10:15 p.m.). Later, Rudolph Valentino is exotic in the silent films “The Young Rajah” (TCM, midnight) and “The Son of the Sheik” (TCM, 1 a.m.).
The Masters (CBS, 2 p.m.) plays its final round. In tennis, it’s the finals for the Family Circle Cup (ESPN2, 1 p.m.), between Billy and Ida Know, I suppose.
Baseball has Detroit at Cleveland (MLB, 1 p.m.) and Red Sox at Yankees (ESPN, 8 p.m.) in what will almost certainly be a shorter game than Friday’s.
Basketball has Atlanta at Washington (NBA, 6 p.m.) and Dallas at Lakers (NBA, 9:30 p.m.).
Sunday Talk
ABC: Secretary of State John Kerry, Sen. Mike Lee, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Laura Bush. CBS: Kerry, Sens. Rand Paul and Amy Klobuchar, Republican committee chair Reince Priebus. NBC: Kerry, Paul, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. CNN: Sens. Paul, Debbie Stabenow, Barbara Boxer and Lindsay Graham; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, former Sen. Mary Landrieu, former Gov. Lincoln Chafee. Fox News: Sen. Bob Menendez, Mitt Romney.