The frantic search of a couple well-played by James Nesbitt and Frances O’Connor comes to a finale in “The Missing” (Starz, 9 p.m.). But the door will be open for a new season of “The Missing” because of its success here and especially abroad.
“We had always had the discussion that it would be great if there was the potential to continue on,” Starz CEO Chris Albrecht told writers at the TV Critics Association winter press tour Friday, “but not in a classic series way.”
A title at the end of the series will indicate “The Missing” will be back, he says, although with a different case and cast. “There will be an element, aside from sort of the overall concept, that continues,” he said, but likely it will be an anthology series in the tradition of last year’s “Fargo” and “True Detective.”
The success of the “Sex Sent Me to the ER” (TLC, 8, 9 and 10 p.m.) leads to the new late night talk show “All About Sex” (TLC, 11 p.m.) featuring comics Margaret Cho and Heather McDonald, actress Marissa Jaret Winokur and one expert, Dr. Tiffany Davis Henry.
The success of its NFL divisional playoffs include Baltimore at New England (NBC, 4:35 p.m.) in the AFC and Carolina at Seattle (Fox, 8:15 p.m.) in the NFC. The latter dominates network primetime, where there is otherwise a same-week replay of the “Marvel’s Agent Carter” (ABC, 8 p.m.) two hour premiere, and a pile of newsmagazines — “Dateline” (NBC, 8 p.m.), “20/20” (ABC, 10 p.m.) and “48 Hours” (CBS, 10 p.m.).
Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton team up in the revenge flick “The Other Woman” (HBO, 8 p.m.), which is making its premium cable debut as does the sci-fi “Transcendence” (Cinemax, 10 p.m.), starring Johnny Depp in the directorial debut of “The Dark Knight” cinematographer Wally Pfister.
New made for TV movies tonight include “Sugar Daddies” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.), in which Taylor Gildersleeve a college student is funded by an older man (Peter Strauss) to help pay for tuition and “A Novel Romance” (Hallmark, 9 p.m.) with Dylan Bruce as a writer who retreats to a small town for inspiration and inadvertently falls in love with a book reviewer, played by Amy Acker.
“Incredible! The Story of Dr. Pol” (National Geo Wild, 10 p.m.) gives some background on the Dutch veterinarian whose practice in central Michigan became the basis of the show “The Incredible Dr. Pol” (Nat Geo Wild, 9 p.m.) starting a new season. His clientele includes farm animals, domestic creatures and probably some “Preposterous Pets” (Animal Planet, 8 p.m.).
College football includes North Dakota State vs. Illinois State (ESPN2, 1 p.m.) and the mixed team Medal of Honor Bowl (NBC Sports, 2:30 p.m.).
Men’s college hoops include Cincinnati at Connecticut (ESPN2, 11 a.m.), Ohio State at Indiana (ESPN, noon), Georgetown at Providence (Fox Sports 1, noon), George Washington at La Salle (NBC Sports, 12:30 p.m.), Kentucky at Texas A&M (CBS, 1 p.m.), Minnesota at Michigan (ESPNU, 1 p.m.), Louisville at North Carolina (ESPN, 2 p.m.), Seton Hall at Creighton (Fox Sports 1, 2 p.m.), Tulsa at Temple (ESPNews, 3 p.m.), Texas Tech at Kansas (ESPNU, 3 p.m.), Baylor at TCU (ESPN2, 4 p.m.), Xavier at Butler (Fox Sports 1, 4:30 p.m.), Texas at Oklahoma State (ESPNU, 5 p.m.), Virginia at Notre Dame (ESPN2, 6 p.m.), Kansas State at Oklahoma (ESPNU, 7 p.m.), Iowa State at West Virginia (ESPN2, 8 p.m.), Georgia at LSU (ESPNU, 9 p.m.), Long Beach State at UC Davis (ESPNU, 11 p.m.).
Women’s games include Texas at Iowa State (Fox Sports Net, noon).
Spoon plays a new “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) with White Denim.
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) replays the Jim Carrey episode from earlier this season, with musical guest Iggy Azalea. The vintage replay at 10 p.m. is nearly 30 years old: The 1986 episode with William Shatner hosting and Lone Justice performing.