The 57th Grammy Awards (CBS, 8 p.m.) seems to be without much drama. Sam Smith is against Beyonce for most nominations. The tilt to frothy pop means even less substance than usual in the music.
But there will be a ton of performances including Smith with Mary J. Blige; Madonna; Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine; Ariana Grandel Katy Perry; Sia; Lady Gaga with Tony Bennett; Paul McCartney with Kanye West and Rihanna; AC/DC; Eric Church; Beck with Chris Martin; Beyonce; Common and John Legend; Ed Sheeran with Herbie Hancock, John Mayer and Questlove; Juanes; Pharrell Williams; Usher; Miranda Lambert; Lang Lang; Tom Jones with Jessie J; Pharrell Williams; Jeff Lyne; and Hozier with Annie Lennox.
Red carpet coverage begins at 5 on Pop TV (The former TV Guide Network) with “Entertainment Tonight” correspondents taking the lead, and largely fashion coverage on the increasingly insufferable E!
There’s actually a competing awards show on tonight for movies, “The EE British Film Awards 2015” (BBC America, 8 p.m.).
It will be compared to “Serial,” but the fascinating “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” (HBO, 8 p.m.) is a six part series about a rich man who is arrested for chopping up a body of a neighbor in Texas, a few years after he was a suspect for his missing wife. The fact he chooses filmmaker Andrew Jarecki to finally sit and do an interview (which won’t begin running until next week’s episode) means he wants to manage the speculation about him; he doesn’t help his case by immediately admitting past fibs. The music and production make this a very vivid, often mesmerizing re-enactment
There’s always been a lot of coverage of the 1980 Miracle on Ice, when the U.S. team beat the heavily favored Russians. The absorbing documentary “Of Miracles and Men” on “30 for 30” (ESPN, 9 p.m.) tells the tale from the Soviet side, showing how the country became powerhouses in a sport that was generally new to them and how an earlier win against the U.S. made them overconfident. The game in question is reviewed at length, but there’s some great insight into the teamwork that made them a great team in the first place, and an eye-opening postscript how its players were eventually able to leave the country and make a living in the NHL.
One of the most thorough topical comedy shows returns after a long break, “Last Week with John Oliver” (HBO, 11 p.m.).
Seems kind of obvious where the police investigation is heading on “Downton Abbey” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings).
Funny how competing networks generally give up against the Grammys, showing a rerun of “American Ninja Warrior: USA vs. the World” (NBC, 8 p.m.) and the2012 movie “The Hunger Games” (ABC, 8 p.m.).
Fox has an array of new shows tonight, starting with “Mulaney” (Fox, 7 p.m.) way early, followed by “The Simpsons” (Fox, 8 p.m.), “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Fox, 8:30 p.m.), “Family Guy” (Fox, 9 p.m.) and “Bob’s Burgers” (Fox, 9:30 p.m.).
Grammy contenders from the early 40s are on Turner Classic Movies with “Lassie Come Home” (8 p.m.), “Casablanca” (10 p.m.), “Gaslight” (midnight), “Woman of the Year” (2 a.m.) and “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” (4 a.m.).
Men’s college hoops tonight includes Holy Cross at Bucknell (CBS Sports, 2 p.m.), Rhode Island at Richmond (NBC Sports, 2:30 p.m.), La Salle at Massachusetts (CBS Sports, 4 p.m.), Washington at Oregon State (Fox Sports 1, 4:30 p.m.), San Diego State at Boise State (CBS Sports, 6 p.m.), Clemson at Miami (ESPNU, 6:30 p.m.) and USC and Stanford (ESPNU, 8:30 p.m.).
Women’s games include Dayton at George Washington (CBS Sports, noon), Baylor at Texas (ESPN2, 2 p.m.), Tennessee at Florida (ESPNU, 2 p.m.), Nebraska at Maryland (ESPN2, 4 p.m.) and California at Arizona State (ESPNU, 4 p.m.).
NBA action includes Clippers at Oklahoma City (ABC, 1 p.m.), Lakers at Cleveland (ABC, 3:30 p.m.) and San Antonio at Toronto (NBA, 7 p.m.). In hockey, it’s Chicago at St. Louis (NBC, 12:30 a.m.) and Montreal at Boston (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m.).
Sunday News
ABC: Retired Gen. John Allen, Sen. Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum. CBS: Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci, Rep. Michael McCaul and former national security adviser Thomas Donilon. NBC: Secretary of State John Kerry, Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh, U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. CNN: Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Sens. Cruz and Tim Kaine, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, former congressman Mike Rogers. Fox News: Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Dr. Ben Carson.