What was four hours in the theaters 60 years ago is five hours long in this Easter weekend TV tradition of replaying “The Ten Commandments” (ABC, 8 p.m.). That’s a pace of about two commandments an hour. And ten times as many commercials.
The news networks sneak into Christian topics as well with reruns of “Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery” (CNN, 8 p.m.) and a replay of the O’Reilly book tie-in “Killing Jesus Special” (Fox News, 8 p.m.) that is slated for three hours. Or at least until results come in from way out west in three Democratic presidential caucuses — in Washington state, Alaska and Hawaii.
The first half of the elite eight games of the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament get prime time attention: Oklahoma vs. Oregon (CBS, 6 p.m.) and Kansas vs. Villanova (CBS, 8:30 p.m.).
“Black Sails” (Starz, 9 p.m.) closes its third season with the British captain Woodes Rogers and his army intent on wiping out the pirates.
The made-for-TV movie “The Perfect Daughter” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.) is about a single father’s attempt to rescue a 15 year old daughter (Sadie Calvano) from after school drinking parties, alcohol poisoning and teen pregnancy. The older hockey player is to blame. And Parker Stevenson plays his dad, supplying booze to those parties.
The intrepid crew from “Ghost Adventures” (Travel, 9 p.m.) visits a satanic ritual site in the Arizona desert.
A marine mishap during an vacation in Ecuador is included on a new “Sex Sent Me to the ER” (TLC, 9 p.m.).
Ed Helms and Christina Applegate star in “Vacation” (HBO, 8 p.m.), last year’s poorly reviewed remake of the National Lampoon original, which gets a premium cable debut. Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, from the original, make an appearance.
Turner Classic Movies takes note of classic movie stunts in four movies spanning more than a half a century. They include Buster Keaton’s 1927 “The General” (8 p.m.) with its locomotive crash; the car stunts in Walter Hill’s 1978 “The Driver” (9:30 p.m.), the Indian battle in John Ford’s 1939 “Stagecoach” (11:15 p.m.); and Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock in the silent 1923 comedy “Safety Last!” (1 a.m.).
Later comes some ’80s movies with rock figures — Richard Hell in “Smithereens” (TCM, 2:30 a.m.) and John Doe in “Border Radio” (TCM, 4:15 a.m.).
The women’s NCAA basketball tournament is still in its round of 16 with Mississippi vs. Connecticut (ESPN, 11:30 a.m.), UCLA vs. Texas (ESPN, 1:30 p.m.), Florida State vs. Baylor (ESPN, 4 p.m.) and DePaul vs. Oregon State (ESPN, 6 p.m.).
In the NCAA men’s division II basketball championship, it’s Lincoln Memorial vs. Augustana (CBS, 3 p.m.).
Pro basketball has San Antonio at Oklahoma City (NBA, 8 p.m.).
Hockey has Rangers at Montreal (NHL, 7 p.m.).
Spring baseball includes Baltimore vs. Boston (MLB, 1 p.m.) and San Francisco vs. Cubs (MLB, 4 p.m.).
Sam Smith and Future Islands play an “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 11 p.m., check local listings) from last year.
The sketch comedy show “Party Over Here” (Fox, 11 p.m.) is, as you might expect, a hit or miss endeavor that succeeds on its female energy.
The replay of the recent “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) with Melissa McCarthy and Kanye West is timed to the opening of her new movie.