‘Sopranos’ offers must-see finale

Yeah, I know, the Tony Awards are Sunday night. But that’s only the second most important show of the night, so we’ll get to it in a minute.

First and most important, as if you didn’t know, is the season finale of “The Sopranos,” on HBO Sunday at 9.

You can argue, I suppose, about where this drama fits in the all-time TV pantheon. But there’s no question that James Gandolfini’s work as Tony Soprano is the finest TV series performance in memory.

And we’ll be watching tonight’s episode carefully for clues to where his tragic story arc will take him in the final season next year.

Can Tony get out alive?

Already things are getting heavy.

The crew’s murder of FBI pigeon Adriana threatens to unleash a full-court press from the feds, and there’s no telling what it will do to Christopher’s fragile psyche. And in the final moments of last week’s episode, Tony all but dared Johnny Sack to declare war.

HBO is revealing little about tonight’s show. It says Tony’s crew “circles the wagons” against Johnny Sack, Carmela counts her blessings, and Christopher “freaks out” over an unexpected visitor. (A fed?)

Notice that loose-cannon cousin Tony Blundetto isn’t mentioned?

From 8 to 9 and 10 to 11, however, switch over to CBS and watch “The 58th Annual Tony Awards,” tape-delayed from Radio City Music Hall, with nominee Hugh Jackman hosting for the second time.

Performances from “Assassins,” “Avenue Q,” “The Boy From Oz,” “Caroline, or Change,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Wicked” and “Wonderful Town” will be mixed with award presentations by Sean Combs, Taye Diggs, Jimmy Fallon, Anne Heche, Billy Joel, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Bernadette Peters and many, many more. Tony Bennett and Mary J. Blige will perform a musical salute to Broadway.

The most-nominated shows are “Wicked” (10), “Assassins” (7), “Avenue Q” (6), “Caroline, or Change” (6), “Fiddler on the Roof” (6), “Henry IV” (6), “The Boy From Oz” (5), “Wonderful Town” (5), “Frozen” (4), “Jumpers” (4) and “A Raisin in the Sun” (4).

Knock yourself out, theater fans. But if you want to see some acting to remember, you know where to be at 9.

Highlights

Stanley Cup Finals, ABC tonight at 5: NHL championship playoff, Game 6 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Calgary Flames.

“The Restaurant,” NBC tonight at 8: Jeffery gives Rocco two options: to buy Jeffery out of the business or – yawnnnn – to accept a buyout. There must be several people who still care.

“Law & Order,” NBC tonight at 9: Repeats. First is an “L&O” involving a clothing factory owner beaten to death, then a “L&O: SVU” in which a child dies in the emergency room after allegedly passing out at a church service.

“Two and a Half Men,” CBS tonight at 8: Repeat. Can Alan get Charlie’s cleaning lady back?

“Deep Impact,” CBS tonight at 8:30: 1998 flick about a massive comet on a collision course with Earth. With Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave and Morgan Freeman.

“MAD TV,” Fox tonight at 11: Repeat. A Mariachi band turns on patrons at a restaurant.

“Saturday Night Live,” NBC tonight at 11:30: Repeat with Jennifer Aniston and the Black Eyed Peas.

“60 Minutes,” CBS Sunday at 7

“Oliver Beene,” Fox Sunday at 7: Jerry and Charlotte decide to throw a party so their neighbors will reciprocate and invite them to their annual party.

“Dateline,” NBC Sunday at 7: Tom Brokaw marks the 60th anniversary of D-Day with a story about the attempt to liberate the small French town of Graignes. Two hours.

“King of the Hill,” Fox Sunday at 7:30: Repeat. When Hank tries to teach Bobby the value of a dollar, he takes Hank’s credit card.

“The Simpsons,” Fox Sunday at 8: Repeat. When Principal Skinner gets cold feet before their wedding, Edna Krabappel rebounds into the arms of Comic Book Guy, who whisks her off for a romantic dinner. Matt Groening appears as himself.

“Arrested Development,” Fox Sunday at 8:30: When George Sr. has a heart attack, the family heads to the hospital only to discover he’s escaped. (The pilot repeats at 9:30.)

NBA Finals, ABC Sunday at 6: The Lakers and Pistons, Game 1.

“Malcolm in the Middle,” Fox Sunday at 9: Funny repeat. While in Vegas, Malcolm buys Lois tickets to see her teen idol, lounge singer Boone Vincent – a memorably creepy guest performance by former teen idol David Cassidy.

“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” NBC Sunday at 9: Repeat. The detectives exhume the body of an elderly man whom they discover was poisoned.

“Crossing Jordan,” NBC Sunday at 10: Repeat of the cliff-hanger conclusion, as Jordan searches for evidence to clear her father of a murder charge.

Cable Cast

“Bruce Almighty,” HBO tonight at 8: Frustrated reporter Jim Carrey meets God and receives his divine powers for one week.

“From Dusk Till Dawn,” Cinemax tonight at 8: Sleazy, hyperviolent, sexualized vampire massacre flick. About as extreme as you can get on an R rating. And totally fun!

With George Clooney, Salma Hayek and Quentin Tarantino.