NBC offers a triple treat with ‘Earl’
NBC celebrates the one bright light of its new season by offering viewers three consecutive episodes of the funny, offbeat comedy “My Name is Earl” (8:30 to 10 p.m. tonight, NBC).
For the uninitiated, Earl (Jason Lee) is a hangdog petty thief who wins the lottery, discovers the notion of karma and sets about righting the hundreds of wrongs he has committed over the years.
Unlike most sitcoms, where life seems to converge on a single living room or kitchen, “Earl” sends its characters out on small adventures, allowing the story to verge on the mock-heroic.
The made-for-television drama “The Hunt for the BTK Killer” (9 p.m. Sunday, CBS) deviates from the network’s Sunday movie fare but fits quite nicely with CBS’ nonstop onslaught of homicide dramas.
“The Hunt for the BTK Killer” stars Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown”) as Wichita police detective Jason Magida, who was in charge of one of the most frustrating manhunts in history. Told in a series of flashbacks and confessions, Dennis Rader (Gregg Henry) explains how he perpetrated 10 murders that went unsolved for more than three decades.
Dalgliesh (Martin Shaw) follows a trail of evidence all the way to the House of Lords on “The Murder Room” on “Mystery!” (8 p.m. Sunday, KSPS). Based on a novel by P.D. James, “Murder” concludes next Sunday.
Tonight’s highlights
Major League Baseball, National League divisional playoffs, Atlanta at Houston (5 p.m., Fox).
The hatch surrenders more secrets on “Lost” (8 p.m., ABC).
“Workin’ on the Railroad” (8:30 p.m., DIY) celebrates the obsessive and creative world of model railroading.
A mysterious force flattens Jesse on “Invasion” (9 p.m., ABC).
Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (10 p.m., CBS): an office party ends in death.
Edie’s new beau on “Desperate Housewives” (10 p.m., ABC).
Martina McBride performs songs old and new on the live special “Timeless” (10 p.m., CMT).
“Napoleon Dynamite” star Jon Heder hosts “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC). Ashlee Simpson will pretend to sing.
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): former FBI director Louis Freeh; cat burglars; NASCAR.
Major League Baseball, American League divisional playoffs, New York at Los Angeles, if necessary (5:15 p.m., Fox).
Preschoolers get a cognitive workout on “Little Einsteins” (7 p.m., Disney). The series assumes a daily spot beginning Monday at 8 a.m.
Vinnick (Alan Alda) exploits the immigration issue on “The West Wing” (8 p.m., NBC).
Do you think you’ve got an unsightly bathroom? “Bad Baths U.S.A.” (8 p.m., HGTV) surveys America’s tackiest powder rooms.
“The Cole Conspiracy” (8 p.m., History) presents a minute-by-minute chronology of the Al Qaeda terror attack on a U.S. Navy destroyer in October 2000.
A woman who was assumed to be kidnapped enjoys a secret life on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (9 p.m., NBC).
Legal troubles for Bree’s mother-in-law on “Desperate Housewives” (9 p.m., ABC).
Danger and heroism at sea on “SOS: Coast Guard Rescue” (10 p.m., Discovery).