‘Sopranos’ returns in fine form
Few shows have earned as much viewer respect, affection, devotion and trust as “The Sopranos” (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO).
Viewers of a certain age await the new season with the same awe and anticipation that once preceded the unwrapping of a new Beatles album. You know you’re going to be entertained, amused and challenged all at the same time.
It would be wrong to reveal anything about the the first few episodes of “The Sopranos.” Just be prepared to be shocked. Consumed. Hooked. Challenged. And bedazzled. You will be talking about nothing else Monday morning.
And as pivotal as this season-opener will be, it serves only as an introduction to next week’s “Sopranos,” which, simply put, is as good as television gets.
Film critic Molly Haskell takes over as host of “The Essentials,” a weekly showcase of timeless movies, beginning with “The Hustler” (5 p.m. tonight, TCM), the 1961 drama starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason as pool-hall rivals.
Combining elements of “The Sopranos” and “Desperate Housewives,” the new comedy “Big Love” (10 p.m. Sunday, HBO) takes at least one episode to set up its complicated premise. But once it builds up a full head of steam, it’s an enjoyable, compelling, addictive and often hilarious soap opera.
Tonight’s highlights
Scheduled on “Dateline” (8 p.m., NBC): The posh life ends in murder for a rich Florida housewife. Did her husband do it?
Thrillers don’t come much duller than “What Lies Beneath” (8 p.m., ABC), starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Murder and contagion on “Law & Order: SVU” (9 p.m., NBC).
Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (10 p.m., CBS): brothers, bookies and murder.
A minor charged as an adult on “Conviction” (10 p.m., NBC).
Matt Dillon hosts “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guests Arctic Monkeys.
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): A Boston mobster tells all; science and sexual preference; an insurgent-held city.
Scheduled on “Dateline” (7 p.m., NBC): A French con who posed as a Rockefeller and fleeced the Hamptons set reveals his secrets.
A close call at a nuclear plant and violence in Central Asia on “The West Wing” (8 p.m., NBC).
Lisa’s story never ends on “The Simpsons” (8 p.m., Fox).
Hosted by Vince Gill, “The Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall” (8 p.m., GAC) includes performances by Gill, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Martina McBride and Alan Jackson.