Around the Remote: Changes loom at ‘Downton Abbey’
Don’t miss
“Downton Abbey” – “The nature of life is not permanence, but flux.” So says Mr. Carson as the beloved period soap returns for what looks to be a season of tremendous change. It’s 1924 and Lady Mary appears ready to embrace a suitor. Meanwhile, her upper-crust parents are preparing for an eventful 34th anniversary celebration, and there are new secrets and new loves in the offing. Still, after four seasons, one question continues to plague us: Will the writers ever give poor Edith a bloody break? 8 p.m. KSPS, 9 p.m. KCDT, today.
Other bets
TODAY: “The Celebrity Apprentice” returns with 16 famous – or formerly famous – people who are painfully desperate to grab some camera time. Don’t feel bad if you have to Google their names. 9 p.m., NBC.
toDAY: We give a big thumbs-up to “Life Itself,” a highly intimate documentary about the late film critic Roger Ebert. Presented with incredible candor, it tells of his early days as a booze hound, his late-life romance, his heated rivalry with fellow critic Gene Siskel and his brutal battle with cancer. 6 p.m., CNN.
MONDAY: Season 19 of “The Bachelor” kicks off and you know the routine: First, we meet the new guy – Chris Soules – followed by the 30 members of his harem. Then we brace ourselves for lots of lame come-on lines and way too many tears to count. 8 p.m., ABC.
TUESDAY: Hayley Atwell stars in “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” the latest drama series to be inspired by the comic books. She’s Peggy Carter, the former girlfriend of Captain America and now a special agent, who in 1946 is working for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. 8 p.m., ABC.
WEDNESDAY: No longer a ratings juggernaut, “American Idol” nevertheless marches on. Season 14 opens with Ryan Seacrest and his pals checking out the pop-star wannabes during auditions in Nashville. 8 p.m., Fox.
WEDNESDAY: Vibrant tunes mix with spicy melodrama in “Empire.” It’s a new series about a music mogul (Terrence Howard) who, after learning he has a fatal disease, must decide who will inherit his famed record label, all while battling his ex-wife (Taraji P. Henson) for hip-hop supremacy. 9 p.m., Fox.
THURSDAY: Still weird and deliciously offbeat, “Portlandia” opens its fifth season with a flashback to 1991. That’s when a merger between two book chains resulted in a heated competition between Toni and Candace to head up the Chick Lit Department. 7 p.m., IFC.
FRIDAY: It’s time to face the music for “Glee,” which launches its sixth and final season. In the opener, Rachel returns to Lima after failing as a TV actress and learns that Sue has disbanded the glee club – an horrendous affront she hopes to rectify. 8 p.m., Fox.
SATURDAY: “The Missing” closes out its compelling first season as the truth behind Oliver’s disappearance is finally revealed. Something tells us we’re about to have our hearts wrenched. 9 p.m., Starz.