CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
LL Cool J returns as host, but on this show it’s the performers, not the host, who generate the majority of the excitement. Among the scheduled performers tonight, as always, are some fascinating pairings – including Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with the Black Keys. And Alicia Keys and Maroon 5. And Elton John and Ed Sheeran. And Bruno Mars, Rihanna (pictured), and Sting. It gives whole new meaning to the term “plays well with others.” And there are some solo acts, too, including Kelly Clarkson, The Lumineers, Taylor Swift, Mumford & Sons, Justin Timberlake, and fun.
ABC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Jorge Garcia, who played Hurley on Lost, reprises his role as the Giant in tonight’s new episode of Once Upon a Time. This time the Giant wreaks havoc after being harassed by Jack and delivered forcibly to Storybrooke. Does this mean Jack, who has gone off after the Giant before, is really some sort of obsessed villain? A kind of… beanstalker?
BBC America, 8:00 p.m. ET
These are the British versions of our Oscars and Emmys, all rolled into one, and presented on BBC America so Anglophiles can keep track of what makes the tops of the pops over there these days. One big question: Does Daniel Day-Lewis still have the flu, or will he be there in the flesh? His performance in Lincoln makes him, in the BAFTA category of Best Actor, the overwhelming favorite. Or, in this case, the overwhelming favourite.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
In Episode 5 of Season 3, the Earl and Countess of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern) are much more distant and quarrelsome than usual. And even though there’s a very good reason, it doesn’t make their individual (or joint) suffering any easier to watch. But good acting and good writing? It’s all right here. Check local listings.
AMC, 9:00 p.m. ET
SERIES RETURNS: All day, you can catch up on previous episodes leading up to the second-half premiere of Season 3. Then, at 9 p.m. ET, the first new episode of the year premieres – picking up exactly where last year’s midseason finale left off. And if you don’t know where that is, because you’re catching up on Walking Dead reruns at the last minute, I won’t tell you. But wow – I’ve been waiting for this resolution for months now.