Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last week, this series turned two different corners, both of which make it even more difficult to get behind this grim Kevin Bacon show. One is that Bacon’s character deliberately opted to use torture to further his investigation, putting The Following squarely in the Zero Dark Thirty and 24 debate. The other is that the villainous Carroll (James Purefoy) is now sprung from prison and holed up with a mansion of acolytes – all accomplished in a series of moves that abandoned entirely Carroll’s alleged obsession with the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
TNT, 9:00 p.m. ET
This is the most significant episode of Dallas since the identity of “Who Shot J.R.?” was revealed several decades ago -- well, that and the "Bobby emerges from the shower" stunner a few years later. It’s the new episode in which the current Dallas producers responded to the unexpected death of star Larry Hagman by staging J.R.’s funeral. Among others in attendance at the service: Bobby (Patrick Duffy), Lucy (Charlene Tilton), and Sue Ellen (Linda Gray). You should be, too.
Sundance, 10:00 p.m. ET
MINISERIES CONCLUSION: Last week’s installment, the first of two new hours updating the story of convicted murderer Michael Peterson, cast a persuasive amount of suspicion on the one lab scientist whose testimony was most responsible for the jury’s verdict of guilty. Tonight’s continuation of that update shows the results, if any, of that new information. If you’ve seen any of The Staircase, this last step is not to be missed.
Showtime, 11:00 p.m. ET
Last week, David Steinberg presented a warm and informative conversation with two talented peers: Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin. This week, he talks to two more, from a slightly younger generation of comics: Jim Carrey and Keenen Ivory Wayans.
NBC, 12:35 a.m. ET
Justin Timberlake’s fifth time hosting SNL, this past weekend, was another personal triumph for him – a great episode of a series that, this season, sorely needed one. And Timberlake isn’t through with New York, or producer Lorne Michaels, or former SNL players, just yet – all this week, he’s the resident guest, musical and otherwise, on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night talk show. They’re calling it “Timberweek,” and it starts tonight. Please, please, even though Robin Gibb died last year, let Timberlake and Fallon find a way to play, once again, Bee Gees brothers Barry and Robin, respectively, as they do so hilariously on “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” sketches.