Encore, 8:00 p.m. ET
MINISERIES PREMIERE: Part 2 of 2. This outstanding 2011 miniseries, premiering in the U.S. on Encore, concludes tonight, with all its primary characters eventually gathering under one roof — but
Upstairs, Downstairs, or even
Downton Abbey, it’s not. For a full review of this series, which stars Romala Garai as a conflicted prostitute in 1974 London, see
Bianculli’s Blog.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
The first TV presentation of Wagner’s Ring cycle in more than 20 years (the most recent was the 1990 Live from the Met James Levine production) is televised this week, beginning with the first opera in the series, Das Rheingold. This is the Robert Lepage production, conducted by James Levine and starring, among others, Stephanie Blythe as my friend Fricka. Check local listings.
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and young Thomas Horn star in this 2011 movie drama tied to a boy whose father was lost on 9/11. Its presentation tonight, on the anniversary of that tragedy, is only one special TV event tonight marking the occasion. If you prefer sometime more factual, the best of the bunch this year is a repeat of History Channel’s 102 Minutes that Changed America (9 p.m. ET), which recounts, and counts down, the tragic events of the day in a minute-by-minute rundown.
NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: This Season 4 opener plays the old jump-ahead-in-time card, picking up the action five months after we last saw everyone. So there are new problems already established, and new characters to meet — including a photographer played by Ray Romano, who has hired Sarah (Lauren Graham) as his assistant.
FX, 10:00 p.m. ET
SEASON PREMIERE: If you’re into televised sex and violence, the Season 5 opener of this drama about an outlaw motorcycle gang starts things off with eye-catching examples of both. It also makes room for some powerful recurring guest stars, including Jimmy Smits and Harold Perrineau in roles quite different than the ones you’re used to seeing them portraying. Katey Sagal stars.