CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Jeanette (Abby Elliott) and Ted (Josh Radnor) split up, with an exchange of precious possessions that also includes some precious exchanges. “Here's your grandmother's ring,” she tells him. Stunned and afraid, he replies, “She was buried wearing this.” And afterward, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) tries to help by consulting his playbook — the one that was supposed to be destroyed.
HBO, 9:00 p.m. ET
A week ago, the premiere of this HBO special drew 1.8 million viewers – for HBO, the most popular documentary since it adjusted its audience-measuring methods almost a decade ago. Just to put it in perspective, that’s three times the audience for HBO’s Girls. Then again Beyoncé knows all about being more popular as a solo than with other girls – though Destiny’s Child did reunite for the Super Bowl.
TNT, 9:00 p.m. ET
Two more episodes before this series addresses the sudden death of J.R. Ewing, necessitated by the equally sudden death of the iconic actor who played him, Larry Hagman. In the meantime, the other veteran vast members from the original series are beginning to rally, and share scenes together. Tonight, look for Bobby and Sue Ellen – Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray – to step forward. Next week, former Dallas and Knots Landing co-star Ted Shackelford shows up as brother Gary.
Sundance, 10:00 p.m. ET
Part 8. This is the “Verdict” installment of this series – the final chapter of this true-life murder story when this documentary miniseries was televised in 2005. But there’s more to come. The next two weeks, Sundance will show two new installments, updating the story as a special mini-sequel. So catch up now, and stay tuned.
Showtime, 11:00 p.m. ET
Season 2 of this excellent talk show about comedy snuck up on me – why Showtime is relegating it to an 11 p.m. ET time slot is beyond me, since the season’s new shows already have featured the likes of Louis C.K., Tina Fey and Bob Newhart. Tonight’s new episode features host David Steinberg talking comedy with two more veterans of the form: Drew Carey and Martin Mull. I’m a big fan of Carey’s Cleveland-set sitcom The Drew Carey Show, and an even bigger one of Mull’s classic faux talk show, Fernwood 2Night, with sidekick Fred Willard. So I’ll be watching.