Animal Planet, 3:00 p.m. ET
Presented all afternoon and evening in two-hour blocks, this annual Animal Planet distraction is up to its ninth annual telecast now, presenting cute puppies running around an ultra-tiny “football field” while playing with toys and each other, enjoying water and treats, or even taking naps. The kitties come out at halftime (no word on whether their meows are lip-synced) – and there are other animals, too.
CBS, 6:25 p.m. ET
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers take to the field in New Orleans, fighting for the Vince Lombardi trophy and bragging rights as the triumphant team of the 2012-13 pro football season. On each sideline, as coach, stands a Harbaugh: Jim for the 49ers, John for the Ravens. CBS is bound to make the most of this high-profile sibling rivalry, but there’s a lot going on when the teams aren’t competing, as well. For one, there are all those commercials, which some viewers anticipate even more than the game. Then there’s the halftime show, which this year presents Beyoncé, who promises that her performance, on this program, will be entirely live, without any attendant lip-sync controversy.
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
In Episode 5 of Season 3, the residents of the Abbey, as well as the workers downstairs, are still shaken from what happened in last week’s episode. (No spoilers here, this time – but what a strong hour it was!) Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), particularly, is having a rough time, and it shows, whether she’s with others or alone. Check local listings.
CBS, 10:00 p.m. ET
The idea of calling in an FBI profiler to help solve the case of a vicious murderer is nothing new – but doing it on a period show such as Elementary, where the police already have Sherlock Holmes at their disposal, might seem like overkill – and not on the part of the murderer. But in this case, this episode is getting the coveted spot after the Super Bowl, so CBS wanted to pull out all the stops – including featuring Kari Matchett as a particularly fetching FBI expert, working alongside Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu).
CBS, 11:35 p.m. ET
Elementary isn’t the only CBS show getting a post-Super Bowl bump tonight. Another is The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, which gets a special Sunday-night showing, and (for it) an earlier time slot, with this on-location special. Ferguson and his skeleton robot sidekick, Geoff Peterson, head to New Orleans, where Craig interacts with tourists and locals on Bourbon Street, dances with the San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders, jokes with Neil Patrick Harris, and barely catches a football thrown by New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees… and more.