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What to Watch on Sunday: 'Mad Men' returns on AMC as Showtime airs finales

Academy of Country Music Awards (8pm, CBS) - Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan host the 48th annual awards show, with scheduled performances from Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Garth Brooks and Miranda Lambert.

Call the Midwife (8pm, UNC-TV) - Cynthia comes under scrutiny from the community and police when a newborn baby she delivered dies. The incident also leads her to question her abilities.

Mad Men (9pm, AMC) - In the two-hour Season 6 premiere, Don (Jon Hamm, right) launches a new campaign, while Roger receives some upsetting news and Betty welcomes a new houseguest.

Shameless (9pm, Showtime) - In the Season 3 finale, Fiona and the family throw a surprise birthday party for Lip's high school graudation, and Frank uses his gambling winnings to take Lip out for a nice dinner. "House of Lies" and "Californication" also have season finale episodes tonight.

Mr. Selfridge (9pm, UNC-TV) - Harry Selfridge bucks convention by placing the cosmetics department at the front of the store. In other events, his personal life turns complicated due to his affair with Ellen Love.

River Monsters (9pm, Animal Planet) - In the Season 5 premiere, Jeremy travels to Bolivia to investigate a report of a man whose face was severely injured by a freshwater creature.

Army Wives (9pm, Lifetime) - Gloria meets a new guy at the Hump bar, and Jackie's son comes home with some surprising news.

Vikings (10pm, History) - Ragnar faces off with the Earl after learning of Rollo's torture. This show just got picked up for a second season.

What to Watch on Sunday: Golden Globes, 'Downton' extras, premieres on HBO and Showtime

Golden Globes (8pm, NBC) - The 70th annual Golden Globes awards show recognizes achievements in 25 movie and TV categories. This year, it's hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and there's a tribute to Jodie Foster, who receives the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Downton Abbey (9pm, UNC-TV) - The fate of Downton Abbey hinges on a letter from a dead man (and on the will of a stubborn one). Also, Edith and Sir Anthony face their own fateful moment, and Mrs. Hughes confronts a crisis.

Secrets of Highclere Castle (10pm, UNC-TV) - A look at the real Downton Abbey! Highclere Castle, the setting for the popular British series, was the social epicenter of Edwardian England, playing host to royalty, nobility and celebrity alike. This documentary shows how all the inhabitants of Highclere lived, from the aristocrats who enjoyed a life of luxury and indolence for centuries (on an estate as large as New York's Central Park) to the army of servants toiling "below stairs."

Shameless (9pm, Showtime) - In the Season 3 premiere, Fiona adapts to living with Jimmy, Frank awakens in a strange place, and Lip gets sentenced to community service.

Girls (9pm, HBO) - In the Season 2 premiere, Hannah throws a party with her new roommate, Elijah, and is ready to move on in her romantic life despite still tending to needy Adam and his broken leg. Meanwhile, Shoshanna does her best to avoid Ray, Marnie gets bad news from her boss, and Jessa returns from her honeymoon with Thomas-John.

Enlightened (9:30pm, HBO) - In the second season premiere, Amy fears her job is about to be eliminated so she contacts an investigative reporter with incriminating emails from Abaddonn executives, which she gathers using Tyler's IT password.

House of Lies (10pm, Showtime) - In the season 2 premiere, the aftermath of the sexual-harassment scandal leaves Marty and his Pod adjusting to a new corporate culture at Galweather Stearn.

Californication (10:30pm, Showtime) - Season 6 opens with Hank still reeling from the murder attempt on his life, and accompanying Charlie to a meeting with a rock star who wants to mount a Broadway musical based on Hank's story.

What to Watch on Sunday: There's just too much on TV tonight.

Wow. There is so much on TV tonight we're going to have to use our jump to fit it all in. We have the premieres of "Game of Thrones" and "The Killing," plus several season finales. Don't forget to click "Read More" to get everything.

Academy of Country Music Awards (8pm, CBS) - Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton host, and Kenny Chesney leads with nine nominations. Garner's Scotty McCreery is up for Best New Artist.

The Killing (8pm, AMC) - A two-hour Season 2 premiere picks up where Season 1 ended -- Detective Linden (Mirielle Enos, right) realizes her partner, Detective Holder (Joel Kinnaman, right), has been lying to her and that the arrest of mayoral candidate Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell) was a mistake. So yeah, they are still searching for Rosie Larsen's killer, which is fine with me. This slowly-paced drama isn't for everyone, but I love it and I'm happy it's back.

Celebrity Apprentice (8pm, NBC) - A special three-hour "Celebrity Apprentice" tonight includes the mixing of teams in the second half of the show. The first challenge, though, will be to create and sell a guidebook about New York City, with Regis Philbin judging the final product. In the second part of the episode, the newly formed teams must create an interactive health segment.

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (8pm, UNC-TV) - Tonight, Gates helps Barbara Walters and Geoffrey Canada (Harlem's Children Zoo) research their family trees.

What to Watch on Sunday: Behind the scenes of 'Downton Abbey,' 'Walking Dead' finale

The Walking Dead (9pm, AMC) - Show creator Robert Kirkman promises "complete and utter chaos" in tonight's season finale. Can't wait!

The Celebrity Apprentice (9pm, NBC) - The players are assigned to write and produce a viral video promoting a mop. One team gets risque and the other team clashes. Note: Recap will come Monday by lunchtime.

Desperate Housewives (9pm, ABC) - On the day of Mike's funeral, each of the housewives recalls his impact on her life.

Downton Abbey: Behind the Drama (10pm, UNC-TV) - The cast and creators of "Downton Abbey" discuss the characters and storylines. Also, tours of Ealing Studios in London, where the "below stairs" scenes are shot, and Highclere Castle in Berkshire, where move "above stairs" scenes are filmed.

GCB (10pm, ABC) - Amanda is forced to confront her past when she attends a relationship seminar at church.

Eastbound & Down (10pm, HBO) - Kenny gets surprise visitors and tries to regain control of the team by throwing the mother of all Fourth of July parties.

House of Lies (10pm, Showtime) - Jeannie gets the opportunity to make a big name for herself when she leads the Pod to her hometown, where they hope to resurrect a foundering church. Meanwhile, Marty and Monica meet for a mediation over custody of Roscoe.

Californication (10:30pm, Showtime) - After his falling-out with Charlie, Hank seeks new representation and signs on with an agent who gets him a meeting with a legendary Hollywood filmmaker.

What to Watch on Sunday: Grammys, zombies, comic books

Grammy Awards (8pm, CBS) - LL Cool J hosts the 54th annual music event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Kanye West leads all nominations with seven. Scheduled to perform: Adele, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift, the Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Carrie Underwood and many others. Our own David Menconi will be live-blogging the event and tracking how our local nominees do.

The Walking Dead (9pm, AMC) - The second season resumes in the aftermath of the bloodbath (wait, do zombies bleed?) at the barn. Rick tries to restore order and a devastated Hershel turns to the bottle for solace. Some new characters are introduced tonight, including a shady traveler played by Michael Raymond James ("Terriers," "True Blood"). James' scenes have the feel of a tense, classic Western. He's a welcome addition to the show. Can we swap him for Lori?

Downton Abbey (9pm, UNC-TV) - The Spanish flu sweeps through the household infecting Cora, Lavinia and Mr. Carson.

Desperate Housewives (9pm, ABC) - Susan is shocked when Julie returns  home very pregnant, and Bree's drinking and lust continues unabated.

Luck (9pm, HBO) - Jerry pursues a deal to buy the horse that Renzo lost to Mulligan while also talking to Escalante about training it. I've been on the fence about this show, and reports that horses are being injured and euthanized during production haven't helped me.

Comic Book Men (10pm, AMC) - A new series that looks at life in and around a New Jersey comic book store opens with manager Walt challenging the staff to a sales competition at a flea market.

House of Lies (10pm, Showtime) - Marty takes on Roscoe's school after his son is slapped with sexual harassment charges for kissing another boy.

What to Watch on Sunday: Gervais sure to offend (again) as Golden Globes host

Golden Globe Awards (8pm, NBC) - Ricky Gervais hosts again, so tomorrow we can all get together and either rave or complain about the job he did, and discuss whether any rich, beautiful movie stars got their feelings hurt. Morgan Freeman gets the Cecil B. DeMille Award and Raleighite Evan Rachel Wood is up for a Supporting Actress award.

Once Upon a Time (8pm, ABC) - Emma tries to help two homeless siblings find their father before they're put into foster care and separated. In the fairy tale realm, the Evil Queen forces Hansel and Gretal to steal something from a blind witch.

Undercover Boss (8pm, CBS) - CBS's series of one-hour love letters to various giant corporations returns for its third season tonight, and by 9 p.m., we're all going to feel warm and cozy inside about the benevolent leaders of Diamond Resorts International and its CEO, Stephen J. Cloobeck. (I honestly hope these companies are paying CBS for their hour-long primetime commercials).

Napoleon Dynamite (8:30pm, Fox) - The premiere of a new animated series based on the hit movie, featuring the voices of the original movie cast. Amy Poehler has a guest performance in the opening episode. A second new episode airs at 9:30. Worth checking out? We have a review from a guest correspondent.

Downton Abbey (9pm, UNC-TV) - Episode two of the second season continues with the estate being turned into a convalescent home for wounded veterans. In other news, Lavinia (right) and Sir Richard's secret comes out, and Anna locates Bates.

Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain (9pm, Comedy Central) - A comedy concert film featuring stand-up comic Kevin Hart performing on his highly successful "Laugh at My Pain" tour, which broke sales records formerly held by Eddie Murphy.

House of Lies (10pm, Showtime) - The owner of a major sports franchise is going through a messy divorce, so the team flies to Phoenix to help him smooth the rough spots.

Don Cheadle rules Showtime's 'House of Lies'

I honestly can't decide if I like Showtime's new dark comedy "House of Lies," or if I hate it.

I like the cast a lot -- Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars"), Ben Schwartz ("Parks and Recreation"), and Australian actor Josh Lawson. But I really do hate the characters they play. I hate what they do and how they do it and who they do it for.

"House of Lies" follows a group of highly paid managment consultants who essentially hustle their super wealthy clients while helping those clients hustle the rest of us.

Cheadle plays the leader of the group, Marty Kaan. In addition to being an exceedingly slick huckster, he's also a divorced single dad with primary custody, and he depends on his own father (played by Donis Leonard Jr.) for help caring for his son. Marty also has a souped-up libido, which is evident from the first eye-popping scene in episode 1. (Do not watch this series when the kids are around!!).

What to Watch on Sunday: 'Downton Abbey' and 'The Firm' lead the night

Downton Abbey (9pm, UNC-TV) - The second season opens during World War I with Matthew and Thomas in the trenches in France, and Robert and William longing to join the action. Also, Mary struggles with her feelings for Matthew when he returns from the war and attends a concert at the estate with a new companion.

The Firm (9pm, NBC) - NBC's newest drama series is based on the John Grisham novel and motion picture "The Firm," but set ten years after the action in the original work. In tonight's premiere, Mitchell McDeer (Josh Lucas, right) and his family work to reclaim their lives after ten years in the Witness Protection Program. Also stars Juliette Lewis ("Cape Fear"), Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica"), Molly Parker ("Deadwood"), Callum Keith Rennie ("The Killing"), and Shaun Majumder ("Detroit 187").

Shameless (9pm, Showtime) - In the Season 2 premiere, Fiona lands a job tending bar at a popular local joint and meets a new guy. Meanwhile, Frank uses his son Liam as collateral for a gambling debt. And that is why I can't make myself like this show.

The Good Wife (9pm, CBS) - A couple whose divorce was overseen by Lockhart/Gardner brings a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the firm after the pair accuse them of encouraging their breakup for financial gain. F. Murray Abraham guest stars.

House of Lies (10pm, Showtime) - A new dark comedy about a top-dollar management consultant and his ethically challenged team. In the premiere episode, the consultants head to NY with a plan to help bankers justify their big bonuses while their customers suffer from a financial crisis the bankers helped cause. I'm not sold, but here's my review. Stars Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell.

Californication (10:30pm, Showtime) - Season 5 opens a after the end of Season 4, with Hank living in New York but hoping to relocate. He may get his chance when Charlie invites him to LA to write a screenplay for a project starring a rapper-turned-actor. In LA, he meets up with Karen and her new husband, and meets Becca's new boyfriend.

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