Sunday TV: 'Downton' specials, 'Galavant'
Countdown to Downton Abbey/Downton Abbey: A Celebration
PBS, 8 and 10 ET/PT (times may vary)
PBS is bookending the final-season return of Downton with a pre-show “countdown” hosted by Tony-winner Kelli O’Hara, and a post-show “celebration” that can be considered PBS’s less chatty version of Talking Dead. Like Dead, it’s a bit of overkill, but keep in mind that Downton is PBS’s highest rated series ever — and the service is going to miss it even more than viewers will.
Galavant
ABC, 8 ET/PT
To keep the Downton party going, star Hugh Bonneville returns as the Pirate King on Galavant, as this musical spoof kicks off a second season. Considering the ratings, you can’t exactly say it’s back by popular demand — but fans will be glad to have more time with the show and more songs by Alan Mencken and Glenn Slater. The first run was not quite as funny or tight as some of us might have hoped, but at least the show represents something different — and ABC's doing so in a way that offers a bit of harmless, goofy amusement.
Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Live/Bordertown
Fox, 8:30 and 9:30 ET/PT
Fox adds two new comedies to its Sunday lineup. The first is a live-action sitcom starring Jack Cutmore-Scott. The second is a cartoon set in a fictional town on the U.S.-Mexican border.