1) “Masterpiece: Poldark” finale, 9 p.m., PBS. For five seasons we’ve seen Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner, shown here) try to pierce layers of corruption in England’s ruling class. Last week (rerunning at 8 p.m.), he found his ore had been stolen and traded for weapons, stockpiled for a French invasion. Officials still did nothing, so now he tries a makeshift effort as a double agent. The result is wildly unbelievable; villains here seem incapable of finishing off anyone. Still, it’s an emotional end to a lush and epic story.
2) “Soul Train Awards,” 8 p.m., BET, rerunning at 11. Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold host what should be a fun night. A “Soul Cypher” number links Anthony Hamilton, Carl Thomas, Erykah Badu, Keyshia Cole, Le’Andria Johnson and Robert Glasper. Also performing: Boyz II Men, Queen Naija, Luke James, K.Michelle, SiR, Wale and BJ the Chicago Kid. Chris Brown leads nominations with eight; there are special awards for gospel’s Yolanda Adams and producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
3) All day, Showtime. First, we catch up on the previous “Ray Donovan” season, with reruns from 2-8 p.m.; then the 8 p.m. season-opener finds Ray helping his dad surrender to police. At 9, “Shameless” finds Frank trying to make money – something he’s really not good at. At 10 and 10:30 is the mid-section of “Back to Life,” a three-week delight. Miri (back from 18 years in prison for murder) has a brief respite with her neighbor; also, she and her mother are stranded, forcing a conversation.
4) “Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration,” 7 p.m, PBS. It was 50 years and one week ago that “Sesame” introduced its splendid mixture of wit, whimsy and letters. Now – after debuting eight days ago on HBO – this special reaches PBS, which has nurtured the show from the start.
5) “The Crown,” any time, Netflix. The first two seasons brought Emmy nominations for best drama series and much more, including an Emmy for Claire Foy and a nomination for Matt Smith. Now they’ve aged out: This season starts in 1964 (when Queen Elizabeth and her husband were 38 and 43) and stretches for 13 more years. Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies, both 45, step into the roles.
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