Television can seem like an all-or-nothing, feast-or-famine world.
One moment, there’s little worth watching. The next, there’s an overload.
Fortunately, we’re heading into overload land. One night — Sunday, March 22 — has three debuts and two season-openers, plus the regular shows. It would have had even more, if it weren’t for ABC’s late decision to yank the “Bachelorette” openers.
The night opens the 15th season of “Call the Midwife.” It has the third “Forsytes” series, the 40th-or-more “Count of Monte Cristo” and the zillionth (approximately) Biblical epic.
The shows vary drastically, from the glittery “Forsytes” to the dark “Monte Cristo.” But all are ambitious. Alongside the regular dramas — “Tracker,” “Marshals,” “Dark Winds” — they’re in an overstuffed night. They are:
“THE FORSYTES” (9 p.m., PBS)
For the third time, PBS tackles John Goldworthy’s novels about family, privilege, romance and greed in London of the early 1900s.
It was a 26-parter in 1967, a 13-parter in 2002. Now we get a quick. slick six-parter; more are planned, but this provides a decent ending.
The focus starts with Jolyon Forsyte (Stephen Moyer of “True Blood”), his brother James (Jack Davenport of “Coupling” and “Smash”), the good-hearted Jolyon Jr. — known as Jo — and Jack’s hard-hearted son Soames. Jolyon wants Jo to take over the company; James wants Soames.
But this version has a stronger emphasis on women. There’s Ann (Francesca Annis, a frequent PBS star), the widowed matriarch. There’s Jo’s wife and step-daughter. There’s a woman from Jo’s past, another in Soames’ future.
These women and Jo bring heart and optimism. Add in the lush visuals and the quick pace and you have a terrific show.
“Love Overboard” (10 p.m., ABC)
This was supposed to get a big lead-in from the “Bacheloerette” opener. Now that shows has been shelved (replaced by an “American Idol” rerun) and “Overboard” is on its own.
It starts by introducing the 16 single folk (all of them swimwear read) who will be on a cruise ship. On Thursday, “Overboard” moves to Hulu,where tjhere will be more room for sex and such.
“THE FAITHFUL: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE’ (8-10 p.m., Fox)
Moving far from the modern glitter, we’re in Canaan (near Egypt), almost 4,000 years ago. It’s a dry, brown place, brightened only by the heroine’s fondness for the color blue.
That’s Sarah (Minnie Driver), married to Abraham (Jeffrey Donovan).He’s an endlessly good soul; she’s mostly a good one. She has rare spurts of cruelty and an insistence on never backing down — which soon propels the story.
Two more “The Faithful” films (on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday) following the next generations. Each adds some dramatic license … which may or may not be enough to hold viewers.
“CALL THE MIDWIFE” (8 p.m., PBS)
In the do-good spirit of Sarah and Abraham, here are the people of modern (well, 1971) London.
We meet the nuns, nurses and neighbors, including a storekeeper and his wife the mayor. All help a deeply impoverished neighborhood.
here are nudges of progress — some widespread (the growing interest in women’s equality), some personal (the charming romance between a young nurse and Cyril, a social-worker and lay minister who reluctantly divorced when his wife returned to Jamaica.
Still, there’s darkness ahead. The opener is dominated by cruel parents; more troubles are coming, leading to an emotional finale in May.
“THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO” (10 p.m., PBS)
Any “Midwife” darkness, however, is no match for “Monte Cristo.” This is a long voyage into persecution and revenge.
Alexandre Dumas’ novel came out in 1846, part of an era when Frenchfolk considered it fun to read Victor Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1831) and “Les Miserables” (1862) and Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera” (1910).
It’s been made into about 20 movies (five of them silent) and about 20 TV films and mini-series. A two-hour movie can emphasize the adventure. But eight hours?
The opener is pure persecution — for our hero (Sam Claflin of “Hunger Games” and “Peaky Blinders”) and for the viewers. The second is a bracing adventure. The rest — especially seen through the Count’s stony visage — reminds us that revenge is a rugged road.
Hey, we said the night would be crowded; we didn’t say it would all be fun.