PBS revives ‘Rebecca’; VH1 revisits classic LPs; USA airs fact-based drama on town’s racism battle

Sunday

“Mother Knows Best” / 9 p.m. ABC

Former “Growing Pains” star Joanna Kerns has a high time playing a well-heeled villain who arranges the murder of her son-in-law in this new TV movie. Chic, twisted socialite Celeste Cooper (Kerns) will do anything to stop her daughter Laurel (Christine Elise) from marrying Ted (Grant Show), a nice guy with a blue-collar background. After claiming that Ted attacked her, Celeste is barred from the couple’s wedding. But Celeste has other plans. Or as she says while spying on the nuptials from afar: “It’s not over yet.”

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“Masterpiece Theatre” / 9 p.m. KCET

“Rebecca,” the haunting romance novel by Daphne du Maurier, is turned into a stylish PBS piece. Charles Dance portrays Maxim de Winter, the moody, wealthy widower whose shy young bride (Emilia Fox) discovers she is living in the shadow of her glamorous predecessor, the late mistress of Manderley. Diana Rigg is Mrs. Danvers, the frosty head housekeeper whose devotion to Rebecca has no bounds. Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson played these roles in memorable fashion for Alfred Hitchcock in his Oscar-winning 1940 film.

Monday

“Classic Albums” / 8 p.m. VH1

Ringo Starr, who knows a thing or two about timeless material, hosts this five-part series detailing the creative process. In the first show, Paul Simon talks about the groundbreaking “Graceland,” which was produced in 1986 as his marriage to Carrie Fisher ended and a reunion with Art Garfunkel fell apart. Other programs airing Tuesday through Friday focus on “Songs in the Key of Life” (Stevie Wonder, 1976); “American Beauty” (The Grateful Dead, 1970); “The Band” (The Band, 1968) and “Electric Ladyland” (Jimi Hendrix, 1968).

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“Mysteries of Deep Space” / 8 p.m. KCET

Television and the universe have come a long way since Carl Sagan produced 1980’s “Cosmos” for PBS. In the network’s new three-part series, which uses a mix of live-action sequences, computer animation and images from the Hubble Space Telescope, filmmaker Thomas Lucas illustrates how astronomy itself has advanced in recent years. The first program examines the origins of space and explains why the universe is expanding.

Tuesday

“Hollywood Diaries” / 5:30 p.m. AMC

This half-hour special provides a glimpse into the thoughts of four famous stars. Daryl Hannah, William Devane, Lauren Hutton and Patrick Swayze read passages selected from letters, diaries, interviews and autobiographies of Marilyn Monroe (“I always felt I was a nobody”); Robert Mitchum (“I don’t even like acting. I just do it for the money”); Joan Crawford (“I never tried to imitate anyone else”) and Marlon Brando (“I have always resented authority”).

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“Deep Family Secrets” / 9 p.m. CBS

Last month, Richard Crenna boarded the mighty Nautilus in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” This week, he sinks to new depths--if you will--as the prime suspect in the murder of his wife. Crenna is cast as Clay Chadway, whose spouse (Angie Dickinson) suddenly vanishes. Believing in his innocence, Clay’s daughter JoAnne (Molly Gross) lends assistance. Along the way, however, JoAnne discovers more than she ever knew about her father and two siblings.

Wednesday

“The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers’ Struggle” / 9 p.m. KCET

PBS profiles the inspirational leader whose commitment changed the face of social activism. The two-hour documentary recounts his hard-fought battle to win labor contracts for California farm workers through international boycotts, ultimately leading to the passage of the nation’s first farm labor law in 1977. This history of the movement also includes interviews with Chavez family members as well as Ethel Kennedy and former Gov. Jerry Brown.

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“Not in This Town” / 9 p.m. USA

In its latest departure from cheesy thrillers, USA offers this contemporary drama based on a true story. Emmy winner Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences”) stars as Tammie Schnitzer, a mother in Billings, Mont., who squares off with a group of racists. Reacting to a series of hate crimes, Schnitzer and the newly appointed sheriff (Max Gail) rally support among other citizens, who initially are reluctant to intervene. The message, according to Schnitzer, is “a universal one of human rights.”