‘Defenders’ get a heavy new case; MTV miniseries fights for teens’ rights; breaking a ‘Masterpiece’

Sunday

“The Defenders: Payback” / 8 p.m. Showtime

One of the small screen’s superior series about the law returns as a highly emotional TV movie. E.G. Marshall, who won two Emmys for his portrayal of earnest defense attorney Lawrence Preston in the 1961-65 CBS drama, is practicing once again. His new associates are passionate son Don (Beau Bridges) and idealistic granddaughter M.J. (Martha Plimpton). Their client: an unrepentant father (the riveting John Larroquette) who shot his daughter’s rapist in cold blood.

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“Final Descent” / 9 p.m. CBS

From “The High and the Mighty” to the “Airport” franchise, screenwriters have concocted numerous scenarios in which peerless pilots fly by the seat of their pants, saving aircraft and passengers alike. Those previous blueprints for peril may come to mind as you watch this made-for-TV thriller starring Robert Urich as a hero nicknamed Lucky who tries to land a damaged jumbo jet after a mid-air collision with a prop plane. Annette O’Toole plays the co-pilot who gets Lucky.

****

“Every 9 Seconds” / 9 p.m. NBC

The title of this TV movie refers to the disturbing frequency of women being battered in America. Amy Pietz of “Caroline in the City” plays Carrie, a journalist who volunteers at a crisis hotline for a story on domestic violence. On her first night, Carrie gets calls from two women, one (Gail O’Grady) with a loaded gun who says that her paroled ex-husband is stalking her. At that point, Carrie takes matters into her own hands.

****

“Unwed Father” / 9 p.m. ABC

In this thoughtful and well-acted albeit familiar TV movie, a self-absorbed college student (Brian Austin Green of “Beverly Hills, 90210”) must raise his baby boy alone after the mother (Nicholle Tom of “The Nanny”) skips town. Both characters pay dearly for their one-night stand, with the overwhelmed 21-year-old father forced to mature quickly and the guilt-ridden mother pining for the infant from afar. As one person puts it bitingly, “Welcome to parenthood.”

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“Masterpiece Theatre” / 9 p.m. KCET

Emily Watson, who gave a wrenching Oscar-nominated performance as a tormented bride in “Breaking the Waves,” portrays the star-crossed heroine of George Eliot’s 1860 novel, “The Mill on the Floss,” which launches the 27th season of this sturdy PBS series. Watson is Maggie Tulliver, the rebellious daughter of a tradesman in pre-industrial England. Against better judgment, Maggie falls in love with her cousin’s love (James Weber-Brown), leading to a tragedy laid out with an emphasis on watery symbolism.

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“Fight for the Right” / 10 p.m. MTV

The music video channel’s first miniseries looks at young people rebelling against laws they consider to be unconstitutional. The first half-hour segment of this three-part series gives an overview of youth rights--from child labor laws of the ‘30s to contemporary curfews and school metal detectors. The subsequent installments, airing Oct. 19 and 26, examine free speech and sexuality. Kurt Loder, Serena Altschul and John Norris are the hosts.

Monday

“Stephen Hawking’s Universe” / 9 p.m. KCET

Hawking, the brilliant British mathematician virtually paralyzed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, offers his revolutionary views of time and space in this six-part science series. While grappling with the big questions (where did we come from and how will the world end?), this PBS program introduces Hawking--speaking through a computer synthesizer--and his colleagues, who are changing the way we look at the cosmos. The debut deals with our evolving view of the universe.

****

“The Hired Heart” / 9 p.m. Lifetime

Very little in this made-for-cable movie will come as a surprise. And yet the engaging cast manages to rise above the romantic cliches to at least make it watchable. Penelope Ann Miller plays a lonely Wyoming widow, still grieving over the death of her husband two years earlier, who hires an escort (Brett Cullen) to fend off other suitors assembled by her blustery father-in-law (ever-blustery Barry Corbin of “Northern Exposure”). OK, so there is one surprise: the bald pate of Corbin.