Coltrane comes in with the ‘Tide’; Warners’ ‘Glory’; Moyers looks homeward at ‘Addiction’

Sunday

“Los Angeles Marathon” / 8 a.m. KCOP

Nearly 20,000 runners are expected to break from the starting line in the 13th annual event, with start-to-finish coverage anchored by Alan Frio and Ann Shatilla. The male runners to watch, according to producer Dave Goetz, are Manual Matias of Portugal (whose best time is 2:08:33) and Simon Lopuyet and Philip Chirchir of Kenya. The women’s field will be headed by Lornah Kiplagat of Kenya, last year’s winner at a time of 2:33:50. The 26.2-mile route will be covered by 28 cameras on ground and in the sky.

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“The Ebb-Tide” / 5 and 9 p.m. A&E;

Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel tells the tale of a trio in a Caribbean “hell-hole.” Robbie Coltrane, who has been sorely missed as the formidable misanthrope “Cracker,” plays Captain Chisholm, one of three men wracked by starvation and tropical fever. Ignoring the risk of disease, Chisholm and his cohorts end up on a plague ship bound for Australia, where Chisholm ultimately must confront his personal demons.

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“The Warner Bros. Story: No Guts, No Glory” / 5 and 8:30 p.m. TNT

The storied studio celebrates its 75th anniversary with the first of four cable specials. Oscar nominee Dustin Hoffman hosts ol’ “Glory,” a one-hour retrospective featuring clips, outtakes and interviews with the likes of Clint Eastwood, Sandra Bullock, Morgan Freeman and Mel Gibson. Starting Monday, sister channel TCM joins the celebration with a weeklong marathon of more than 80 titles from the studio’s vast library, including “The Jazz Singer,” “The Maltese Falcon” and other screen gems.

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“Chance of a Lifetime” / 9 p.m. CBS

Hotshot reporter weds independent career woman. Naturally, there’s a bit more flesh to that slender storyline for this romantic comedy pairing sitcom stars John Ritter (“Three’s Company”) and Katey Sagal (“Married

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“Moyers on Addiction: Close to Home” / 9 p.m. KCET, KOCE

Bill Moyers deals with the science, treatment, prevention and politics of addiction in this five-part series whose title refers to the fact that the journalist’s oldest son has struggled with drugs and alcohol. What he learned about addictive behavior as part of that experience led to these PBS programs, which will be shown on three consecutive nights. The first two hours airing Sunday will focus on recovering addicts and how addiction affects the brain.

Tuesday

“Steve McQueen: King of Cool” / 7 p.m. AMC

He was a maverick and outsider. He was arrogant, aggressive, competitive, loving, insecure, difficult, mean and incorrigible. And if you believe Suzanne Pleshette, he never picked up a check in his life. In this interesting profile, we learn about several sides of the late actor, who portrayed cool customers in such films as “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Great Escape” and “Bullitt.” McQueen’s former wife Neile, son Chad, director Mark Rydell (“The Reivers”), Pleshette (“Nevada Smith”) and others supply the observations.

Wednesday

“Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach” / 9 p.m. KCET

The acclaimed cellist works with other artists to stretch the limits of traditional art forms in this six-part PBS series. Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello” serves as the catalyst for each of the hourlong programs. In “Six Gestures,” ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean gracefully interpret the German composer’s Suite No. 6. Afterward, “Falling Down Stairs” finds Mark Morris choreographing Suite No. 3 as he travels with Ma from city to city.

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“No Laughing Matter” / 9 p.m. USA

Like the Bill Moyers documentaries, this cable movie also deals with the debilitating effects of addiction. Suzanne Somers, the daughter of an alcoholic, stars as Emma, a single mother battling the bottle and her 17-year-old son (Chad Christ), who runs the household in her absence. What separates this film from others about alcoholism? Somers says it focuses on Emma’s desire to be a good mother, though “the disease made it impossible.”