Entertainment

Don’t miss

SHAMELESS
Today, 9 p.m., Showtime

RIPPER STREET
Saturday, 9 p.m., BBC America

ANGER MANAGEMENT
Thursday, 9 & 9:30 p.m., FX

THE 70TH GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
Today, 8p.m., NBC

NASHVILLE
Wednesday, 10 p.m., ABC

Dueling divas

Apparently, the reason we have been asked to watch “American Idol” this season is to witness the carefully leaked and promoted backstage catfights between new judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey . Does a diva such as Carey, with record sales of over 200 million, really have to subject herself to this kind of embarrassment to appeal to preteen viewers? We shall see if “Idol” boosts hip quotient and fledgling movie career. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, who joined the show at a lull in her movie career, are gone, pursuing grander showbiz dreams. In addition to Carey and Minaj, the other new judge on the panel is Keith Urban, the country singer married to Nicole Kidman. Hopefully, he will have some dignity as the judges travel from city to city listening to kids who can’t sing a note. Because this show, which used to focus on finding stars such as Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson, with power pipes, is a mess. Your host is Ryan Seacrest, who just wrapped up his New Year’s Eve duties on ABC.

AMERICAN IDOL

Wednesday & Thursday, 8 p.m., Fox

In the dumps

Those nasty Gallaghers are back on “Shameless.” Season 2 ended with Sheila (Joan Cusack) stealing her daughter’s unwanted baby from the maternity ward to raise herself. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) received her GED and moved in with her boyfriend, Jimmy (Justin Chatwin), and discovered what a bore he was. Dissolute Frank (William H. Macy) gets tossed in a dumpster by his son, Lip (Jeremy Allen White) who will be sentenced to community service. Not for throwing Dad out with the garbage. As usual, there are lots of dirty dishes.

SHAMELESS

Today, 9 p.m., Showtime

Jack be quick

An eight-part miniseries about the hunt for the notorious London killer Jack the Ripper premieres this week, with the focus on Inspector Edmund Reid (Matthew Macfadyen), head of notorious H division, the toughest district in London’s shabby East End. Charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel, Reid is soon drawn deep into the seedy criminal underworld of Victorian London, whose denizens fear that each new murder could mean the Ripper has struck again. Co-starring Jerome Flynn.

RIPPER STREET

Saturday, 9 p.m., BBC America

Those crazy Sheens

Remember how it all started? Martin Sheen was an acclaimed theater actor (“The Trial of the Catonsville Nine”) who gave a great performance in “Apocalypse Now.” Then in the second act of his career, he got his best role, playing the president on Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing.” These days, he’s best known as the dad of runaway train Charlie Sheen, star of the FX comedy “Anger Management.” The elder Sheen is now playing his son’s father on the series! The show’s second season premieres with back-to-back episodes. In the first, Charlie blows up at his sister’s wedding shower. In the second, Charlie’s dad does something forgetful — and funny. Or not.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Thursday, 9 & 9:30 p.m., FX

Send in the clowns

Can Amy Poehler and Tina Fey save the Golden Globes? The most compromised of awards shows tries a different tack this year: having TV girls Fey and Poehler handle the hosting duties while the usual Hollywood blowhards pretend to be surprised and even moved that their movies and performances have been given prizes by a mysterious organization of “journalists” not averse to accepting gifts and other perks from hard-charging producers. Expect “Les Miserables” and “Lincoln” to do very well in the comedy/musical and dramatic categories. As for TV, at least the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has recognized the great work being done by Hayden Panettiere on “Nashville.” Will she beat her co-star Connie Britton for the Best Actress, Drama, category?

THE 70th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

Today, 8 p.m., NBC

On the road

Rayna (Connie Britton) and Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) get ready to perform in San Diego in their first arena concert on the same bill. Rayna finds that working without ex-lover and lead guitarist Deacon (Charles Esten) is too disruptive and makes an interesting proposal to her new producer, Liam (Michiel Huisman), while Juliette sends Sean (Tilky Montgomery Jones) a message through the press. Gunnar (Sam Palladio) takes a road trip to Austin to visit his brother, and Scarlett (Clare Bowen) tags along for the ride so she can catch Deacon’s performance in Texas with the Revel Kings. How long before these two become a couple? Meanwhile Avery (Jonathan Jackson) makes his move to sign with Dominic (Wyclef Jean), and Teddy’s (Eric Close) and Coleman’s (Robert Ray Wisdom) campaigns find them in a dead heat.

NASHVILLE

Wednesday, 10 p.m., ABC