Tonight's TV Hot List: Sunday, May 24, 2009

Indianapolis 500
1 pm/ET ABC
Drivers to watch in this year's visit to the Brickyard include two-time champ and 2007 Dancing With the Stars winner Helio Castroneves, who came off beating a tax-evasion rap to grab this year's pole; 2007 winner Dario Franchitti, returning to Indy after a frustrating year on the NASCAR circuit; defending champ Scott Dixon, who also won last month's IndyCar event in Kansas; and, of course, Danica Patrick, who charged after Ryan Briscoe after an accident here last year. — Dave Roeder
NASCAR Racing
5 pm/ET Fox
After a brief pit stop at the picnic table, motor-sports junkies shift from Indianapolis to the Charlotte area for the second half of the longest day in racing, from Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The day is extra-special for Indiana native Tony Stewart, a five-time Indy 500 driver (best finish was fifth) who is coming off a $1 million win in Charlotte's All-Star Race, his first triumph as owner-driver of the new No. 14 Chevy. A win in tonight's 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 would duplicate the Charlotte double last pulled off by Kasey Kahne a year ago. — Roger Leister
National Memorial Day Concert
8 pm/ET PBS
Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna host the annual tribute to the service and sacrifice of America's military personnel from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The evening is expected to feature performances by country music's Trace Adkins, opera great Denyce Graves, classical pianist Lang Lang, violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie, American Idol alum Katharine McPhee, Broadway's Brian Stokes Mitchell and Colm Wilkinson, and, of course, Erich Kunzel and the National Symphony Orchestra. Also slated to be on hand are Gen. Colin L. Powell (USA Ret.), Laurence Fishburne, Katie Holmes and Dianne Wiest. — Jeff Gemmill
Diamonds
9 pm/ET ABC
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but the 1949 Jule Styne-Leo Robin tune left out their other qualities, such as being the source of global mayhem, familial dysfunction and child soldiers. But that's where this four-hour miniseries comes in, which begins with the murder of a U.S. senator's daughter at an African mine and fans out to a jewelry empire in Johannesburg, a boy's flight from Sierra Leone and the London fashion scene. Judy Davis, Derek Jacobi and James Purefoy star. Part 2 airs on Tuesday at 9 pm/ET. — Joe Friedrich
The Tudors
9 pm/ET Showtime
The third-season finale is rife with regal intrigue as the sexually restless king loses interest (what little, if any, he had) in the unappealing Anne of Cleves and settles on yet another mistress, comely 17-year-old Katherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant), who most definitely rekindles his passion. Affairs of the heart also take hold as Henry's daughter Mary is wooed by Anne's dashing Bavarian cousin, Prince Philip. And affairs of state take a hit when Cromwell is labeled a traitor and dispatched to the Tower of London by the newly empowered Brandon. — Ray Stackhouse
Breaking Bad
10 pm/ET AMC
The second season's penultimate episode reaches spellbinding dramatic heights and is highlighted by emotionally wringing performances en masse. Despite making "the biggest deal of their lives," Walt can't enjoy the spoils without worrying about Jesse, who has embraced a new drug of choice. On a positive note, Skyler gives birth, and Walt's surprise encounter with a troubled father leads to a heartfelt chat about family responsibility, which strikes a chord with Walt and triggers paternal feelings for his misguided partner in crime. — Ray Stackhouse