Tonight's TV Hot List: Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Pacific
9/8c HBO
One aspect mostly absent from Band of Brothers was the war's effect on the Allied home front, but tonight we see a grateful civilian population when the Marines recuperate in Melbourne in January 1943. There are wounds, both physical and mental, to tend to, and many of the Americans bond with their hosts, including Leckie's romance with a Greek-Australian woman. But there is also the troubling notion that they could ship out anytime, to another campaign as bad — or worse — than Guadalcanal. — Joe Friedrich
Amazing Race 16
8/7c CBS
The six remaining teams fly from frigid France to the island nation of Seychelles, a tropical paradise located in the Indian Ocean. Once there, the duos take a breathless helicopter ride to a remote island, where they race with a giant tortoise and search for a message in a bottle under the sea. Detectives Louie and Michael have won the last three legs and appear to be the team to beat, while perpetual bottom dwellers Brent and Caite again find themselves at the rear of the pack. And things don't get any easier for them tonight. Their constant bickering makes Brent consider quitting the race. — Tim Holland
Amish Grace
8/7c Lifetime Movie Network
Kimberly Williams-Paisley stars in this 2010 cable movie as Ida Graber, an Amish mother grieving the loss of her daughter to a gunman's bullets in a school shooting that leaves five girls dead. Based on a true story, the community comes together and forgives the perpetrator, but is criticized by the press for doing so. Ida, however, struggles with forgiveness and considers leaving her home as the only way to accept the death of her child. Tammy Blanchard also stars. — Rhoda Charles
Family Guy
9/8c Fox
Poor Brian just can't get a literary break. There was that failed novel and the stint at The New Yorker that went nowhere, and now he takes his lumps as a TV screenwriter when network suits turn his sensitive drama into a raucous sitcom. Adding insult to injury: James Woods (who Family Guy fans know has a history with Brian that isn't pleasant) is cast in the lead role over Brian's preferred choice, Elijah Wood. Both actors give voice to their own characters, as does Charlie Sheen. — Paul Droesch
Breakout
9/8c National Geographic
This compelling new series from the producers of Locked Up Abroad is like a real-life Prison Break, documenting some of the most high-profile jailbreaks in recent history and the ingenious detective work leading to the escapees' eventual recapture. The opener looks at one of the biggest manhunts in Texas history, when seven inmates escaped a lockup near San Antonio on Dec. 13, 2000, and went on the run for more than 40 days. — Karen Andzejewicz