S P O R T S

The end of the road: Tonight's the NCAA men's basketball championship game (9 p.m., CBS) Arizona vs. Kentucky. So how'd you do in the office pool?

SPECIALS

NBC's counter-programming strategy for the NCAA final is a textbook case of "He Watches, She Watches" -- Jane Campion's dreamlike 1993 drama The Piano (8:30 p.m., NBC). Holly Hunter won an Oscar for her performance as the mute, strong-willed mail-order bride imprisoned by 19th century mores and a hoop skirt that won't quit. Also starring Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill.

The Ten Commandments (9 p.m., ABC) concludes its annual springtime airing with the parting of the Red Sea and more campiness from Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter. The new three-part documentary series The CIA: America's Secret Warriors (10 p.m., Discovery) begins with a history of the CIA from its WWII beginnings to the Cold War to its troubled present. Former agents (including the notorious Aldrich Ames) tell tales out of school.

T A L K

Mia Farrow visits Rosie O'Donnell (syndicated); Kadeem Hardison and Bryant Gumbel guest on David Letterman (CBS); Jay Leno (NBC) features Magic Johnson and that "Riverdance" guy, Michael Flatley; Politically Incorrect (ABC) panelists include Jeffrey Tambor and Hugh Downs.

S E R I E S

The parting of the Red Sea isn't the only miracle on TV tonight -- Relativity (8 p.m., ABC) returns in a new time slot. The addictive romantic comedy-drama from "My So-Called Life" creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick won praise from critics (including yours truly) and built a loyal following in its Saturday night run, but the ratings were undeniably bad and the show was put on hiatus in January. ABC is airing the final three episodes of "Relativity" in its new time slot (made possible by the sudden yanking of the low-rated "Spy Game"), and if it doesn't attract an audience this time around, it's probably a goner. For those who haven't had the pleasure and the frustration of being intimately involved with "Relativity," it's an often beautifully written show about relationships, both romantic and familial. The show is centered on young lovers Isabel and Leo, but its strength is in the supporting characters, the family and friends and past lovers who shape the way they relate to each other. So if you care about this show, let ABC know and, if you can, find someone with a Nielsen box and offer them a bribe.
March 31, 1997

All times are EST. Check local listings.

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