Extraordinary 'Girls' marked by manipulation, entitlement, and sex

ABC doesn’t bring much to the familiar story of the ocean liner that sunk 100 years ago this week. There’s unexciting romance, unconvincing class conflict, and unearned pathos. Julian Fellowes, of Downton Abbey fame, wrote the awful script, endangering his reputation as the master of 1910s dialogue.

The Titanic doesn’t start going down until well into hour four, amid syrupy strings, and improbably noble speeches. But the movie itself has sunk long before then.

Masterpiece Classic (8pm Sun, PBS)

Charles Dickens died in the middle of writing The Mystery of Edwin Drood, meaning that it’s a mystery novel fated to remain eternally mysterious. Dickens left no notes on whodunit, so posterity has been left to wonder what happened to young engineer Edwin Drood (Freddie Fox). He disappeared after breaking up with his fiancée (Tamzin Merchant), fighting with the hotheaded Neville (Sacha Dhawan), and ticking off his opium-addicted uncle Jasper (Matthew Rhys). Any of them could have killed Edwin — or is he even dead at all?

Masterpiece’s adaptation sucks you into the story and makes a stab at finishing it. The acting is brilliant, the mood is tense, and the twists and turns keep you guessing. I bet even Dickens himself would be on the edge of his seat, wondering how it will all come out.

Giuliana & Bill (7pm Tues, Style)

I’m inclined to dislike Giuliana & Bill, in which E! host Giuliana Rancic allows cameras to film every aspect of her life with husband Bill. How authentic could your marriage be if the Style camera crew is sharing your most intimate moments?

I must admit, however, that everything has changed in season five. Giuliana has received a diagnosis of breast cancer, and suddenly the show is actually about something — namely, a couple dealing with a sad turn of events. And I can’t help but admire the way they’re dealing with it. Bill does his best to be supportive, and Giuliana determines to help other women with breast cancer. “If one woman goes out and gets a mammogram that wasn’t planning on it, that’s a win,” Bill says. “If that’s all Giuliana has accomplished in her life, then she’s lived a hell of a life.”

Style, if you want to send out a camera crew to film me tearing up over Giuliana & Bill, I’d be cool with that.