Critic's corner

10 p.m., HBO
Remember when Anna Paquin came up to the Oscar stage in 1994 to accept her statue for "The Piano"? She looked absolutely terrified. Now, she's 26 and confident and the star of this entertaining new HBO Louisiana vampire series. She grew up in New Zealand, but she puts on a heavy-duty Southern accent that, like so much about "True Blood," is camp fun. Pictured: Paquin with Sam Trammell.

10 p.m., History Channel
The prize: An extra helping of stewed prunes.

9 p.m., Channel 25
Yup, a new season. Death comes after creative death.

9 p.m., E!
Kate Hudson has a movie to promote.

10 p.m., FX
In this promising new show about a gun-running motorcycle club, Charlie Hunnam looks uncannily like Heath Ledger. But Hunnam, who starred in the British "Queer as Folk" and a movie adaptation of "Nicholas Nickleby," has his own distinct leading-man appeal. As his mother on "Sons of Anarchy," Katey Sagal is a powerhouse.

8 p.m., Channel 25
They flirt over a dead TV host.

9 p.m., Bravo
Zodiac-inspired wardrobes. No twins jokes, please.

Comcast, Free Movies
This obvious and predictable film about a reclusive novelist and his brilliant protege from the 'hood has no business being as enjoyable as it is. The reasons are sterling performances from Sean Connery as the cranky mentor and Robert Brown as the promising writer he helps into a private academy, plus a love of language that shines through the film's rigging. (PG-13; runs through Sept. 18)