True Blood 8, 9, and 10 p.m., HBO
It went on too long, but I did enjoy watching Lafayette when he was possessed by Mavis, the singing Creole woman. I don’t think it was meant to be campy, especially since Mavis’s story - murdered by a white man who had already killed their infant - was so tragic. But it felt like one of those cheesy plotlines from a daytime soap, as Lafayette as Mavis stole the baby from his crib. Without Nelsan Ellis as Lafayette, “True Blood’’ sure would be a lot less entertaining.
2011 MTV Video Music Awards Sunday at 9 p.m., MTV
You don’t have to watch the VMAs on Sunday. But if you don’t, you’ll miss all kinds of major, important stuff, and you’ll be totally out of the loop for at least a full day, maybe even two. Beyoncé is going to perform, and so is Lady Gaga. Tony Bennett is going to pay tribute to Amy Winehouse. And viewers will get to see the first-ever clips from the forthcoming adaptation of “The Hunger Games.’’ OMG, MTV.
Jurassic C.S.I. 8 p.m., National Geographic
We need TV ’cause they got T. Rex.
Panic Room 10 p.m., TV Guide Network
Rentable till after the election?
Rat Busters NYC 10 p.m., Animal Planet
J. Cagney Inc.
Whisker Wars 11 p.m., IFC
Hollywood’s not accustomed to this kind of beard.
