Tonight in HD: May 11

Season Premiere: Sherlock (TV One, 8.30) A case of blackmail threatens to topple the monarchy itself, but the treachery goes even deeper as Holmes and Watson battle international terrorism, rogue CIA agents, and a secret conspiracy involving the British government. “Sherlock is back on our screens and this time it’s even sexier than before,” The Independent said. “Especially, for fans of Benedict Cumberbatch who got to see a lot more of him than they were expecting.” The Times Higher Education supplement agreed sex was “the chief ingredient in this adaptation of A Scandal in Bohemia, the first of Arthur Conan Doyle’s 56 short stories about Holmes. Was Holmes a virgin? Is Dr Watson gay? Is thinking the new sexy? Apart from these pressing questions, the plot remains pretty much the same, which certainly saves the bother of invention. A royal personage employs Holmes to recover compromising images of an encounter with Irene Adler, played with seductive archness by [True Blood’s] Lara Pulver. In the original, Irene is an opera singer; in this adaptation, she is a dominatrix. She greets Holmes in the nude. This is a clever move because a naked body does not give as many clues about the owner as a suit of clothes. Or it may just be that Holmes hasn’t seen one before. A battle of wits ensues in which Irene comes out on top, as you might expect, given her profession.” The BBC received more than 100 complaints for Pulver’s nude scene, which the actress found “empowering” to film. ✮✮✮✮

SoHo Highlight: Pu-239 (Sky 10, 8.30, 5.1) "Imagine anticipating a Ken Loach film and being shown a Guy Ritchie movie," said Variety of this HBO drama about a Soviet Russian nuclear worker dying of radiation poisoning who tries to provide for his family by selling weapons-grade plutonium to a notorious gangster. Reviews ranged from "solidly made, timely and spotlighting a fine performance by Paddy Considine" (The Hollywood Reporter) to "this sad but intriguing premise wanes in a mish-mash of attempted Russian accents and clumsy storytelling" (Box Office Magazine). Scott Z Burns, who's scripted the new Man From UNCLE re-make, directs. (2007) ✮✮✮

Home & Away (TV3, 5.30) Gina and Roo try to reconcile John and Harvey; Lottie invites Dex over for dinner; a drunken Leah makes a move on Brax. ✮✮

Friends (TV2, 6.30, R) Monica and Rachel are afraid of a hairy new neighbour — until they find out how handsome he is with his hair cut. ✮✮✮

Shortland Street (TV2, 7.00) Vasa wins a battle with temptation; Sarah breaks free from a bad influence; Nicole is shocked by unexpected affection. ✮✮✮

Glee (TV3, 7.30, 5.1) Mr Schuester has a Valentine’s Day challenge for New Directions; Rachel’s two dads pay a visit to McKinley High (guest stars Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell). ✮✮✮

The Graham Norton Show (TV3, 8.30) With  Zac Efron, Matt LeBlanc and Not Going Out’s Lee Mack. ✮✮✮✮

The Vampire Diaries (TV2, 10.30, 5.1) The recent murders in Mystic Falls remind Damon of a similar string of killings one hundred years ago. Through flashbacks to 1912, Damon remembers a beautiful vampire named Sage. ✮✮✮

Primeval (TV2, 11.30) Philip and Connor secretly open an anomaly within the ARC, only to be invaded by a mass of scurrying future-beetles, who force the ARC into lockdown. ✮✮✮

Numb3rs (TV3, 12.15, 5.1) The FBI receives new information that could clear a convicted mob boss only a few hours before his scheduled execution. ✮✮

Persons Unknown (TV3, 1.10, 5.1, F) Series finale: the abductees escape following a van crash and try to restore normalcy to their lives. ✮✮

Sky Movies Greats Premiere: Underworld: Evolution (Sky 22, 8.30, 5.1) The centuries-old feud between aristocratic vampires and barbaric werewolves continues in a sequel that’s as much a snoozefest as a bloodfest. The original director Len Wiseman (Die Hard 4.0) reunites with stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman and Bill Nighy. Derek Jacobi and Michael Sheen co-star. (2006) ✮✮