3 p.m. on 5 8, “XXII Winter Olympics” — Hardware aplenty is handed out in a number of sports today in Sochi, Russia, starting with women’s short track, in which American Alyson Dudek hopes to be in the top three in the 1500m event. In cross-country skiing, women from Norway, Sweden and Finland figure to vie for podium space in the 4×5 relay, while in men’s skeleton, Martins and Tomass Dukurs of Latvia are the co-favorites.

8 p.m. on 2 9, Movie: “Dreamgirls” — It took a long time for the stage hit to reach the screen, but writer-director Bill Condon’s adaptation was worth the wait. Beyonce Knowles has her best film role yet as the central vocalist in a 1960s girl group, and Jamie Foxx also does sterling work as their manager. Still, the cast standouts are Eddie Murphy as a soul-music superstar and Jennifer Hudson, the “American Idol” former competitor who earned an Oscar for the film.

8 p.m. on AMC, Movie: “Snakes on a Plane” — What’s this movie about again? Samuel L. Jackson is among those fighting reptiles in the skies in this 2006 thriller, playing the federal agent in charge of delivering a mob witness. Others don’t want him to — cue the snakes. Visceral fun is the result, and others targeted by the slithering “passengers” include characters played by Julianna Margulies, Bobby Cannavale and Rachel Blanchard (“7th Heaven”).

9 p.m. on TRAV, “Ghost Adventures” — Returning with new episodes on a new night, this series follows paranormal investigators Zak Bagans and Nick Groff and technician Aaron Goodwin as they track ghosts at allegedly haunted locations. In “Sharon Tate Ghost,” they visit a Los Angeles home experiencing paranormal activity believed to be related to the Manson Family murders.

9 p.m. on USA, Movie: “In the Heat of the Night” — Director Norman Jewison’s first-rate 1967 mystery earned Oscars for best picture and best actor for Rod Steiger, who plays a bigoted Southern police chief forced to investigate a murder with a black Philadelphia police detective (Sidney Poitier). Ray Charles performs the wonderfully moody title song; Lee Grant and Warren Oates co-star. The film, and the novel upon which it was based, inspired a TV series that starred Carroll O’Connor.