Kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV is set for 6:28 p.m. ET on CBS (following a pre-game show that begins at 2 p.m. ET). While our Music Mix blog will cover Carrie Underwood’s National Anthem and The Who’s halftime performance, and PopWatch will live blog the telecast riffing on everything but the game, we realize some of you may be looking for an alternative to the Saints vs. Colts. With the other broadcast networks admitting defeat in the form of repeats (or new episodes of ‘Til Death), here are some of your best cable bets.
MARATHONS:
Hallmark: I Love Lucy, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET
TLC: Cake Boss (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.), What Not to Wear (7 p.m. to 3 a.m.)
Animal Planet: Puppy Bowl VI, premieres at 3 p.m. ET, repeats until 5 a.m. The very definition of cute overload.
MTV: Jersey Shore (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Teen Mom (6 p.m. to midnight)
Bravo: Millionaire Matchmaker (1 p.m. to 8 p.m.), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (8 p.m. to 4 a.m.)
TNT: Law & Order, noon to midnight
USA: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Spike: CSI, 1 p.m. to 4 a.m.
A&E: Criminal Minds, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Discovery: Destroyed in Seconds, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Food Network: Ace of Cakes, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Travel: Man vs. Food Live, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
BBC America: Last Restaurant Standing (3 p.m. to 8 p.m.), Doctor Who (8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)
Fuse: 40 Sexiest Videos, 6 to 10 p.m.
MSNBC: To Catch a Predator (3 p.m. to 10 p.m.), Predator Raw: The Unseen Tapes (10 p.m. to 2 a.m.)
truTV: Cops, 7 to 10 p.m.
DIY: episodes of 10 Killer Bathrooms, Bathtastic!, Bath Crashers, and America’s Ugliest Bathrooms, 7 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Syfy: Ghost Hunters, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.
TV Land: The Andy Griffith Show (1 p.m. to 6 p.m.), Home Improvement (6 p.m. to 12:30)
Style: Supernanny, 6 a.m. to 3 a.m.
SPEED: Dangerous Drives, 5 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Oxygen: America’s Next Top Model, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
HGTV: House Hunters International, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
WE: Platinum Weddings (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.), followed by a new Rich Bride, Poor Bride
VH1: Fantasia for Real (9 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
National Geographic: For those whose religion isn’t football: Cain and Abel: Brother at War (7 p.m.), Search for Noah’s Ark (8 p.m.), Devil’s Bible (9 p.m.), Decoding Bible Relics (10 p.m.)
History: Super Bowl commercials aren’t the only thing that sells! Caligula: Reign of Madness (9 p.m.), Sex in the Bible (10 p.m.), History of Sex (11:30 p.m.)
TBS: Chick Flicks! Mean Girls (1 p.m.), The Wedding Planner (3 p.m.), Failure to Launch (5 p.m.), Titanic (7 p.m.), Titanic (11 p.m.)
FX: Think of it as the “Go watch the TV in the other room” babysitter movie marathon. Big Daddy (1 p.m.), Flicka (3 p.m.), Ice Age (5 p.m.), Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (7 p.m.), Night at the Museum (9 p.m.)
Encore: Ditto. But now your kids are teens. 10 Things I Hate About You (6:20 p.m.), The House Bunny (8 p.m.), American Pie 2 (9:40 p.m.)
ABC Family: Okay, technically not a marathon, but it’s as long as one when you add in commercials. The Sound of Music, 7 p.m.
MORE MOVIES:
Cinemax: Big, 6:45
SOAPnet: Roxanne, 8 p.m.
TMC: Evita, 5:45
AMC: Dances With Wolves, 8 p.m.
CMT: Coyote Ugly, 8 p.m.
TCM: The Pink Panther (6 p.m.), 8½ (8 p.m.), Juliet of the Spirits (10:30 p.m.)
Photo Credit: I Love Lucy: Everett Collection; What Not to Wear: TLC
Damn. Guess I won’t be watching any TV today.
I thought the exact same thing after I read the list.
Remember like 5 years ago when the super bowl commercials were still a reason to watch? Did making entertaining commercial really disappear with the Bud bowl?
I still watch because of the commercials.
WHY??????? They’re commericals. That’s what DVRs are for – so we can avoid those things.
Why would I sit through the hours-long game that I don’t care about just to catch commercials that I can watch online in a hundred different places after it’s over?
I don’t trust people who choose not to watch the Super Bowl.
some people just dont like sports.
i for one, loathe all sports that are televised for entertainment economical purposes. i prefer to participate or play recreationally with ppl than what someone else do it.
really? LOL I bet you’re a BLAST at parties
My thoughts exactly Gretchen. lol
I choose not to watch the Superbowl cause I don’t want to see Peyton Manning get his ring. /bitter New England fan
That’s OK….I felt the same way when Tom got his rings.
I don’t trust people who look forward to the Superbowl, especially commercials. Noam Chomsky and I are bros.
Love it. You had balls to make that reference on here.
I’m really crying that you don’t trust me. It hurts me deeply.
Puppy bowl!!!!!!!
I’m hosting a Battlestar Galactica marathon at my house. My brother and I have been rewatching the series with some friends who have never seen it before, and our goal is to finish season two today.
That is the greatest way to spend Super Bowl Sunday that I have heard so far.
Can I come too??? Anything to get me away from the Super Bowl is worth it.
Not to mention that the final installment of Masterpiece Classic’s Emma airs tonight.
not my PBS station… for some odd reason they played both parts 2 and 3 last week, and I, assuming that they were airing part 3 this week, only DVR’d part 2. Little miffed about that.
That sucks. Hope they re-air it for you. (Or maybe someone will pirate it and put it on youtube.)
Thanks for pointing that out, Lady Pirate. I was going to do the same. Never want to miss a chance to mention Masterpiece. And Katie, my local station also aired both parts last week. I’m so glad Masterpiece Classic is a Season Pass because the DVR caught it.
In Chicago, they just finished “Emma” and will show “Miss Austen Regrets.” Honestly, I love the Saints and would watch the Super Bowl if I wouldn’t get so insanely nervous about it!
I’m watching the Super Bowl, but I’m going to try and switch the channel to 8 1/2 as much as possible.
yea i love house hunters international!!
I am gonna do what i usually do on superbowls
and i must say im looking forward to finally watching these 4 movies 
sit back in my lazyboy get some snacks and watch a couple of movies that’ve been piling up and i’ve been to busy to watch because of all the shows that are on in this case i’ll be (finally!) watching the hurt locker, new york I love you, 500 days of summer and my sisters keeper. 4 completely different movies that’ll keep me busy during this day of no tv and no outings since everyones busy watching the superbowl. i’ve created my own tradition for the past 4 years
A whole lotta nothin’. Great. Oh well, may as well watch Katrina (aka Peyton Manning) hit NOLA again…
I don’t give a hoot about football but I like any television event that involves a party on a Sunday, pizza, and nacho cheese dip. Just sayin’.
Did you say what I thought you said? You really don’t like(or care for)football? Not watching Super Bowl XLVI on TV from Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium? Giants vs. Patriots? What else is on besides “The NFL’s Big Game” & are you into other sports?
Is Big Love on tonight at least? It is truly sad even the cable companies won’t run new stuff over sports shit, so not fair!!!
sports are for people who dont have a life of there own get your ass,es off the lazy boy go out do something…
The Internet is for angry idiots who can’t spell “their,” don’t know how to use a comma or break paragraphs into sentences, and can’t type.
I am going to see Crazy Heart tonight. I figure that the theatre should not be that crowded (I hope).
Out of the broadcast networks, ABC has the best pickings cause they have their Comedy Line-Up on sundays.