Road trip
Those on the hunt for the next gritty drama may want to venture down "The Red Road," a new series in which the lives of an ex-con and a local cop are threatened based on secrets from their past. Julianne Nicholson and Tom Sizemore are among the cast's better known stars. 8 p.m., Sundance
This means war
If only our Minnesota football team was doing as well as "Vikings," a rugged show that became last year's most-watched new cable series. In the first of 10 new episodes, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) finds that becoming an earl and an ally of the king isn't everything it's cracked up to be. 9 p.m., History
Oregon trail
Kirsten Dunst pokes fun at horror movies to open a new season of "Portlandia," one of TV's smartest sketch shows. Creators Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein have gotten even better at creating unique, mostly lovable characters you won't see anywhere else. Portland should be proud to be at the center of the joke. 9 p.m., IFC
Neal Justin
