TV picks for Jan. 3-4:  "A Girl's Best Friend," "Million Dollar American Princesses," "Ultimate Survival: Alaska"

James Denton's plan to move to the Twin Cities while still churning out Hollywood films seems to be paying off. The "Desperate Housewives" actor is staying active on the local theater scene while headlining in such films as "A Girl's Best Friend," a family-friendly affair about a tomboy who befriends a K-9 police unit officer and his bloodhound. 6 p.m. Sunday, UP

It's highly appropriate that Elizabeth McGovern hosts "Million Dollar American Princesses" since her "Downton Abbey" character, Lady Cora, fit the category of stateside women near the end of the 19th century who wed British nobility. The documentary plays out over the next three Sundays. 7 p.m. Sunday, Smithsonian Channel

"Ultimate Survival: Alaska" returns for a third season as four teams endure tidal waves, forbidding peaks and man-eating predators in a 60-hour race, put together to remind you that the two inches of snow that accumulated on your driveway overnight really isn't that big a deal. 8 p.m. Sunday, National Geographic Channel

Neal Justin