Fantasy sequel is strictly squaresville

I used to think that being a critic would allow me to use phrases like “existential drama” every now and then. Then they invented reality television. But wait, the fantasy sequel “Cube 2: Hypercube” (8 p.m. today, Sci Fi) really is an existential drama. I promise!

How’s this for a plot? Eight total strangers find themselves plucked from their everyday lives and trapped in a bleak, bright room attached to an infinite series of identical rooms that seem to move around randomly, defying the laws of physics. Slowly, the gang realizes that they’ve all been brought together in this high-tech hell for specific reasons. And if they combine all of their experience and know-how, they just might make it out alive.

If you like your scenery spare, and don’t mind an occasional bout of overacting and clunky exposition, then “Cube 2” just might be the puzzle for you. If this all sounds familiar, you must have seen the 1997 movie “Cube,” which was the basis for, or rather the square root of, this existential drama.

  • Sunday nights are suddenly crowded with legal dramas. “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Boomtown” and “Dragnet” all compete for our attention. Here’s some free legal advice: Skip them all and watch “The Jury” on “Masterpiece Theatre” (8 p.m. Sunday, PBS). The title says it all. The main plot, about a racially charged London murder trial, often recedes into the background as the drama focuses on the private lives and motivations of the jurors.

“The Jury,” which will unfold during six hours over the next four Sunday nights, is well worth the investment. While clearly British, it urgently suggests a plot for a possible new Dick Wolf production: “Law and Order: Jury Duty.”

Today’s highlights

  • The NCAA Basketball Tournament (5 p.m., CBS) enters its Final Four phase as Kansas takes on Marquette and Texas challenges Syracuse.
  • Val Kilmer has a dual role in the murky 2002 mystery “The Salton Sea” (7 p.m., HBO), set in L.A.’s seedy drug subculture.
  • Directed by David Lean, the 1957 prison-camp drama “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (7 p.m., Turner Classic Movies) won seven Oscars and sports the most whistle-able theme song of all time.
  • Harrison Ford stars in the 1984 adventure “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (7:30 p.m. NBC).
  • Bernie Mac is host of “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m., NBC), featuring musical guest Good Charlotte.

Sunday’s highlights

  • Ali Landry hosts “Full Frontal Fashion” (5 p.m., WE), a new half-hour weekly series covering the fashion and beauty business.
  • Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 p.m., CBS): rebuilding Iraq; the view of the war from Jordan.
  • The voices of James Garner and Michael J. Fox highlight the 2001 animated adventure “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” (6 p.m., ABC).
  • Meg mulls a major change on “American Dreams” (7 p.m., NBC).
  • AMC presents “Much More Movie: ‘Rain Man'” (7 p.m., AMC), a scene-by-scene breakdown of the film, complete with gossip and insight about the making of the acclaimed 1988 drama.
  • Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry star in the 2000 comedy “The Whole Nine Yards” (8 p.m., CBS).
  • A would-be mogul enlists an army of juvenile foot soldiers on “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m., NBC).
  • A haunted VW Beetle takes Faith for a ride on “The Pitts” (8:30 p.m., Fox).
  • Katie Couric is host of the news special “The Central Park Jogger” (9 p.m., NBC), featuring an interview with the victim of the 1989 crime.