The award-winning documentary series “Off to War” (9 p.m. today, Discovery Times) returns with seven new episodes. “Off” has followed the 39th Brigade of the National Guard from Clarksville, Ark., throughout its 18-month deployment in Iraq.

The series captures soldiers during both violent firefights and downtime, at play and at church. It also shows how soldiers cope with the ongoing hostility of the people they were sent to liberate. “Off” spends about a third of its time back home in Arkansas, chronicling the efforts of wives, girlfriends and family members to live without loved ones, raise funds for the troops and rally support for their cause. A wounded soldier contends with rehabilitation and red tape as medical bills mount and his former employer tries to deny him pension benefits. A minister-turned-soldier discovers via frantic phone calls from his wife that the church he founded has been taken over by rival pastors. As the series draws to a conclusion, it will focus on returning soldiers, both healthy and wounded, and their process of adjusting to their old way of life.

Today’s highlights

¢ Garth Brooks performs before a live audience for the first time since his 2000 retirement on “Grand Ole Opry Live” (7 p.m., GAC).

¢ Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (9 p.m., CBS): A man stands trial three times for his wife’s murder.

¢ Sergio Mora and Peter Manfredo Jr., the top two fighters from the NBC sports reality series “The Contender,” face off in a live rematch (10 p.m., ESPN).

Sunday’s highlights

¢ Trisha Yearwood performs on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (6 p.m., ABC).

¢ CJ gets some unsettling news on “The West Wing” (7 p.m., NBC).

¢ Elton John appears on the two-hour 11th-season premiere of “Inside the Actors Studio” (7 p.m., Bravo). For the record, Elton John is not an actor.

¢ Egypt offers many temptations on “Rome” (8 p.m., HBO).

¢ Tension behind bars on “Desperate Housewives” (8 p.m., ABC).

¢ Doctors make cranky patients on “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC).

¢ Samuel L. Jackson cameos as himself on “Extras” (9:30 p.m., HBO).