What's On Today

9 P.M. (NBC) MICHAEL JACKSON: A MOTHER'S STORY In her first televised interview since Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, his mother, Katherine, left, speaks with Sonia Lowe in this two-hour edition of ''Dateline NBC.'' On Ms. Jackson's mind: who she thinks is responsible for her son's death; his belief that people wanted him dead; how his three children are coping without their father, and her relationship with them; and how the Jackson family will be commemorating this day. She also responds to accusations that Mr. Jackson was a child molester and rumors that his former wife Debbie Rowe wants custody of the children.

7 A.M. (CBS) THE KING OF POP: ONE YEAR LATER This special installment of ''The Early Show'' features a performance of Michael Jackson's hit ''Man in the Mirror'' by James Morrison and remembrances from Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, L L Cool J, Smokey Robinson and John Landis, who directed the videos for ''Thriller'' and ''Black or White.'' ''Good Morning America,'' at 7 on ABC, also salutes Jackson; Alicia Keys performs.

6:30 P.M. (MTV) MICHAEL JACKSON'S INFLUENCE ON MUSIC This program, part of MTV's three-day tribute, intersperses videos by performers inspired by Jackson with trivia and personal messages. E! presents a retrospective of Jackson's life on ''E! News,'' at 7; ''The Last Days of Michael Jackson,'' at 8; and ''Michael Jackson,'' at 9. ''Michael Jackson: The King of Pop,'' at 8 on BET, offers rare footage of Jackson in concert and at home. Fuse offers seven and a half hours of memorial programming, starting with ''Michael Jackson: Remember His Time,'' at 4. And ''Michael Jackson's This Is It,'' the 2009 documentary about preparations for his comeback tour, is rebroadcast on Starz at 8.

8 P.M. (CNN) MICHAEL JACKSON -- THE FINAL DAYS Don Lemon sorts through the fact and fiction regarding Jackson's emotional and physical state toward the end of his life and the culpability of his last physician, Dr. Conrad Murray. Among those interviewed are Jackson's brothers Tito and Jermaine; people associated with ''This Is It,'' his planned 50-concert engagement in London, including the music producer Rodney Jerkins and the promoter Randy Phillips; J. Randy Taraborrelli, a celebrity biographer; and Dr. Deepak Chopra, a friend of Jackson's. At 9, ''Larry King Live'' will offer a musical tribute.

8:30 P.M. (13, 49) NEED TO KNOW Alison Stewart interviews the retired Army Col. Andrew J. Bacevich, right, also a professor of international relations and history at Boston University, about his new book, ''Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War''; the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan; and the resignation of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal. Maria Hinojosa speaks with the families of American soldiers who have returned from war zones with traumatic brain injuries.

8:30 P.M. (The Documentary Channel) WHO NEEDS SLEEP?Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Paul Newman, Billy Crystal, Annette Bening and Tyne Daly talk about the dangers of working more than 14 hours a day, and why it's so hard to convince studios and producers that actors need their beauty sleep.

9 P.M. (ABC) MICHAEL JACKSON: AFTER LIFE This two-hour ''20/20'' edition features interviews with Jackson's makeup artist, Karen Faye, and his stylists, Michael Bush and Dennis Thompson, as well as Justin Bieber and Usher. The show also explores Jackson's legacy, the investigation into his death and how his children are adjusting to life without their father, and ventures inside Neverland Ranch.

10 P.M. (Starz) PARTY DOWN Jane Lynch reprises her role as Constance Carmell, an actress who never let her lack of success get her down. In this Season 2 finale she's getting hitched and has hired her catering friends to make sure they attend. In the first-season finale of ''Gravity,'' at 10:30, everything was going so well -- until it wasn't. Now Robert (Ivan Sergei), Lily (Krysten Ritter) and Miller (Eric Schaeffer) are on a collision course with destiny.

11:35 P.M. (CBS) LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMANJay-Z and Eminem perform together on the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater, 13 stories above Midtown Manhattan, to promote their ''Home & Home'' tour, which plays at Comerica Park in Detroit (Eminem's home) on Sept. 2 and at Yankee Stadium in New York (Jay-Z's home) on Sept. 13.

MIDNIGHT (13) TAVIS SMILEYHelen Mirren and her husband, the director Taylor Hackford, left, discuss the fuss surrounding the recent seminude photos in New York magazine of Ms. Mirren, who turns 65 on July 26, lying in a bathtub, and their latest collaboration, ''Love Ranch,'' based on the true story of the first legal brothel in Nevada. KATHRYN SHATTUCK