Off the Wall: Irish eyes smiling tubewide

Off the Wall goes green for St. Patrick's Day.

IRISH EYES They're not always smiling in Turner Classic Movies' all-day festival of flicks set in the Emerald Isle. "The Key" (Saturday at 6 a.m.) kicks it off with William Powell as a British officer in '30s Ireland. Midday casts James Cagney as an Irish Republican rebel in 1959's hard-edged "Shake Hands With the Devil" (12:15 p.m.). And Rod Taylor wraps it up as playwright Sean O'Casey in "Young Cassidy" (6 p.m.). Complete titles/times at tcm.com/schedule.

MORE IRISH ITEMS The "251st Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade" takes place Saturday (11 a.m.-3 p.m., WNBC/4). Two new TV movies tonight: Adrian Pasdar in the romantic "Chasing Leprechauns" (8, Hallmark) and William Devane in the bloody "Leprechaun's Revenge" (9, Syfy). There's Irish music in "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: An Irish Parade of Stars" (Saturday 8-9:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 a.m., WLIW/21), "Clannad Live at Christ Church Cathedral" (3 and 10 p.m., Ch. 21) and "Celtic Thunder Voyage" (8-10 p.m., also Ch. 21). For less traditional sounds, try "Dropkick Murphys: Live at Fenway Park" (Saturday night at 9 and midnight, Palladia). And let's not forget Paddy's Irish Pub with its crazy crew in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (Saturday night 6-10, Comedy Central). It's always sunny at fxnetwork.com/sunny.

AWARDS ALERT Tomorrow's music today -- that's the attraction of the "2012 mtvU Woodie Awards Special" (Sunday at 8 p.m., MTV), showcasing top moments from this week's Austin ceremony honoring up-and-comers. Performers include Steve Aoki, Mac Miller and Childish Gambino. More at woodies.mtvu.com.

SERIES PREMIERES This week's arrivals are led by "Unchained Reaction" (Sunday at 10 p.m., Discovery), where MythBusters boys Adam and Jamie judge chain reaction contraptions. Other new unscripted series include the sleek "Styled by June" (Monday at 9:30 p.m., VH1), the backwoods docusoap "Duck Dynasty" (Wednesday at 10 p.m., A&E), ex-wrestler Ric Savage scouting historic artifacts in "American Digger" (Wednesday at 10 p.m., Spike), "Real Vice: Miami" (Wednesday at 10 p.m., ID), "House of Consignment" (Wednesday at 10 p.m., VH1) and "Combat Tech" (Wednesday at 10 p.m., Military).

VEDDY VEDDY BRITISH From "The Forsyte Saga" to "Cranford," British TV's lavish period sagas are surveyed in "The Story of the Costume Drama: The Greatest Stories Ever Told" (Monday at 9 p.m., WLIW/21). Also recalled: "I, Claudius," "Brideshead Revisited," "Pride & Prejudice," "Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders," lots more. Preview at video.pbs.org/video/2202457432.

MONSTERAMA! They're stomping, flying, crawling and generally teeming all over TCM. Start with "Godzilla" (Thursday 9:15 a.m.) and watch all day, straight through "Them!" (6:15 p.m. TCM). Full lineup at tcm.com/schedule.

BYE-BYE, SOAP; HELLO, TOTS! Say sayonara to SOAPnet. Starting March 23, most viewers will see its channel position filled by Disney Junior, as the former Playhouse Disney block becomes a full-time channel for kids ages 2 to 7 and their parents. However, SOAPnet may continue to air in some areas while carriage agreements for Disney Junior are finalized. Info at disneyjuniorthechannel.com.