You might mistake "The Messengers" (TLC, Sunday, 10 p.m.) as a reality show about bike messengers.

Such a series is likely in the works, but this one isn’t it. Instead, it’s a kind of "American Idol" for motivational speakers, if you can imagine such a thing.

Eschewing the auditions, it starts with 10 finalists given weekly challenges to address a certain topic after various research trips. Their first is to spend a night with the homeless in Los Angeles.

Some are suitably inspired by their experiences; others don’t get much out of it. The approaches of the speakers differ: Some are traditional motivators and others have a religious edge. One guy is practically a rapper.

A studio audience chooses the weekly winner (and a loser, who is eliminated). The person eventually named "the Messenger" gets a publishing deal and a special on TLC.

It’s not the only reality competition starting on cable Sunday. "HGTV Design Star" (HGTV, 9 p.m.) invites 10 designers to compete, with the winner getting a show on the home improvement network. Like "Project Runway," it’s fun to watch creative people solve problems, the first of which is to renovate the house in which they all live.

Also On Sunday

The popular series of books by Tom Sniegoski on angels is the basis for "Fallen" (ABC Family, 8 p.m.), the first of five feature-length films about various grades of angels jockeying for position on earth and an 18-year-old who is the reluctant savior of the flock. None of it is particularly religious; it’s more like "Blade" with wings. Paul Wesley stars; poor Tom Skerritt pops up as a homeless man who guides him.

Fairuza Balk hosts a week of international films getting TV premieres starting with the Cannes entry "2046" (Starz, 10 p.m.).

On Today

The original TV movie that led to the 1984 series "Miami Vice: Undercover" (NBC, 8 p.m.) with Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas gets an unusual prime-time reprise. There’s a motivation, though: the remake due out next weekend starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, who both host the network screening and show a preview of their version.

No such overt promotion comes with another network’s Saturday night offering, "The Rookie" (ABC, 8 p.m.).

On premium cable, HBO has announced that its premiere movie night will move this fall from Saturday to Sunday. So enjoy the premiere tonight of two science-fiction movies, "War of the Worlds" (HBO, 8 p.m.) and "Serenity" (Cinemax, 10 p.m.), Joss Whedon’s movie-length return to the characters he created in the short-lived sci-fi series "Firefly."

Jason Lee hosts a rerun of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) with Foo Fighters.