1) “Making It” opener, 10 p.m., NBC; continues through Thursday, then Dec. 9-11. There are plenty of TV competitions, but this one stands out. Give credit to Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (shown here), the former “Parks and Recreation” colleagues. He’s a craft master, she’s not; as hosts, they bring quiet humor. They’re also producers, with likable contestants. They range from a teen drop-out to a scientist, from a calligrapher to a bomber engineer. Using noodles or clothes pins or whatever, they do great work.
2) “Garth Brooks: The Road I’m On,” 9 and 11:04 p.m., A&E. The first time Brooks tried Nashville, he failed; after 23 hours, he retreated to Oklahoma. The second time, married and focused, he conquered the town. Merging quiet country and big rock, he ranged from the gentle “The Dance” to the rowdy “Friends in Low Places.” He became the top-selling individual in music history, trailing only the Beatles. Here’s the start of a two-part profile; the second half is 9 p.m. Tuesday, preceded by this at 7.
3) “The Great Christmas Lights Fight,” 8 and 9 p.m., ABC. On the next three Mondays, we’ll see people who take outdoor holiday lighting to flashy extremes. Each hour has four displays, with the judge (Carter Oosterhouse or Taniya Nayack) giving one a $50,000 prize.
4) “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 8-9 p.m., CBS. Ever since 1964, this has been drawing big ratings. Now it’s being shared by two networks. CBS will show it again at 8 p.m. Dec. 14; Freeform has it five times, starting at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
5) “Midsomer Murders,” any time, www.acorn.tv. “Dancing With the Stars” ended last Monday – Hannah Brown, fresh from “The Bachelorette,” won – but now we can see fictional envy and murder among British dancers. That’s in a fairly good, movie-length mystery; Acorn, a streaming service, made all four of this year’s “Midsomer” tales available on Sunday, a day earlier than usual.