THE CONNERS - "Smoking Penguins and Santa on Santa Action" - Dan is disappointed when everyone but Becky forgets about his birthday. Meanwhile, Darlene and Ben face an issue at work, and Dan takes advantage of the family Christmas Santa photo to force Jackie to befriend Louise on the fall finale of "The Conners," TUESDAY, DEC. 10 (8:00-8:30 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Eric McCandless) LAURIE METCALF, JOHN GOODMAN

Best-bets for Dec. 30: Time to catch up on “Conners,” “Dancer”

1) “The Conners,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. When many shows were in limbo this fall, “Conners” (shown here in a previous episode) managed to have six episodes. They’ve been good ones, mostly, mixing humor with moments of deep desperation. Here are four of them, starting with Dan on the verge of losing the house. The break comes in the re-opening of the plant where Roseanne worked. Both daughters land jobs there, leading to new plots. Read more…

1) “The Conners,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. When many shows were in limbo this fall, “Conners” (shown here in a previous episode) managed to have six episodes. They’ve been good ones, mostly, mixing humor with moments of deep desperation. Here are four of them, starting with Dan on the verge of losing the house. The break comes in the re-opening of the plant where Roseanne worked. Both daughters land jobs there, leading to new plots.

2) “The Masked Dancer,” 8 p.m., Fox. Here’s a second chance to see the pilot film, which is bright and cheery and … well, sort of adequate. Masked celebrities (or maybe semi-celebrities) show some good moves – even with some tap-dancing – surrounded by skilled back-up dancers. The four judges show enthusiasm that’s way out of proportion to what they’ve just seen.

3) “Chicago P.D.,” 10 p.m., NBC. This show has been serious about tackling the cop/community issues that emerged this summer. Even before then, its season-finale last April was a potent hour that had Atwater testifying against a fellow cop. In this episode (a rerun from Nov. 18), we see the aftershocks: Cops refuse to respond to calls from his unit. And with the police under heavy scrutiny, Voight is urged to quickly press charges against an ex-cop’s son.

4) “Mom,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. This reruns the Valentine’s Day episode: Christy finds herself dateless on the holiday, so her mom takes her out. That follows a “Young Sheldon” rerun at 8 p.m., with Sheldon befriending the school bully, creating some temporary power over his big brother.

5) “The Birds” (1963) and “Psycho” (1960), 8 and 10:15 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. “Psycho” caught Alfred Hitchcock at the peak of his directing skill. Fresh from colorful and richly entertaining films (“Vertigo” and “North by Northwest”), his “Psycho” was spare, stark and brilliantly crafted. Next came “The Birds,” which is merely OK. None of his subsequent films nudged him back to the top.

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