1) “Abbott Elementary” debut, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. Quinta Brunson is a tiny (4-foot-11) force, ready to save TV comedy. She went to school in Philadelphia, then became a star in streaming shows and on cable, in “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and (as a cowboy outlaw) in “Miracle Workers.” Now she’s written this clever show and stars as a Philly teacher (shown here, left) who has earnest (if overwhelmed) colleagues and a clueless principal. It gets a weekly spot Jan. 4, but for now, we can savor a sharp and funny opener.
2) “CSI: Vegas” finale, 10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. This short (10-episode) season has tackled other cases, but one dominates: Evidence suggested Hodges was faking lab work. If his old friends (Grissom and Sidle) can’t show he’s being framed, he’ll go to prison and countless convictions will be thrown out. Now things get more complicated: Hodges is missing. The team desperately tries to find him … and to clear his name. After that, the show’s future is unclear; ratings this season have been modest.
3) “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 9 p.m. Thursday, NBC. After a three-week break, the show is back with a key episode: Wheeler – a businessman and a mobster – faces trial for ordering the murder of the wife of Elliot Stabler, formerly of “SVU” and now of its “Organized Crime” spin-off. Benson is angry that Barba (Raul Esparza) – her friend and a former “SVU” prosecutor – is the defense attorney. That leads to the “Organized Crime” episode at 10: Stabler’s son is missing; he asks Benson for help.
4) “The Voice” semi-finals, 8-10 p.m. today and 8-9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. “Voice” is down to its final eight – three on Blake Shelton’s team, two each with Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, only one with Ariana Grande, who’s a newcomer to this. Tonight, viewers will vote half of them into next week’s finals; on Tuesday, they’ll save one more. NBC follows both night with specials: “Michael Buble’s Christmas in the City” is tonight; Kenan Thompson hosts the People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday.
5) “A Very Boy Band Holiday,” 8 p.m., today, ABC. In the boy-band era, guys kept merging into groups of four or five. Now this reunion has all the 98 Degrees guys (Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons) and more. There are three from ‘Nsync (Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick); Bobby Brown and Michael Bivins of New Edition; Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men; Erik-Michael Estrada of O-Town; and Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block.
6) “The Big Leap,” 9 p.m. today, Fox. Here’s the hour the show-within-a-show has led to – the “Swan Lake” ballet, performed by inexperienced Detroiters in a reality show. Much has changed: Paula died of cancer … Mike, her new boyfriend, reluctantly continued … Gabby broke up with Reggie, who resumed his football career, but now is trying to get back in time for the show … And Gabby suddenly re-choreographed the ending. Also, Nick (Scott Foley), the producer, has shown hints of a conscience.
7) “Live in Front of a Studio Audience,” 8-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. In the first two specials, Norman Lear, now 99, used scripts from shows that were great (“All in the Family”) or, at least, quite good (“Jeffersons,” “Good Times”). Now, oddly, he turns to two so-so shows. The fun here will be watching grown-up actors playing kids: Kevin Hart and Damon Wayans will be the “Diffrent Strokes” boys; Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn and Michelle Union will be Blair, Jo and Tootie in “Facts of Life.”
8) “Alter Ego” finale, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Fox. Maybe we should all have computers create avatars that are sleeker and hipper than we are. “Ego” has people sing backstage, while their images perform; now the final four compete. That follows the second half of the “Masked Singer” semi-finals. Last week, “Bull” won the Group A title; “Skunk” (Faith Evans) was unmasked. Now “Banana Split” and “Queen of Hearts” go for the Group B title; they’ll sing alone and with Nicole Scherzinger and Robin Thicke.
9) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 pm. Saturday, NBC. Billie Eilish becomes the first person this season to double as host and music guest. She’s the first to do it since Nick Jonas in February; since then, three people who had previously hosted – Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Halsey – settled for being music guest. Eilish also may be the youngest person to do both; she’ll be a teen until next Dec. 18. When she was 17, she became the second person ever (after Christopher Cross) to sweep the top four Grammys.
10) “A Christmas Proposal,” 8:30 p.m. Sunday, CBS (but 8 p.m. PT). Back in 2012, after Tom Selleck’s “Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt,” CBS quit doing made-for-TV movies. Nine years later, it’s back with two films. Next week is “Christmas Takes Flight”; first, is this story of a lawyer (Adam Rodriguez of “CSI: Miami”) who needs a pretend girlfriend (Jessica Camacho of “All Rise”) to boost his image. To get in the holiday mood, catch the terrific “Grinch” cartoon, at 8 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday on TBS.