1) “Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over,” 9 p.m. and midnight ET, CNN. Warwick (shown here) has had plenty of hits – a dozen in the top-10, 56 on Billboard charts, with 100 million records sold. We hear pieces of 40 songs here. But she did much more, this terrific film says. She confronted racists. She sang the anthem of HIV awareness … and nudged Ronald Reagan to finally say “AIDS.” She told “gangster rappers” to arrive at 7 a.m., for a lecture on misogyny; they were there at 6:52.
2) Football. Isn’t New Year’s Day supposed to have a parade and bowl games? Not when it falls on Sunday. Many of the bowls were Saturday; four more (including the Rose Bowl and its parade) are Monday, For now, it’s pro football: Lots of games at 1 p.m. ET; Jets-Seahawks or 49ers-Raiders at 4:05 on Fox; Vikings-Packers at 4:25 on CBS; Rams-Chargers at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.
3) “Great Performances,” 8 p.m., PBS. Each New Year’s Day, PBS offers a lushly filmed Vienna Philharmonic concert, strong on Strauss waltzes. This year’s version, hosted by Hugh Bonneville of “Downton Abbey,” adds two choirs and ballet dancers.
4) “Fire Country,” 8:30-11:30 p.m., CBS (but 8-11 p.m. on the West Coast). This well-crafted show has been a ratings success. Now here’s a chance to catch up, with the first three episodes. A prisoner (Max Thieriot) can shorten his sentence by fighting wildfires. His assignment soon collides with his old life.
5) Movies. Some of the flashiest films of 2022 show up today. On Epix, it’s “The Lost City” at 6:05 p.m. and “Top Gun: Maverick” at 8; on HBO, it’s “Elvis” at 8 and “Don’t Worry Darling” at 10:40. Or for one of the all-time best films, catch “In the Heat of the Night” (1967) at 6 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies. Two of the greats, Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier, collide; it won five Oscars, including best picture and, for Steiger, best actor.