1) “Schoolhouse Rock! 50th Anniversary Singalong,” 8 p.m., ABC. It’s the fifth round of “Singalong,” which became a pandemic hit. This time, clever songs about grammar, government, math and more are sung by stars. Derek Hough does “Figure 8”; his sister Julianne does “Interplanet Janet.” Others include Black-Eyed Peas, Ne-Yo, Muppets (shown here), Broadway stars and even Shaquille O’Neal, backed by the Boys and Girls Club for “Conjunction Junction.”
2) “The Ark” debut, 10 p.m., Syfy. From “SpaceCamp” and “Project Genesis” to “The 100,” writers find ways for young characters to lead sci-fi tales. Now a malfunction kills people in the front of the spaceship, including the leaders; ones in the back are awakened a year too early. That leaves room for some ambitious young junior officers — and others. A nerdy agronomist and a chatty tech whiz are likable, but would fit into an Archies comic book.
3) “Nova,” 9 p.m., PBS. Back in 1863, London built the world’s first subway. Now that handles a billion passengers a year, but strains to do it. The solution was to add a new line that can handle 200 million a year. That involved 30 miles of track (26 of them underground), 70 trains and 10 stations. This slick film views the project and its key managers, including an American — Linda Miller, a West Point grad and a former Army helicopter pilot.
4) “Abbott Elementary,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., ABC. here’s one more two-rerun week for “Abbott,” before new episodes resume (and the likable “Not Dead Yet” debuts at 9:30) next Wednesday. Tonight’s first repeat is a Christmas episode, with Jacob crashing the traditional dinner put on by Barbara and Melissa; the second sees competition grow during the read-athon.
5) Movies: You can choose a star. Turner Classic Movies has Dudley Moore’s best comedies – “10” (1979) and “Arthur” (1981), at 8 and 10:15 p.m. ET. Showtime has Eddie Murphy in the terrific “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) at 8 and its sequels at 9:45 (1987) and 11:30 (1994). And two networks share Tina Fey. She wrote “Mean Girls” (2004, 6 and 8 p.m., E), which is smart and sharp; she didn’t write “Admission” (2013, 6:43, Starz), which is adequate.
— Mike Hughes, TV America