1) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 8 p.m., NBC. One of TV’s all-time great shows (shown here) brought a confluence of genius. Dr. Seuss’ brilliant book links with Chuck Jones’ witty animation. Add Boris Karloff’s narration and a booming song from Thurl Ravenscroft and you have a true classic.
2) “The Great Christmas Lights Fight,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. For each of the next three Thursdays, we’ll see two hours of epic home displays. Each hour has four homes, with a judge (Carter Oosterhouse or Taniya Nayak) picking a winner.
3) More Christmas. Yes, more. At 8:30, NBC has “Frosty the Snowman.” At 9, Fox debuts “Next Level Baker,” with a winter/holiday theme. Christmas movies rerun on AMC, Freeform and two Hallmark channels, while CW (8-10_p.m.) takes an overview with “Best Christmas Movies Ever!”
4) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. A college athletic director is killed, shortly after a noisy argumennt with the 22-year-old girlfriend of his basketball coach; now Elsbeth is on the case. That wraps a night that starts with Georgie’s business needs pitting his mother against his mother-in-law.
5) “The Abandons,” Netflix. Six years ago, Kurt Sutter — creator of the powerful “Sons of Anarchy” — was fired from its spin-off (“Mayans M.C.”), after being accused of abusive behavior. Now he’s back, with a western. An Irish immigrant (Lena Headey), with four adopted children, finds her Oregon home challenged by aristocrats, led by Gillian Anderson.