1) “Kennedy Center Honors,” 8-10:30 p.m., CBS. This used to be one of TV’s best shows. Now a politicized version has Trump-approved honorees (George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, KISS) and mid-level performers. Still, it also has Kelsey Grammer, plus stars of country (Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn), gospel and more. (Shown here are David Phelps and Laura Osnes.) Read more…
1) “Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris,” 9- p.m., CBS. Here’s a late addition to CBS’ holiday line-up: With the Eiffel Tower in the background, Aguilera (shon here in a previous concert) performs Christmas classics and her past hits. She’s joined by French singer Yseult and by Sheila E. Read more…
1) “The Road” finale, 9:30 p.m., CBS (but 9 p.m. on the West Coast). Beautifully produced, this started with 12 talented singers opening for Keith Urban in country bars. Despite some flaws — songs cut too short, over-focusing on rowdy tunes — it’s been terrific. Now it’s down to (from left), Channing Wilson, 49; Cassidy Daniels, 25; Adam Sanders, 37. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Here are opposites in many ways: Ariana Grande, who hosts, is 32; Cher (shown here), the music guest, is 79. Grande has a gentle voice and presence; Cher us a booming alto with a towering persona. But both are talented stars; Cher’s only other time as music guest was in 1987 … six years before Grande was born. Read more…
1) Football. The12-team college playoffs begin, with Oklahoma (shown here) and Alabama colliding at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Three more games are Saturday, with the four winners going on to play the top-ranked teams. Meanwhile, other bowl games continue on ESPN; today’s are 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. Lots of ballerinas started in the “Nutcracker” story that begins with a kids’ Christmas party. Now an avante-garde director decides to do the show without children. This leads to distress, to murder and (shown here) to Elsbeth donning a tutu. Read more…
(NOTE: President Trump plans to give a talk at 9 p.m. ET tonight. The shows listed here were scheduled prior to this; for an overview of changes and options, see the story at “News and Quick Comments.”)
1) “Survivor” finale, 8-11 p.m., CBS. After last week’s scrambling (shown here), five survivors remain. There’s Rizo Velovic, 25, in tech sales; Sophie Balardi, 27, entrepreneur; Sage Ahrens-Nichols, 30, clinical social worker; Savannah Louie, 31, former reporter; and Kristina Mills, 36, career counselor. Tonight, one will become the 49th million-dollar winner. Read more…
1) “The Nutcracker,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. This lush English National Ballet production (shown here) does everything right –gorgeous sets, costumes and stagecraft, backing 100-plus dancers, all of them deeply talented. The “Nutcracker” structure leaves the first 15 minutes fairly flat; then the magic begins. Read more…
1) “Tabernacle Choir: Hope For the Season,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 9:30. Here is epic-scale music at its best. There are great moments from soprano Ruthie Ann Miles (shown here) and narrator Dennis Haysbert. But the peak comes when the 360-voice choir goes directly from two “Alleluia” pieces (by Bach and Ginastera) to Handel’s thundering “Hallelujah” chorus. Read more…
1) “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022), 7-11 p.m., ABC. Five days before the third “Avatar” film opens, here’s the second (shown here) — a $2.3-billion hit worldwide. Producer-director James Cameron continues the mystical world he created in 2009, now adding Kate Winslet, his former “Titanic” star. Read more…
