Daily Best Bets

1) “This Is Us” and “New Amsterdam, 9 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, NBC. Next Tuesday (Jan. 4) is a big day for NBC: “This Is Us” starts its final season and “New Amsterdam” returns after a five-week break. First, we can catch up, watching the previous episodes. At 9 p.m., the family gathers for what’s supposed to be the wedding of Kevin and Madison (shown here in an earlier episode); there are flashbacks and surprises. At 10, Max and Helen are heading to London to start their new life; then a superbug hits the New York hospital. Read more…

1) “The Year: 2021,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. What kind of year has it been? Well, the Capitol was breached, chaos ensued(shown here), people were killed and maimed … and that was in the first week. Later, unemployment plunged, inflation climbed, COVID was stifled and then rebounded. Two giant recovery bills passed and a third stalled. Robin Roberts hosts this overview, which has ABC News people plus pop-culture figures, from country music’s Jimmie Allen to “Love Island” narrator Matthew Hoffman. Read more…

1) “Insecure” series finale, 10 p.m., HBO, rerunning at 11:23 p.m. and 12:45 a.m.. These five years have seen Issa Rae’s career soar. Once confined to short-form humor (YouTube and, later, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”), Rae (shown here, center, in a previous episode) created and starred in “Insecure,” getting two Emmy nominations for best comedy actress and one for best comedy series. She also wrote a book and did movies, including a serious drama, “The Photograph.” Tonight, her character looks back at what got her where she is. Read more…

1) “Downton Abbey” (2019) and “Call the Midwife Holiday Special,” 7 and 9:07 p.m., PBS. The “Downton” movie has the elegance of the series (shown here), plus bigger stakes. The king is coming, amid schemes large (an assassination attempt) and small (the royal staff trying to seize control of household duties). That’s followed by a warm “Midwife,” set in Christmas of 1966. Medical crises complicate the wedding of Lucille, a Jamaican nurse, and Cyril, a Guyanese mechanic, student and church leader. Read more…

(Here are the five TV best-bets for Friday, Dec. 24; feel free to use in any form – all or some, print and/or web)

1) “A Christmas Story” (1983) marathon, 8 p.m., TBS and 9 p.m., TNT. This modest movie does everything right. It captures a 1940s holiday through the hopes and fears of a boy (shown here) who simply wants a BB gun. Done with droll humor, it’s become a tradition for these networks. It runs every two hours for 24 hours, so one of the two will start it at the top of each hour. Read more…

1) “Ghosts,” 8:31-11 p.m., CBS. In a rough season for comedies, “Ghosts” has done well. So CBS polled viewers and will rerun their five favorites here. First (shown here), Pete wants to see his wife, who’s still alive; at 9:01, Thorfinn wants a Viking funeral, now that his bones have been found; at 9:30, Samantha – the only living person who sees the ghosts – helps them play Dungeons & Dragons with her husband Jay. At 10, a music fan researches Alberta’s life; at 10:30, Hetty accidentally inhabits Jay’s body. Read more…

1) “Kennedy Center Honors,” 9-11 p.m., CBS. Each year, this celebrates the greats with smart films and potent performances. To honor Joni Mitchell, Bette Midler, Justino Diaz and Motown founder Berry Gordy, we get great songs from Andra Day, Kelli O’Hara, Billy Porter, Norah Jones and more, including a superb finale with Stevie Wonder (shown here in a previous performance. But the surprise is the tribute to “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels. From Steve Martin to three “Weekend Update” desks, it ripples with wit. Read more…

1) “The Bachelorette” finale, 8 p.m., ABC, with “After the Rose” at 10. Michelle Young (shown here) started with 30 guys and has gradually shed 28 of them. (The 28th, last week, was Joe Coleman who, like her, is a Minnesotan and a former college basketball player.) Young, 28, is a 5th-grade teacher who once led the Bradley basketball team with 12 points per game. Her final two choices are Brandon Jones, 26, a traveling-nurse recruiter from Portland, Oregon, and Nayte Olukoya, 27, a sales guy from Winnipeg Read more…

1) “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” 8-9 p.m., CBS. Alzheimer’s has robbed Bennett of most of his memories, but he still does songs beautifully. On his 95th birthday, he did this gorgeous concert in Radio City Music Hall. Gaga opened the show, then introduced her friend (they’re shown here) and later joined him for duets. Backed by great musicians – her quartet, his quintet and an orchestra – they gave a triumphant show, which reruns here. Read more…

1) “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (shown here), 7:30 p.m., PBS. One of the best moments in TV history came because there wasn’t time to meddle. Coca-Cola ordered a holiday special on a tight deadline and there was no time for CBS to second-guess Charles Schulz. He promptly broke all the TV traditions; there was primitive animation, kids’ voices, a jazzy score and even a tad of Scripture. Officials considered junking it … then found that viewers loved this blend of wit and emotion. It’s also on Apple TV+. Read more…