1) Football, 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS. We don’t expect to see Tom Brady (shown here) and the New England Patriots this early in the play-offs; they’re usually perched up high, drawing a first-week bye. But they lost their season-finale, finishing with a 12-4 record and losing out (via tiebreaker) on a bye. Tonight, they host Tennessee (10-6). That follows a 4:35 p.m. game on ESPN and ABC, with Buffalo at Houston; both teams are 10-6. Read more…
1) “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. When you have two Hawaiian action shows back-to-back, a crossover seems inevitable. Now Magnum is on private-eye business, shadowing a husband who may be cheating. Then there’s something bigger: The guy might have stonen a list of undercover CIA agents. Soon, there’s a joint effort (shown here) by McGarrett’s “Five-0” squad and Magnum and friends. That’s complicated by a kidnapping and by CIA resistance. Read more…
1) “Last Man Standing” season-opener, 8 and 8:30 p.m., Fox. It’s been a wild ride for Tim Allen’s comedy – six years on ABC … a year in limbo … a year on Fox … then another five months on the shelf. Now it’s back and in its usual form – sometimes clever, sometimes not, but generally enjoyable. In the first episode, Mike’ and Vanessa (Allen and Nancy Travis, shown here) see two daughters feud, while the third snipes from the sidelines; the story is contrived, but the dialog is fun. The second episode is lame, but it’s still good to have “Man” back. Read more…
1) Rose Parade, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET, NBC and ABC. Here’s an upbeat start of 2020, awash in bright colors and brassy sounds. There are 20 bands, 39 floats (one from last year is shown here) and 17 horse units. There’s also an Hispanic emphasis: The bands include ones from Mexico, Costa Rico, Puerto Rico and El Salvador; the grand marshals are Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez and actresses Gina Torres (the “Pearson” star) and Rita Moreno, 88, who has ranged from “West Side Story” to the current “One Day at a Time” reboot. Read more…
1) “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” 8-11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. to 2:13 a.m., ABC. The music comes from all directions tonight. In Times Square, Ryan Seacrest has Post Malone, BTS, Sam Hunt and Alanis Morissette … in New Orleans, Billy Porter has Usher and Sheryl Crow … in Hollywood (taped in advance), Ciara has Paula Abdul, Kelsea Ballerini, Green Day, Dan + Shea, Dua Lipa, Salt-N-Pepqa, Ava Max and more. And in Miami, the first performance of the new year is from the Jonas Brothers (shown here). Read more…
1) Orange Bowl, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. Here’s one of the bowl giants. This one goes back to 1935, tying it with two others (Sugar and Sun) for the second-oldest bowl game, behind only the Rose. For 9th-ranked Florida (shown here), this Miami game is almost a home game, facing Virginia (No. 24). That wraps up an ESPN bowl day that has Western Michigan and Western Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. ET and Louisville and Mississippi State at 4. Also at 4, California face Illinois – those are big states, you know – on Fox. Read more…
1) “Flirty Dancing” debut, 8 p.m., Fox. The holiday season hasn’t finished yet, but tonight TV has two new series – one silly and one not. Here’s the silly one (shown here), based on a British series: Two singles learn their halves of a dance; then they’re brought together to perform it without talking. Romance may or may not ensue. Jenna Dewan, the dancer-actress who hosted “World of Dance,” hosts. After this debut, “Flirty” will borrow a Wednesday slot until “The Masked Singer” returns in February. Read more…
1) College football, 4 and 8 p.m. ET, ESPN. Sure, we’ve had some funny little bowl games – ones with funny names and little stadiums. But now comes the battle for the national championship. First, the Peach Bowl has top-ranked LSU (with quarterback Joe Burrow, shown here) and fourth-ranked Oklahoma; then the Fiesta Bowl has Ohio State (No. 2) and Clemson (No. 3). The winners collide Jan. 13, in the Superdome. Read more…
1) “The Godfather” (1972) and “Casablanca” (1942), cable. It’s a dandy day for film buffs: These are the No. 2 and 3 movies on the American Film Institute’s all-time list, trailing only “Citizen Kane.” You can catch “Casablanca” at 6:15 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies; “Godfather” (shown here with Marlon Brando) is 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on AMC. And a bonus: “The Godfather, Part II” (1974) is at 1 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 2 a.m.; it’s ranked No. 31 by the AFI, the only sequel on a 100-movie list. Read more…
1) “The Moodys,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., Fox. This has been a surprise – a three-hour Christmas tale with subtle layers of comedy, drama and character depth. On Wednesday, Fox reran the first two hours; here’s the rest: It’s been hectic for everyone. Dan (Francois Arnaud of “Midnight, Texas”) broke up with his girlfriend — twice and fell for his friend’s girlfriend (Maria Gabriela de Faria, shown here with him) … his sister cheated on her husband … his brother’s scheme (sending the ashes of a deceased via fireworks) has sputtered. Now their dad has a key job at Mass and invites a homeless couple for dinner. Chaos ensues. Read more…
