Daily Best Bets

1) “Madame Secretary” series finale, 10:30 p.m., CBS, but 10 p.m. in western time zones. For the second time in a splendid career, Cicely Tyson represents a huge chunk of history. In 1974, she won awards for playing Jane Pittman, whose 110 years went from slavery to civil rights. Now Tyson, 94, plays someone born in 1920, when women got the vote. She’s there as Elizabeth (the first woman president) launches a major initiative. Tyne Daly — whose brother Tim plays Elizabeth’s husband — plays an opposing senator; Peter Frampton (shown here) performs. Read more…

1) Football, everywhere. It’s time to settle the conference championships – and more. Three of these games could determine which four teams get shots at the national championship. At 4 p.m. ET on CBS, it’s Georgia (ranked No. 4) and Louisiana State (No. 2); Clemson (No. 3) faces Virginia at 7:30 p.m. on ABC and Ohio State (No. 1, shown in its 38-7 win over Wisconsin earlier this year) faces Wisconsin (No. 12) at 8 on Fox. There are three championship games at noon ET (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2), with others at 3:30 on ABC and 4 p.m. on ESPN. Read more…

1) “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” new season, any time, Amazon Prime. Some shows are too good to stand still. Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, shown here) bbegan as a switchboard operator, trying to crack the 1950s comedy scene. As the third season begins, she’s soaring – opening for a Johnny Mathis-type singer, first at a military base and then in Las Vegas and Miami. That lets this show crackle with great visuals and music. At the core, however, is the hallmark of this Emmy-winner – smart dialog, often bouncing around at a furious clip. Read more…

1) “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” 8 p.m., ABC. Amid the sameness of Christmas specials, a few stand out. One is the “Grinch” cartoon, which has its next airing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on TNT; another is “Charlie Brown” (shown here), an eternal pleasure. Yes, it’s sometimes funny and often fun; the theme song makes us smile, Snoopy’s dance makes us laugh. But it also has soul, Scripture and anti-commercialism … which isn’t easy when surrounded by commercials. Read more…

1) “The Moodys,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., Fox, concluding Dec. 9-10. When the Fox people called this an “anti-holidays” mini-series, we expected a “Bad Santa” or “Kranks.” Instead, it’s something deeper. The Moody offspring, all adults, have troubles; one lives at home, the other two arrive for Christmas with secrets and messy lives. But they’re good-hearted people, in muddled lives. Dan (Francois Arnaud) and his new friend Cora (Maria Gabriela de Faria), shown here, are instantly likable. It’s a first-rate comedy-drama. Read more…

1) “CMA Country Christmas,” 9-11 p.m., ABC. Here’s country crossover, with music from Nashville and beyond. Tricia Yearwood sings and hosts, introducing country people (Chris Janson, Brett Young, Chris Young) and groups (Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Runaway June). She also has stars from gospel (shown here, CeCe Winans and King & Country), pop (Tori Kelly) and Broadway (Kristin Chenoweth). Read more…

1) “Making It” opener, 10 p.m., NBC; continues through Thursday, then Dec. 9-11. There are plenty of TV competitions, but this one stands out. Give credit to Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (shown here), the former “Parks and Recreation” colleagues. He’s a craft master, she’s not; as hosts, they bring quiet humor. They’re also producers, with likable contestants. They range from a teen drop-out to a scientist, from a calligrapher to a bomber engineer. Using noodles or clothes pins or whatever, they do great work. Read more…

1) “25 Days of Christmas” start, Freeform. It’s the 23rd year of this marathon, packing the month with holiday movies and more. That starts mildly – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish” at 7 a.m. – and soon gets better. There are “Simpsons” Christmas reruns (shown here) at 1:15, 1:45 and 2:15 p.m., followed by Tim Allen’s “Santa Clause” trilogy at 2:45, 4:50 and 6:55 and Jim Carrey’s “Grinch” at 9. Read more…

1) “Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire” and its sequel, 8 and 8:30 p.m., CBS. We’re used to cartoons that are brash and frantic. Here’s the opposite, with droll, dry wit. It’s British, of course; the voices were re-cast for us, using one Brit (Hugh Grant as Blitzen) and lots of Americans. Ben Stiller voices Robbie (shown here), with Britney Spears as Donner, Leah Remini as Vixen and Jim Belushi as Santa. Read more…

1) “Great Performances: Kinky Boots,” 9 p.m., PBS. In a five-Friday stretch, PBS has had a vast range. It’s had a serious drama, a Shakespearean comedy and three musicals – one silly, one heavy and now “Kinky” (shown here), with a shoe company switching to flashy footwear. Onstage, this was a big hit; it won six Tonys, including best musical and score. On TV, Cyndi Lauper’s vibrant music only partly makes up for the cardboard characters, including a central guy who temporarily goes bad, for plot convenience. Read more…