Mike Hughes on TV

1) “Nature: Santa’s Wild Home,” 8 p.m., PBS. On the Northern edge of mainland Europe is Lapland (shown here), the legendary home of Santa Claus and the real home of giant herds of reindeer. This Finnish turf is both gorgeous and harsh. Summers are brief, beautiful and filled with mosquitoes; bears eat 80 pounds a day, to prepare for hibernation. Musk oxen don’t hibernate; they simply stand in the wintger cold, not moving. There are other fascinating scenes here, from soaring owls to orcas gulping swarms of herring. Read more…

1) “NCIS,” 8 p.m., CBS. This is the 400th episode of a show that seems eternal. “JAG” had 10 seasons, the last two overlapping with its spin-off, “NCIS” … which has just started its 18th season … and has two more spin-offs, in their seventh and 12th years. That adds up to 47 seasons (26 years) of Naval crimesolvers. Tonight flashes way back to when Gibbs (Mark Harmon) tackled his first case. Sean Harmon plays a younger version of his dad, which he’s done six previous times; he’s shown here, right, with a younger version of Ducky. Read more…

1) “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” 8-10 p.m., CW; continues through Thursday. Before triumphing with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amy Sherman-Palladino infused “Gilmore Girls” with that same blend of deep characters and whip-smart dialog. The show only won one Emmy (“Maisel” already has 20), but ran seven seasons and had this Netflix mini-series. Lorelei is running the inn and her daughter visits. (They’re shown here.) Past co-stars – Melissa McCarthy, Jared Padalecki and Milo Ventimiglia – also appear. Read more…

1) “American Music Awards,” 8-11 p.m., ABC. It’s time to link performers, award-show style. Bebe Rexha (shown here) is with Doja Cat, Bad Bunny with Jhay Cortez. Jennifer Lopez is with Colombian star Maluma; Justin Bieber does “Lonely” with Benny Blanco and “Holy” alone, There’s more – Katy Perry (singing “Only Love”), The Weeknd , BTS, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa, Lewis Capaldi, , Lil Baby, Nelly, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes, Dan + Shay, Bell Biv DeVoe and Machine Gun Kelly. Read more…

1) “A Nashville Christmas Carol,” 8 p.m., Hallmark. TV loves to mix music and romance. Graceland and Dollywood movies have thrived; a new Dolly Parton film (“Christmas On the Square”) arrives Sunday on Netflix. Here’s a movie filled with people who have had No. 1 country hits (Wynonna, Kixx Brooks, Sara Evans) … or might (RaeLyn) … or is married to somone who has them (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). A producer (Jessy Schram, shown here) does a country-music special with her ex-boyfriend, Read more…

1) “Great Performances: Holiday Inn,” 9 p.m. PBS. With a shutdown on Broadway and beyond, we appreciate a vibrant burst of musical memories. This one happens to have a weak story, brightened by some terrific Irving Berlin songs. A 1942 movie told of an inn that’s open only on holidays. Berlin inserted some songs he’d written previously (“White Christmas” and “Easter Parade”) and wrote more. This stage production (shown here) also added his “Blue Skies,” “Cheek to Cheek” and more. Read more…