1) “Masterpiece: Sanditon” debut, 9 and 10 p.m., PBS. Jane Austen had barely started this novel, creating a place (a seaside town, trying to be a resort) and people. Ever since, people have tried to continue it; at least seven versions have been published. Now Andrew Davies has done it perfectly, creating a show with warmth, depth and surprises. Rose Williams is inlovable as a smart-and-innocent country kid who meets three brothers – an optimist, a bumbler and (Theo James) a handsome enigma.
2) Football, 3:05 p.m. ET, CBS, and 6:40 p.m. Fox. First, Houston (10-6 during the regular season) is at Kansas City (12-4). Then Seattle (11-5) is at Green Bay (13-3) … which, fortunately, has not been having Wisconsin weather this year. The winners face Saturday’s winners, for spots in the Super Bowl.
3) Critics Choice Awards, 8-10 p.m., CW. At the Golden Globes, the top movie awards went to “1917” (drama) and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (somehow called a comedy). Now they collide in one category. They have eight and 12 nominations respectively, but “The Irishman” leads with 14. Other best-picture nominees are “Little Women,” “Marriage Story,” “Joker,” “Parasite,” “Uncut Gems,” “Jojo Rabbit” and “Ford v Ferrari.” There are also plenty of TV categories.
4) “Howards End” opener, 8 p.m., PBS. Some people are familiar with this, having read E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel … or seen the Oscar-nominated 1992 movie … or having seen this four-hour mini-series last year on Starz. For others, this is an elegant pleasure, tracing two families. The Schlegel sisters are strong on the arts, but short on money; the Wilcoxes are the opposite. Friendships and deceptions follow, subtly played by Haley Atwell, Matthew MacFayden, Julia Ormond and Tracey Ullman.
5) “FBI: Most Wanted,” 10 p.m., CBS. Here’s a quick second chance to see the opener, which debuted Tuesday. It’s an “FBI” spin-off, with Julian McMahon heading an elite team tracking fugitives.