1) “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!” (2018), 8 and 10:30 p.m., FX. Most sequels live in the shadow of the original; this one, however, is a major improvement. The first “Mamma Mia” movie simply repeated the stage version – a lame plot, designed to hold vibrant ABBA songs; worse, it cast lots of non-singers. This sequel created a strong story, including flashbacks; it includes gifted singers, young (Lily James, shown here, right) and old (Meryl Streep, Cher.)
2) Football, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC and ESPN. The season’s final “Monday Night Football” game will be shared by ABC (which started “MNF” 50 years ago) and ESPN. The Buffalo Bills (11-3) face the New England Patriots, who are 6-8 in their first Brady-less season in a few millennia. And bowl games? Tonight’s game was canceled, but be patient; 17 more bowls are scheduled for this week.
3) “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), 8 and 10:15 p.m., TNT. With families spending some post-Christmas time together, they can savor a classic. The American Film Institute puts this at No. 10 in its all-time list and No. 3 on its musicals list, trailing only “Singing in the Rain” and “West Side Story.”
4) “His Dark Materials, 9 p.m., HBO, repeating at 9:50.This wraps up the second season, but don’t fret: HBO recently announced there will be a third season, finishing the trilogy of novels. Tonight, all paths converge on Cittagazze, transforming the lives of Lyra and Will.
5) “Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain,” 10 p.m., PBS. Jordan grew up in an Atlanta, a mailman’s son with drive and determination. He became a lawyer … then a civil rights activist … then head of the United Negro College Fund and the Urban League. He faced taunts while aiding the University of Georgia’s first black student and, later, survived an assassin’s bullet. He also joined corporate America and at 6-foot-4, towered over his friend Jimmy Carter. It’s a big story that Jordan, 85, tells with quiet passion.