1) Presidential speech, 9 p.m. ET, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. There’s no official State of the Union speech in the first year, but most presidents do a variation. Two days shy of the 100-day mark, Joe Biden has his turn. Networks have set aside two hours for the speech plus the Republican response and news analysis; in western time zones, they’ll give two primetime hours to local stations. Either way, we’ll list some 9 p.m. alternatives (including “Nancy Drew,” shown here) at the end.
2) “The Price is Right at Night,” 8 p.m., CBS. Next week, “Kids Say the Darndest Things” – which ABC canceled after one season – will take over this slot, with Tiffany Haddish hosting. First, she’s a guest contestant on this specikal. Haddish, who spent three teen years in foster care with her siblings, will be playing for the She Ready Foundation, which supports foster youth.
3) “Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World,” 8 p.m. PBS. Kids might say the darndest things (see above), but teens sometimes say the wisest things. Ever since she began her climate strike at 15, Thunberg has had an impact. This Earth Day film traced her global journey at 17; now it reruns, spread over three Wednesdays; it starts with Canada’s shrinking glaciers and California’s wildfire devastation.
4) “Nancy Drew” (shown here), 9 p.m., CW. After planning a rerun here, CW has switched to a new episode, with Nancy urged to investigate Moonstone Island. That’s a strong 9 p.m. choices for people skipping the speech; another is HBO’s “61*” (2001), which traces Roger Maris’ push for the home run record.
5) More movies, cable. People can also catch an earlier movie that overlaps with the speech. The best choices are Martin Scorsese’s much-praised “Casino” (1995), 7 p.m., Paramount; Matt Damon’s “Bourne Identity” (2002), 8 p.m., AMC; and Julia Roberts’ “Wonder” (2017), 8:30, Freeform.