1) “Kennedy Center Honors,” 9-11 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. Each year, this blends great tributes, films and music. This one starts with Joni Mitchell songs by Norah Jones (shown here in a previous concet), Herbie Hancock and more; it ends with Berry Gordy, the Motown founder, and Stevie Wonder, Andra Day and Smokey Robinson. In between are opera star Justin Diaz, Bette Midler (songs by Kelli O’Hara and Billy Porter) and Lorne Michaels – with generations of his “Saturday Night Live” stars, from Steve Martin to Pete Davidson.
2) “The Bachelorette” finale, 8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC, with follow-up hour at 10. It’s time for Michelle Young to choose. Young, 28, is a 5th-grade teacher in suburban Minneapolis who once led the Bradley basketball team with 12 points per game. She started here with 30 guys; the 28th one dumped was Joe Coleman, another Minnesotan and former basketball player. Now her final two are Brandon Jones, 26, a traveling-nurse recruiter from Portland, Oregon, and Nayte Olukoya, 27, a sales guy from Winnipeg.
3) “Downton Abbey” (2019) and “Call the Midwife Holiday Special,” 7 and 9:07 p.m. Saturday, PBS. The “Downton” movie has all the elegance of the series, plus higher stakes. The king is coming, amid plot twists that involve romance, family secrets, a gay-club raid and an assassination attempt. Then “Midwife” sees the Christmas of 1966. It’s a warm movie, filled with medical crises that complicate the wedding of Lucille, a Jamaican nurse, and Cyril, a Guyanese mechanic, student and church leader.
4) “Annie Live,” 8-11 p.m. today, NBC. If you missed this on Dec. 2 (when it really was live), catch it now. The usual “Annie” flaws – a lame story and an overacting Miss Hannigan – are redeemed by vibrant songs and a great cast. Harry Connick and Celia Smith are terrific as Daddy Warbucks and Annie, surrounded by other skilled singers – Nicole Scherzinger, Megan Hilty and Tituss Burgess. This is presented as a stage show, managing to fill its small space with zesty dancers and bright visuals.
5) “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” 8-9 p.m. today; and “Adele One Night Only,” 9-11 p.m. Tuesday; CBS. Two of the year’s best moments rerun. Alzheimer’s disease has taken most of Bennett’s memories, but he still sings perfectly; on his 95th birthday, he and Gaga gave a brilliant Radio City Music Hall show, with two great bands and an orchestra. Adele had a gorgeous, outdoor concert, adding an Oprah Winfrey chat and even a marriage proposal involving two fans.
6) Christmas episodes. Here was a recurring problem this year: Shows made Christmas episodes, then learned they wouldn’t be on the air until after the holidays. The solution was to give them one-time slots: Tonight is CW’s “Dynasty,” with a regular hour at 8 p.m. (Fallon has been shot) and a Christmas one at 9. On Tuesday, Fox’s “Fantasy Island” (9 and 10 p.m.) has a businesswoman seeking a perfect Christmas. On Thursday, NBC reruns funny episodes of “Young Rock” and “Mr. Mayor” at 9 and 9:30.
7) “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” season-finale, 10 and 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, FXX; rerunning to 2 a.m. After three weeks (and six hilarious episodes), this show is ready to wrap up its 15th season (the longest ever for a situation comedy, cartoons excluded). The gang is still in Ireland, where Dennis (who may have COVID) and his sister Dee are in a spooky castle, Mac is trying to become a priest and Charlie has met his pen pal. This week, one character climbs a mountain and another sinks into a bog.
8) “A Christmas Story” (1983) marathon Friday, starting at 8 p.m. on TBS and 9 p.m on TNT, continuing every two hours. Here is a 1940s holiday, viewed with one lad’s layers of hope and fear. It’s a droll delight, with an annual, 24-hour marathon. Another annual tradition is “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), from 8-11 p.m. on NBC. Other key reruns: “Frosty” and “Rudolph,” at 8:30 and 9 p.m. on Freeform; music on CBS, with Dolly Parton at 8 p.m. and a tribute to the late Kenny Rogers tat 9.
9) “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade,” 9-11 a.m. PT Saturday, ABC. The holiday gets a youthful start, with the parade and music. That includes Gwen Stefani, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, Megan Donnelly, Darren Criss, Kristen Chenoweth and country’s Brett Eldredge and Jimmie Allen. That leads into a sports day (pro football and basketball and an 11:30 a.m. bowl game), plus one more round of “Frosty” and “Rudolph” (5:05 and 5:40 p.m. on Freeform) and the “Grinch” cartoon (8 p.m. on NBC).
10) “Insecure” series finale, 10 and 11:20 p.m. Sunday, HBO. It’s been a good five years for Issa Rae. She was nominated for Emmys (twice) and Golden Globes (three times), as best comedy actress – plus an Emmy nod for best comedy series. Other shows merely end their seasons — two on Tuesday (“Top Gear,” 10 p.m., BBC America; “The Last O.G.,” 10:30 p.m., TBS) and three on Sunday (“Hightown,” 9 p.m., Starz; “Condor,” 9 p.m., Epix; and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” 10:30 p.m. and 12:05 a.m., HBO).