1) “Reframed: Marilyn Monroe” opener, 9-11 p.m. ET, CNN, rerunning at midnight. Early stories had Monroe (shown here) as the product of accidents (discovered while babysitting) and manipulative men. Well, she was discovered by accident – but as a factory worker, not a babysitter. She refused to sleep with mogul Harry Cohn and co-wrote a piece about male predators. In an excellent (if overstated) start to a two-week, four-hour portrait, we meet a savvy and ambitious woman who mastered projecting her beauty.
2) “Somebody Somewhere” debut, 10:35 p.m., HBO. In real life, Bridget Everett’s big, booming style might not have fit her Kansas hometown. She thrived in high school – swimming team, choir, school musicals – and left; much later, she found success as a brash cabaret and comedy performer in New York. Now this show imagines that she stayed home and is looking for a kindred spirits; it’s an interesting comedy-drama with an indie-movie feel.
3) Football, all day. By switching channels, we can catch a play-off tripleheader. At 1 p.m. ET, Fox has the Eagles (10-7) at the Bucs (13-4). At 4:30, CBS has the 49ers (10-7) at the Cowboys (12-5). And at 8:15 on NBC is a surprise: Last week was expected to be the final game for Ben Roethlisberger, 39. But circumstances got his Steelers (8-7-1) the final play-off spot; now they visit the Chiefs (12-5).
4) “All Creatures Great and Small,” 9 p.m., PBS. After last week’s terrific season-opener, the show has a quieter hour. There’s a village dance, but can James be nudged into taking Helen? Also, Siegfried and Mrs. Hall remain just as reluctant about possible romances. It’s a fairly good hour, followed by the end of a dreary “Vienna Blood” two-parter. At 8, the “Around the World in 80 Days” team tries camels.
5) ALSO: One season opens and another closes. At 9 and 9:30 p.m. on CW, “Two Sentence Horror Stories” has a pair of grim, one-note tales; even at a half-hour, they seem stretched. At 10 on Showtime, “Yellowjackets” has a high school reunion that also marks the 25th anniversary of the plane crash. The survivors, now the center of attention, have other concerns – election results …a fractured marriage … and a body that must be disposed of. Also, flashbacks take us to a deadly moment in the wilderness.