1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS. For the fourth time in five years, the Kansas City Chiefs are here. They’ve won two of those and their stars (Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce) fill pop culture. Now they face the San Francisco 49ers (shown here), in a year that had no dominant teams. In the regular season, the Chiefs were 11-6; the 49ers were 12-5, then needed two come-from-behind wins in the playoffs.
2) Super Bowl previews, CBS. The surge starts at 11:30 a.m. ET with a “Slimetime” half-hour. (That’s simulcast on Nickelodeon, which will also have its version of the game itself.) I’s followed by the annual “Road to the Super Bowl” at noon and a 49-year history of “The NFL Today” at 1. Then the current “NFL Today” takes over at 2 p.m., for four hours of football talk.
3) Super Bowl music. At 6 p.m. ET, things move to the stadium. Reba McEntire sings the National Anthem, Post Malone does “America the Beautiful” and Andra Day does “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Later, Usher puts on the halftime show. For a full overview of the day, see separate preview under “Stories.”
4) Season-finales, PBS. Sadly, PBS’ dramas – good ones, mostly — wrap their seasons on Super Bowl Sunday. (Fortunately, “All Creatures Great and Small” still has a new Christmas special to air next week.) For now, it has a softly moving hour without James, who’s in military training. “Miss Scarlett and the Duke” has a so-so hour at 8, but “Funny Woman” closes smartly and vibrantly at 10.
5) Alternatives. “Puppy Bowl” airs all day on Animal Planet, viia reruns and (at 1 p.m. and again at 5:30) a new season. Great American Family has “Rescue Bowl,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET. Hallmark no longer has kittens, so it reruns “The Way Home” from 7-10 p.m.. More reruns: cartoons, 8-10 p.m., Fox: “America’s Got Talent Fantasy League,” 7-9 p.m.,, NBC; “Jeopardy” tourney, 9-11 p.m., ABC.