1) State of the Union address, 9 p.m. ET, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and news channels. In an election year, this speech is crucial; so is the Republican response (by Katie Britt, a U.S. senator from Alabama), set for 10 p.m. If you insist on skipping these, we’ll list alternatives (one is shown here) for most time zones; then we’ll view the 8 p.m. hour.
2) Alternatives. CW is the only broadcast network skipping the speech; it has pleasant- enough Canadian comedies — “Son of a Critch” (a “Wonder Years” clone) at 9 p.m. and “Children Ruin Everything” (shown here) at 9:30. Then there are movies, let by “Glory” (8 p.m., MGM+), “Casablanca” (8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies), “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (8:45 p.m., HBO) and “Godfather” (10, Showtime).
3) “Young Sheldon,” 8 p.m., CBS. As Sheldon and his mom return from his summer studies in Germany, they find a changed world. Missy has taken control; also, Sheldon’s dorm is occupied. That’s followed by the “Ghosts” holiday episode – a tad late because of the strikes: Pete’s widow visits, just as the manor has a Halloween party AND the ghosts try to retrieve Flower via a séance.
4) “Next Level Chef,” 8 p.m., Fox. Usually, the platform arrives once on each level, requiring chefs to grab ingredient quickly. But this time, that platform is constantly on the move, to match the frenetic, “grab-and-go” approach of an international street fair.
5) Three networks settle for 8 p.m. reruns: NBC’s “Law & Order” argues free speech vs. hate speech. ABC’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” has Pat Sajak’s daughter Maggie filling in for Vanna White and also competing with Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik. CW’s “The Conners” has two 2020 episodes; Dan reluctantly bonds wiith his half-brother and Jackie pursues a “thruple” relationship.