A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS -- Pictured: Jordin Sparks -- (Photo by: Monty Brinton/NBC)

Best-bets for Dec. 11: Smokey, Frosty, Jamie, more

1) “A Motown Christmas,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. Spanning generations, this is hosted by Smokey Robinson, 84, and Halle Bailey, 24. His contemporaries – Gladys Knight, the Temptations, Martha Reeves — perform; so do younger stars: Jordin Sparks (shown here),Jamie Foxx, Andra Day, Ashante, Jordin Sparks, Pentatonix and the cast of “MJ: The Musical.” Read more…

1) “A Motown Christmas,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. Spanning generations, this is hosted by Smokey Robinson, 84, and Halle Bailey, 24. His contemporaries – Gladys Knight, the Temptations, Martha Reeves — perform; so do younger stars: Jordin Sparks (shown here),Jamie Foxx, Andra Day, Ashante, Jordin Sparks, Pentatonix and the cast of “MJ: The Musical.”

2) “Sullivan’s Crossing” season-finale, 8 p.m., CW. A good season ends with some bumpy extremes. The main story – a foreclosure auction for Sully’s resort – feels badly contrived. Then come two stronger moments in the final 15 minutes, one joyous and the other deeply tragic.

3) “Frosty the Snowman” and “Shrek the Halls,” 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. Here are two very different cartoons. “Frosty” goes back to 1969, with a casual look and a bouncy mood; the 2007 “Shrek the Halls” is visually appealing, but has a so-so story.

4) “Survivor” (CBS) and “The Masked Singer” (Fox), 8 p.m. Both shows are a week from picking a winner. “Survivor” – which calls this the first half of a two-week, four-hour finale – still has six players. “Masked Singer” has three choices, disguised as Wasp, Strawberry Shortcake and the Buffalos trio.

5) “Nova,” 9 p.m., PBS. After a fire ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, crews spend five-and-a-half years on the restoration. Now – four days after the re-opening – here’s a rerun of an excellent 2022 film, showing the work. Next week is a new film, dealing with preserving bodies buried there.

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