1) “Joy: Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. This is epic music – 360-voice choir, 150-piece orchestra, bells, trumpets, organ and singer Michael Maliakel (shown here), from Broadway’s “Aladdin.” A story – Lesley Nicol telling of Victor Hugo’s parties for children – is fairly good; the music, especially Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” is sublime.
2) “St. Denis Medical,” 8 p.m., NBC. On Christmas Eve, the stories range afar. Some are loopy: making a video; treating a Santa who has a delicate (and very adult) crisis. Some are serious: Dr. Ron is alone; a patient is deceptive. It adds up to a funny episode, and sometimes a moving one.
3) “Night Court,” 8:30, NBC. Here’s some seasonal silliness. It has a semi-musical opening, then settles into a story about Abby wanting her colleagues to spend Christmas in an escape room. (Really.) Things keep getting goofier, in a fairly funny way.
4) “The Gospel Messiah,” 9:30-11 p.m., PBS. In an 1871 building (Royal Albert Hall), a 1741 oratorio (Handel’s “Messiah”) gets fresh energy. Marin Alsop conducts a vibrant performance of a piece she helped create. The soloists (vocal and instrumental) are superb; then the closing “Hallelujah Chorus” creates waves of musical splendor.
5) ALSO: There are two championships — “Lego Masters” (8-10 p.m., Fox) and pro basketball’s in-season tournament (8:30 ET, ABC). And from 9-11 p.m., NBC reruns “A Motown Christmas.” The outdoor setting isn’t ideal, but the music is vibrant, especially when younger stars link with Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and Martha Reeves.
— Mike Hughes, TV America