1) Football, 7:30 p.m. ET today, ESPN and ESPN2. Two traditional champs, Notre Dame (shown here) and Ohio State, collide for the national title. Since 1929, they’ve won 11 and 8 national championships respectively; only Alabama (14) and Southern Cal (9) compare. As the playoffs started, they were ranked No. 8 and 7. Each then had three wins, two of them upsets, leading here.
2) Inauguration. After being sworn in at noon ET today, Donald Trump gives his speech. There’s more, earlier (including music by Carrie Underwood and Lee Greenwood) and later (including a parade). Coverage plans: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on CBS; 10 to 4 on NBC; 10:30 to 1 on PBS; all day on news channels. ABC starts at 9 a.m. ET and recaps at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
3) “I Am MLK Jr.” (2018), 8-10 p.m. today, CW. This crowded day is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That brings this documentary and other movies: “The Butler” (6:45 p.m., Starz), “The Help” (7 p.m., FX), “Selma” (7:50 p.m., Showtime) and a Turner Classic Movies marathon, including “Boycott” and “In the Heat of the Night,” at 10:15 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. ET.
4) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m. Saturday, NBC. The first time Timothee Chalamet hosted, he let others do the music. Now, a year later, he’s host and music guest. In movies, he’s sung skillfully as different people – the vibrant Willy Wonka, the twangy-folksy Bob Dylan. He’s also shown great acting range; at 29, he already has four Golden Globe nominations.
5) “Doc,” 9 p.m. Tuesday, Fox. It’s Amy’s first day back at work, after a crash stripped away eight years of personal and medical memory. Flashbacks show when she was a demanding medical chief; now she can only suggest. This compelling hour has opposite patients, one in denial, the other warm and loving. And we see Amy’s life, emerging from a fog.
6) “Nova,” 9 p.m. Wednesday, PBS. Ever since two events in 1947, people have buzzed about UFO’s. This solidly made hour traces that history and offers reasonable explanations for most sightings. But it’s not entirely into spoiling the intrigue. It leaves room for some pilots and scientists who point to the unexplained cases, insisting that they be taken seriously.
7) “Elsbeth”,” 10 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. It’s the final stretch of CBS’ mid-season snooze. Starting Jan. 27, reruns vanish, “Elsbeth” returns to Thursdays (with “Hollywood Squares” taking this spot) and life is normal. For now, here’s a fairly good rerun: In an upscale restaurant, there’s anger and murder; Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”) plays an intense chef.
8) “Only Murders in the Building.” 9-11 p.m. Thursday, ABC. A great season, originally on Hulu, concludes. Key suspects are played by Tina Fey (a rival podcaster), Michael Rapaport (Detective Kreps) and Cara Delevingne (Alice, Mabel’s friend). They gather for a clever reveal scene. Also, Oliver (Martin Short) and Charles (Steve Martin) have emotional family moments.
9) “Penn & Teller’s 50th Anniversary Special,” 8 p.m. Friday, CW. This brilliant duo turns 50 on Aug. 19. A tad early, it showcases other magicians and introduces a two-act trick. That’s part of a key week for CW, with season-openers of non-fiction shows — “Police 24/7” and “Crime Nation,” 8-10 p.m. Thursday, and “Masters of Illusion,” 9 p.m. Friday.
10) ALSO: The week starts and ends with football playoffs. On Sunday, the pros play at 3 p.m. ET on Fox and 6:30 on CBS; the winners collide in the Super Bowl, two weeks later. CBS follows its game with Morris Chestnut as the friend of the late Sherlock Holmes, in the “Watson” debut. It’s a modern medical story, sleek and slick, but short of human warmth.