1) Football, 7 p.m. ET, CW; pre-game at 6:30. Let’s call this the PAC-12 Conference championship game. That was a big deal in the days with UCLA, USC and Oregon. Alas, those teams and others departed, leaving a sort of PAC-2. (Six new ones will join in 2026.) Now those two collide, with Washington State (shown here, with a 8-2 record) at Oregon State (4-6). Read more…
1) “Great Performances,” 9-10:30 p.m., PBS. Here is pure, passionate music. Backed by great Nashville musicians, 18 women and two groups perform the songs of Patsy Cline. Most are very good and a some are great, especially Wynonna (shown here in a previous performance), capturing the emotional power of “Sweet Dreams” and “Crazy.” Read more…
1) “Grey’s Anatomy” (shown here), 9 p.m., ABC. After a quick start, this nears a long break; after tonight, it won’t return until March 6. Tonight’s hour (the season’s eighth) comes in a heat wave. Amelia and Winston try tough surgery; Jo and Lucas see an errand go awry. Read more…
1) Country Music Association awards, 8-11 p.m., ABC. Luke Bryan and Lainey Wilson host and sing; Peyton Manning merely hosts. Post Malone links with Chris Stapleton for “California Sober,” Thomas Rhett with Teddy Swims for a mash-up. Also: Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Eric Church and more, with a lifetime award for George Strait (shown here). Read more…
1) “Night Court” season-opener, 8:30 p.m., NBC. The opening scene is quick and brash – when was the last time you saw anyone smash Faberge eggs? — and goofy, but in a good way. The rest continues to have offbeat fun, giving Dan (John Larroquette) big questions: Why is his nemesis (Wendie Malick, shown here with Dan and a defendant) here? And could he be the father of Abby’s boyfriend? Read more…
1) “Leonardo da Vinci,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 10; concludes Tuesday. His mind in perpetual motion, da Vinci painted, sculpted, invented and more. He abandoned many projects, but the ones he finished – Mona Lisa, The Last Supper (shown here), etc. – are renowned. Like previous Ken Burns films, this is beautifully filmed; unlike them, it’s fairly impersonal. Read more…
1) “Landman,” 9:09 p.m., Paramount Network. Talented writer-producer Taylor Sheridan launches a series about Texas oilmen, starring Billy Bob Thornton (shown here with Ali Larter) and Jon Hamm. That follows Sheridan’s-”Yellowstone”: Last week’s episode reruns at 6:45 p.m., with the murder of Gov. Dutton disguised as a suicide; on a new one at 8, the investigation begins. Read more…
1) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 6:27 p.m., TBS. One of the all-time great shows (shown here) arrives early – 12 days before Thanksgiving, 39 before Christmas. Chuck Jones’ animation turned Dr. Seuss’ tale into a mini-masterpiece, boosted by Boris Karloff’s narration and Thurl Ravenscroft’s booming song about a mean one, Mr. Finch. Read more…
1) “Great Performances,” 9-11 p.m.,, PBS. Here’s a rerun of last year’s terrific special, celebrating the 80th anniversary of Rodgers and Hammerstein. There are great moments from theater stars in London (where it was taped), especially and Marisha Wallace (shown here at a different event) and Michael Ball, and from Broadway stars, including Audra McDonald, Aaron Tveit and Patrick Wilson. Read more…
1) “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” 8 p.m., CBS. As Georgie nears the first Thanksgiving since his dad’s death, he’s determined to get his family together. But his mom is in deep despair, his sister is cynical, his grandma promised to go camping with Dale. (They’re shown here with Mandy and her baby.) Mandy tries to patch things up, in an episode that mixes sharp humor with moments of genuine emotion. Read more…
