Weekly Previews

1) Super Bowl, 6:30 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC. It’s a battle of newcomers: Until this year, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (shown here) hadn’t won a play-off game in his 12 seasons; the Cincinnati Bengals hadn’t won one in 31 years. Now they collide, with the world watching. The Rams were 12-5 during the regular season; the Bengals were 10-7, in a remarkable turnaround. Two years earlier, they were 2-14; that brought the first draft choice (Joe Burrow) and new life. Read more…

1) Olympics opening ceremony, 6:30 a.m. ET Friday, NBC, Peacock, Olympic Channel; then 8 p.m., NBC. In 2008, Beijing had a spectacular Summer Olympics ceremony (shown here), with 15,000 performers and a reported $100-million budget. Now it becomes the first city to host the summer and winter games. This ceremony has the same director, in the same building, but with a smaller scale. About 3,000 performers are expected, plus 2,900 athletes from 90 countries. Read more…

1) “Resident Alien” season-opener, 9 p.m. Wednesday, Syfy. Here is one of TV’s best shows, rippling with wit and weirdness. It hasn’t received the attention and awards it deserves, but you can catch up via Hulu or Peacock or more. Or just start with this brilliant episode. An alien killed Dr. Harry, took over his body (shown here) and prepared to kill all humans. There were technical woes, so he tried to return home. Then there was a stowaway and a crash. Now he has a concussion and babbles the truth … which is ignored. Read more…

1) “Women of the Movement” (shown here) conclusion, 8-10 p.m. Thursday, ABC. In a packed Mississippi courtroom, two women offer crucial testimony. One is a store clerk, 27; after Emmett Till (14, visiting from Chicago) talked to her in 1955, he was kidnapped and killed. The other is his mother, Mamie. The case would propel the civil rights movement; Mamie Till-Mobley would go on to be an educator and an activist. This wraps up an intense, six-hour mini-series; a documentary will follow at 10 p.m.. Read more…

1) “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” 8-11 p.m. Friday and 11:30 p.m. to 2:13 a.m., ABC. With COVID re-surging, the best way to party is in front of our TV sets. Ryan Seacrest will be in Times Square (shownhere in a previous year), with live performances from LL Cool J, Journey, Chloe and Karol G. The marathon also has Billy Porter in New Orleans, Daddy Yankee in Puerto Rico and a pre-taped Los Angele party with Ciara, Macklemore, Avril Lavine, Walker Hayes, OneRepublic, French Montana, Big Boi, Don Omar and many more. Read more…

1) “Kennedy Center Honors,” 9-11 p.m. Wednesday, CBS. Each year, this blends great tributes, films and music. This one starts with Joni Mitchell songs by Norah Jones (shown here in a previous concet), Herbie Hancock and more; it ends with Berry Gordy, the Motown founder, and Stevie Wonder, Andra Day and Smokey Robinson. In between are opera star Justin Diaz, Bette Midler (songs by Kelli O’Hara and Billy Porter) and Lorne Michaels – with generations of his “Saturday Night Live” stars, from Steve Martin to Pete Davidson. Read more…

1) Grinch and Charlie Brown, Saturday and Sunday. The two greatest Christmas specials will share the weekend, offering clever animation, great music and stories that are both warm and funny. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday on TNT, alongside terrific movies – “A Christmas Story” (1983) at 7:30 p.m. and Patrick Stewart’s “A Christmas Carol” (1999) at 10. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (shown here) is 7:30 p.m. Sunday on PBS. Charlie’s also on Apple TV+; Grinch will be on NBC Dec. 25. Read more…

1) “Abbott Elementary” debut, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, ABC. Quinta Brunson is a tiny (4-foot-11) force, ready to save TV comedy. She went to school in Philadelphia, then became a star in streaming shows and on cable, in “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and (as a cowboy outlaw) in “Miracle Workers.” Now she’s written this clever show and stars as a Philly teacher (shown here, left) who has earnest (if overwhelmed) colleagues and a clueless principal. It gets a weekly spot Jan. 4, but for now, we can savor a sharp and funny opener. Read more…

1) “Annie Live,” 8 p.m. Thursday, NBC. There are better musicals, but Hollywood keeps doing this one. Daddy Warbucks has been Albert Finney (in a fairly good 1982 John Huston film), Victor Garber (a well-made 1999 one on ABC), Jamie Foxx (a 2014 disappointment) and now Harry Connick. Celina Smith (shown here with Connick) has the title role, alongside Taraji Henson and some gifted singers – Nicole Scherzinger and Megan Hilty. Andrea McArdle (who was Broadway’s original Annie in 1977) plays Eleanor Roosevelt. Read more…

1) “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” 8 p.m. Sunday, CBS. Two weeks after triumphing with Adele, CBS has two more of the all-time greats. On his 95th birthday, Bennett had what’s expected to be his final public concert; Alzheimer’s has taken other memories, but he still does songs perfectly. In Radio City Music Hall, his friend Gaga, 35, does four potent jazz/pop songs, then brings him on. Backed by gifted musicians – his quartet, her quintet and an orchestra – both stars (shown here at a previous event) soar. Read more…