HBO, 7:30 p.m. ET
Don’t worry, be watching: This tiny documentary, a true family special, follows the vocally acrobatic Bobby McFerrin as he instructs four talented, eager young students in a master class on vocal improvisation, then sings with them onstage in a live performance.
PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Some of the best Frontline shows are when they turn around reactive documentaries almost instantly, examining political and social problems while the body is still warm. That’s the case tonight, when the subject is the so-called “fiscal cliff” – and where the frustration, on all sides of that chasm, is palpable. A perfect appetizer for tonight’s State of the Union main course. Check local listings.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
The best movie ever made? The American Film Institute crowned this 1941 film as such – not a bad honor, for a guy making his directorial and starring big-screen debut. That would be Orson Welles, the young pioneer who took all the tricks he had learned in radio and combined them with brand new ones. The result: A fascinating, visually rich and resonant movie about the life and death of a media mogul.
Various Networks, 9:00 p.m. ET
All the major broadcast networks, even Fox, will carry this year’s State of the Union Address by President Barack Obama, his first such address since being elected for a second term. Watch for it on the standard cable news networks, as well.
FX, 10:00 p.m. ET
This week, following a particularly grisly new piece of evidence, Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) gets off on the wrong foot. Or, at least, tries to follow the clues one step at a time. What he’s found is a severed human foot – all that remains, for now, of the person Raylan is seeking. And he’s not the only one…