PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Artistic director, pianist and conductor Rob Fisher leads this energetic tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb, the team that gave us Chicago and Cabaret, and many other memorable musical moments, including much of Liza Minnelli’s Liza with a Z. Tonight’s live tribute is scheduled to feature Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, with special appearances by Joel Grey (what else do you need?) and Chita Rivera (what else do you want?). Check local listings.
Showtime, 8:00 p.m. ET
First, the title: The Eagles, in this context, are neither majestic birds nor Philadelphia football players, but the musical group that generated “Hotel California.” And Part 1 is not a hopeful tease for some possible future sequel. Part 1, the documentary that premieres tonight, covers the years from the group’s formation (and before, establishing the individual musical and psychological identities of members Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit) to the group’s dissolution in 1980. Part 2, focusing on the Eagles’ 1994 reunion, is televised tomorrow night at 8 ET. Alison Ellwood directs, and the movie is produced by the very busy Alex Gibney, who earlier this week gave us Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
TCM’s Oscar month (and more, since it covers 31 days) continues with a rare prime-time showing of an early award magnet. This sad, still effective drama about an aging boxer and a young kid who idolizes him won Oscars for Wallace Beery, who plays the boxer, and for Frances Marion, who wrote the screenplay for this 1931 film. But check out the kid, too: He’s played by a very young, very charming Jackie Cooper.
Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET
Still uneven and even more improbable, this new Cinemax series benefits from its Friday night time slot – there’s so little else on at this hour, for fans of scripted drama, it keeps lingering as another viewing possibility. Last week, the dramatic moments got a little better, though the action sequences remained choppy and a bit overdone. This week, an old foe returns to the town where an escaped convict has taken over as the sheriff, unbeknownst to almost everyone. As I said, improbable.
HBO, 10:00 p.m. ET
Community fans, pay special attention: Joel McHale is one of tonight’s scheduled guests, in a show certain to include a post-mortem on President Obama’s State of the Union.