TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
This 1964 Stanley Kubrick movie is one of my favorites – not only one of my favorite Kubrick films, but one of my favorite movies, period. Peter Sellers is a lot of the reason: every role he plays here is hilarious, each in its own, very different way. But the war room set is astounding, the supporting characters are a riot, and Slim Pickens, as the B-52 pilot who successfully evades Russian radar, gets the cinematic sendoff of the century. Don’t miss it.
ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET
Too many consecutive Emmy awards may have made some of us take this sitcom for granted. But Modern Family packs as many genuine laughs per episode as any other current comedy on TV, and I’m including Curb Your Enthusiasm. These are the last episodes of the final season of Modern Family, and they ought to be seen, if only to marvel at the comic timing and deadpan comic asides. Both, by now, are perfectly tuned machines – and the show is making room for some very welcome guest stars, such as last week’s Ed Asner, Josh Gad and Paul Dooley.
NBC & MSNBC, 9:00 p.m. ET
Because of a strong enough showing in yesterday’s NPR poll, Mike Bloomberg has qualified to share the debate stage tonight, along with fellow Democratic presidential candidate hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Amy Klobuchar. For the first time, this puts Bloomberg, rather than his TV ads, at center stage – and, for the first time, pits Mayor Mike against Mayor Pete. Live from Nevada, expect this debate to be the most lively one yet.