PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Part 3. The repeat showing of Ken Burns’ Prohibition ends tonight, with unspoken but obvious parallels to the growing legalization of marijuana. Wherever you stand on that issue, celebrate Burns and company for what they achieved here in their politically astute account of the movement to ban alcohol from American citizens. Then, at the end, toast to the result. This time of year, I suggest eggnog. Check local listings.
Sundance, 8:00 p.m. ET
I’ve just completed a chapter of my forthcoming evolution of quality TV book (fifthcoming, at the very latest), a chapter devoted to TV war series, from Combat! to Generation Kill and The Pacific. This 1998 Steven Spielberg-Tom Hanks movie is an important part of that continuum, and not only because they collaborated once again for Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, starring Hanks, redefined the intensity of war dramas, and the masterful opening sequence changed everything. Watch for yourself – and see the difference.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Even toned down for the era, this 1958 screen musical is quite surprising, given its subject matter: Leslie Caron plays a young – very young – “courtesan in training,” learning to cater to the whims of weathy, usually elderly men. And when Maurice Chevalier sings “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” in this context, he’s not singing about tiny tykes in baby carriages. Louis Jourdan co-stars.
CBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
This TV tradition, one of the best and most rewarding shows of the holiday season each year, has been turned over to a new set of producers – but there’s no hiding, or ruining, the talent on hand as the Kennedy Center honors five major contributors to the arts. (Creative contributors, not financial ones.) This year’s honorees include George Lucas, Cicely Tyson, Seiji Ozawa, Rita Moreno, and Carole King. Just off the top of my head, I think it may be the first time the women honorees outnumber the men. The fellow artists gathered to honor them are many, and impressive, but let’s list just one, when King gets to watch, and listen, while her “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” is sung by… Aretha Franklin.
Showtime, 9:00 p.m. ET
With everything that happened this weekend, from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s surprising overtime coin-toss decision to the Carolina Panthers’ fumbling of its perfect record, there will be a lot to discuss tonight. And with New York Jets star Brandon Marshall among the regulars, his insights, especially into the victory over the Patriots, ought to be very entertaining.