A win by Nicholas David would make the finale of “The Voice” (NBC, 8 p.m.) a remarkable thing. He’s the only one with a voice all his own, adding soul and a personal weirdness to a title that usually goes to the young and shiny. Which is the original appeal of “The Voice” anyway — judges pick singers based only on vocal abilities and not looks.
It’s equally possible that the other two finalists Cassadee Pope or Terry McDermott could win; the former is a girl with an accurate voice who wants nothing more than to be the new Avril Lavigne, despite her country mentor Blake Shelton. The other Shelton finalist, McDermott, sings classic rock with authority. But is that a career made for anything but oldies bars and tribute bands?
Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, the Killers and Bruno Mars will all perform, easing the delay in announcing the winner in the two hour finale — three if you count the 8 p.m. recap of last night.
Between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the “Shahs of Sunset,” and the suspicions of a nuclear program, Iranians may need a little public relations help. The Iranians who moved to America in droves in 1978 and were successful helped put up some money for the new documentary “The Iranian Americans” (PBS, 9:30 p.m., check local listings). Though its summation of U.S.-Iran relations isn’t quite as good as the one that prefaced “Argo,” we meet a number of interesting Iranian-American leaders from a mayor of Beverly Hills, to a stand-up comedian to the director of the Mars exploration program for NASA. [I wrote a longer review of the show for Salon.]
Most of the talk this week is about the second amendment, but a long planned special tonight is about the right that superseded it. “First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) includes some historical talking heads and some amusing-looking recreations of men in wigs. It points out that tolerance for other religions wasn’t popular in the early days of the country. Brian Stokes Mitchell narrates.
“Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (HBO, 10 p.m.) closes out its 18th season with the annual year-end review of their sports stories, some of them extraordinary, many of which involve subjects in wheelchairs.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (ABC, 8 p.m.) gets another showing, paired with one of the better animated specials from recent years, “Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa” (ABC, 8:30 p.m.).
Other holiday specials tonight include, from a decade ago, “It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie” (The CW, 8 p.m.). and double plays of both “Deck the Halls” (FX, 8 and 10 p.m.) and, one more time, the George C. Scott “A Christmas Carol” (AMC, 8 and 10:30 p.m.).
And after a couple of “Kitchen Nightmares” (BBC America, 8 and 9 p.m.), the famous chef curbs the cussing for “Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Cookalong” (BBC America, 10 p.m.).
Dave Hester, who sued producers of “Storage Wars” (A&E, 9 p.m.) for being fake, appears in tonight’s season finale anyway.
The end of mankind, some believe, comes at the end of the week. For tonight, it’s the end of “Mankind: The Story of All of Us” (History, 9 p.m.), the series that ends its run in the mid-19th century.
A finale also comes for the terrible reality series “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley” (Bravo, 9 p.m.) and for the season of “Private Practice” (ABC, 10 p.m.).
“Doomsday Preppers” (National Geographic, 9 p.m.) in New York City prepare in their own way.
Efforts to save lemurs – and cause doorbusters – is the subject of “Frontier Earth Presented by Walmart” (Animal Planet, 8 p.m.).
Is it me or is James Van Der Beek playing a bigger and bigger role in “Don’t Trust the B___ in Apt. 23” (ABC, 9:30 p.m.).
There’s a new episode of “Happy Endings” (ABC, 9 p.m.) but all of the Fox comedies tonight are reruns.
Christmas is celebrated on “NCIS” (CBS, 8 p.m.) where Robert Wagner returns as Michael Weatherly’s dad; on “Vegas” (CBS, 10 p.m.) and on “Leverage” (TNT, 10 p.m.). On “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS, 9 p.m.) the holiday is marked in an aircraft carrier.
It may seem out of season, but the Judy Garland film “In the Good Old Summertime” (TCM, 8 p.m.) has her singing “Merry Christmas.” In “Meet Me in St. Louis” (TCM, 10 p.m.), it was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.“ In “On Moonlight Bay” (TCM, midnight), Doris Day sings “Merry Christmas All.”
Men’s basketball action includes Richmond at Kansas (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), Western Kentucky at Virginia Commonwealth (NBC Sports, 7 p.m.), Michigan State at Bowling Green (EPNU, 7 p.m.), Miami at Central Florida (CBS Sports, 8 p.m.) and Stanford at North Carolina (ESPN2, 9 p.m.); in women’s college basketball, it’s Tennessee as Baylor (ESPN, 8 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Seth Rogen, Lilla Crawford. The View: Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Alicia Keys. The Talk: Marissa Jaret Winokur, Glynis McCants, the Pentatonix. Ellen DeGeneres: Bradley Cooper, Bruno Mars.
Late Talk
David Letterman: Paul Rudd, Alicia Keys. Jay Leno: Quentin Tarantino, LeAnn Rimes. Jimmy Kimmel: Samuel L. Jackson, cast of “Jersey Shore,” Ed Sheeran. Jimmy Fallon: Tom Cruise, Judd Apatow, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Craig Ferguson: Don Johnson, Brad Goreski. Carson Daly: Randy & Jason Sklar, Zak Waters, Brandi Carlile. Tavis Smiley: Marcus Miller. Jon Stewart: Laura Linney (rerun). Stephen Colbert: Peter Jackson (rerun). Conan O’Brien: Chris Pratt, Anna Torv, Jose James. Chelsea Handler: Drew Barrymore, Dov Davidoff, April Richardson, Gary Valentine.