It’s one of the oldest and strangest parades in American history. “Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade” (NBC, CBS, 9 a.m.) marks the formal appearance of Santa Claus, but it also has a bunch of performers who stop and lip synch performances in a manner certainly not done in other parades.
Those performers this year include Ariana Grande, Fall Out Boy, Goo Goo Dolls, Cirque Du Soleil, Kristin Chenoweth, Carrie Underwood, Gavin DeGraw, Kellie Pickler, Joan Jett, Megan Hilty, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and the dudes from “Duck Dynasty.”
The 15 big balloons, all gone by now to promote TV shows, movies or toys, may be threatened this year by high winds. Speaking of windy, the crew from “Today” do the commentary on NBC; CBS covers it on the other end. NBC repeats its coverage at 2 p.m.
In between is the “National Dog Show” (NBC, noon).
Jimmy Fallon and the Roots appear with the cast of “Sesame Street” at the Macy’s Parade but the former Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta does them one better with her special “Lady Gaga and the Muppets’ Holiday Specacular” (ABC, 9:30 p.m.). Hope she leaves R. Kelly out of it.
Puppets also play a part in a new episode of “Glee” (Fox, 9 p.m.).
When “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (ABC, 8 p.m.) was made in 1973, it didn’t fill an hour. But there’s so many more commercials now.
Commercial free is just one of the charms of another bunch of animated StoryCorps reports on “POV” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) titled “Listening is an Act of Love: A StoryCorps Special,” actual stories about families, kindness and generosity.
For some, today is all about football. You are accommodated by Packers at Lions (Fox, 12:30 p.m.), Raiders at Cowboys (CBS, 4:30 p.m.) and Steelers at Ravens (NBC, 8:30 p.m.). In college bowl there’s Mississippi at Mississipi State (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.) in the Egg Bowl.
Most sports fans people will likely be watching those games instead of “Sport in America: Our Defining Stories” (HBO, 6 p.m.), a documentary that asks super fans about the greatest sports moment they ever saw. The resulting film relives a number of great moments, starting with Kirk Gibson’s World Series homer for the Dodgers.
The holiday doesn’t dissuade “The Returned” (Sundance, 9 p.m.).
Everything’s a rerun on CBS, from “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS, 8 p.m.) to “Elementary” (CBS, 10 p.m.) with three episodes of “The Crazy Ones” (8:30, 9 and 9:30 p.m.) in between.
The BET Awards 2013 (BET, 8 p.m.) get a replay.
You may be putting food away today but “Punkin Chunkin 2013″(Discovery, 8 p.m.) is really putting it away. Catapulting it away.
It’s all family movies on Turner Classic Movies with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (8 p.m.), “Doctor Dolittle’ (10:30 p.m.), “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” (1:15 a.m.), “Born Free” (3 a.m.) and “Snowfire” (4:45 a.m.).
I forgot someone tried to make a sequel last year: “A Christmas Story 2” (CMT, 8 p.m.).
A bunch of big movies are scheduled tonight, to take advantage of Black Friday advertising frenzy, from “The Godfather” (AMC, 8 p.m.) to “Despicable Me” (Disney, 8 p.m.),
College basketball includes Iowa vs. Xavier (NBC Sports, 7 p.m.), LSU vs. St. Joseph’s (ESPN2, 8:30 p.m.). and Tennessee vs. UTEP (NBC Sports, 9:30 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Emily Deschanel (rerun). The View: Trisha Yearwood, the Rascals, Bellamy Young (rerun). The Talk: Carol Burnett, Daughtry, Carnie Wilson (rerun). Ellen DeGeneres: Hugh Jackman, Nene Leakes, Nolan Gould (rerun). Wendy Williams: John Legend (rerun).
Late Talk
David Letterman: Jack Hanna, Kunal Nayyar (rerun). Jay Leno: Christina Aguilera, Jay Mohr. Jimmy Kimmel: Elizabeth Banks, Larry King, Daughtry (rerun). Jimmy Fallon: Rashida Jones, Carrie Underwood, Ariana Grande. Craig Ferguson: Robin Williams (rerun). Carson Daly: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Pierce the Veil (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Jonathan Butler. Arsenio Hall: Eddie Murphy, Flo Rida (rerun). Conan O’Brien: Louis C.K., Thompson Square (rerun). Chelsea Handler: Sam Claflin, Chris Franjola, Fortune Feimster, Whitney Cummings (rerun). Pete Holmes: Conan O’Brien.