Honorees for The 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors (CBS, 9 p.m.), a rare bright spot in the desert of holiday week programming, are Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine, Carlos Santana and opera star Martina Arroyo, a group that brings such presenters and performers as Garth Brooks, Chick Corea, Sutton Foster, Kathy Bates, Buddy Guy, Tony Bennett, Anna Kendrick, Tom Morello, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Snoop Dogg, Bill O’Reilly and Rufus Wainwright. It was taped earlier this month at the Kennedy Center.
“Treme” (HBO, 9 p.m.), the only TV series to accurately portray the New Orleans music scene and culture — and likely the series that best depicted music by celebrating it, comes to an end in an episode that if it doesn’t tie the various threads of the story at least gives a strong suggestion where they’re all going.
Ditto for the end of “Ja’mie: Private School Girl” (HBO, 10 p.m.), the Chris Lilley comedy that doesn’t look likely to have another season. “Getting On” (HBO, 10:30 p.m.) finishes strong enough to suggest it may be going for several seasons of dark medical humor.
“Sister Wives” (TLC, 9 p.m.) returns for tis fifth season, to celebrate Mother’s Day — Too Many Mothers’ Day.
A repeat of the two hour conclusion to season three of “Downton Abbey” on “Masterpiece Classic” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings), which involved a road trip and a shocking turn, sets the stage for next week’s season four premiere.
The “Call the Midwife Holiday Special” (PBS, 7:30 p.m.) is rerun from last season — a nice, satisfying, movie-length epsode.
Like you, some broadcast networks have taken the week off and opted for popping in movies, like the one showing “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (ABC, 8 p.m.).
The recent deaths of two Hollywood stars leads to tributes today on Turner Classic Movies. Joan Fontaine, who died Dec. 15 at 96, is featured in seven films today, “Blond Cheat” (6:30 a.m.), “The Women” (7:45 a.m.), “Born to Be Bad” (10:15 a.m.), “Ivanhoe” (noon), “The Constant Nymph” (2 p.m.), “Suspicion” (4 p.m.) and “Rebecca” (5:45 p.m.).
Then Peter O’Toole, who died Dec. 14 at 81, is honored with just three films an a documentary, but one of them is the four hour “Lawrence of Arabia” (8 p.m.). It’s followed by “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1 a.m.) and “My Favorite Year” (3:45 a.m.), as well as last year’s one hour interview film, “Peter O’Toole: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival” (midnight)
It’s Philadelphia at Dallas (NBC, 8:30 p.m.) in Sunday night Football. earlier, it’s Baltimore at Cincinnati (CBS, 1 p.m.), Washington at New York Giants (Fox, 1 p.m.), Green Bay at Chicago (Fox, 4:25 p.m.) and Buffalo at New England (CBS, 4:25 p.m.).
Mn’s college hoops include Chicago State at Creighton (Fox Sports 1, 5 p.m.), Canisius at Notre Dame (ESPNU, 5 p.m.), Tulsa at Maryland (ESPNU, 7 p.m.) and Georgia Tech at Charlotte (Fox Sports 1, 7 p.m.). In women’s basketball, it’s SMU at Louisville (ESPNU, 3 p.m.) and Cincinnati at Connecticut (ESPN, 5 p.m.).
Sunday Talk
ABC: Sen. Ted Cruz. CBS: Former NSA director Michael Hayden, FBI whistleblower Jesselyn Radack, NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake. NBC: Reps. Darrell Issa and Joaquin Castro, Ben Wizner of ACLU, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. CNN: Neera Tanden of the Center for American Progress. Fox News: Reps. Mike Rogers and Adam Schiff, Former Sens.Scott Brown and Joe Lieberman, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.