Everybody had their complaints about “The Newsroom” (HBO, 9 p.m.), I suppose. But what other show had us all watching anyway? The shortened third season seemed until recently better balanced than the others, but with the series finale looming tonight, all kinds of things happened in single episodes, from marriage to whole prison sentences.
There’s another life transition in tonight’s finale, which may remind you of one of the emotional episodes of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing.” Also, every relationship gets resolved, Dev returns from exile and Jeff Daniels plays the guitar.
It has tough premium cable competition from “Homeland” (Showtime, 9 p.m.), nearing its finale with further mayhem in Pakistan with Quinn gone rogue and Carrie going after him.
She didn’t retire after all. And yet how can we assess “Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014” (ABC, 9 p.m)? Seems like the same sort of people: Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, etc. etc.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson hosts the special “Backstage with Disney on Broadway: Celebrating 20 Years” (ABC, 7 p.m.) celebrating their success with eight musicals there, from “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King” to “Aladdin”
“Undercover Boss” (CBS, 8 p.m.) starts its sixth season with the CEO of True Value donning a terrible wig.
Get a peek at how the President decorated this year on “White House Christmas 2014” (HGTV, 8 p.m.).
The lively 2013 hit “American Hustle” (Encore, 8 p.m.) gets a rare Sunday night premiere.
It’s a second season finale on “Getting On” (HBO, 10:30 p.m.), where all hell breaks loose.
Noah’s wondering whether his marriage will continue after “The Affair” (Showtime, 10 p.m.).
Filming in the desert is taking longer than Valerie thought on “The Comeback” (HBO, 10 p.m.).
Bad movies are almost a matter of pride in the Christmas season, but “The Secret Santa” (TLC, 7 p.m.) takes it a step worse: It’s one of those fake documentaries about the existence of Santa from the people who made the fake one about mermaids. It’s about an Arizona TV reporter with an apparently unlimited budget to investigate Kringle in our midst. Its overt attempt at warmth doesn’t melt the icy lie at its heart.
More traditionally, “The Christmas Parade” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.) stars AnnaLynne McCord, who usually plays bad girls as a (fictional) network morning host “who finds a way to reconnect with both real romance and the true spirit of the season.” Which of course is the plot of every bad Christmas movie. More specifically, she is forced, after a traffic mishap, to do community service, building a float for a holiday parade. With Jefferson Brown and Drew Scott.
You’ll be better off with a double shot of Dickens on Turner Classic Movies with “Great Expectations” (8 p.m.) and “David Copperfield” (10:15 p.m.). Then it’s Buster Keaton in “The Cameraman” (12:30 a.m.).
I was wondering if they were just dropping the Jim Carrey version, but here it is, twice: “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (ABC Family, 6 and 9 p.m.). Other holiday fare, despite its title: “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (AMC, 8 p.m.). Not a Christmas movie: “Three Kings” (FIC, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.).
To ready you for the third installment, here’s “Night at the Museum” (FX, 7 p.m.) and “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” (FX, 9 p.m.). Similarly, there’s “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” (TNT, 9 p.m.) right after a new episode of “The Librarians” (TNT, 8 p.m.).
Sunday Night Football has Dallas at Philadelphia (NBC, 8:30 p.m.). Earlier, it’s Washington at Giants (Fox, 1 p.m.), Jacksonville at Baltimore (NBC, 1 p.m.) and San Francisco at Seattle (Fox, 4:25 p.m.).
Men’s college hoops today has Saint Peter’s at Seton Hall (Fox Sports 1, noon), Temple at Villanova (Fox Sports 1, 2 p.m.), Butler at Tennessee (ESPNU, 2 p.m.), Illinois State at DePaul (Fox Sports 1, 4 p.m.), Louisiana Tech at Syracuse (ESPNU, 4 p.m.), North Carolina Wilmington at Louisville (ESPNU, 6 p.m.) and Oakland at Michigan State (ESPNU, 8 p.m.). Women’s games include Tennessee at Rutgers (ESPN2, 3 p.m.).
In hockey, it’s Calgary at Chicago (NHL, 8 p.m.).
But for college football, they just like to talk about it, with the 2 1/2 hour “College Football Bowl Mania Special” (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.)
Sunday Talk
ABC: Former CIA Director Michael Hayden, Army interrogator Eric Fair, Rep. Keith Ellison. CBS: Sens. Saxby Chambliss, John McCain and Angus King, Rep. Mike Rogers. NBC: Dick Cheney, Sen. Ron Wyden, David Axelrod. CNN: George W. Bush, Rep. Peter King, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Fox News: Sen. Sheldon WHitehouse, Karl Rove.