For a while it looked like Lee Daniels’ “Empire” (Fox, 8 p.m.) was soaring and couldn’t be tamed. Each new episode rated higher than the one before, and that was a TV first.
That’s probably when Fox, giddy about its first new hit in years, quickly green-lit a spin-off. But “Star” (Fox, 9 p.m.) looks like a crude and not quite believable story about two sisters (Jude Demorest and Brittany O’Grady) who extract themselves from foster care and run away to Atlanta to become stars, along with the snooty daughter (Ryan Destiny) of an existing star who was met online.
They fall in with mother figure Queen Latifah and begin a fight to become pop idols, a kind of watered-down Destiny’s Child. They have to do so by compromising and literally kissing up to industry folk. And, like “Vinyl” before them, theres some sort of attempted murder in their past with which they have to deal. It’s like a Lifetime movie with a 90s soundtrack.
A new “Secrets of the Dead” (PBS, 10 p.m., check local listings) tells of the 17 year mission by art historian Bernadette Murphy to find out what really happened to Vincent Van Gogh on Dec. 23, 1888: Did he lop off his ear or just a lobe? Her search takes her from Amsterdam to Arles to San Francisco, where in the notes to Irving Stone’s “Lust for Life” archived at the University of California Berkeley, she finds a key letter to verify what happens, and cameras are there when she finds it.
We will have to guess now what will happen to Daniel Holden, the soft-spoken soul released from 19 years of solitary confinement, who has been trying to make his way on the remarkable series “Rectify” (Sundance, 10 p.m.). Tonight is the series finale after four seasons, the last of which will replay in a marathon beginning at 2:15 p.m.
Emily Sande, John Legend, Coldplay and Robbie Williams perform on the third annual BBC Music Awards (BBC America, 10 p.m.). Hosting are Fearne Cotton, Claudia Winkelman and Gemma Cairney.
The most popular a cappella holiday singers host “A Pentatonix Christmas Special” (NBC, 8 p.m.) with special guests Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire.
The current roster of wrestling stars entertain in the “WWE Tribute to the Troops: From Washington D.C.” (USA, 8 p.m.),
As annoying as the concept was (with only a few years separating them), “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X” (CBS, 8 p.m.) has been a pretty good season of the long running competition. Tonight’s two hour finale begins with an evenly split final six, Bret LaBelle, Ken McKickle and David Wright of Gen X and millennials Adam Klein, Hannah Shapiro and Jay Starrett. The winner will likely be named in the third hour at 10 p.m.
“Younger” (TV Land, 10 p.m.) has a one-hour third season finale. It will be returning for a fourth.
“Don’t be Tardy…” (Bravo, 10 p.m.) also has a finale, for its fifth season.
Forty years of Christmas sketches make up the annual holiday compendium of “Saturday Night Live Christmas” (NBC, 9 p.m.).
A new series about cooking lavish dinners with pot is of course called “Bong Appetite” (Viceland, 10:30 p.m.).
The President seeks a traitor in the White House on “Designated Survivor” (ABC, 10 p.m.).
Tyra Banks and Daveed Diggs guest star on a Christmas-themed “Blackish” (ABC, 9:30 p.m.).
There’s a winter dance on “Modern Family” (ABC, 9 p.m.).
There are also holiday episodes of “Speechless” (ABC, 8:30 p.m.)
“The Goldbergs” (ABC, 9 p.m.) has the rare Hannukah episode.
Last week’s leer fest moves to its sister network, “The Victorias Secret Fashion Show” (The CW, 9 p.m.).
Holiday movies today include “Arthur Christmas” (Freeform, 7 p.m.), “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (AMC, 8 p.m.), “Looks Like Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.), “The Santa Clause” (Freeform, 9 p.m.), “The Santa Clause 2” (FX, 8 p.m.) and “Fred Claus” (TNT, 9 p.m.).
I’ll bet none of them are on a countdown of “The 12 Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time” (The CW, 9 p.m.).
On a new “Wahlburgers” (A&E, 10 p.m.), Mark Wahlberg tries to get product placement in “Transformers 5.”
Boxer Sugar Ray Beltran is profiled on “State of Play” (HBO, 8 p.m.).
They’re still going wild on “Real World Seattle: Bad Blood” (MTV, 10 p.m.).
On “Polar Bear Town” (Smithsonian, 8 p.m.), the bears prepare to leave for Hudson Bay.
Sarah Hyland hosts a special “Lip Sync Battle” (Spike, 8 p.m.) featuring kid performers.
The theme on Turner Classic Movies sounds like it’s out of Investigation Discovery — Treacherous Spouses — with “Sudden Fear” (8 p.m.), “Dial M for Murder” (10 p.m.), “The Two Mrs. Carrolls” (midnight), “Experiment Perilous” (2 a.m.) and “The Stranger” (4 a.m.).
In men’s college hoops today, it’s Saint Joseph’s at Princeton (ESPNU, 5 p.m.), Southern at Baylor (ESNU, 7 p.m.), Illinois-Chicago at DePaul (Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m.), Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Oklahoma State (ESPNU, 9 p.m.) and Grand Canyon at Arizona (ESPNU, 11 p.m.).
NBA action includes Indiana at Miami (ESPN, 7 p.m.) and Boston at San Antonio (ESPN, 9:30 p.m.).
Hockey has Boston at Pittsburgh (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m.) and Philadelphia at Colorado (NBC Sports, 10 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa: Michael Fassbender, Gavin DeGraw, Richard Curtis. The View: Taraji P. Henson. The Talk: Katie Holmes, Nelson, Carnie & Wendy Wilson. Chelsea Handler: Kate Hudson, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garrett, Cameron Dallas, Taylor Caniff, Aaron Carpenter. Harry Connick: Andy Cohen, Kyle Richards, Train. Ellen DeGeneres: Matthew McConaughey, Kings of Leon. Wendy Williams: Mona Scott-Young, cast of “Jersey Boys.” The Real: Jussie Smollett, Sabrina Britt, Asia Scaffold, Danielle Kenricks, Kila Reynolds.
Late Talk
Stephen Colbert: Neil Patrick Harris, Megan Mullally. Jimmy Kimmel: David Spade, Metallica. Jimmy Fallon: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elle Fanning, Childish Gambino. Seth Meyers: Mindy Kaling, Eric McCormack, Joe Pera, Dave Lombardo. James Corden: Natalie Portman, Annette Bening, Neil Diamond. Carson Daly: Erick McCormack, Holy Ghost!, Morten Tyldum, Death Valley Girls. Trevor Noah: Michael K. Williams. Conan O’Brien: Keegan-Michael Key, Ana Gasteyer, Ken Hall, Alice Wetterlund, Luka Jones, Bjorn Gustafsson, Michael Cassidy, Oscar Nunez, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Huskey.