Let’s not sugarcoat it: There’s not a lot happening in the TV world today. Networks have taken the week off. Late night hosts are vacationing. Streaming services aren’t exactly flooding the gap.
There are are some of those college football bowl games scattered through the day with Temple vs. Duke (ESPN, 1:30 p.m.) in the Independence Bowl, Miami vs. Wisconsin (ESPN, 5:15 p.m.) in the Pinstripe Bowl and Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (ESPN, 9 p.m.) in the Texas Bowl.
Otherwise, they’re kind of running out of competitive sporting events with the World Axe Throwing Championships (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), the Dodgeball World Cup (ESPN2, 9 p.m.) and the ACL Southern College Cornhole Championships (ESPNU, 10 p.m.). Not making any of those up.
The Peanuts characters would seem to be preparing for next week’s impending holiday in the special “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!” (ABC, 8 p.m.), which cobbles together a 1986 special that has Charlie Brown cajoled to go to a party despite having to complete a “War and Peace” book report, with a 1980 story about Snoopy help Peppermint Patty train for her first ice-skating competition (winter themed, get it?).
“I Feel Bad” (NBC, 8 and 8:30 p.m.) ends its first season with a pair of episodes; one about the central character, Emet, trying to get to know more about her father, and a second about trying to get away from work for vacation. They’re the only two new scripted episodes of anything broadcast tonight.
Reruns everywhere else, with one network interweaving old episodes of its “Last Man Standing” (Fox, 8 and 9 p.m.) with “The Cool Kids” (Fox, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.) and another alternating “The Connors” (ABC, 9 and 10 p.m.) with “The Kids are Alright” (ABC, 9:30 and 10:30 p.m.).
A rhino couple is reunited on a new episode of “The Secret Life of the Zoo” (Animal Planet, 9 p.m.).
Restaurant wars come early for the 12 contestants on “Top Chef” (Bravo, 9 p.m.).
Waiting for the doctors on “Botched” (E!, 9 p.m.) to just say no.
“Monsters, Inc.” (Freeform, 6:15 p.m.) is matched with “Ratatouille” (Freeform, 8:20 p.m.).
Lovebirds face evil in Northern California on “Dead Silent” (Investigation Discovery, 9 p.m.).
The 10th single arrives on “Ex on the Beach” (MTV, 8 p.m.).
The true crime “The Night that Didn’t End” (Investigation Discovery, 10 p.m.) is actually only an hour.
Apologies come hard on “Floribama Shore” (MTV, 9 p.m.).
Three generations of a family killed at a campsite is “The Case that Haunts Me” (Investigation Discovery, 11 p.m.).
“Bad Boys” (Paramount, 7:30 p.m.) meets “Bad Boys II” (Paramount, 10:30 p.m.).
A man eating plant is part of the first of two episodes of “The Carbonaro Effect” (TruTV, 10 p.m.).
The 39-film, month-long Thursday night salute to actor Dick Powell on Turner Classic Movies concludes with “Susan Slept Here” (11 a.m.), “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1 p.m.), “Meet the People” (3 p.m.), “It Happened Tomorrow” (4:45 p.m.), “The Reformer and the Redhead” (6:15 p.m.), “Murder, My Sweet” (8 p.m.), “The Pitfall” (9:45 p.m.), “Cornered” (11:30 p.m.), “The Tall Target” (1:30 a.m.), “Station West” (3 a.m.) and “Right Cross” (4:30 a.m.).
NBA action has Boston at Houston (TNT, 8 p.m.) and Philadelphia at Utah (TNT, 10:30 p.m.).
Hockey includes Philadelphia at Tampa Bay (NBC Sports, 7:30 p.m.).
College basketball has Missouri-Kansas City at Creighton (Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m.).
And there are the World Junior Hockey championships with Russia vs. Denmark (NHL, 4 p.m.), Switzerland vs. Canada (NHL, 8 p.m.) and Finland vs. Kazakhstan (NHL, 10:30 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest: Jared Padalecki, Vicki Lawrence, Josh Horton, Plain White T’s. The View: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer (rerun). The Talk: Dermot Mulroney, Piers Morgan, Carrie Ann Inaba, Lynda Lopez (rerun). Ellen DeGeneres: Blake Shelton, Joel Edgerton (rerun). Wendy Williams: Remy Ma, Papoose (rerun). The Real: Remy Ma, Papoose (rerun).
Late Talk
All reruns: Stephen Colbert: Chris Pine, Major Garrett. Jimmy Kimmel: Jennifer Aniston, Chris Elliott, Rita Ora. Jimmy Fallon: Miley Cyrus, Regina King, Chloe x Halle. Seth Meyers: Michael Douglas, Rufus Wainwright, Nikki Glaspie. James Corden: Keira Knightley, Kathryn Hahn, Joe Zimmerman. Carson Daly: Shemar Moore, Odetta Hartman, Anthony Ramos.