Public television usually doesn’t come out this early with their Yuletide celebrations, but here’s “A Classic Christmas (My Music)” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings) a collection of old clips hosted by Gavin MacLeod of “Love Boat” and Marion Ross of “Happy Days” in which vocalists like Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams and Rosemary Clooney, among others, take on the upcoming season’s songbook.
Misty Copeland and Dave Growl are among the guests on the 50th season premiere of “Sesame Street” (HBO, 9 a.m.), while last week’s 50th anniversary celebration is replayed on public television tomorrow at 7.
College football dominate prime time broadcast TV again with Oklahoma at Baylor (ABC, 7:30 p.m.) and UCLA at Utah (Fox, 8 p.m.). And there are a lot of other games, listed below.
Scientists see how temperatures are affecting the Great Barrier Reef and how plastic is affecting turtles on “Planet Earth: Blue Planet II” (BBC America, 9 p.m.).
The documentary “Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words” (CNN, 9 p.m.) will seem way too timely.
A former U.S. security adviser’s past comes back to haunt her in the political thriller “An Acceptable Loss” (Showtime, 9 p.m.), a movie starring Tika Sumpter and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Holiday baking is a contest on “Christmas Cookie Challenge” (Food, 10 p.m.).
On the made-for-TV “Christmas Under the Stars” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.) Jesse Metcalfe plays a guy working a tree lot who meets a woman (Autumn Reeser) dealing with the death of her father. Clarke Peters also stars.
In the new “Christmas in Louisiana” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.), a former Miss Christmas (Jana Kramer) returns home to celebrate a festival and reconnects with Mr. Christmas (Percy Daggs III). With Barry Bostwick, Moira Kelly and Dee Wallace also star
No Christmas decorations at all are expected in the thriller “My Sister’s Deadly Secret” (Lifetime Movie Network, 8 p.m.) about an estranged sister who may not be a real sister at all.
“Little” (HBO, 8 p.m.), the comedy with Regina Hall, Issa Rae and Marsai Martin, makes its premium cable debut.
With any luck, a gender reveal party on “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” (OWN, 9 p.m.) will not involve an airplane.
The women bring their best friends along to size up the dudes on “Ready to Love” (OWN, 10 p.m.).
Turner Classic Movies has a couple o 1970sf films about robberies gone wrong: “Dog Day Afternoon” (8 p.m.) and “The Anderson Tapes” (10:15 p.m.). Then comes the 12 o’clock noir “The Hitch-Hiker” (midnight). Then comes two stories of Native American battles, “Drums Along the Mohawk” (1:45 a.m.) and “The Pathfinder” (3:45 a.m.).
College football starts at noon with games that include Indiana at Penn State (ABC), Florida at Missouri (CBS), Michigan State at Michigan (Fox), Alabama at Mississippi State (ESPN), TCU at Texas Tech (ESPN2), Kansas at Oklahoma State (Fox Sports 1), Tulane at Temple (ESPNU) and VMI at Army (CBS Sports,).
After Navy at Notre Dame (NBC, 2:30 p.m.) comes games at 3:30 p.m. that include Wake Forest at Clemson (ABC), Georgia at Auburn (CBS), West Virginia at Kansas State (ESPN), Memphis at Houston (ESPN2), Texas at Iowa State (Fox Sports 1), Central Michigan at Ball State (CBS Sports) and Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (NBC Sports).
Those games are followed by Minnesota at Iowa (Fox, 4 p.m.), LSU at Mississippi (ESPN), Air Force at Colorado State (ESPN2, 7 p.m.), Cincinnati at South Florida (CBS Sports, 7 p.m.), Arizona State at Oregon State (Fox Sports 1, 7:30 p.m.), Appalachian State at Georgia State (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.), New Mexico at Boise State (ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.), Arizona at Oregon (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.) and Southern California at California (Fox Sports 1, 11 p.m.).
Men’s college hoops has Ohio at Villanova (Fox Sports 2, noon), Saint Peter’s at Providence (Fox Sports 2, 2 p.m.), Vermont at St. John’s (Fox Sports 2, 4 p.m.), Louisiana Tech at Creighton (Fox Sports 2, 6 p.m.), Wofford at Butler (Fox Sports 2, 8 p.m.) and Southern California at Nevada (CBS Sports, 11 p.m.).
Hockey has Toronto at Pittsburgh (NHL, 7 p.m.).
Basketball has Brooklyn at Chicago (NBA, 6 p.m.).
NASCAR runs its Ford EcoBoost 300 (NBC Sports, 3:30 p.m.).
Soccer has Niger at Ivory Coast (beIN Sports, 1:50 p.m.).
Kane Brown and Colter Wall play “Austin City Limits” (PBS, 11 p.m., check local listings).
Harry Styles hosts (and is musical guest) on “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.).