The first event was held 100 years ago. So for this year’s 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (NBC, 8:30 p.m.) (they skipped a couple years during World War II) is finally when there’s a new Minnie Mouse balloon.
Other new balloons this year include Spider-Man, Marshall from PAW Patrol, Extraordinary Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf, Goku from Dragon Ball and Gabby of “Gabby’s Dollhouse” joining returning blowups SpongeBob, Ronald McDonald, Pikachu and the rest.
Among the celebrities singing on floats will be Billy Porter, Kylie Minogue, Cynthia Erivo, Jennifer Hudson, the War and Treaty, Dan + Shay, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Joey McIntyre, T-Pain, Idina Menzel, The Temptations. In all, there will be 17 giant balloons, 27 floats, 11 marching bands, more than 700 clowns and maybe that many commercials. Again, it will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker, and it will be the last one for Hoda Kotb, who is retiring from the “Today” show.
Since the Macy’s parade is now the most-watched annual TV show for the past three years, bigger than the Oscars or the World Series, it’s no surprise others are entering the field. This year is the premiere of a four-hour “Thanksgiving in America” (CNN, 8 a.m.) covering the parade in New York, but also Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston and Detroit. John Berman and Erica Hill host.
It boasts special celebrity appearances from Bobby Flay, T.I., Kristin Cavallari, Drew Scott, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Roy Wood Jr., Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, among others, and performances from Andy Grammer and The Temptations.
The Macy’s parade will again be followed by the National Dog Show (NBC, noon), taped earlier this month in Philadelphia and hosted once more by John O’Hurley.
Football is big on Thanksgiving Day as well, so there’s a suddenly competitive Chicago at Detroit (CBS, 12:30 p.m.), as well as Giants at Dallas (Fox, 3:30 p.m.) and Miami at Green Bay (NBC, 8:20 p.m.) for Thursday Night Football.
Colman Domingo stars in the eight-episode conspiracy thriller “The Madness” (Netflix, streaming), about a man trying to prove himself innocent of a murder in the woods.
The four episode “Is It Cake? Holiday” (Netflix, streaming) has past bakers fashioning designs of the season, meant to fool you.
From Turkey comes “Asif” (Netflix, streaming), a new series about an Uber driver who gets mixed up with organized crime.
The best musical based on the Baum original is still the 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” (TBS, 8 p.m.), returning to show how it’s done, 85 years after its making.
Yesterday’s two-hour special about its making was a precursor to tonights showing of “Mary Poppins” (ABC, 8 p.m.), on its 60th anniversary, stretching to three hours with all the commercials.
Elsewhere, there’s the first “Shrek” (CW, 8 p.m.).
And here comes the Christmas movies: “Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.) with Rachel Boston; “I Heard the Bells” (Great American Family, 8 p.m.) with Stephen Atherholt as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who wrote the poem on which “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was based; and “The Day Before Christmas” (BET+, streaming) about single parents who inadvertently switch phones and backpacks, with Tristan Wilds and Candace Maxwell.
“All the Queen’s Men” (BET+, streaming), the drama about a woman running an exotic male nightclub, begins a fourth season.
The Peanuts characters are celebrated on a Thanksgiving themed “The Masked Singer” (Fox, 8 p.m.), where the latest person to be unmasked was Drake Bell.
Knowledge of Halloween movies, meanwhile, is tested on the quiz show “The Floor” (Fox, 9 p.m.).
“Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (CMT, 8 and 10:15 p.m.) gets a timely replay.
Christmas cookie pies are the assignment on “Christmas Cookie Challenge” (Food, 9 p.m.).
“Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” (Food, 8 p.m.) salutes the shops of Diagon Alley.
Turner Classic Movies has family stories tonight with “Cheaper by the Dozen” (8 p.m.), “Yours, Mine and Ours” (9:45 p.m.), “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies”(11:45 p.m.), “Life with Father” (1:45 a.m.) and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (4 a.m.).
During the day, it’s all Fred and Ginger in “The Gay Divorcee” (6:30 a.m.), “Top Hat” (8:30 a.m.), “Flying Down to Rio” (10:30 a.m.), “Swing Time” (12:30 p.m.), “Shall We Dance” (2:30 p.m.), “Carefree” (4:30 p.m.) and “The Barkleys of Broadway” (6 p.m.).
Men’s college basketball includes West Virginia vs. Louisville (ESPN, noon), Minnesota vs. Wichita State (ESPN2, noon), West Virginia vs. Gonzaga (ESPN2, 2:30 p.m.), Florida vs. Wake Forest (ESPN, 2:30 p.m.), Purdue vs. N.C. State (Fox Sports 1, 3 p.m.), Arkansas at Illinois (CBS, 4 p.m.), TCU vs. Santa Clara (truTV, 4 p.m.), BYU vs. Ole Miss (Fox Sports 1, 5:30 p.m.), Utah State vs. Colorado State (truTV, 6:30 p.m.), Northwestern vs. Butler (CBS Sports, 7 p.m.), Northern Iowa vs. North Texas (ESPNU, 8 p.m.), USC vs. Saint Mary’s (truTV, 9 p.m.), Mississippi State vs. UNLV (CBS Sports, 9:30 p.m.) and New Mexico vs. Arizona State (truTV, 11:30 p.m.).
Women’s games include South Carolina vs. Iowa State (Fox, 1:30 p.m.).
There’s one college football game: Memphis at Tulane (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos: Winston Duke, Kim Fields, Corey B. The View: Stephen A. Smith (rerun). Kelly Clarkson: Eva Longoria, Isabella Rossellini, James Morosini, Allen Stone, Sarah Kinsey (rerun). Drew Barrymore: Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Pilar Valdes, Jeff Bridges (rerun). Jennifer Hudson: Joel McHale (rerun). Tamron Hall: Jay Pharoah (rerun).
Late Talk
Stephen Colbert: Paul Bettany, Mike Birbiglia, Robert Zemeckis (rerun). Jimmy Kimmel: Colman Domingo, Doriane Pin, Nate Smith (rerun). Jimmy Fallon: Jerry Seinfeld, Cody Rhodes, Billy Strings. Seth Meyers: The Meyers Family. Taylor Tomlinson: Pete Holmes, Echo Kellum, Jess McKenna (rerun).