New Year’s Eve overflows with special programming, on just about every broadcast network.
The old-timer among them is “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” (ABC, 8 and 10:30 p.m.) in which the “American Idol” host is joined by Rita Ora. They’ll welcome performances by Shania Twain, Patti LaBelle, Diplo, Alanis Morrisette with Renee Repp, Carrie Underwood with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Megan Moroney, the Jonas Brothers, Laufey, Lenny Kravitz, Cody Johnson, Dasha, Ernest, Hardy, Kesha ,Natasha Bedingfield, T-Pain, Teddy Swims, Teddy Swims, Thomas Rhett, Tinashe and TLC. Ja Rule will perform with Fat Joe, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh. Blake Shelton will pop in from his Las Vegas residency. Luis Fonsi performs when coverage turns to Puerto Rico.
Hot on its heels (and in cowboy boots) is “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” (CBS, 8 and 10:30 p.m.), a five hour special co-hosted by Keith Urban and Rachel Smith in Music City, with Cody Alan and Lonnie Quinn in Times Square. Performers include Urban, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Post Malone, Shaboozey and Lainey Wilson.
Sara Bareilles performs a New Year’s Eve special with the National Symphony Orchestra taped more than three months ago on “Next at the Kennedy Center” (PBS, 8 p.m., check local listings). Guests include Rufus Wainwright, Emily King and David Ryan Harris. It doesn’t last until midnight; even rpeating it at 9:30 p.m. only gets it to 11 o’clock.
There’s always a buzz about “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” (CNN, 8 p.m.), especially since they’re drinking again. Mickey Guyton will sing “Imagine” at midnight. Other performers include Sting, Meghan Trainor, Shania Twain, Diplo, Roy Wood Jr., Patti LaBelle Lil Jon. Also appearing: Michael Ian Black, Amber Ruffin, Whitney Cummings, Adam Devine, Amy Seders, Zine and Sasheer Zamata.
Drinking is also the point of a new addition to the New Year’s Eve roster, “The Day Drinking With Seth Meyers New Year’s Special” (NBC, 11:30 p.m.), collecting his sessions with Rihanna, Post Malone, Will Forte, Kelly Clarkson, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Lizzo, among others. It brings him on the air an hour earlier than usual; his own slot is replaced by “Fireworks Around the World” (NBC, 12:35 a.m.).
Drinking on the job was a hallmark of the retiring “Today” host Hoda Kotb; tonight she’ll say “cheers” to the year’s big events alongside Presidential daughter Jenna Bush Hager for “A Toast to 2024!” (NBC, 9 p.m.).
There are a handful of college football bowl games today, with Alabama vs. Michigan (ESPN, noon) at the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa; Louisville vs. Washington (CBS, 2 p.m.) in the Sun Bowl in El Paso; South Carolina vs. Illinois (ABC, 3 p.m.) in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl; Baylor vs. LSU (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.) in the Texas Bowl in Houston; and Penn State vs. Boise State (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.) in Glendale’s Fiesta Bowl, a playoff quarterfinal.
Hockey holds its Winter Classic outside in a retrofit Wrigley Park with St. Louis at Chicago (TNT, truTV, 5 p.m.).
Tim Bergling, the Swedish DJ who became known as Avicii before his death in 2018 at 28, has his story told in the documentary “Avicii — I’m Tim” (Netflix, streaming). It debuts the same day as “Avicii — My Last Show” (Netflix, streaming) from August 2016 in Ibiza.
“Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall” (Netflix, streaming) is her second comedy special for the streaming concern, where she has already been featured in a handful of series, including hosting “The Circle.” Comedy may be subjective, but it’s pretty hard to find many laughs here.
Vision of springtime hopes may come from the “Gardeners’ World Winter Special 2024” (BritBox, streaming) from the BBC gardening series.
The documentary series “Horror’s Greatest” (Shudder, streaming) returns for a new season of looking behind the scenes of horror films.
New Year’s Eve is celebrated in each of tonight’s selections on Turner Classic Movies, “The Apartment” (8 p.m.), “Bundle of Joy” (10:15 p.m.), “Repeat Performance” (12:15 a.m.), “Trading Places” (2 a.m.) and “Sunset Boulevard” (4:15 a.m.).
During the day is a familiar presence on TCM come New Year’s, “The Thin Man” (9:15 a.m.), “After the Thin Man” (11 a.m.), “Another Thin Man” (1 p.m.), “Shadow of the Thin Man” (2:45 p.m.), “The Thin Man Goes Home” (4:30 p.m.) and “Song of the Thin Man” (6:15 p.m.).
Basketball has Minnesota at Oklahoma City (NBA, 8 p.m.).
Men’s college basketball includes NC State at Virginia (ESPN2, noon), Brown at Kentucky (ESPNU, 2 p.m.), Wake Forest at Syracuse (ESPN2, 2 p.m.), Seton Hall at Xavier (Peacock, 2 p.m.), Arizona State at BYU (ESPN2, 4 p.m.), St. John’s at Creighton (Peacock, 4 p.m.) and Marquette at Providence (Fox Sports 1, 6 p.m.).
Daytime Talk
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos: Ali Wong, Seth Meyers, Alessia Cara (rerun). The View: Jamie Lee Curtis, Jordin Sparks (rerun). Kelly Clarkson: Bowen Yang, Auli’i Cravalho, Will Butler, cast of “Stereophonic,” Lawrence Zarian (rerun). Drew Barrymore: Terry Crews, Taylor Tomlinson (rerun). Jennifer Hudson: Anthony Anderson, Tyler Posey, Taye Diggs, James Van Der Beek, Mirabel Pan Weston (rerun). Tamron Hall: Stephanie Mills, Simone Boyce, Danielle Robay (rerun).
Late Talk
All pre-empted.