The first half of The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (NBC, 9 a.m.) was always concentrated on Herald Square, where Broadway stars would incongruously stage big production numbers of the type you’d see at, well, no other parades.
This year, because of Covid, what’s left of the parade will all take place at a Herald Square devoid of observers with many performances pre-taped by otherwise unemployed casts of musicals (which all closed in March and won’t be back anytime before Memorial Day, 2021), including “Hamilton,” “Mean Girls,” “Jagged Little Pill” and “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.”
Other musical performances are promised from Patti LaBelle, Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Jordin Sparks and the Radio City Rockettes. High school bands are out; city police band and the West Point band are in. There will still be balloons, including a couple of new ones, Boss Baby and Red Titan. The “Today” crew of Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker host; Jimmy Fallon and the Roots open the show.
Other traditions going on include The National Dog Show (NBC, noon and 8 p.m.) from Pennsylvania, hosted by John O’Hurley, which will get an unusual prime time replay after the big Baltimore-Pittsburgh game tonight was postponed to Sunday because of Covid concerns.
In place of the NFL game tonight will be a replay of the National Dog Show followed by a rerun of “The Wall” (NBC, 10 p.m.). The dog show was already planning some replays on NBC Sports network at 7 and 9 p.m. so it will be on a lot.
I bet competing networks wish they hadn’t just thrown up some reruns against the football, as CBS did, alternating “Young Sheldon” (CBS, 8 and 8:30 p.m.) with “B Positive” (CBS, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.).