After a year when Michael Jordan’s life warranted an acclaimed 10 part documentary, here’s one about the greatest in another field. “Tiger” (HBO, 9 p.m.) follows the astonishing golf career of Tiger Woods, the greatest of his field. This one takes two nights to tell, and it begins tonight with his start as a toddler golfer so notable he was on TV at two. His run of major tournament wins provides a lot of exhilaration, but below the surface is a difficult relationship with his parents. The sex scandal is saved until next week.
There have been past adaptations of James Herriot’s gentle book of English veterinary adventures — including one on PBS 40 years ago. But the new “All Creatures Great and Small” (PBS, 9 p.m., check local listings) is so benign it seems like it was made in the 1940s. Nicholas Ralph stars as the young vet in the English countryside, Diana Rigg puts in one of her final performances in a small role.
“The Circus:Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth” (Showtime, 8 p.m.) returns for its first episode following the election, with a whole lot to report, so they stretch it to an hour. It will be hard for them to beat having Nancy Pelosi, in the wreckage of the U.S. Capitol, talking to Leslie Stalh about the aftermath of the riot there, which occurs on “60 Minutes” (CBS, 8 p.m.).
Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” (Starz, 8 p.m.) returns for its third season of confusing surrealism, but Ian McShane is still in it.
Kevin Smith and Dani Fernandez host a distanced award show for precisely the kind of movies that probably don’t deserve them — the superhero variety — in the new “Critics’ Choice Super Awards” (CW, 8 p.m.). (I am a recent member of the Critics Choice Association but can assure you I had nothing to do with this).