Remembering ‘M*A*S*H,’ ‘Talent’s Fantasy League, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on ABC, Ray Romano’s ‘Celebrity IOU’
Happy (and already busy) New TV Year! A two-hour special celebrates 11 seasons of the groundbreaking TV comedy M*A*S*H. NBC’s America’s Got Talent lets the judges pick their teams to compete in a Fantasy League. ABC presents highlights of November’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Ray Romano is more lovable than ever, surprising a friend with a home makeover on Celebrity IOU.
M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television
Four decades after it went off the air with one of the most-watched episodes in TV history, the irreverent and revolutionary comedy set among doctors in an Army M*A*S*H unit during the Korean War has earned landmark status. A two-hour documentary celebrates the show’s still-relevant humor with personal remembrances in new interviews with series stars Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff, Jamie Farr, the late William Christopher and executive producers Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe. The special features rare behind-the-scenes footage, clips, and archival interviews.
America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League
The judges are the competitors in a spinoff of the hit summer talent contest, with they compiling a team of 10 sensational acts from Got Talent shows from around the world. Mel B returns to the franchise alongside Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel, all guiding their contestants — the usual mixed bag of singers, dancers, magicians, aerialists, and novelty acts — through the rounds, with a grand prize of $250,000 awaiting the winner. In a twist, the Golden Buzzer (available in the qualifier and semi-final rounds) can be used by a judge for either their own act or to steal an act from another team.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Having streamed live on Disney+ from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in November, a three-hour recap of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame event moves to ABC, with honorees including Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and the Spinners. Among the presenters and performers paying tribute: Carrie Underwood, Adam Levine, Stevie Nicks, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Common, Miguel, and Sia.
Celebrity IOU
Drew and Jonathan Scott enlist A-listers to do right by their closest associates in a new season of the uplifting renovation series. Back-to-back episodes start with Everybody Loves Raymond’s Ray Romano spreading some love to Christy, his longtime assistant and friend of 23 years, by working with the brothers to upgrade her main suite with spa-like touches that make her home resemble a boutique hotel. Followed by Mom alum Anna Faris surprising her BFF Amanda with a posh new kitchen and a dining room with a hidden speakeasy bar.
Inside Monday TV:
- College Football Playoff Semifinals: Find out who’ll advance to the National Championship game on Jan. 8 when No. 1 Michigan faces No. 4 Alabama at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (5 pm/ET, ESPN) and No. 2 Washington takes on No. 3 Texas at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans (8:45 pm/ET, ESPN).
- Great Performances — From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2024 (8/7c, PBS): Hosted by Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville for the seventh year, the annual concert special featuring the Vienna Philharmonic performing waltzes and polkas is just the thing to ease the classical music lover into the new year.
- 90 Day: The Single Life (8/7c, TLC): Fan favorites from past seasons resume their search for love, followed by a Pillow Talk (10/9c) in which other 90 Day alum watch and comment on what they’ve just seen.
- The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks (9/8c, Investigation Discovery): Over three nights (continuing Tuesday and Wednesday), a docuseries revisits the bizarre situation involving Michael and Kristine Barnett and their adoptive daughter Natalia, who claimed to be a 6-year-old Ukrainian orphan but who they allege is a scammer with dwarfish. Highlights include a face-to-face encounter between Natalia and Michael and an update of Natalia’s life with her new adoptive family.
- Bitconned (streaming on Netflix): A lively documentary profiles wannabe criminal Ray Trapani, who got his wish when he jumped on the cryptocurrency bandwagon and began marketing a bogus debit card for crypto users. His company, Centra Tech, became crypto’s first, but definitely not last, major fraud case.