TV TOP PICKS
7 p.m. on FOX
FOX’s New Year’s Eve
Toast & Roast 2021
Ken Jeong, pictured, and Joel McHale team up to toast the highs and roast the lows of 2020 in this New Year’s Eve special, in which they’ll make a special point of celebrating individuals who helped make a demanding year a little bit easier for everyone else. As usual, tonight’s special airs in two parts, with a break between them for local newscasts. Jeong and McHale, who starred on Community together and also co-host The Darkest Timeline podcast, welcome several surprise celebrity guests and some of the year’s top musical acts.
7 p.m. on NBC
New Year’s Eve:
Escape From 2020
Carson Daly (The Voice) returns to host NBC’s coverage of New Year’s Eve events from Times Square in New York City, joined by co-hosts Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Amber Ruffin, star of Peacock’s streaming The Amber Ruffin Show. Performers from across the country include Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Jason Derulo, Kylie Minogue, Pentatonix, Goo Goo Dolls, AJR, Busta Rhymes featuring Anderson .Paak, Chloe x Halle, CNCO, Bebe Rexha featuring Doja Cat, and Sting featuring Shirazee.
7 p.m. on PBS
United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America
Airing as part of PBS’ national New Year’s Eve special broadcast, this 90-minute program includes performances filmed at George Washington’s Virginia home at Mount Vernon and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Program details are still to be announced, but reportedly are being planned to encourage the nation to come together again and unite to embrace and celebrate our shared irrepressible strength as Americans.
7 p.m. on ABC
Dick Clark’s Primetime
New Year’s Rockin’ Eve
With Ryan Seacrest 2021
Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots, Pose), who hosted New Year’s Eve festivities in New Orleans last year, joins Ryan Seacrest and Lucy Hale in New York’s Times Square, to cover the evening’s activities leading up to the iconic dropping of the ball at midnight. This year’s special may look somewhat different, owing to COVID-19 concerns, but ABC promises to deliver five and a half hours of musical performances, as well as glimpses of celebrations around the world.