TV TOP PICKS
6 p.m. on TRAV
The Dead Files
The new episode “Unsettled Dead” follows medium Amy Allan and former detective Steve DiSchiavi as they investigate bizarre paranormal sightings at a historic homestead in Cedar Park, Texas. Later in the same episode, they hit the road again to visit an old Nevada mining town that is widely reputed to be haunted by disturbed entities from its tragic and bloody past.
7 p.m. on ABC
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes
Two more vintage sitcoms get a onenight-only revival in this 90-minute special, with an all-star lineup of contemporary actors portraying the familiar characters. The cast for this do-over of a Diff’rent Strokes episode is headed by John Lithgow as Mr. Drummond, and Kevin Hart as Arnold, the role that made a superstar of Gary Coleman. Damon Wayans plays Willis, Arnold’s brother, while Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) is cast as Mrs. Garrett. Dowd is joined in
The Facts of Life by Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn, Gabrielle Union and Allison Tolman.
8 p.m. on NBC
People’s Choice Awards
The ceremony that bills itself as “the only awards show powered by the people” celebrates the most popular achievements in movies, television, music and pop culture, as selected by fans voting online. Saturday Night Live veteran Kenan Thompson, pictured, hosts this year’s event from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., which includes a new category, Pop Special of 2021. Buzzworthy nominees this year include the Netflix blockbuster Squid Game, Hulu’s Steve Martin-Martin Short mystery-comedy Only Murders in the Building, and The White Lotus and Mare of Easttown from HBO.
8:30 p.m. on ABC
Abbott Elementary
Writer, actress and comic Quinta Brunson is the creator and star of this new workplace sitcom set in a Philadelphia public school where a group of dedicated and determined teachers do everything they can think of to give their students the tools they’ll need to succeed in life. These educators may be outnumbered and underfunded in a world of apathetic politicians and school-board red tape, but they still love their jobs. Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti and Sheryl Lee Ralph also star.