TV Rings in the New Year with Holiday Specials and Premieres Galore

Omicron may be putting a damper on New Year's festivities, but TV is still pulling out all the stops this holiday weekend, with New Year's specials, sports, original movies, and a long-awaited reunion that promises to have all the muggles in your home buzzing. Here’s what’s new and noteworthy on TV this weekend:

FRIDAY DECEMBER 31

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest: Special presentation. Dick Clark’s annual event celebrates its 50th anniversary with Ryan Seacrest and Liza Koshy, who will be live in Times Square for the Ball Drop. The special airs in two parts, at 8:00 PM and 11:30 PM ET on ABC

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash: Special presentation. CBS heads to the Central Time Zone for its annual Nashville-set special, hosted by Bobby Bones and ET’s Rachel Smith. With performances from Jason Aldean, Lady A, Sam Hunt, Luke Bryan, and Miranda Lambert. In two parts: 8:00 PM and 11:30 PM on CBS

2021: It’s Toast! with Hoda and Jenna: Special presentation. Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, and some of their Today pals take the early shift on NBC tonight. 8:00 PM ET on NBC

Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party Hosted by Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson: Special presentation. Lorne Michaels puts his own spin on New Year’s in this two-hour special, broadcast live from Miami. Featuring performances from Brandi Carlile, Jack Harlow, Saweetie, and Billie Joe Armstrong. 10:30 PM ET on NBC

New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen: Special presentation. The best friends count down to 2022 in Times Square, with an assist from Katy Perry, William Shatner, Patti LaBelle, Amanda Gorman, and Earth, Wind & Fire. 8:00 PM ET on CNN

Cobra Kai: Complete fourth season. Daniel LaRusso’s Miyagi-Do and Johnny Lawrence's Eagle Fang join forces to take down Kreese's Cobra Kai at the All Valley Under-18 Karate Tournament, with the loser forced to hang up their gi forever. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

The Lost Daughter: Original film. A focal point of Netflix’s 2022 Oscars campaign, Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her directorial debut in this buzzy drama about a woman (Olivia Colman) whose obsession with a young mother (Dakota Johnson) forces her to face the choices she made as a young mother herself. Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Mescal, and Dagmara Dominczyk also star. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Queer Eye: Complete sixth season. The Fab Five head to the Lone Star state and work their life-changing magic on deserving Texans. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Stay Close: Complete first season. Harlan Coben (The Stranger, Safe) returns to Netflix with this thriller about three people whose dark secrets resurface, setting off a chain of events that threaten to destroy their lives. Starring Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, Richard Armitage, and Sarah Parish. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Dishmantled: Season premiere. Tituss Burgess’ Quibi competition series makes the move to Roku for Season 2. Watch trailer. Streaming on The Roku Channel

College Football: The College Football Playoffs are finally here, but first, two midday bowl games:

• Gator Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Rutgers 11:00 AM ET/8:00 AM PT on ESPN
• Sun Bowl: Washington State vs. Miami 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on CBS
• CFP Semifinal: Cotton Bowl Classic: Cincinnati vs. Alabama 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on ESPN
• CFP Semifinal: Orange Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT on ESPN

Great Performances: At the Met: New Year’s Eve Gala: Special presentation. The Met rings in the new year with a gala performances featuring stars Angel Blue, Pretty Yende, Javier Camarena, and Matthew Polezani. Recorded in December 2020. 10:30 PM ET on PBS

2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival: Encore presentation. The CW relives Night 2 of the 2021 iHeartRadio event with performances from some of music’s biggest names, including Olivia Rodrigo, Walker Hayes, J. Cole, and Conan Gray. Originally aired October 3. 8:00 PM ET on The CW

SATURDAY JANUARY 1

133rd Rose Parade: Special presentation. LeVar Burton serves as the Grand Marshal of the legendary parade, which travels over five miles down Colorado Blvd. in Paradena. This year’s theme, “Dream. Believe. Achieve.,” celebrates education’s ability to open doors and change lives. 11:30 AM ET/8:30 AM PT on NBC

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts: Special presentation. 20 years after the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and other cast members reunite to reflect on the beloved film franchise. Watch trailer. Streaming on HBO Max

The Office Marathon: To celebrate The Office’s arrival on Freeform, the network will count down the 30 Best Episodes of the series, as determined by fans and major publications. Begins at 1:00 PM ET on Freeform

College Football: Eight teams face off in this year’s New Year’s Six Bowls:

• Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Notre Dame 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT on ESPN
• Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT on ABC
• Rose Bowl Game: Utah vs. Ohio State 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT on ESPN
• Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Mississippi 8:45 PM ET/5:45 PM PT on ESPN

Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks: Special episode. Following the finale of Flux, the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill), and Dan (John Bishop) kick-start 2022 with an installment that brings the return of one of the Doctor’s most feared nemeses. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on BBC America

The ‘80s: Top Ten: Series premiere. Rob Lowe takes viewers down memory lane with this new series looking at the best clothes, food, and toys of the 1980s. Two episodes, “Watercooler Moments” and “Streetwear,” air back-to-back tonight. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on National Geographic Channel

When Nature Calls: Special presentation. Helen Mirren’s delightfully absurd nature docuseries returns with two hour-long specials, featuring a mosquito looking to do good in the world, and the world’s creepiest looking cat. 9:00 PM ET on ABC

New York Homicide: Series premiere. Oxygen looks at the most chilling muder cases in New York City’s recent history in this new docuseries. New episodes air every Saturday. Watch trailer. 10:00 PM ET on Oxygen

Deadly Cheers: TV movie. Lifetime’s latest cheer-tastic thriller follows a team newcomer (Katherine Marsh) who realizes her domineering coach (Shannon Skiles) will stop at nothing to cover up her teammates’ mysterious accident, even if it means sacrificing her own cheerleaders. 10:00 PM ET on Lifetime

Gordon Ramsay’s Road Trip: Christmas Vacation: Encore presentation. Gordon Ramsay and friends Gino D’Acampo and Fred Siriex take a road trip deep into a winter wonderland to find the home of Santa Claus himself. Watch preview. 11:00 PM ET on FOX

SUNDAY JANUARY 2

Around the World in 80 Days: Series premiere. David Tennant plays legendary explorer Phileas Fogg in this new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel. The series, which also stars Ibrahim Koma and Leonie Benesch, has already been renewed for a second season. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on PBS

The Equalizer: Winter premiere. McCall (Queen Latifah) and Mel (Liza Lapira) help a deported woman track down her son after they were separated while seeking asylum at the U.S. border. The episode will serve as Chris Noth’s last; he was fired in December after three women came forward with sexual assault allegations against him. 8:00 PM ET on CBS

Next Level Chef: Series premiere. 15 contestants from around the country show off their cooking skills for a chance to win $250,000 in Gordon Ramsay’s new competition series. The premiere airs again at 11:00 PM tonight before moving to its usual Wednesday at 9:00 PM timeslot on January 5. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on FOX

Yellowstone: Season finale. After years of bombastic finales, the Paramount Network hit looks to top itself again as Season 4 comes to a close. 8:00 PM ET on Paramount Network

Power Book II: Ghost: Marathon event. Catch up on the first five episodes of Season 2 before the Starz drama returns from its holiday hiatus next week. Begins at 4:00 PM ET on Starz

Sunday Night Football: The Green Bay Packers host the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC North matchup. 8:20 PM ET/5:20 PM PT on NBC

NCIS: Los Angeles: Winter premiere. NCIS investigates the apparent suicide of a Navy intelligence officer who leapt to his death after taking LSD. Meanwhile, Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) makes plans to redo the backyard while Kensi (Daniela Ruah) is away. Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on CBS

Downton Abbey: Encore presentation. The Crawleys and their intrepid staff prepare to host the King and Queen of England, but the royal visit soon unleashes scandal, romance, and intrigue, leaving the future of Downton hanging in the balance. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on PBS

Euphoria: Encore presentation. Ahead of next Sunday’s Season 2 premiere, HBO is re-airing the drama’s two one-off specials, “F*ck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob” and “Trouble Don’t Last Always,” back-to-back. Watch trailer. 10:00 PM ET on HBO

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.