That thing they do
"The Kennedy Center Honors," always a terrific way to celebrate the year in arts, should be jam-packed with memorable moments, including Mavis Staples and Sam Moore paying tribute to Al Green with "Take Me to the River" and David Letterman honoring Tom Hanks. Our own Garrison Keillor inducts Lily Tomlin. Stephen Colbert hosts. 8 p.m. WCCO, Ch. 4
The killing field
It's a special edition of "The O'Reilly Factor" as host Bill O'Reilly welcomes Glenn Beck, Juan Williams and Don Imus to talk about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the conversation is followed by a repeat screening of "Killing Lincoln," which just happens to be based on a book co-written by O'Reilly. 7 p.m. Fox News
Laying down the law
"Benched," a sitcom about a hotshot lawyer having to start again in the public defender's office, didn't quite make my best-of-the-year list, but it deserves attention, if only for the high-energy performance from "Happy Endings" veteran Eliza Coupe. In a week cluttered with repeats, enjoy these two fresh episodes. 9 p.m. USA
Neal Justin
