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What to Watch on Thursday: Scotty McCreery performs on Christmas special

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (8pm, ABC) - I've said this before. I consider "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" to be a documentary on the origin of Santa Claus. Required watching if you haven't already seen it.

Community (8pm, NBC) - Jeff and Shirley join forces to take on arrogant classmates in a game of foosball. Elsewhere, Annie doesn't come clean after she accidentally breaks Abed's new DVD, and the lie quickly snowballs when Abed launches a search to find the culprit.

CMA Country Christmas (9pm, ABC) - Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles returns as host of this special featuring traditional songs and memories of holiday experiences. Scheduled performances include Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, Darius Rucker  and . . .  Scotty McCreery! Scotty will sing "The First Noel."

Keep a Child Alive with Alicia Keys (9pm, Showtime) - Alicia Keys guides five American contest winners on a tour of South Africa, where they visit Keep a Child Alive-funded sites in Johannesburg and Durban.

Bones (9pm, Fox) - Human remains found in mail at a dead-letter office are linked to a local retail center, where a group of employees are recent lottery winners. Also, Booth gets surprising news from his grandfather (Ralph Waite).

Whitney (9:30pm, NBC) - Lily prepares for her wedding and enlists maid-of-honor Whitney to plan an engagement bash. But all the party-planning stress causes sleepless nights for a frazzled Whitney, so she visits a therapist (Chelsea Handler) for advice.

Prime Suspect (10pm, NBC) - Duffy attempts to give a hit-and-run case to Jane when he thinks it can't be solved, and the clues in a murder case lead Jane and Evrard to a porn king.

What to watch on Thursday: Katie Couric profiles our dear Regis

Regis Philbin: The Morning Maestro (8pm, ABC) - In a special edition of "20/20," Katie Couric profiles Regis Philbin, who retires tomorrow as cohost of "Live with Regis and Kelly" after 28 years on the show. Things to look forward to: Regis takes Katie to the Bronx neighborhood where he grew up, including a special ceremony at Cardinal Hayes Memorial High School, and the two have snacks at Conti's Bakery with Regis' childhood pal, Freakin' Finelli. No more Regis in the morning? Oh, the pain!!

Community (8pm, NBC) - Dean Pelton directs a commercial starring the study group and a collection of the school's most colorful characters. Even better, Abed shoots a behind-the-scenes documentary of the entire affair.

Private Practice (9pm, ABC) - In a special 2-hour chunk of "Private Practice," Amelia's colleagues stage an intervention when she returns home from a drug binge, and Pete and Violet's marriage reaches a tipping point.

Bones (9pm, Fox) - A toy company CEO (Morgan Fairchild) grants Booth and Sweets access to its top-secret lab after the remains of a female executive are discovered in a shrink-wrapped doll.

Whitney (9:30pm, NBC) - Whitney and Alex attempt to adopt a dog, but have problems with the dog shelter owner, who is played by comedian Lisa Lampanelli.  

Prime Suspect (10pm, NBC) - Jane and Reg investigate the murders of a young girl's parents, whose bodies were found in a hotel room.

What to Watch on Thursday: A strong premiere night on NBC

Charlie's Angels (8pm, ABC) - A remake of the 1970s hit show starring Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh, and Rachael Taylor. I'm not a fan. You're better served watching "Community." Or "Big Bang Theory." Or "The X-Factor." Or anything else.

Community (8pm, NBC) - In the Season 3 premiere, the study group wonder if Pierce will join them as they gather at the start of a new semester. Also, Jeff clashes with his biology teacher (Michael K. Williams, "The Wire," "Boardwalk Empire") and is kicked out of class, and Dean Pelton has a new nemesis at Greendale -- John Goodman.

Big Bang Theory (8pm, CBS) - Two new back-to-back episodes open the fifth season. First, Penny hits a low point when she realizes what she's done by sleeping with Raj, and Sheldon becomes leader of the paintball team. Later, Penny and Sheldon clash and Amy is caught in the middle.

Parks and Recreation (8:30pm, NBC) - Leslie is faced with the difficult decision when she decides to run for office in the Season 4 opener. Meanwhile, Ron prepares for the return of his first wife (Patricia Clarkson).

Person of Interest (9pm, CBS) - A new drama following a presumed-dead CIA agent (Jim Caviezel) and a billionaire software genius (Michael Emerson) who try to stop crimes before they happen. Adrienne likes it. Read more.

The Office (9pm, NBC) - In the Season 8 premiere, the staffers discover their names on a mysterious list authored by new Sabre CEO, played by James Spader (right). Paranoia sweeps through the office as everyone speculates about what the list means.

Grey's Anatomy (9pm, ABC) - Meredith is fired in tonight's two-hour Season 8 premiere. I have nothing against "Grey's," but there's better stuff on.

Whitney (9:30pm, NBC) - A new sitcom about about unmarried couple Whitney (Whitney Cummings) and Alex (Chris D'Elia). Is it funny? Adrienne says ...

Prime Suspect (10pm, NBC) - A new series about a NYC homicide detective (Maria Bello) coping with sexism and harassment from colleauges while working murder cases. Also stars Aidan Quinn. It's a remake of Helen Mirren's classic PBS series, but it's quite good. I think you should watch.

The Mentalist (10pm, CBS) - In the fourth season opener, Jane is in prison and must prove that the man he killed was Red John. Lisbon wants Van Pelt to get counseling for having to shoot her fiance when it was discovered he was Red John's inside man. So that Red John thing is over, right?

THE NEW FALL SEASON: "Whitney"

In "Whitney" (9:30 tonight, NBC), comedian Whitney Cummings plays Whitney Cummings, a photographer in a three-year relationship with her boyfriend Alex (Chris D'Elia); she has no interest in marriage.

The first episode is about whether the pair is having enough sex, which sounds very much like the kind of issue you have when you're married. 

"Whitney" needs to be a whole lot funnier, and needs a lot more creativity to distinguish itself, and I can't see the makings of that kind of transformation from the pilot.

I did see a to-die for trench coat worn by one of Whitney's friends.

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