The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

Drain the Great Lakes

If we could pull a plug on the largest freshwater system on Earth, what would we see? In this eye-opening special, computer imaging maps the floors of the Great Lakes in great detail, allowing close-up views of such features as an ancient waterfall, valleys carved by glaciers, and even such traces of human history as the wreck of the freighter the Edmund Fitzgerald. Monday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m., National Geographic Channel

It’s a Wonderful Life

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We won’t say that you have a patriotic duty to watch Frank Capra’s classic 1946 filmon Christmas Eve, but no other holiday favorite so rewards repeat viewings. James Stewart stars as a small-town striver whose dreams of seeing the world are dashed by obligations to family and neighbors. His journey to the realization that beauty lies all about him ends with an emotional bang. Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 8 p.m., NBC

The NBA on Christmas Day

Thanksgiving might be a pro-football holiday, but Christmas belongs to the National Basketball Association. ABC and ESPN will collectively cover five games, the centerpiece being a 5 p.m. matchup on ABCbetween LeBron James’s Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers. Expect a fashion controversy courtesy of the teams’ Christmas jerseys, which will be (gasp!) sleeved. Coverage begins at noon Wednesday, Dec. 25, on ESPN; check listings

American Masters: Marvin Hamlisch—What He Did for Love

From “The Way We Were” to the score for A Chorus Line, the music of Marvin Hamlisch seemed always the perfect expression of pop form. As this first film biography details, Hamlisch (1944–2012) was just 6 when he entered Juilliard, heralding a career that would pull in a nearly unprecedented collection of awards, from Oscars to a Pulitzer. Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen, and others talk about the man behind the memorable music. Friday, Dec. 27, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors

Recording artists dominated the list of honorees when black-tie Washington gathered earlier this month to celebrate the arts. In this premiere broadcast of the Dec. 8 event, opera singer Martina Arroyo, jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, pop singer Billy Joel, and guitarist Carlos Santana all receive song-filled tributes from other major stars. Glenn Close and Kathy Bates help honor actress Shirley MacLaine. Sunday, Dec. 29, at 9 p.m., CBS

Other highlights

Railroad Alaska

A major snowstorm threatens to cut fuel delivery to countless Alaskan homes in a surprising episode of this reality series about the men and women who work on the state’s 500-mile rail system. Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 7 p.m., Destination America

Secret Wedding

In this one-hour special, a real-life bride-to-be plans a low-budget celebration before her hired collaborators surprise her with the wedding day of her dreams. Friday, Dec. 27, at 10 p.m., TLC

Dangerous Flights: Prop Jockeys

In this show about pilots paid to deliver small planes to places that the craft simply shouldn’t go, two team members endure a cursed flight to Argentina. Sunday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m., Smithsonian Channel