The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

American Masters: LENNONYC

An outstanding edition of American Masters vividly captures the final decade of John Lennon’s life, when the rock legend lived mostly in New York City. Featuring a trove of intriguing archival footage and a candid new interview with Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, it keeps the ex-Beatle’s solo recording career in focus even as it tracks his political activism and follows him during his long “Lost Weekend” in L.A. He becomes a committed husband and father long before his 1980 murder. Monday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Public Speaking

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Martin Scorsese directed this documentary portrait of Fran Lebowitz, which captures the New York writer’s trenchant wit as she speaks out on culture, race, gender, mass media, and much more. The film also eulogizes the New York City of the 1970s, a time when intellect and sophistication seemed more prized than they are today. Monday, Nov. 22, at 10 p.m., HBO

Great Performances: Sondheim!

The Birthday Concert

The songs of Stephen Sondheim get star treatment in this colorful revue celebrating the Broadway composer’s 80th birthday. Filmed at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall last March, the event features performances by Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, and the New York Philharmonic. David Hyde Pierce makes a witty host. Wednesday, Nov. 24, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

New balloons designed by Takashi Murakami, an artist who draws inspiration from Japanese animation and comics, join traditional favorites in the 84th edition of the holiday parade. India.Arie and the Roots are among the many entertainers who will join top marching bands and Broadway performers. Today’s Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, and Al Roker host. Thursday, Nov. 25, at 9 a.m., NBC

Wild Justice

California game wardens are responsible for protecting the state’s wildlife, but also contend with drug traffickers, fugitives, and even urban criminals. In back-to-back episodes of this new docu-series, wardens employ ingenious methods to catch a “thrill killer” who’s targeting bears, then track a poacher suspected of trading deer meat for methamphetamines. Sunday, Nov. 28, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel

Other highlights

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

In the 19th century, some Southern states refused to celebrate Thanksgiving, suspecting it was an Abolitionist plot. That’s just one of the surprising facts in this history of the holiday. Monday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m., History

Independent Lens: Deep Down

Independent Lens visits an eastern Kentucky community bitterly divided over mountaintop-removal coal mining. Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings

The Red Riding Trilogy

An acclaimed import from British television, this gritty multipart period crime saga is based in part on the real-life Yorkshire Ripper murders of the 1970s. Sundays, Nov. 28–Dec. 12, at 10 p.m., Sundance Channel