‘Dancing With the Stars’ Finale, Kevin and Kenan Talk Sports, Faking Cake, Shuffling With the Bears

Dancing With the Stars

To win the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in the three-hour season finale of the resurgent reality competition, the remaining five couples will first need to sweat their way through three routines: a Judges’ Choice dance in a style new to them, an Instant Dance where they only learn the song and the style minutes before going on stage, and the ever-popular Freestyle round where anything goes. The season’s eliminated couples return for the celebration, and last season’s champs, Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson, rejoin the show for a special dance. Odds favor Robert Irwin (whose sister Bindi won 10 years ago) and partner Witney Carson, but fans can also cheer on Alix Earle (with Val Chmerkovskiy), Dylan Efron (with Daniella Karagach), Elaine Hendrix (with Alan Bersten), and Jordan Chiles (with Ezra Sosa).

Good Sports

Kevin Hart and Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson had such a good time riffing on the Summer Olympics in Paris last year that they’re teaming up again to dish on their favorite sports. Each Tuesday through February (taking Christmas and New Year’s weeks off), they’ll gather on a set at L.A.’s Culver Studios to comment on highlight clips, chat with sports and entertainment stars, and opine on the latest news from the NFL, the NBA, and maybe a few sports you haven’t heard of. Opening night guests include tennis legend Serena Williams, sportscaster Rich Eisen, and Thursday Night Football‘s Kaylee Hartung, with field reports from Jerry O’Connell and SNL alum Bobby Moynihan.

 

Is It Cake?

Even when they don’t look like cake, these illusory creations look good enough to eat. Or are they? That’s the fun of this comedic baking competition, hosted by Saturday Night Live‘s puckish Mikey Day in a variety of seasonal costumes. He welcomes back six Is It Cake? all-stars to manufacture hyper-realistic objects that look like anything but cake (think life-size Santas and Nutcrackers that spin). Jaws drop during the reveals, when Day takes a cake knife to reveal what’s behind the frosting. “Look at the cheeks on the gingerbread,” quips one of the celebrity judges, who are easily and merrily fooled. Over three episodes, the bakers compete for a $75,000 prize pot and a spot in the finale. Among the guest judges: St. Denis Medical‘s Wendi McLendon-Covey, Nobody Wants This star Kristen Bell, Hallmark regular Lacey Chabert, Shrinking‘s Michael Urie, New Girl‘s Lamorne Morris, and Kel Mitchell.

The Shuffle

When Da Bears did Da Shuffle, people took notice. A documentary short captures the hype and hysteria when the 1985 Chicago Bears filmed a cheeky rap music video called the “Super Bowl Shuffle” that took the world by storm. Some worried it would backfire, because when the song was released in December 1985, they hadn’t even clinched their spot in the big game — which they would ultimately win against the New England Patriots. Former Bears players Willie Gault, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, and Gary Fencik are among those recalling the filming and the furor that followed. (Trivia: The Bears are the only professional sports team ever to have a US Hot 100 hit and earn a Grammy nomination.)

Murder in a Small Town

Gibson’s duplicitous Mayor Holman (Marcia Gay Harden) has been a thorn in Cassandra’s (Kristin Kreuk) side all season, and now someone has leaked damaging intel to the librarian and councilwoman that could thwart the politician’s future. But before she can act on it, the mayor is attacked in her yard after a fundraiser during which she makes an important announcement. It’s a loaded case for Cassandra’s police chief boyfriend Karl (Rossif Sutherland), and he’d be even more rattled if he knew Cassandra was being stalked by an unwelcome acquaintance from her days in Sacramento.

INSIDE TUESDAY TV:

• Pillow Talk (8/7c, Turner Classic Movies): Star of the Month Rock Hudson‘s romcoms with Doris Day set a high bar for the genre, most notably in the 1959 hit that earned him that year’s citation as the country’s most popular star. Followed by two more collaborations with Day: 1961’s Lover Come Back (10/9c), and 1964’s Send Me No Flowers (midnight/11c).
• Doc (9/8c, Fox): In the fall finale, Jake (Jon-Michael Ecker) reflects on his romantic past and present with Amy (Molly Parker) at his father’s funeral, while scheming intern Hannah (Emma Pfitzer Price) is alarmed at how far her brother Charlie (Daniel Gravelle) is willing to go to take Amy down.
• Vanderpump Rules: Raise Your Glass to 11 Seasons (9/8c, Bravo): A retrospective looks back at the reality show’s most memorable moments, featuring never-before-shown footage and a preview of the new crew in the season to come.
• Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors (9/8c, PBS): Chef-author Lidia Bastianich gives thanks in her latest special to communities that reach out to help others in need, including those who rallied to help wildfire victims in Los Angeles. She also visits a pay-how-you-can café in Denver and a free grocery market in San Francisco.
• Frontline: 200 Meters to Adriivka (10/9c, PBS): The Oscar-winning team behind the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol returns for a report from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine, turning the lens on Ukrainian soldiers fighting for their country’s sovereignty.
• Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (streaming on BritBox): The unlikely crime-solving duo of ex-cop Frank Hathaway (Mark Benton) and ex-hairdresser Lu Shakespeare (Jo Joyner) are back for the mystery-comedy’s fifth season, opening with a case involving warring social-media influencers.