海角大神

Return to the manor

Season 4 of the iconic Edwardian Era series Downton Abbey returns on PBS Jan. 5 with much of its beloved cast intact and new guest stars (think Paul Giamatti). The debut is a two-hour special, featuring a family just emerging from six months of mourning for Matthew Crawley. But with two new babies on board and the return of outspoken Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLaine), fans will have enough new intrigue and fresh storytelling to sustain them. A commemorative book, 鈥淏ehind the Scenes at Downton Abbey,鈥� is chock-full of photos from all four seasons.

Ring in the New Year

Here鈥檚 a treat for those of us who would put Julie Andrews 鈥� and Johann Strauss, king of the Viennese waltz 鈥� on our list of favorite things. On Jan. 1 at 2:30 p.m. (with an encore at 8 p.m.) both are paired in PBS鈥檚 鈥淕reat Performances鈥� From Vienna: The New Year鈥檚 Celebration 2014, under the expert baton of Daniel Barenboim from Vienna鈥檚 Musikverein. Tap your toes to Strauss鈥檚 stirring one-two-three melodies.

Science meets religion

John Templeton is well known for his investing acumen 鈥� and less well known for his investment in spiritual ideals. But a new documentary, Contrarian, weaves his two passions into a single narrative that details an impressive man who brought together theologians and scientists to explore what he called 鈥渘ew spiritual information.鈥� Though he was often criticized for his interest in spirituality, the 21st century has vindicated him: The National Institutes of Health is studying his ideals in the context of warring nations. The film airs on Bloomberg TV Dec. 26 at 9 p.m.

Collector鈥檚 velvet

The late Lou Reed鈥檚 dark and magnificent rock 鈥檔鈥� roll heart shines through nearly every track on The Velvet Underground & Nico 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe box set. This sumptuous, lovingly assembled edition of their groundbreaking debut features remastered stereo and mono mixes (Discs 1 and 2) that eclipse any previous versions of the album. A hardbound photo book is included, as well as four additional CDs of alternate takes, rehearsals, a 1966 live concert, and Nico鈥檚 solo album 鈥淐helsea Girl.鈥�

National treasures

This year鈥檚 The 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors embraces honorees Martina Arroyo, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine, and Carlos Santana with its usual string of 眉bertalented presenters, many of whom are performers themselves. They range from Kathy Bates and Harry Belafonte to Bill O鈥橰eilly, Snoop Dogg, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. It airs Dec. 29 on CBS.

Keyboard genius

Marvin Hamlisch鈥檚 genius brought us hit after smash hit, including stage works such as 鈥淭he Goodbye Girl鈥� and 鈥淎 Chorus Line.鈥� He is one of only 11 EGOTs 鈥� winners of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Find out why with Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love on PBS鈥檚 鈥淎merican Masters,鈥� premi猫ring Dec. 27 (check local listings).