What to Watch Tonight: The Series Finales of The Colbert Report and White Collar and the Season 5 Finale of Covert Affairs

Andy Daglas
Updated


What to watch on Thursday, December 18...


8pm, ABC
The Taste
Holiday-themed challenges task the 13 remaining cooks with conjuring dishes centered on fowl, spiced chocolate desserts, maybe some roasted chestnuts, dancing sugarplums, a turtle dove or two, typical stuff.


8pm, The CW
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2014
Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, and Nick Jonas are among the slated performers at the annual celebration of Youth-Oriented Entertainment Industry Marketing (Holiday Season Division).


8:30pm, CBS
Mom
Christy and Bonnie join Violet's therapy session in "Free Therapy and a Dead Lady's Yard Sale." It isn't long before family skeletons start tumbling out of the closet.


SERIES FINALE, 9pm, USA
White Collar
Six seasons of charming cons and dapper duds culminate with "Au Revoir," which finds Peter joining Neal and the Pink Panthers for the airport heist. But that's not the only scheme on Neal's to-do list, as he looks to finish the master plan that will secure his future.


9pm, NBC
The People Magazine Awards
The latest round of one of the Western Hemisphere's most prestigious accolades, which I believe in years past have honored Edgar Allen Poe, Marie Curie, the Mahatma Gandhi, and Charo. Scheduled to appear this year are Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Hart, Michael Keaton, Diane Guerrero, and many more.


9pm, CBS
Two and a Half Men
Walden and Alan hope to convince Louis that Santa is real in "Clockwise in Back Hole Until Tight." Meanwhile at the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus hope to convince the elves that Two and a Half Men is not real.


9:30pm, CBS
The McCarthys
In "Red Sox Swap," Marjorie hopes to lift the spirits of the family's upstairs tenant (Alyson Hannigan) by inviting her to join their various reindeer games.


SEASON 5 FINALE, 10:05pm, USA
Covert Affairs
Pursued by Vega Force assassins, Annie and McQuaid must escape Argentina in "Gold Soundz." And if their situation is anything like the old Vega Force Assassins on the NES, the Konami Code would really come in handy.


10pm, CBS
Elementary
"End of Watch" finds Holmes and Watson joining the NYPD in the search for an officer's murderer. But the killer isn't Sherlock's only quarry this week, as he tracks a blogger who's posting personal statements he had made in sobriety meetings.


10pm, TBS
Conan to GO
Highlights from the late-night program's first four years are featured, including favorite sketches, out-of-studio segments, and last-minute-of-a-Big-Bang-Theory-repeat-preceding-the-show snippets.


SERIES FINALE, 10:30pm, Comedy Central
The Colbert Report
Before the show signs off for good, Stephen will sit down with his old friend Grimmy, a gaunt and sallow fellow who enjoys chess, robes, and pre-industrial farm equipment.


LATE-NITE:
– Orlando Bloom, John C. McGinley, and Sebastian Maniscalco on Conan, 11pm, TBS
– Chris Rock on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, 11pm, Comedy Central
– Amy Adams, Nick Offerman, and Foo Fighters on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 11:35pm, NBC
– Rosie O'Donnell and Jeff Altman on Late Show with David Letterman, 11:35pm, CBS
– Mel Brooks and Christine Baranski on Jimmy Kimmel Live, 11:35pm, ABC
– Christoph Waltz, Uzo Aduba, and Greg Warren on Late Night with Seth Meyers, 12:35am, NBC
– Jim Parsons on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, 12:37am, CBS


WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING TONIGHT?