Entertainment

Don’t miss

COPS
Saturday, 8 p.m., Fox

A WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS: FIRST FAMILIES REMEMBER
Thursday, 8 p.m., NBC

The cast of “1600 Penn.”

CHICAGO FIRE
Wednesday, 10 p.m., ABC

HOMELAND
Today, 10 p.m., Showtime

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The other Brooklyn Babs

Streisand is not the only Barbara from Brooklyn. Ruby Stevens from Fort Greene went out West in the 1920s and became Barbara Stanwyck, the formidable star of comedies (“The Lady Eve”), noir classics (“Double Indemnity”), tearjerkers (“Stella Dallas”), thrillers (“Sorry, Wrong Number”) and even Westerns (“Annie Oakley” and of course, “The Big Valley” television series). The other Brooklyn Babs is the star of the month on Turner Classic Movies. Classic Stanwyck starts at 8 p.m. with “Double Indemnity,” and is followed by “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” at 10 p.m. Invalid Stanwyck gets a menacing phone call that drives her to the edge in “Sorry, Wrong Number” at midnight. “Clash By Night,” “Jeopardy” and “Witness to Murder” close out the tribute at 1:45, 3:45 and 5 a.m. respectively.

STAR OF THE MONTH: BARBARA STANWYCK

Wednesday, 8 p.m-Thursday, 5 a.m., TCM

Ho! Ho! Ho!

The Portland Police Bureau catches a man and a woman engaged in lewd activity in a vehicle, and upon closer investigation, they discover an unused meth pipe in the backseat. Next, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office goes undercover and conducts a prostitution sting at a hotel. Finally, two officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confront an underage prostitute on the Vegas Strip. Gentlemen, start your sirens.

COPS

Saturday, 8 p.m., Fox

The first yule log

Meredith Vieira hosts this special look at White House Christmases past and present. First Families from the last four decades share memories from their time in office, including First Lady Michelle Obama. Vieira goes behind the scenes with White House staff as they prepare for the 2012 holiday season and thousands of visitors each day. Former First Ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush, Rosalynn Carter also dish about their days of tinsel and potent eggnog. Above: a volunteer decorates.

A WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS: FIRST FAMILIES REMEMBER

Thursday, 8 p.m., NBC

Laughter at White House

A sneak preview can sometimes help a new series find an audience. Look at “Go On,” which “premiered” one episode before the Olympics and then was not seen again until September. It’s been picked up for the entire season. “Animal Practice,” which received a similar roll-out, tanked when given some real competition. NBC hopes “1600 Penn,” its new sitcom about an all-white White House — a dated premise, surely, but these shows are conceived in LA so what do you expect? — will get a boost from a pre-Christmas peek. This is the show: President Gilchrist (Bill Pullman) has problems just like any dad! His son, Skip (Josh Gad), is ushered back to the White House so he can be kept under careful watch. Meanwhile, Dale attempts to keep a cool atmosphere when South American leaders visit to discuss a trade agreement. Elsewhere, First Lady Emily (Jenna Elfman) tries to make peace with her stepdaughter Becca (Martha MacIsaac), who has a surprise in store for everybody.

1600 PENN

Monday, 9:30 p.m., NBC

Fire and diamonds

After putting out a kitchen fire in an upscale townhouse, Casey (Jesse Spencer), Herrmann (David Eigenberg), Mouch (Christian Stolte), Cruz (Joe Minoso), Otis (Yuri Sardarov) and Mills (Charlie Barnett) find themselves accused of stealing a $50,000 diamond necklace from the home, touching off an internal investigation. Cruz’s brother Leon (Jeff Lima) is caught in the middle of an escalating gang war, leaving Cruz to make a desperate choice to save him. Meanwhile, Dawson (Monica Raymund) invites Casey to her cousin’s fancy Christmas party, and a frustrated Shay (Lauren German) has reached her limit with Severide (Taylor Kinney).

CHICAGO FIRE

Wednesday, 10 p.m., ABC

When sharks jump

What happened to “Homeland”? When sharks jump, do they have to clear it with the CIA? Apparently not. Many of the show’s most ardent fans became apoplectic when Brody (Damian Lewis) watched the Vice President (Jamey Sheridan) die while Carrie (Claire Danes), after being freed by Abu Nazir (Navid Neghaban), conveniently forgot to tell her cronies at the agency that her terrorist lover boy was giving Nazir the necessary intelligence to make it happen. Oh, well. How will they wrap up the second season? Carrie must decide where her heart really lies; Brody shares a drink with Faber (Diego Klattenhoff) to consider the future of his family; Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is tasked with a secret mission; and Quinn (Rupert Friend) makes a decision that may change everything. Maybe he’ll just shoot everyone.

HOMELAND

Today, 10 p.m., Showtime