Make room for daughter

Actors of a certain age are naturally drawn toward King Lear and Willy Loman. It may be time to add Winston Churchill to the list. John Lithgow is the latest thespian to tackle the prime minister and his blustery performance adds punch to "The Crown," a not-so-refined dramatization of the transition of power between King George VI and his newlywed daughter Elizabeth. What could easily be a stuffy drama gets some much needed air from both Lithgow and writer Peter Morgan, who pulled off the same parlor trick with "The Queen" and "That Special Relationship."

Now streaming on Netflix

Let's put on a show

This election cycle may have been nasty, but one thing that everyone can agree on: The entertainers who perform for our military deserve a bow. They get a nice one in "USO —For the Troops," a star-studded salute that doesn't dodge the segregation issues the troupe had to deal with in the early years. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is among the entertainers sharing their experiences.

8 p.m. Monday, TPT, Ch. 2

Laughter as the best medicine

Stephen Colbert may not be late night's most popular host, but he's determined to prove he's the hardest worker. While his competitors take the night off, the unflappable comic will weigh in with "Stephen Colbert's Live Election Night Democracy's Series Finale."

10 p.m. Tuesday, Showtime

Picking up 'Pieces'

In the discussion of today's best sitcoms, "Life in Pieces" rarely comes up. It should. No network comedy does a smoother job of weaving heartbreak into the humor, most notably at the start of the season when one of the main characters dealt with a miscarriage. This is network TV's most grown-up sitcom.

8:30 p.m. WCCO, Ch. 4

Neal Justin