TODAY'S MUST-SEES

Rose Bowl parade, 6 a.m., ABC, NBC, and 8 a.m. HGTV and 9 a.m. Travel Channel; also, the game, noon, ABC. This is the big parade, now in its 120th year. It's officially the "Tournament of Roses Parade," older than the game itself. There will be 46 floats this year, including one with a 49-foot-tall robot. There will also be 21 bands, 18 horse teams and some vintage humans: Cloris Leachman, 82, who was on TV 20 years ago, is grand marshal; Bob McGrath, 76, one of the "Sesame Street" originals, will be on a float with Elmo and others. Any of the four networks will do, but HGTV does a good job and uses this day to launch shows and specials. If you want to make it a Rose Bowl day, catch the Travel Channel's preview at 7 a.m. Then — after a long break — catch the game with Penn State and Southern California.

"Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood," 12:30 a.m. (Friday), PBS. In the 1920s, this richly crafted documentary says, the Germans were at the top of the movie world. Such films as "Metropolis," "M" and "The Blue Angel" set new standards for filming, lighting and pure emotion. Then Hitler's government took over the film industry in 1933 and talented people fled. Some failed in Hollywood, unable to adjust; others soared. The emigres included directors Fred Zinnemann ("High Noon") and Billy Wilder ("Some Like It Hot"), actors Peter Lorre and Marlene Dietrich and more. "Casablanca" was stuffed with actors who had fled from Hitler; it became a classic. This is a fascinating story, told with rich use of clips and interviews.

OF NOTE

Bowl games, all day. Things start early, with the Outback Bowl (Iowa and South Carolina) at 6 a.m. on ESPN. At 8 a.m., it's the Gator Bowl (Nebraska and Clemson) on CBS and the Capital One Bowl (Georgia and Michigan State) on ABC. Then the Rose Bowl is followed by the Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech and Cincinnati) at 8:30 p.m. on Fox.

"Dear Genevieve" debut, 10 and 10:30 a.m., HGTV. Genevieve Gorder has been answering design questions on the HGTV Web site. Now she launches her own show, working on one room per episode. She fixes up a living room in one episode today and creates a Tuscan-style kitchen in another.

"World Magic Awards," 7 p.m., MyNetwork; or "How I Met Your Mother," 7:30 p.m., CBS. Neil Patrick Harris is key to both reruns. He hosts the magic awards and plays Barney in "Mother"; tonight, he and the others try to convince Ted that his new girlfriend is flawed.

"Dream Home 2009," 9 p.m., HGTV. Here's a look at the home a viewer will win in March. This one is the style of a Victorian-era farmhouse — albeit an enormous (3,700-square-foot) one. It's a great-looking place, even if it does take its setting (Northern California's wine country) too literally. There are two wine refrigerators in the kitchen and a walk-in wine closet in the office.