In addition to the shows mentioned above, over the past three decades, Kelley has written and produced hits including “Picket Fences,” “Chicago Hope,” “Ally McBeal” and “Boston Public.”

Kelley mixed provocative topicality with slapstick sexual comedy and neurotic banter between brittle white yuppies who seemed to think that listening to Motown music gave them “soul,” or some such nonsense. His characters were almost always flawed in an interesting way, but too often self-awareness came at the expense of self-absorption. Whether it was Ally McBeal or Alan Shore, they seemed to be complicated, cute, needy and smug all at the same time.

Like the oldies soundtrack that Kelley too often used as an emotional shortcut and a narrative crutch, his work began to seem antique. A recent effort, “The Wedding Bells” (2007), employed Kelley’s usual bag of tricks. It was unwatchable and, for the most part, unwatched.

Still, you don’t have to be a fan of Kelley’s shows to recognize them and appreciate his singular voice and vision. No history of television, or of the baby-boomer era of pop culture, can afford to ignore his body of work.

• I am not normally disposed to any program with an exclamation point in its title, but I’ll give “The Wonder Pets!” (7 p.m., Nickelodeon) a pass because it’s aimed at the very young and because of its imaginative use of music.

In tonight’s offering, the Pets! sing and dance to music based loosely on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker suite. In addition to the ballet score, the critters also sing some original songs, including a nice little number about being thankful even if you have only one present under the tree. Budget-conscious parents may be thankful for that sane sentiment, but I’m sure it won’t please Nickelodeon’s sponsors.

• The new animated special “Cranberry Christmas” (6:30 p.m., Family) features original music by Barry Manilow. Presented without commercial interruption, “Cranberry” is based on a 1976 book by Wende and Harry Devlin.

• Linus offers the lowdown on the real meaning of the holidays in the 1965 favorite “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (7 p.m., ABC).

Tonight’s other highlights

• Chuck has a sudden flash about Sarah’s date (Gary Cole) on “Chuck” (7 p.m., NBC).

• Jesse hovers on the brink on “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (7 p.m., Fox).

• Carolina hosts Tampa Bay on “Monday Night Football” (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

• Hiro and Claire take a trip back in time on “Heroes” (8 p.m., NBC).

• T-Bag’s faith is put to the test on “Prison Break” (8 p.m., Fox).

• The new eight-part series “Ecopolis” (8 p.m., Science) examines environmentally friendly solutions to urban problems.

• Delko’s secrets may reveal a killer on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

• Mavis and Alistair can’t agree on a hostage strategy on “My Own Worst Enemy” (9 p.m., NBC).