Monday's Best Bets on TV

“Elmo’s Christmas Countdown” (7 p.m., ABC): A reindeer anchoring the news? Santa Claus busted for speeding? Elves practicing yoga? It must be holiday season in Muppet land. In this new special, Elmo and Abby Cadabby need a miracle to find the missing numbered boxes of the Christmas Counter-Downer. Stiller the Elf (voiced by Ben Stiller) and sidekick Stan the Snowball co-star. A host of famous friends perform musical numbers: Sheryl Crow, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Brad Paisley. And that news-reading reindeer is voiced by ABC News anchor Charles Gibson.

“The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth” (8 p.m., History Channel): This new documentary tells the fascinating story of the largest manhunt in history. For 12 days, thousands of federal troops, detectives and police officers scoured the towns and woods outside Washington, D.C., in search of the man who killed Abraham Lincoln. Diary entries, photos and interviews help to flesh out the story.

“The 30th Annual Kennedy Center Honors” (9 p.m., CBS): Where could you find Beach Boy Brian Wilson, “wild and crazy guy” Steve Martin, and Miss Diana Ross — with director Martin Sorsese and pianist Leon Fleisher for good measure? “The 30th Annual Kennedy Center Honors,” of course, which salutes these five diverse artists in a gala celebration at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. On hand to honor them are Steve Carell, Kristin Chenoweth, Ciara, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Cameron Diaz, Art Garfunkel, Hootie & The Blowfish, Terrence Howard, Bill Irwin, Ricky Jay, Jaime Laredo, Lyle Lovett, Yo-Yo Ma, Smokey Robinson, Earl Scruggs, Martin Short and Vanessa Williams, among other luminaries. Host Caroline Kennedy begins the festivities by quoting her father, President John F. Kennedy, who, in a 1963 address to honor poet Robert Frost, declared, “I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist.”

“Dog Whisperer” (9 p.m., National Geographic Channel): Gavin is a Labrador retriever and a decorated explosive-sniffing agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. But in 2005, after a 45-day stint in Iraq and two hurricanes that threatened the Florida home he shared with his handler, Special Agent L.A. Bykowsky, the formerly fearless Gavin started exhibiting severe symptoms of terror. He’s even afraid of the smoke detector. Call for dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan, who takes Gavin’s case in this week’s “Dog Whisperer.” Millan’s innovative rehabilitation tool: a trailer that can simulate the exact scenes and sounds — thunderstorms, fireworks and war — that are the root of Gavin’s fears.

“In God’s Name” (9 p.m., CBS): Jules and Gedeon Naudet, the French filmmakers behind the landmark documentary, “9/11,” posed questions about faith and the meaning of life to 12 of the world’s most influential spiritual leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI and the Dalai Lama. The result is “In God’s name,” a documentary that attempts to get to the heart of the matter.

“Seven Ages of Rock” (9 p.m., VH1 Classic): Dennis Hopper narrates this last installment of how rock has morphed over the decades.