Bottle service! Velvet ropes! Uber surge pricing! That’s what some people will be actively eschewing on New Year’s Eve this year, instead cocooning into a blanket with a bunch of week-old Pinots and letting the television do all the work — and by “work,†we obviously mean giving a few solid choices for how you want to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Here’s what the major networks will be up to on the 31st, complete with the hosts and special guests. Or take an Ambien and sleep through it all, you do you.
Ryan Seacrest (ABC)
Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will continue to be hosted by the busiest man in showbiz for another year in a row, with some roving co-hosts also scattered around the country: Ciara in California, Lucy Hale in New Orleans, and Jenny McCarthy alongside Seacrest in Times Square. As always, we’ll also have far too many musicians performing a signature bop throughout the show, which includes Dua Lipa, Charlie Puth, Camila Cabello, Halsey, newfound SNL heroes Weezer, and Shawn Mendes. Start time: 8 p.m. ET. How to watch: ABC Go
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen (CNN)
Despite some, uh, mixed reviews for their hosting chops last year, BFFs Cooper and Cohen — their romance was quickly thwarted — are back at Times Square to banter about their year in review. As has become tradition, Brooke Baldwin and your drunk pal Don Lemon will be hanging around New Orleans for additional coverage. Gwen Stefani will also be swinging by, and the duo will be checking in with Broadway casts of The Band’s Visit, Pretty Woman, Come From Away, Wicked, and Tootsie for some short performances. Start time: 8 p.m. ET. How to watch: CNN News Stream
Steve Harvey (Fox)
No winner cards required for this special. Harvey will be joined by his favorite co-host, Maria Menounos, at his cozy Times Square studio to watch the ball drop, with a bunch of fun musicians and funny people swinging by — including Sting, Florence + the Machine, Ken Jeong, Kenan Thompson, and Robin Thicke. Start time: 8 p.m. ET, with a local-news break between 10 p.m and 11 p.m. ET. How to watch: Fox Live
Carson Daly (NBC)
After a brief hiatus of New Year’s Eve programming, the Peacock is returning to Times Square with a pretty great trio of hosts: Carson Daly will lead the festivities, with Chrissy Teigen and pep extraordinaire Leslie Jones right there beside him. Jennifer Lopez, Diana Ross, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Blake Shelton will also be on hand for a genre-bending song or two. Not bad at all! Start time: 10 p.m. ET, with a local-news break between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. ET. How to watch: NBC Live