Thursday’s TV highlights

SERIES

American Idol: Viewers’ votes select the first set of finalists and the remaining hopefuls perform for the judges in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox).

When Vacations Attack: The series depicting holiday nightmares returns for a new season (8 p.m. Travel).

Rob: Rob’s (Rob Schneider) dad (Fred Willard) meets Maggie’s (Claudia Bassols) family in the season finale (8:30 p.m. CBS).

Up All Night: Ava’s (Maya Rudolph) television show’s new owner (Eve Best) is something of a hero to Ava and Reagan (Christina Applegate), but her right-hand man (Steven Pasquale), not so much, in this new episode (9:30 p.m. NBC).

Awake: In this surreal new crime drama series, Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs), a police detective, awakens after a car accident to find himself inhabiting two different realities. In one, his wife (Laura Allen) died in the crash, but his son (Dylan Minnette) lived; in the other, she’s alive, and the boy is dead. Wilmer Valderrama, Steve Harris and Cherry Jones also star (10 p.m. NBC).

SPECIALS

Russia and the West: Putin Takes Control: Top advisers, as well as the world leaders who came up against him, offer their views on Vladimir Putin’s reign in Russia and the West (9 p.m. National Geographic).

MOVIES

Exit Through the Gift Shop: This Oscar-nominated 2010 documentary follows an eccentric shopkeeper-turned-amateur filmmaker as he attempts to capture many of the world’s most infamous vandals on camera. Narrated by Rhys Ifans (9:30 p.m. Showtime).

SPORTS

College basketball: Michigan at Illinois (4 p.m. ESPN); Florida State at Virginia (4 p.m. ESPN2); Georgia at Kentucky (6 p.m. ESPN); Villanova at Rutgers (6 p.m. ESPN2); Colorado at Oregon (7:30 p.m. FSN); New Mexico State at Nevada (8 p.m. ESPN2).

Pro basketball: The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Orlando Magic (5 p.m. TNT); the Clippers visit the Sacramento Kings (7 p.m. FS Prime); the Miami Heat visit the Portland Trail Blazers (7:30 p.m. TNT).