New Year's Eve is the world's biggest party, and much like real parties, there are plenty of ways to celebrate. You could go out to an open bar and dance the night away — the equivalent of the person at the party who commands the center of the dance floor. You could stay in -- the wallflowers of New Year's Eve. If you so desire, you can even choose to go from one party to another — like the person who mingles their way through parties. No matter how you celebrate, an important thing to remember is that wherever you are, whoever you're with, at some point you're going to be near a television. Someone may even ask you to "turn the ball drop on." The question is, which TV special should you go to? It's a hefty question, but that's why I'm here to help you determine which New Year's Eve Special to watch, based on what you're looking for.
These decisions come down to a few key factors — namely your personality and what type of music you like. The New Year's Eve Special crowd isn't an especially packed field, but there are still some essential differences between channels. Here's a break down to help you make this decision well before the clock strikes midnight.
Music Lovers: Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (ABC)
If your main goal this New Year's Eve is to jam out, then Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve on ABC is the special for you. It has an especially stacked list of musical performances ranging from Alessia Cara to Wiz Khalifa, and featuring a headlining slot from One Direction. If the only boys you're truly interested in seeing this New Year's Eve are named Harry, Liam, Louis, and Niall, then Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve is the special for you.
Need Something On In The Background: New Year's Eve With Carson Daly (NBC)
Carson Daly, forever the forgotten child of NBC's late night programming, is hosting a New Year's Eve special on the network. NBC's lineup for New Year's seems pretty light, including a celebrity game night hosted by Andy Cohen before Daly takes over. It seems that it'll just him and some of his friends hanging out until the ball drops, so it's a fine thing to have on in the background with your own squad. Whenever the conversation gets stale, you can just check in on what Daly and company are chatting about.
Empire Fans: Pitbull's New Years Revolution (FOX)
The big draw of Pitbull's second annual New Years Revolution, aside from Mr. Worldwide himself, is that he'll be joined by Yazz and Jussie Smollett, better known as Hakeem and Jamal Lyon from the television series Empire. They'll also be joined by superstar producer and series composer Timbaland, as well as other musical guests including Shawn Mendes and Earth, Wind, and Fire — but the chance to see a truly live performance by members of the Lyon family is without a doubt the coolest draw of this special. Hopefully, other networks follow through in the future and have musicians from fictional shows on their specials.
People Who Want To Laugh: New Year's Eve Live (CNN)
If you're looking to get a hearty chuckle out of your New Year's Eve special — be it with friends or if you're spending New Year's Eve on your own — CNN's New Year's Ever Live is your best bet. After hosting together for nine consecutive years, Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper have formed a unique rapport and if the program is anything like previous years, it will be a loose event filled with fun antics and clever innuendos. This is likely going to be the most fun you can have watching television on New Year's Eve.
With all these options — and this isn't even including the many marathons also on TV — it's certain that there will be a channel on New Year's Eve that has exactly what you're looking for.
