| 100% | SNL | 3 | TV show since 10/11/75, eight of whose former stars appear in the circled squares in this puzzle |
| 42% | ASHOWABOUTNOTHING | 17 | Description of the TV series spelled out in the circled squares (as well as this puzzle's theme) |
| 42% | TARA | 4 | Author Westover whose memoir is spelled out in the first letters of this puzzle's eight circled schools |
| 41% | TRADINGSPACES | 13 | Reality series whose title describes what the starting sounds of eight TV titles in this puzzle are doing |
| 40% | PHYSICSFORMULAS | 15 | What the three sets of circled squares in this puzzle represent |
| 40% | OHFOURTUNA | 10 | Apt exclamation from 42-Across upon noticing the contents of the circled squares in this puzzle? |
| 40% | PAT | 3 | TV show host Sajak who may say the phrase found in the starred clues of this puzzle before 4d |
| 39% | NAMETHEONE | 10 | Start of a brainteaser whose answer appears in order, from top to bottom, in this puzzle's circled squares |
| 39% | HTEAAIDLS | 9 | Winner of the wager in 17-/56-Across, depending on how you fill the circled squares in this puzzle |
| 38% | PH/FONETICALLY | 14 | Middle of the quip ... and a hint to eight squares in this puzzle |
| 37% | TINAFEY | 7 | Writer of the bestseller spelled out in this puzzle's circled squares |
| 37% | PAVEDROAD | 9 | What the circled squares in this puzzle symbolize |
| 37% | TEST | 4 | Any of the eight circled words in this puzzle, and what's spelled out by their intersections |
| 37% | BREAKINGBAD | 11 | #3 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time (as of 2016) ... and a hint to what the black squares are doing in four rows of this puzzle |
| 36% | CROSSREFERENCES | 15 | "See also" notations ... or what can be found in the circled squares in this puzzle? |
| 36% | AFTERTHOUGHT | 12 | “P.S.” comment ... or where the ends of eight answers in this puzzle might appear? |
| 36% | LANDFORMS | 9 | Geographical features ... or what the circled squares in this puzzle represent |
| 36% | TNUT | 4 | Hardware fastener ... or a literal hint to the circled squares in this puzzle |
| 36% | FALLINGDOWN | 11 | Like the contents of this puzzle's circled squares, in a nursery rhyme |
| 36% | TOOLBOX | 7 | Locale of all the circled items in this puzzle |
| 35% | ESCAPEACT | 9 | Houdini’s signature feat … or a hint to the circled squares in this puzzle |
| 35% | SPIN | 4 | Take a turn with the object illustrated by the central black squares in this puzzle (leading to one of the four circled results) |
| 35% | ABC | 3 | Kind of order for the circled letters in this puzzle |
| 35% | MILKSHAKES | 10 | Diner treats ... or a hint to what's happening to the words in the circled squares in this puzzle? |
| 35% | TEN | 3 | Number of mispelled words in this puzzle's clues (oh, by the way, watch out for those tricky circled squares!) |
| 35% | THEMANFROMUNCLE | 15 | Hit 1960's TV show with a hint to the nine starred clues in this puzzle |
| 35% | VICTORFLEMING | 13 | Director of the eight starred films in this puzzle, who was born on 2/23/1889 |
| 35% | MORN | 4 | Poetic time of day … and a clue to the circled square in this row |
| 35% | BACKWARD | 8 | How the Across answers appear in the bottom half of this puzzle |
| 35% | STATESWONBYBARACKOBAMA | 22 | With 90-Across, what the 28 circled squares in this puzzle represent |