Worth noting on TV

FRIDAY Falstaff (PBS, 9-11:30 p.m.): For ``Great Performances,'' Sir Georg Solti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Verdi's comic opera, with baritone Gabriel Bacquier as Sir John.

Christmas in Hawaii (ABC, 10-11 p.m.): Perry Como plays holiday host to the unlikely combination of Marie Osmond and Burt Reynolds on the beach at Maui. SUNDAY

NFL Football (CBS, 1 p.m.): New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, live.

Kalahari: Wilderness Without Water (PBS, 8-9 p.m.): ``Nature'' series looks at how flora and fauna adapt to the harsh environment of this South African desert.

The Bob Hope Christmas Show (NBC, 9-10 p.m.): The annual holiday spectacular, this one featuring the Associated Press All-America football team, the 1986 Rose Queen, Brooke Shields, and ``Refrigerator'' Perry.

Christmas in Washington (NBC, 10-11 p.m.): President and Mrs. Reagan attend Yuletide concert at the National Building Museum. MONDAY

Treasure Houses of Britain (PBS, 9-10 p.m.): Premi`ere of three-part series on English country houses, hosted by the Viscount of Norwich.

Television News Photography (PBS, 10-11 p.m.): What goes into TV news pictures, explained through 1984 National Press Photographers Association awards. TUESDAY

The Plane That Changed the World (PBS, 8-9 p.m.): ``Nova'' celebrates the 50th anniversary of the plane that revolutionized commercial air travel, the DC-3.

Guatemala: When the Mountains Tremble (PBS, 9-11 p.m.): A broad-based look at Guatemala as seen through the eyes of a woman whom history transformed from a migratory peasant into a spokeswoman for her people. Discussion follows. WEDNESDAY

Mary (CBS, 8-8:30 p.m.): Mary Tyler Moore's new series continues.

Women's Decade: Beyond Beginnings (PBS, 10-11 p.m.): A report on the 1985 Nairobi conference of the UN International Decade for Women.

Please check local listings, since days and times may vary.