Month: December 2019

1) “The Moodys,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., Fox; concludes Tuesday. As the Moodys (shown here) gathered for the holidays, lives were askew. Sean has cancer. Sean Jr. has job woes; his sister Bridget has cheated on her husband. And their brother Dan? He’s a nice guy who keeps bumbling his life. He broke up with Amy, sent her some plaintive texts, then fell for his friend’s girlfriend. Now Amy has suddenly arrived, ready to join the family and its carolling party. It’s a fine (and sometimes quite funny) mess he’s in. Read more…

1) “Madame Secretary” series finale, 10:30 p.m., CBS, but 10 p.m. in western time zones. For the second time in a splendid career, Cicely Tyson represents a huge chunk of history. In 1974, she won awards for playing Jane Pittman, whose 110 years went from slavery to civil rights. Now Tyson, 94, plays someone born in 1920, when women got the vote. She’s there as Elizabeth (the first woman president) launches a major initiative. Tyne Daly — whose brother Tim plays Elizabeth’s husband — plays an opposing senator; Peter Frampton (shown here) performs. Read more…

1) Football, everywhere. It’s time to settle the conference championships – and more. Three of these games could determine which four teams get shots at the national championship. At 4 p.m. ET on CBS, it’s Georgia (ranked No. 4) and Louisiana State (No. 2); Clemson (No. 3) faces Virginia at 7:30 p.m. on ABC and Ohio State (No. 1, shown in its 38-7 win over Wisconsin earlier this year) faces Wisconsin (No. 12) at 8 on Fox. There are three championship games at noon ET (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2), with others at 3:30 on ABC and 4 p.m. on ESPN. Read more…

1) “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” new season, any time, Amazon Prime. Some shows are too good to stand still. Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, shown here) bbegan as a switchboard operator, trying to crack the 1950s comedy scene. As the third season begins, she’s soaring – opening for a Johnny Mathis-type singer, first at a military base and then in Las Vegas and Miami. That lets this show crackle with great visuals and music. At the core, however, is the hallmark of this Emmy-winner – smart dialog, often bouncing around at a furious clip. Read more…

1) “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” 8 p.m., ABC. Amid the sameness of Christmas specials, a few stand out. One is the “Grinch” cartoon, which has its next airing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on TNT; another is “Charlie Brown” (shown here), an eternal pleasure. Yes, it’s sometimes funny and often fun; the theme song makes us smile, Snoopy’s dance makes us laugh. But it also has soul, Scripture and anti-commercialism … which isn’t easy when surrounded by commercials. Read more…

1) “The Moodys,” 9 and 9:30 p.m., Fox, concluding Dec. 9-10. When the Fox people called this an “anti-holidays” mini-series, we expected a “Bad Santa” or “Kranks.” Instead, it’s something deeper. The Moody offspring, all adults, have troubles; one lives at home, the other two arrive for Christmas with secrets and messy lives. But they’re good-hearted people, in muddled lives. Dan (Francois Arnaud) and his new friend Cora (Maria Gabriela de Faria), shown here, are instantly likable. It’s a first-rate comedy-drama. Read more…