1) “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” 7:30 p.m., PBS (check local listings) and PBS Kids; “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 8 p.m., TBS. By coincidence, two of TV’s all-time greatest half-hours run back-to-back. The Charlie Brown cartoons had gone to Apple TV+, causing fears that a classic (shown here) would be out-of-reach for many people. Then came a compromise: Non-subscribers can find it this weekemd (through tonight) on Apple online; it’s at 7:30 p.m. nationally on PBS Kids and most PBS stations.
2) More animation. Fox has three new holiday episodes tonight. The ones we saw – “Bob’s Burgers” at 9, “Family Guy” at 9:30 – were merely OK; however, the “Simpsons” at 8 (a holiday movie is filmed in summertime Springfield) sounds promising. Also, TBS has the Elf on the Shelf cartoon at 8:30; FX has animated movies – “Kung Fu Panda 3” (2017) at 5 p.m., “Despicable Me 3” (2017) at 7 and “The Grinch” (2018) at 9 and 11.
3) “The Outpost,” 9 p.m., CW. After the season-finale of “Pandora” (8 p.m.), we get more fantasy fuss. Wren wants to “rescue” her mother Yavalla – no small task, since Yavalla and her followers are convinced she’s a god. This is an odd show, with acting styles that range from over-the-top to non-existent, but the high-stakes story does hold our interest.
4) “Shameless,” 9 p.m., Showtime. In the second episode of this final season, people seem to be behaving opposite of any Gallagher traditions. Carl is a cop, Frank is doing business, Lip is tidying up his home … and little Franny has a princess party for her fifth birthday, when she’d really prefer to play with guns and swords and such. It’s a fun episode, a promising sign of the season ahead.
5) “Your Honor,” 10 p.m., Showtime. This opened last week with fierce jolts: After a deadly accident, the teen driver panicked and fled. His father (Bryan Cranston), a judge, started to go to police … until learning that the victim was the son of a mob boss. Now a cover-up begins. The judge is clever … except when he needs to explain why he called a cop. His answer propels compelling events tonight.