Month: December 2020

1) “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!” (2018), 8 and 10:30 p.m., FX. Most sequels live in the shadow of the original; this one, however, is a major improvement. The first “Mamma Mia” movie simply repeated the stage version – a lame plot, designed to hold vibrant ABBA songs; worse, it cast lots of non-singers. This sequel created a strong story, including flashbacks; it includes gifted singers, young (Lily James, shown here, right) and old (Meryl Streep, Cher.) Read more…

1) “The Masked Dancer” (shown here) debut, 8 p.m., Fox. At least, Fox is copying its own shows instead of stealing from others. With “The Masked Singer” on a brief break, it fills the void with masked dancers. Tonight’s debut has lots of noise and commotion, plus so-so dancing and impressive masks. This episode will repeat on Wednesday, where it will stay for eight more weeks, while “Masked Singcer” re-loads. Ken Jeong is a judge, as he is on “Masked Singer”; others are Paula Abdul, Ashley Tisdale and Brian Austin Green. Read more…

1) “Casablanca” (1942, shown here), 8 p.m. ET, Turner Classic Movies. Beautifully crafted, this is No. 3 on the American Film Institute’s all-time list, trailing only “Citizen Kane” and “Godfather.” It arrives on a great movie night – “1917” (2019) at 8 p.m. on Showtime, “The Fugitive” (1993) at 9 p.m. and midnight on Sundance and, especially, “Inside Out” (2015) at 8 p.m. on Freeform. That last one, an animated gem, is from Pete Docter, whose “Soul” debuted Friday on Disney+. Read more…

1) “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebreation,” 10 a.m. to noon, ABC (but 9-11 a.m. PT). Christmas Day will wrap up (8 p.m., NBC) with one more chance to see the great Grinch cartoon (shown here). It starts, however, with cheery young faces singing perky songs. Performers include hosts Julianne Hough and Tituss Burgess, plus more. There’s Tori Kelly, Becky G, Jon Batiste, Trevor Jackson, Keedron Bryant, Maddie & Tae and even a gospel choir. Read more…

1) “A Christmas Story” (1983) marathon, 8 p,m. (TBS) and 9 p.m. (TNT). Each year, we get a 24-hour marathon of this odd gem, viewing a 1940s holiday through the eyes of Ralphie (shown here), who simply wants a BB gun. Cleverly written by Jean Shepherd and others, this somehow manages both warmth and dark humor. With two networks, you can start it at the top of any hour. Read more…

1) “Garth& Trisha Live! A Holiday Concert Event,” 9 p.m., CBS. This is no longer “Live!”; it’s a rerun of Sunday’s special, with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (shown here, pre-pandemic) in their home studio. But it’s part of a fun night, following an 8 p.m. rerun of Dolly Parton’s “A Holly Dolly Christmas.” Togther, these people have had about 50 singles reach No, 1 on the Billboard country chart. Brooks sometimes surpasses Elvis Presley as the top-selling solo act in recording history; at 58, he’s still building his total. Read more…

1) “Next” finale, 8 and 9 p.m., Fox. Monday’s episode ended with LeBlanc stealing a computer virus from his old office … with swarms of cops failing to rush outside and find him. There are many such moments tonight that jettison credibility. (On the first night of a black-out, people are already starving, with violent mobs roaming the street?) If you can overlook these, you’ll enjoy a tense story, as LeBlanc and Shea (shown here) try to contrive a bomb  and destroy a computer program that’s keen on world domination Read more…