Month: December 2020

1) “The Masked Singer” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. Only three singers remain, neatly hidden under the masks of Sun, Mushroom (shown here) and Crocodile. They’ve already outlasted some talented pros – old (Paul Anka), young (Tori Kelly, Taylor Dane), in-between (Clint Black) and multi-faceted (Dr. Elvis Francois, the Mayo Clinic’s “singing surgeon”). Then again, snowboarder Chloe Kim and basketball’s Lonzo Ball also came close. Tonight, they’ll be unmasked and the judges will choose the champion. Read more…

1) “Big Sky” mid-season finale, 10 p.m., ABC. This has been a mixed blessing so far. Yes, it has great dialog and skilled actors; we expect that from David E. Kelley shows, from “L.A. Law” to “Big Little Lies.” But the story has an overload of truly wretched people, including (shown here) a cop and a trucker who have abducted two teen sisters and a trans prostitute .Kelley has promised that a part of the story will conclude this week; when the show returns Jan. 26, it will have at least 11 more episodes. Read more…

1) “The Voice” finale, 8-10 p.m. NBC. This is a big music night, with performers — see below — including Billie Eilish (shown here), Kelli O’Hara … and the final five for “Voice.” Blake Shelton has two singers – Jim Ranger and Ian Flanigan – in the running, with one apiece for Gwen Stefani (Carter Rubin), John Legend (John Holiday) amd Kelly Clarkson (DeSz). Tonight’s performances rerun at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with the two-hour finale at 9. Read more…

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. Read more…

1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Here’s a top music guest – Bruce Springsteen (shown here), in his fourth time on the show. The host is Timothee Cyears after Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”halamet, who was Oscar-nominated for “Call Me By Your Name,” co-starred in “Little Women” … and was born 20 years after “Born to Run.” Read more…

1) “The Prom” (shown here), any time, Netflix. This reached Broadway two years ago, drawing seven Tony nominations, including best musical. It tells of a bunch of stars who head to a small town to create a party for a teen who wasn’t allowed to take her girlfriend to the prom. Now Ryan Murphy (“Glee”) has turned it into a movie with, appropriately, a bunch of stars – Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Tracey Ullman, Kerry Washington and Andrew Rannells. Read more…

1) “One Night Only: The Best of Broadway,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. For Broadway, this is the lost year. Shows have been closed since March; they won’t re-open until at least June. Two key openings have been pushed back to September and December. Now Tina Fey hosts a concert from the streets of New York. That includes her “Mean Girls” cast (shown here onstage) and the casts of “Ain’t Too Proud,” “Rent,” “Jersey Boys,” “Jagged Little Pill” and “Diana,” plus Kelly Clarkson, Brett Eldredge and Patti LaBelle. Read more…