Somewhere beyond all the elves and snowmen and differently-nosed reindeer, TV occasionally remembers the serious side of Christmas.
That seems to be on the upswing lately, partly because of “The Chosen” (shown here), the crowdfunded series about Jesus. Originally planned to simply be online, it found audiences on several cable channels, including Trinity, UPtv and BYU-TV.
Now it’s also had Sunday nights on CW … where it will wrap its current run (three seasons, with four more planned) on Christmas Eve. The same producer will have a two-hour music-and-monologue special Dec. 23 on CW … and a similar special will be Christmas Eve on Great American Family.
Others range from new music to old documentaries. Here’s a sampling, primarily for Dec. 24-25.
Many other shows (especially movies on GAF or BYU) will include some reference to religion, but we’ll focus on the ones where it’s likely to be a prime factor. This doesn’t include the specifically religious channels (such as Trinity) or regular shows (such as “700 Club”); it also doesn’t include shows syndicated to individual stations. Still, it provides a solid sampling:
BROADCAST NETWORKS
— 8-10 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 23). “Christmas With the Chosen,” CW. The “Chosen” creator co-directs a night that has seven songs (including Andrea and Matteo Bocelli), two new monologues and music highlights from two previous specials.
— 8-10 p.m. Sunday: “The Chosen” season-finale, CW. People gather, first to argue with Jesus and then to listen to him. As the day goes on, disciples worry that there’s no food for the crowd.
— 11:30 p.m. Sunday: Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica, NBC. (CBS used to have a corresponding Protestant service. Now, however, stations use varied ones; CBS stations in New York and Los Angeles have Joel Osteen and Joni Eareckson Tada.
— 8-9:30 p.m. Monday: “Call the Midwife” Christmas special, PBS. In the show’s tradition, religion is gently in the background, as the regulars – nuns, midwives, a doctor and others – help the modest-income community. This year’s show has two emergencies – one heightened by a snowstorm – plus a joyous Christmas pageant, with Reggie insisting on being an angel.
HISTORY CHANNEL,cable
— 7 a.m. to 2 p.m Sunday.: “Jesus: His Life”; from the nativity to the Crucifiction.
— 2-6 p.m.: “The Bible.”
— 6 p.m. to midnight: Jesus: His Life” repeats, with the final hours again from 12:03-4 a.m.
STORY TELEVISION, digital
— “Mysteries of the Bible,”8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, repeating 4 p.m. to midnight and midnight to 8 a.m.
— “Jesus: His Life,” 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
— :”In Search of Jesus,” 4-6 p.m.
— Jesus: His Life,” 6 p.m. to midnight Sunday, “In Search” to 2 a.m. and “Jesus: His Life,” 2-8 a.m. Monday.
GREAT AMERICAN FAMILY (cable, all times ET)
— 2 p.m. Sunday: music by Gentri.
— 3 p.m.: music (by the Australian duo King & Country) and monologues, filmed at Museum of the Bible, in Washington, D.C.
— 4 p.m.: “Nativity: The Art of Maltese Crib-making.”
UPtv (cable)
— Josh Turner concert, “King Size Manger,” 4 p.m. ET Sunday.
BYU-TV (via cable or Internet; all times ET)
— “The Chosen” Christmas episode, 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday.
— Tabernacle Choir, 11:30 a.m. to noon and 3:30-4 p.m. Sunday; with Kelli O’Hara and Richard Thomas, 8:34 p.m. Sunday; with Lea Salonga and David Suchet, 11:38 p.m. Sunday and 2:56 a.m.; with O’Hara and Thomas, 7-8:30 a.m. Monday; Salonga and Suchet, 7:30-9 p.m. Monday.
— Also, concerts by John Legend, 8:02 p.m. Saturday; Pentatonix, 6 a.m. Monday; Lauren Daigle, 5 p.m. Monday.