1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. With her bright colors and unrelenting cheer, Elsbeth Tascioni easily fits into the holidays. But now we meet people who top that: A couple spends all year making cheery videos and pushing Christmas projects. (The wife is played by Vanessa Bayer, shown here.) Yes, a murder will follow; it’s a clever hour in which even Elsbeth feels a tad grumpy.
2) Georgie & Mandy & more, CBS. After a two-week break, CBS’ is back to new episodes. On “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” (8 p.m.,), Georgie joins a church, figuring he can sell tires to members. On “Ghosts” (8:30), Sam searches for Isaac’s centuries-old diary. Then “Matlock” (9 p.m.) has a fairly somber episode, with an ethical dilemma.
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3) “Grinch” and “Frosty,” 8 and 8:30 p.m., NBC. It’s cartoon-classic time. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” goes back to 1966 and is brilliantly written and animated, “Frosty the Snowman” is from 1969 and quite pleasant. On Friday, NBC has the ‘64 “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
4) “The Great Christmas Light Fight” season-opener, 8-10 p.m., ABC. Each year, this offers spectacular front-yard displays by regular (well, sort of regular) folks. In tonight’s first hour, Carter Oosterhouse visits four and awards one $50,000; in the second, Taniya Nayak does the same.
5) “A Christmas Story” (1983), 8 p.m. and midnight, TNT. With its dark twists on nostalgia, this is one of the best holiday films. It’s shown alongside Patrick Stewart’s potent “Christmas Carol” (1999), at 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Something less-Christmas? Two gifted actors, Keira Knightley and Ben Whitshaw, play spies in Netflix’s “Black Doves.”