1) Football, 8 p.m. ET, ABC. The new college playoff system opens with teams from opposite pasts. Notre Dame has won 11 consensus national championships plus 11 disputed ones; overall, it’s won 74 percent of its games. During a 66-year stretch, Indiana(shown here) won only 37 percent and two conference titles. They collide, with three more games Saturday. Read more…
1) “Nate Bergatze’s Nashville Christmas,” 9 p.m., CBS. There’s only a tad of music — one song each by Carrie Underwood (shown here) and Noah Kahan, brief bits by Darius Rucker. Instead, this focuses on comedy. Some of it is quite good, including a stand-up set by Derrick Stroup and a sketch (Bergatze discussing the future) that’s like one he did on “Saturday Night Live.” Read more…
The British have a TV custom that Americans mostly avoid
Many of their best shows make a special Christmas episode. Even if they aren’t around then – British shows have short seasons – they pop up for one nignt in December.
Now several of them are coming here. The best, as usual, is PBS’ “Call the Midwife.” It manages to combine crisis, pain, joy and – a surprise for this show – an excellent romance.
Other shows all arrive by streaming. Acorn’s “The Chelsea Detective” and Britbox’s “Beyond Paradise” and “Death in Paradise” each have their usual mystery, with some Christmas flavoring around the edges. The shows are: Read more…
1) “Survivor” finale, 8-10 p.m., CBS. Four people have a shot at being the 47th million-dollar winner. “Teeny” Chirichillo, a free-lance writer, and Sam Phalen, a sports reporter, are 24. Rachel Lamont, 34, a graphic designer. Sue Smey, who owns a flight school, is 59; shee’s shown here (left) last week with Chirichillo (right) and Genevieve Mushaluk, who was ousted. Read more…
We’re used to the notion that any good “Saturday Night Live” idea will be done again … and again … and …
But this is a surprise: A good (maybe great) “SNL” idea has slid over to another show on another network.
We’re not complaining. It’s a funny sketch (shown here) that helps make the show worth seeing. (“Nate Bergatze’s Nashville Christmas” debuts at 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, on CBS, rerunning at 10 p.m. Dec. 24.) Still, it’s a surprise. Read more…
1) “Joy: Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. This is epic music – 360-voice choir, 150-piece orchestra, bells, trumpets, organ and singer Michael Maliakel (shown here), from Broadway’s “Aladdin.” A story – Lesley Nicol telling of Victor Hugo’s parties for children – is fairly good; the music, especially Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” is sublime. Read more…
1) “American Masters,” 10 p.m., PBS. At 10, Brenda Lee was supporting her widowed mother and siblings. Now, 70 years later, she’s still a potent force, with tiny (4-foot-9) body, huge voice and vibrant personality. This fascinating hour traces someone (shown here) who has sold 100 million records, from “I’m Sorry” to the eternal “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Read more…
Back on Thanksgiving Day, we posted a Christmas-on-TV mega-list. Now here’s a fresh version, covering only the 12 days of Christmas (Dec. 14-25). We’ve added some shows (especially in the “key movies” category, “comedy” and the new “drama” category, plus extra details on others. Here we go:
“HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS” (cartoon version)
This animated gem (shown here) remains one of TV’s two great Christmas moments. The other, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” is on Amazon Prime.
— On NBC: 8 p.m., Dec. 25.
— TBS: 10 a.m., Dec. 14; 2:45 and 3:15 p.m., Dec. 15; 10 and 10:30 p.m., Dec. 19.
— On TNT, 7 and 9:45 p.m., Dec. 15; also, 12:30 a.m. Read more…
One of TV’s great half-hours will be available to the masses – but only for two days.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (shown here) has been tucked away in the streaming world, available only to subscribers of Apple TV+. Now it will be available to non-subscribers on Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 14-15).
The late Charles Schulz – creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip and cartoons – has described a sort of benign neglect: The show was ordered on a tight deadline, to be ready for Christmas; There was no time for the network or the sponsor (Coca-Cola) to second-guess. Read more…
1) “An Evening With Dua Lipa,” 8:30-10 p.m., CBS.`In London’s gorgeous, 153-year-old Royal Albert Hall, Lipa (shown here) strolls triumphantly on an S-shaped runway, with orchestra and chorus tucked into each curve. There are a few talk segments (some good, some not) and an Elton John duet; but mostly this is a young star, performing with passion and skill. Read more…
