1) “Buccaneers,” Apple TV+. A week from the terrific finale, we finds lives in chaos. Nan loves two good men – Theo (a decent Duke) and Guy (his longtime friend and sometime foe). She also hates her sister Jinny, who revealed a secret to the world: Nan — shown here at the left with Theo — isn’t really descended from wealth; she was adopted at birth and “illegitimate,” a damning thing in the high society of the 1870s. Read more…
1) “Dancing With the Stars” finale, 8-11 p.m., ABC and Disney+. This show kept saying last week was important, because dancers were straining for a spot in the finals … then, oddly, it advanced all five of them. Now we have Xochiti Gomez (shown here), who is 17 and trying to be the second-youngest champion (after gymnast Laurie Hernandez), plus Charity Lawson, Jason Mraz, Alyson Hannigan, and Ariana Madix. Mraz will also sing; there will be performances by 2022 champ Charli D’Amelio (also a teen) and co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. Read more…
1) “The Voice,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. It’s time (a bit later than usual) for live shows to begin, with viewers voting. That leads into a special with the former “Voice” star, Blae Shelton (shown here). “Voice” now has its top 12 performers – two teens (Ruby Leigh, 16, and Tanner Massey, 19), five in their 20s and five in their 30s. On Tuesday, we’ll learn which nine advance to the semi-finals Read more…
1) “Agatha Christie” opener, 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. England’s top novelists often saw wealth from inside and out. As preachers’ kids, Jane Austen and the Brontes were welcome in mansions, but didn’t have the riches. Christie grew up comfortably, but (as a wartime nurse) saw doctors’ arrogance; some of her tales had outsiders (Poirot, shown here, Marple, etc.) solve mysteries, while rich folks floundered. This three-week profile has too much focus on host Lucy Worsley, but remains interesting. Read more…
1) “Christmas at the Opry,” 8-10 p.m. Thursday, NBC. Brenda Lee recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” 65 years ago, when she was 13; she first sang at the Grand Ole Opry (and met Elvis Presley) a year before that. Now this special has singers of all sizes, from the 4-foot-9 Lee to the 6-foot-6 Trace Adkins (shown here). Others are Kelly Clarkson, Chris Janson, Mickey Guyton, Adam Doleac, Lauren Alaina, Wynonna Judd (who hosts) and more. Read more…
1) College football conference championships. Last week’s mega-game saw Michigan (ranked No. 3) beating Ohio State (No. 2). This week’s big one has top-ranked Georgia (shown here in red) facing Alabama (ranked No. 8) for the SEC championship. That’s 4 p.m. on CBS; then we can switch to Fox at 8, for Michigan and Iowa (No. 17) in the Big Ten game. Read more…
1) “25 Days of Christmas” begins, Freeform. Ever since 1996, Freeform has turned December into a Christmas marathon. That seemed big at the time … and almost modest now. Still, there’s a lot to see here. “Eloise at Christmas” (11 a.m.) has lovely visuals and Julie Andrews (shown here). “The Star” (1 p.m.), is a cartoon about animals at the nativity. Then Jim Carrey is Scrooge and the Grinch (3 and 5 p.m.), followed at 7 by “Home Alone” films. Read more…
1) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (shown here), 8 p.m., NBC. Let’s put this with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (now on Apple TV+) as one of TV’s all-time best half-hours. It blends Dr. Seuss’ brilliant story with Chuck Jones’ vibrant animation, adding droll narration from Boris Karloff and a booming song from Thurl Ravenscroft. It will be back on NBC on Christmas Night … after seven runs on TNT and TBS, between Dec. 10 and Dec. 23. Read more…
1) “Christmas at Graceland,” 10 p.m., NBC. Here’s a new idea: There have been three romance movies called “Christmas at Graceland,” but no concert specials. Now we have one; from the late Elvis Presley’s home (shown here), we hear holiday songs plus others made famous by Elvis. They’ll be sung by Lana Del Rey, Post Malone, Lainey Wilson, John Legend, Alanis Morissette, Kane Brown, Kacey Musgraves and War and Treaty. Read more…
1) “Fargo,” 10 p.m., FX; repeats at 11:01, 12:02, 1:03. Last week, we met a quiet Minnesota mom (Juno Temple) named Dot … her gentle husband … his rich and fearsome mom … and the North Dakota sheriff (Jon Hamm, shown here) who said Dot is his runaway wife. Now both sides prepare for a Halloween showdown that airs next week. As always, tonight has great dialog, beautifully played. Read more…
