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All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.
Sunday, Dec. 18
1923
Paramount Network, 9pm; also streams on Paramount+
New Series!
The next installment of the Dutton family origin story will introduce a new generation of Duttons led by patriarch Jacob (Harrison Ford) and matriarch Cara (Helen Mirren). The series will explore the early 20th century when a pandemic, historic drought, Prohibition and the Great Depression all plagued the Mountain West and the Duttons who call it home. In addition to Ford and Mirren, the series also stars Darren Mann (Animal Kingdom) and James Badge Dale (Hightown). The second episode will air on Paramount Network on Jan. 1 with the remaining episodes only being available on the net’s streaming platform Paramount+.
2022 FIFA World Cup: Final
FOX, 9:45am Live
The 2022 FIFA World Cup champion is crowned today with the final match at Qatar’s Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Magnolia Workshops
Magnolia Network, 11am; also streams on discovery+
Just in time for the holidays, learn to make brownie cookies and steak tamales for the whole family. Plus, step-by-step tutorials show how to decorate your home inside and out, from the front porch winter planter to the holiday mantel.
A Very Merry MeTV Marathon
MeTV, beginning at 12pm
Enjoy five hours of Christmas TV past: The Beverly Hillbillies (“Home for Christmas” and “No Place Like Home” episodes); The Love Boat (“The Christmas Presence”); The Brady Bunch (“The Voice of Christmas”); and the 1988 TV movie A Very Brady Christmas.
The Sound of Music
ABC, 7pm
Catch a Classic!
Based on the great 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical of the same name, this 1965 big-screen adaptation of The Sound of Music is a stand-alone classic in its own right. One of the finest movie musical dramas ever produced, the hugely entertaining and practically flawless film won five of the 10 Oscars for which it was nominated, including Best Picture and Best Director (Robert Wise). It’s filled with a nonstop string of iconic and hummable tunes like “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen,” “The Lonely Goatherd” and “The Sound of Music,” and these songs are all big parts of why audiences made the movie a blockbuster that was, for a few years, the highest-grossing film of all time. The other big reasons The Sound of Music succeeds so effectively are the engaging performances from its terrific cast members, led by Best Actress Oscar nominee Julie Andrews, who plays Maria von Trapp in a story based on von Trapp’s memoir. In the late 1930s, Maria, a young novitiate, is sent by her convent to Austria to become a governess to the seven children of widowed naval officer Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer in the role that made him a film star). Maria brings love and music into the lives of the von Trapp family, even as the rise of Nazism in neighboring Germany begins to cast an ominous shadow.
An Eclectic Christmas
UPtv, 7pm
Original Film!
When a small-town vintage store owner leaves instructions in her will for inventory to be distributed as Christmas gifts, her out-of-town niece (Hannah Galway) seeks help from a handsome local (Jeremy Walmsley) in identifying recipients from the clues provided.
O Holy Night: Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir
BYUtv, 8pm
Tony Award nominee Megan Hilty and actor Neal McDonough join the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for an Irish-inspired edition of this heartwarming annual celebration of music and holiday traditions.
Coroner
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!
In this back-to-back two-hour season finale, Jenny (Serinda Swan) and Donovan (Roger Cross) set out to find out where Peggy (Jennifer Dale) is and who is responsible for the explosion.
Hanukkah on Rye
Hallmark Channel, 8pm
Original Film!
A fresh romance is put to the test when Molly (Yael Grobglas) and Jacob (Jeremy Jordan) discover that they are competing deli owners. Could a Hanukkah miracle save this new couple? Also starring Lisa Loeb.
Wrapped Up in Love
Lifetime, 8pm
Original Film!
Tension develops when Ashley (Brittany Bristow), an overachieving Christmas connoisseur who enjoys running all of her town’s holiday events, meets her match in the form of a handsome newcomer (Olivier Renaud) who unwittingly steals her thunder. Eventually, she is reminded of the true spirit of the holiday and decides to join forces with him.
When Christmas Was Young
CBS, 8:30pm
Original Film!
A headstrong music manager (Tyler Hilton) is in desperate need of a hit song for his last remaining client. He finds hope in a gifted singer-songwriter (Karen David) who wrote an unpublished Christmas song years ago. Sheryl Crow is an executive producer and also wrote the movie’s title song.
Rogue Heroes
EPIX, 9pm
Season Finale!
The drama about the British Army’s special forces unit, the Special Air Service (SAS), concludes Season 1 tonight. A meeting with Winston Churchill sees the SAS embark on their most daring operation to date, and Stirling (Connor Swindells) receives some terrible news.
Real Life Nightmare
HLN, 9pm
Season Finale!
The true-crime docuseries finishes its fourth season with two episodes. First, in “Mommy Murdered: Ariana Vanished,” a 2-year-old disappears after her mother is discovered murdered and buried in a San Francisco Park. Then, in “Ambush on Exit 34,” a young police officer is shot with a 12-gauge shotgun in the middle of the night on his way home from work, but this isn’t the only unsolved mystery in the small and quaint community of Bardstown, Kentucky.
Step Up: High Water
Starz, 9pm
Season Finale!
The third season of this entry in the Step Up franchise following the cutthroat worlds of music and dance finishes with “Sleep When U Die.” Ne-Yo, Christina Milian and Terrence Green star.
Small Town Christmas
UPtv, 9pm
Season Finale!
The season concludes with a trip to Frostburg, Maryland, a storybook town come to life. For the past 15 years, the local college students have dressed up as elves and competed in a Christmas cookie toss, snowball fights, a Christmas tree relay, “Elfaoke” and more in the so-called “Elf Olympics” to support a charity.
The Life of Jesus
FOX News Channel, 10pm
FOX & Friends Weekend cohost Pete Hegseth presents this two-part special debuting with Part 1 today on FOX Nation. In “God With Us,” Hegseth and his hometown church’s Pastor Chris Durkin retrace the steps of Jesus: where he lived, where he healed, where he died and where he rose. Hegseth and Durkin travel to different holy sites — including the Pool of Siloam, Pilgrimage Road, the city of Bethsaida, the Mount of Beatitudes and the ancient city of Capernaum — coupling each with bible passages, bringing the significant stories to life. Part 2 will air sometime in early 2023.
Monday, Dec. 19
Christmas Marathon Continues
TCM, beginning at 6:45am
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies’ annual weeklong marathon of Christmas movies began last night in primetime, and really kicks into gear starting this morning. It continues all day every day until Christmas night, this Sunday evening. Today’s lineup of films with stories at least partly related to/set during the holidays features, in order: Hell’s Heroes (1930), Roadblock (1951), And So They Were Married (1936), Boys Town (1938), Tenth Avenue Angel (1948), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), The Great Rupert (1950), Meet John Doe (1941), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), The Apartment (1960), Metropolitan (1990), Bachelor Mother (1939), Bundle of Joy (1956) and All Mine to Give (1957).
NFL Football: L.A. Rams at Green Bay
ESPN & ABC, 8pm Live
Two teams in the midst of disappointing seasons meet tonight at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field as the L.A. Rams take on the Packers.
LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular
FOX, 8pm
New Series!
In this three-night, four-episode event, fan-favorite LEGO builders from past seasons pair up with celebrity guests to compete in jaw-dropping holiday-themed challenges.
Shrek 2
NBC, 8pm
In this 2004 entry in the popular animated feature film franchise, Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) travel to the Kingdom of Far Far Away, where Fiona’s parents are king and queen, to celebrate their marriage. When they arrive, however, they find they are not as welcome as they thought they would be.
Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas
PBS, 9pm
In this seasonal special, British home cook Mary Berry shares her ultimate Christmas feast using tried-and-tested recipes perfected over 50 years. She also checks in with friends who share recipes that reflect their own heritage, shows how to create a sustainable and cost-conscious centerpiece from foraged greenery, and shares two delicious holiday desserts.
The Wheel
NBC, 10pm
New Series!
NBC closes out the year with a two-week primetime takeover featuring the new U.S. version of this smash-hit U.K. game show, hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre. The series features trivia questions and more than 50 all-star guests seated on a 42-foot-wide spinning wheel. Each hourlong episode follows six of these celebrities as they help everyday contestants try to be the last one standing and win life-changing money as they answer questions. Episodes air each weeknight starting tonight and through next Friday, Dec. 30. In the premiere, Cat Cora, Mark McGrath, Todrick Hall, Steve Kornacki, Christina Ricci and Amber Ruffin help contestants answer questions in a range of categories from Beyoncé and the ’90s to elections and more.
Tuesday, Dec. 20
NBA Basketball
TNT, beginning at 7:30pm Live
A Tuesday night NBA doubleheader has Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors visiting Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks, followed by Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena in Denver to face Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets.
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!
CBS, 8pm
Filmed at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, this two-hour concert special features Mariah Carey performing a repertoire of her festive holiday hits, including perennial favorite “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
An American Christmas Carol
MOVIES!, 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Henry Winkler leads this likely little-remembered and -seen, but still charming and intriguing, take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. A TV movie that first aired on ABC in 1979, it is set in Concord, New Hampshire, during the Depression, and features Winkler as Scrooge-like businessman Benedict Slade. Slade gets a chance at redemption one Christmas Eve when he is visited by three ghosts — resembling three of the people whose possessions he seized to collect on their unpaid loans — who force him to reassess his life. Winkler was just approaching his mid 30s when he made this, but for Slade’s “present” scenes he comes across as an aged miser impressively, thanks in part to future Oscar-winning makeup effects artist Rick Baker, who is billed as the film’s “special makeup consultant.” Following An American Christmas Carol, MOVIES! airs two other TV movies from Christmases past: The 12 Days of Christmas Eve (2004), with Steven Weber and Molly Shannon in a Groundhog Day-like comedy/drama/fantasy; and Christmas Comes to Willow Creek (1987), a drama that reunites The Dukes of Hazzard costars John Schneider and Tom Wopat, and also features Kim Delaney.
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
NBC, 8pm
This 2018 computer-animated retelling of Dr. Seuss’ classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! features Benedict Cumberbatch providing his voice as the titular holiday-hater. The voice cast also includes Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury and Pharrell Williams.
Professionals
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!
Peter (Brendan Fraser), Vincent (Tom Welling) and the others must stop the rocket launch.
The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters: “Alien Abyss”
History, 10pm
The team enlists special equipment in an epic search for two large Air Force planes that vanished in the Bermuda Triangle without a trace, with dozens of people onboard. Despite a massive search, nothing was ever found. Are planes colliding with mysterious unidentified aerial phenomena that are now acknowledged as fact by the U.S. Navy? To investigate, the group embarks on one of its most harrowing dives yet, battling extreme depths and currents that threaten to sweep them away.
The Wheel: “Boats, Soaps & Wrestling Ropes”
NBC, 10pm
With trivia categories ranging from soap operas to mathematics, tonight’s contestants receive help from celebrity guests Vivica A. Fox, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, JoJo, John Urschel, Captain Sandy Yawn and Bruno Tonioli.
Wednesday, Dec. 21
Emily in Paris
Netflix
Season Premiere!
In Season 3 of the romantic comedy series, a year after moving from Chicago to Paris for her dream job, Emily (Lily Collins) finds herself at a crucial crossroads in every aspect of her life. Faced with two very different paths, she will have to decide exactly where her loyalties lie — at work and in her romantic life — and what those decisions mean for her future in France, all while continuing to immerse herself in the adventures and surprising twists and turns that life in Paris provides.
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Prime Video
Season Premiere!
John Krasinski is back as the title character in Season 3 of this action thriller, with all eight episodes dropping today. Ryan is working as a CIA case officer in Rome when he is tipped off that the Sokol Project, a secret plan to restore the Soviet empire, is being resurrected more than 50 years after it was thought to have been shut down. He embarks on a mission to confirm the intelligence, but things quickly go awry and he is wrongly implicated in a larger conspiracy. Accused of treason, Ryan is forced to run from his own government and crisscross Europe as he is hunted by former allies and new enemies alike, racing against the clock to stop an escalation to global catastrophe. Also reprising their roles are Wendell Pierce and Michael Kelly. Newcomers to the cast include Nina Hoss as Czech President Alena Kovac and Betty Gabriel as CIA Rome station chief Elizabeth Wright.
A Carol for Another Christmas
TCM, 11:15am
Catch a Classic!
This rarely seen, Emmy-nominated 1964 TV movie was written by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling and directed by the legendary Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the only television project he ever helmed. Serling’s tale is an updating of Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol, with Sterling Hayden starring as Scrooge-like industrialist Daniel Grudge, who gets a lesson about the importance of international peacekeeping from the Ghosts of Christmas Past (Steve Lawrence), Present (Pat Hingle) and Future (Robert Shaw). The terrific cast also includes Peter Sellers, Ben Gazzara, Eva Marie Saint and Britt Ekland. The film is airing as part of Turner Classic Movies’ ongoing, weeklong marathon of Christmas movies, which continues until Christmas night this Sunday. Other notable titles to look for today include: Christmas Past (1925), A Christmas Carol (1938), Christmas in Connecticut (1945) and Holiday Affair (1949).
NHL Hockey
TNT, beginning at 7pm Live
A pair of NHL matchups on TNT has the New Jersey Devils at the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers at the Dallas Stars.
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas
NBC, 8pm
Original Film!
Dolly Parton leads this modern-day movie musical about the making of a network TV special. It showcases the frenetic backstage story and delightful onstage results of her desire to share the unique mountain magic she has always found in and around Dollywood at Christmastime. Throughout the production numbers and rehearsal chaos, Dolly finds herself taking a private journey into her past, guided by her personal Three Wise Mountain Men. The film includes Dolly’s hits “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” as well as a new holiday melody and more. Among the musical guests are Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus.
The Letter: A Message for Our Earth
PBS, 8pm
Experience Pope Francis’ call to stand together for the future of our planet.
Homeward Bound: A Grammy Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon
CBS, 9pm
This concert special, recorded at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, pays tribute to the music of 16-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Performers include Stevie Wonder, the Jonas Brothers, Eric Church, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, Billy Porter, Shaggy, Trombone Shorty, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and Simon himself.
College Football: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
ESPN, 9pm Live
Caesar’s Superdome hosts college football’s R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between Western Kentucky and South Alabama tonight on ESPN.
The Wheel: “Déjà Vu & Eyes of Blue”
NBC, 10pm
Judge Greg Mathis, Ricki Lake, Mark Sanchez, Amber Ruffin, Justin Willman and Tori Spelling lend their expertise in a variety of trivia categories that includes candy, magic and Beverly Hills to help contestants compete for the cash prize.
Thursday, Dec. 22
Snap
ALLBLK
New Series!
In the vein of Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, this psychological thriller deals head-on with difficult social and ethical topics through a unique method of storytelling that disrupts conventional opinions. Cocreated by Grammy-nominated singer Eric Benét and writer/director Devin Hampton, the anthology series will follow a perfectly imperfect God named A.O., who serves as the moral compass for the protagonist of each episode. When A.O. comes across a person facing an unexpected scenario, he/she/they challenge(s) them to see themselves from the outside looking in … which in a “snap” will change the beliefs they’ve held onto for most of their lives.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Apple TV+ (streams free for everyone today through Dec. 25)
Although the beloved Peanuts holiday specials are now exclusively available on the Apple TV+ streaming service, they had been given one-time broadcasts on PBS the last few years. PBS has confirmed, however, that this year it does not have the rights to air these programs. Apple TV+ subscribers can view the specials all year long, but even if you don’t subscribe, you can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas for free on the streamer beginning today through Christmas Day, Sunday, Dec. 25.
I Hate Suzie Too
HBO Max
Season Premiere!
The British dramedy returns for a special three-episode second season described as an “anti-Christmas Christmas special.” Child-star-turned-actress Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper) now has a new agent, new PR and a new job — dancing for likes on Dance Crazee, a popular reality TV competition. Having lost everyone who matters to her, Suzie returns to her first love, the public. Battling ex-husband Cob (Daniel Ings) with the help of best friend Naomi (Leila Farzad), she must try to keep life as stable as possible for young son Frank (Matthew Jordan-Caws), all while staying on Dance Crazee long enough to finance her new role as single mom and ex-wife.
Alice in Borderland
Netflix
Season Premiere!
The Japanese sci-fi thriller based on the manga of the same name returns for Season 2, in which to solve the mystery of the Borderland and return to his original world, Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and his comrades must take on even more difficult and dangerous games.
Top Gun: Maverick
Paramount+
Feature Film Exclusive!
This Top Gun sequel, the No. 1 blockbuster of 2022, makes its streaming debut exclusively on Paramount+. Tom Cruise reprises his role from the 1986 original as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. After 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top fliers, Maverick is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot as ever seen, Maverick confronts the ghosts of his past and is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears. The cast also features Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters
Peacock
New Series!
Based on the Best Man film franchise, and written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, who wrote and directed the original 1999 movie and its 2013 sequel, this series catches up with Harper (Taye Diggs), Robyn (Sanaa Lathan), Jordan (Nia Long), Lance (Morris Chestnut), Quentin (Terrence Howard), Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), Candace (Regina Hall) and Murch (Harold Perrineau) as relationships evolve and past grievances resurface, and midlife crisis meets midlife renaissance with unpredictable results.
Christina on the Coast: “Put Another Dime in the Jukebox”
HGTV, 8pm
Christina Hall and her fellow designer and project manager James Bender help Jessica and Morgan revamp their kitchen, living space and two bathrooms to better suit their growing family and give a fresh, beachy feel to their coastal home. Meanwhile, Christina and her husband, Josh Hall, find the home of their dreams in Newport Beach, California.
A “Saturday Night Live” Christmas Special
NBC, 8pm
Enjoy two hours of the most memorable Christmas-themed sketches from over SNL’s long history.
A Holiday Chance
BET, 9pm
Original Film!
The family of the founder of a multimillion-dollar film company experiences some tragic events during the holidays, and two sisters must set aside a lifelong rivalry to come together, turn the company around and keep the family intact. Nafessa Williams and Sharon Leal star.
Luxe for Less: “Ready to Be Bold”
HGTV, 9pm
A couple who loves antiques is tired of their old, outdated home and ready for an inspiring new space. Their budget is as tight as their square footage, so Michel Smith Boyd and his team work their magic on a creative layout and classic design fit for a mansion.
The Wheel: “Divas & Derbies”
NBC, 10pm
With trivia categories including cakes, horse racing, percussion and more, contestants are supported by celebrity experts Buddy Valastro, Amber Riley, Jaime Camil, Carnie Wilson, Steve Kornacki and Sheila E.
The Man Who Came to Dinner
TCM, 10:15pm
Catch a Classic!
Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan and Monty Woolley lead this famous 1942 screwball comedy based on Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s play. Woolley plays the titular character, pretentious and acerbic New York radio personality Sheridan Whiteside, who falls and breaks his hip on the icy steps outside the home of the prominent small-town Ohio family with whom he had been supposed to dine as a publicity stunt. Whiteside insists on recuperating in the family’s home during the Christmas holiday, and his overbearing nature, unreasonable demands and meddling in the day-to-day happenings of his hosts bring hilarious chaos to their once-peaceful lives. Jimmy Durante and Billie Burke also star. The film is airing as part of Turner Classic Movies’ ongoing, weeklong marathon of Christmas movies, which continues until Christmas night this Sunday. Other notable titles to look for today include: It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), The Lion in Winter (1968), The Curse of the Cat People (1944) and Bachelor Mother (1939).
Friday, Dec. 23
Family Dinner
Magnolia Network on discovery+ & HBO Max
Season Premiere!
Host Andrew Zimmern is back to visit more families across America and explore how the cultural, regional and historical facets of who we are inform what and how we eat.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix
Feature Film Exclusive!
Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back on the case in writer-director Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his hit 2019 murder mystery Knives Out. This time, Blanc travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of colorful suspects. Among Craig’s costars in the new ensemble of actors are Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista and Ethan Hawke. Stephen Sondheim and Angela Lansbury both portray themselves in what ended up being their final film appearances.
A Very Merry MeTV Marathon
MeTV, beginning at 10am
Christmas episodes from classic TV shows continue to air throughout the day today on MeTV, drawing from a variety of series — from sitcoms like M*A*S*H and The Andy Griffith Show, to cop and legal dramas like Adam-12 and Matlock, and more.
Jesus of Nazareth
MOVIES!, 12pm
Catch a Classic!
Even those who are not of the Christian faith may be impressed with this epic, Emmy-nominated eight-hour (airing in two four-hour parts on MOVIES! today) miniseries that originally aired on NBC in the U.S. in 1977. Cowritten and directed by Franco Zeffirelli, the British/Italian coproduction dramatizes the story of the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (Robert Powell) by blending together elements from all four Gospel accounts (with a few liberties taken in the storytelling). The large ensemble cast also features Olivia Hussey as Mary, Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene, Emmy nominee James Farentino as Simon Peter, Michael York as John the Baptist, Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great, Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate, Ian McShane as Judas Iscariot, Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas, Anthony Quinn as Caiaphas, James Earl Jones as Balthazar, Stacy Keach as Barabbas, James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea and Ernest Borgnine as a Roman centurion. Jesus of Nazareth is the centerpiece of a marathon of faith-based films on MOVIES! beginning this morning, with other titles including Come to the Stable (1949), The Bible (1966), The Robe (1953), Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) and The Story of Ruth (1960).
A Miracle Before Christmas
BET & BET Her, 7pm
Original Film!
With a little help from an angel, Mercedes Wright (LeToya Luckett), a fast-talking popular relationship therapist with all the answers when it comes to fixing everyone else’s marriage, must now use the magic of Christmas to find the secret that will save her own. Romeo Miller and Keith David costar.
NBA Basketball
NBA TV & ESPN, beginning at 7:30pm Live
A Friday night NBA doubleheader has the Milwaukee Bucks at the Brooklyn Nets on NBA TV, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies at the Phoenix Suns on ESPN.
The 24th Annual A Home for the Holidays at The Grove
CBS, 8pm
Hosted by Gloria Estefan, this holiday special from The Grove in Los Angeles features uplifting stories of adoption from foster care. Estefan, Andy Grammer, Mickey Guyton, Little Big Town, and David Foster & Kat McPhee are among the musical performers.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
NBC, 8pm
In this original 1966 animated TV special based on Dr. Seuss’ classic story, Boris Karloff narrates and voices the title Grinch, who schemes to steal every material vestige of Christmas from the Whos of Whoville. But the Grinch ultimately discovers he can’t remove the spirit of Christmas from the Whos’ hearts.
5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas
NBC, 8:30pm
This half-hour animated family special is inspired by Jimmy Fallon’s bestselling book. Narrated by Fallon, the colorful special focuses on a boy who has his meticulous, detailed plan leading up to Christmas upended upon the arrival of some unexpected guests at the home he shares with his mother and his dog, Gary. From finding the best tree, to perfecting his snow sled, to making scrumptious Christmas cookies, everything goes topsy-turvy as Christmas morning draws near. But, despite all the changes, the true spirit of Christmas manages to shine through.
Christmas Party Crashers
BET & BET Her, 9pm
Original Film!
When two grifters meet after crashing the same millionaire’s Christmas party, they agree to work together to achieve each other’s “mission,” not knowing that they will find something more than money or fame — true love. Skye Townsend, Jaime Callica and Cocoa Brown star.
My Lottery Dream Home: “Winter Wonderland”
HGTV, 9pm
David Bromstad’s latest clients scored a $1 million jackpot on a $30 scratcher! The pair love winter sports, so David is helping them find a mountain getaway on Moosehead Lake in Greenville, Maine, where they can enjoy their favorite pastime.
Battle of the Bling: “Who’s the Blingiest of Them All?”
HGTV, 10pm
Todrick Hall and Kim Myles have three final houses to consider, and each one is a classic home that has an added blingy twist. With help from three HGTV superstars, five finalists compete to see who will be crowned Battle of the Bling grand champion!
The Wheel: “Fish N’ Chips & Gold Medal Flips”
NBC, 10pm
In this week’s last episode of The Wheel, celebrity guests Tom Bergeron, Shawn Johnson East, Captain Lee Rosbach, Kyla Pratt, Victor Cruz and Debbie Gibson lend their expertise to contestants in a wide range of trivia categories, including The Three Stooges, gymnastics and seafood. The Wheel will resume with its second and final week of episodes starting this Monday, Dec. 26, beginning two hours earlier.
Tracking Santa — A Hulu/ABC Holiday Special Livestream
Hulu, beginning at 12am Live (late-night)
In this live broadcast, ABC-owned television stations will track Santa Claus sightings across America. Starting at WABC in New York, the event will jump from station to station following Santa, with anchors in the studio tossing to reporters in the field, meteorologists tracking atmospheric disturbances that can only be Santa himself, celebrity shoutouts and holiday greetings, live chats with Santa and much more.
Saturday, Dec. 24
Carols From King’s 2022
BritBox
This beloved annual British Christmas celebration takes place at the medieval chapel of King’s College in London. Every year, the King’s College Chapel Choir performs a carol service that always opens with “Once in Royal David’s City,” followed later on by a new, specially commissioned carol for each year.
Classic Christmas Collection
Antenna TV, beginning at 10am
Starting this morning, and picking up again tomorrow morning (after a five-hour telecast of the Yule Log), Antenna TV is celebrating Christmas with holiday-themed episodes from classic sitcoms. Featured titles airing all day today and well into early tomorrow morning are Dennis the Menace, Hazel, Bewitched, That Girl, Silver Spoons, Welcome Back, Kotter, Alice, One Day at a Time, The Partridge Family, The Jeffersons, Barney Miller, Three’s Company, Becker, Designing Women and Wings.
A Christmas Carol (“Carol Burnett and Friends” Marathon)
Decades, beginning at 12pm
Have a hilarious Christmas holiday with nearly 48 hours of episodes from Carol Burnett and Friends, starting today and airing through the early morning of Monday, Dec. 26.
The Snowball Effect
UPtv, 7pm
Original Film!
Rival meteorologists (Anjali Khurana and Landon Moss) tracking a massive snowstorm in the town of Mistletoe must work together to get home in time for Christmas.
A Christmas Gift
BET Her, 8pm
Original Film!
In a failed attempt to cancel Christmas, the McKenzies find themselves ultimately navigating through unexpected guests, secrets and revelations that will have a lasting effect on their families. Blue Kimble, Noree Victoria, Javon Johnson and Victoria Rowell star.
NFL Football: Las Vegas at Pittsburgh
NFL Network, 8:15pm Live
A Christmas Eve primetime matchup on NFL Network has the Las Vegas Raiders in Pittsburgh to face the Steelers.
Best Christmas Marathon
AMC, beginning at 6am
Christmas Marathon Continues
TCM, beginning at 6am
A Very Shirley Christmas Eve
MOVIES!, beginning at 11:15am
It’s a Wonderful Life
NBC, 8pm
24 Hours of “A Christmas Story”
TBS, beginning at 8pm; TNT, beginning at 9pm
Catch Several Christmas Classics!
This Christmas Eve, Santa has brought a lot of great gifts for fans of classic movies, and you might find yourself hard-pressed to open them all:
AMC kicks off its 48-hour Best Christmas Marathon early today with Jack Frost (1979). Over the next two days, the mix of movies and beloved Rankin/Bass specials airing during this marathon include Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976), White Christmas (1954), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Elf (2003), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), The Polar Express (2004) and plenty of others.
TCM’s Christmas movie marathon continues today, beginning in the early morning and featuring highlights such as Tenth Avenue Angel (1948), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947), Christmas in Connecticut (1945), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), A Christmas Carol (1938) and more.
MOVIES! is celebrating the holiday with a 10-film lineup of movies led by Shirley Temple that can’t help but put you in a happy mood: Heidi (1937), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938), Susannah of the Mounties (1939), Captain January (1936), Curly Top (1935), Bright Eyes (1934), The Little Princess (1939), Stowaway (1936), Wee Willie Winkie (1937) and The Blue Bird (1940).
NBC is once again the exclusive broadcast home for It’s a Wonderful Life, airing this evening. Frank Capra’s beloved, Oscar-winning 1946 holiday classic stars Best Actor Oscar nominee James Stewart as George Bailey, a discouraged and despairing building-and-loan manager who contemplates suicide before a guardian angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) intervenes and allows him to see what George’s small town of Bedford Falls would be without him — and all that is right in his world. Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore also star.
TBS and TNT are continuing the 25-year tradition of airing 1983’s A Christmas Story for 24 hours straight beginning tonight, with start times an hour apart between the networks so you can flip back and forth to different points in this beloved story of a 1940s kid (Peter Billingsley) who desperately wants a BB gun for Christmas, despite repeated warnings that he’ll shoot his eye out.
Christmas Eve Mass
NBC, 11:30pm
Watch the Pope Francis-led Mass from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
