1) “Grinch” and more, TNT. Three of the best Christmas shows are packed into one night. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (shown here) – a wondrous mix of humor and emotion – is at 7 and 9:30 p.m., each time leading into a terrific movie. It’s “A Christmas Story” (1983) at 7:30 and Patrick Stewart’s “Christmas Carol” at 10. Both will be back on Christmas night – “Grinch” on NBC, “Story” in a 24-hour marathon.
2) Bowl barrage, all day. A couple of bowl games were Friday, but now the real burst begins. That includes two games on ABC: At 3:30 p.m ET., the Independence Bowl has Brigham Young (10-2) and Alabama – Birmingham (8-4); at 7:30, the L.A. Bowl has Utah State (10-3) and Oregon State (7-5). Others are on ESPN – Western Kentucky and Appalachian State at 11 a.m. ET; Texas – El Paso and Fresno State at 2:15 p.m.; Eastern Michigan and Liberty at 5:45; and Marshall and Louisiana at 9:15.
3) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Paul Rudd hosts, qualifying him for the fifth-timers club that “SNL” sometimes makes a fuss about. In addition to all that hosting, he’s had four times when he showed up uncredited in a sketch. Tonight’s music guest is Charli XCX.
4) “The Equalizer,” 8 p.m., CBS. After all of December without a new episode, this will finally be back in action on Jan. 2. Meanwhile, catch this rerun: Robyn (Queen Latifah) rushes to rescue a woman from a serial killer who’s been almost unnoticed, because his victims are from marginalized communities.
5) ALSO: Mickey Mouse shorts fill the Disney Channel tonight. It’s “Once Upon a Christmas” (1999) at 7:30 p.m., “Twice Upon a Christmas” (2004) at 8:40 and the “Duck the Halls” short at 9:50. Also, the bowl games face lots of sports competition: Fox has boxing at 8 p.m. ET; the NFL Network has two games to itself – Raiders (6-7) and Browns (7-6) at 4:30 p.m. ET; Patriots (9-4) and Colts (7-6) at 8:15.