1) “Ghosts,” 9 p.m., CBS. It’s been a long time since anyone held a dinner party in this big old house. When the new owners (shown here, foreground) invite the nosy neighbors, the ghosts want to join in; they soon create problems … and a solution. That’s in a fairly good, all-rerun night for the CBS comedies, starting with “Young Sheldon” being a lab assistant. Read more…
1) “The Masked Singer” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. Last week, the show unmasked a pair of big-time music stars – David Foster, 72, a producer and 16-time Grammy-winner, and Katharine McPhee, 37, an “American Idol” runner-up and “Scorpion” star. They’re married (her second, his fifth) and appeared as Banana Split. Now the singer who beat them, Queen of Hearts (shown here), faces Bull, who topped Faith Evans. Read more…
Another moderate has left the Fox News Channel.
Chris Wallace (shown hee), 74, said today (Dec. 12) that he’s leaving the channel where he worked for 18 years. He’ll be an anchor at CNN+, a streaming service that CNN plans to start in the first quarter of 2022.
That comes two years after Shepard Smith, an anchor and a moderate, left Fox News. Read more…
1) “The Voice” finale, 9-11 p.m., NBC. At the end of the night, the show names its 21st champion. The final five acts include two with Blake Shelton (Wendy Moten and Paris Winningham), two with Kelly Clarkson (the Girl Named Tom sibling trio, shown here, and Hailey Mia), one with John Legend (Jershika Maple), none with Ariana Grande. First comes a flood of music, from the finalists and coaches, plus Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran, Walker Hayes, Carrie Underwood (with Legend) and a Keke Palmer/Tori Kelly duet. Read more…
Mike Nesmith, who died Friday at 78, was many things, some of them mismatched.
He was heir to a “Liquid Paper” fortune …. And a songwriter whose “Different Drum” reached the top-20 with Linda Ronstadt … And a producer of distinctive movies – “Repo Man,” “Tapeheads” and “Timerider” … And a pioneer of music videos and comedy videos.
Mostly, though, he’ll be remembered for one thing: He was a Monkee.
Nesmith (second from left) was the guy with the wool cap and the slight Texas drawl. He was also considered the main musician – a skilled guitarist and songwriter – of the quartet that was assembled for a TV show. Read more…
1) “American Auto” (shown here) debut, 10 and 10:30 p.m, NBC. Trying to survive against auto giants, Payne Motors pins its hopes on two changes – a new CEO (Ana Gasteyer) and a self-driving car. Alas, the CEO doesn’t know (or care) much about cars. And the self-driver … well, there’s a funny surprise we won’t spoil. This show – which gets a weekly spot Jan. 4 – is another delight for producer Justin Spitzer (“Superstore”) and for Gasteyer, whose recent “Clusterfunke Christmas” is a delight. Read more…
The low-laugh TV season will get another boost.
CBS announced today that “How We Roll” (shown here) will join its line-up next spring, after “B Positive” ends its season. That’s the same approach that successfully launced “United States of Al” this year.
“Roll” is based on the true story of Tom Smallwood, a Michigan autoworker whose life changed when he was 30. Laid off from work – and unable to find another job during a recession – he revived his dream of being a professional bowler. Read more…
1) “A Christmas Proposal,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. For the first time in nine years, CBS has a made-for-TV movie. It has two, actually – Christmas films on consecutive Sundays. This one takes a half-hour to get its plot in motion, but is mostly worth the wait. Jessica Camacho (“All Rise”) is radiant as a smart and skilled chef who gets by as an Uber-type driver; Adam Rodriguez (“CSI: Miami”) plays a lawyer who – like most Christmas-movie guys – keeps staring at his laptop. (They’re shown here.) Read more…
1) Grinch and Charlie Brown, Saturday and Sunday. The two greatest Christmas specials will share the weekend, offering clever animation, great music and stories that are both warm and funny. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday on TNT, alongside terrific movies – “A Christmas Story” (1983) at 7:30 p.m. and Patrick Stewart’s “A Christmas Carol” (1999) at 10. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (shown here) is 7:30 p.m. Sunday on PBS. Charlie’s also on Apple TV+; Grinch will be on NBC Dec. 25. Read more…
1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 pm., NBC. Billie Eilish (shown here) becomes the first person this season to double as host and music guest. She’s also the first to do it since Nick Jonas in February; since then, three people who had previously hosted – Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Halsey – settled for being music guest. Eilish also may be the youngest person to do both; she’ll be a teen until next Saturday. When she was 17, she became the second person ever (after Christopher Cross) to sweep the top four Grammys Read more…
