1) “Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. Here are opposites in many ways: Ariana Grande, who hosts, is 32; Cher (shown here), the music guest, is 79. Grande has a gentle voice and presence; Cher us a booming alto with a towering persona. But both are talented stars; Cher’s only other time as music guest was in 1987 … six years before Grande was born. Read more…
For TV networks — and TV viewers — President Trump’s speech creates instant complications.
The talk is planned for 9 p.m. ET today (Wednesday), just as networks are at a key moment.
That’s halfway through Fox’s “The Floor” finale, a third of the way through CBS’ “Survivor” family. For music fans, it’s halfway through ABC’s new “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2025” and just before NBC starts its “Christmas in Nashville” rerun (shown here with Lauren Alaina).
All four of those networks plan to simply pause their regular plans, then simply resume when Trump is done. The delay is variously estimated at 15 to 22 minutes. But what about viewers who don’t want to hear Trump or wait him out? Their options include: Read more…
1) Football. The12-team college playoffs begin, with Oklahoma (shown here) and Alabama colliding at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Three more games are Saturday, with the four winners going on to play the top-ranked teams. Meanwhile, other bowl games continue on ESPN; today’s are 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. ET. Read more…
(This updates a previous story, adding a newly scheduled Rob Reiner special on Sunday.))
For now, CBS’ line-up is in a state of perpetual change.
Three new specials have been added, focusing on Rob Reiner (Sunday, Dec. 21) and on Christina Auilera (shown here) and “Everybody Loves Raymond” (both Monday, Dec. 22). Other shows are being moved around.
Chronologically, the changes are: Read more…
Two specials — one somber and one fun — have been added to network schedules. They are:
— Tuesday (Dec. 16): “The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy,” 10 p.m., ABC. This is from ABC news and will follow the ongoing news story — the death of Reiner and his wife Michelle and the arrest of their son — while also serving as a biography/obituary. It will look back at Reiner’s career, from starring in “All In The Family” to directing “This Is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and more. On Wednesday, it will move to Hulu and Disney+.
— Monday (Dec. 22): “Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Pt. 2,” 8 p.m., CBS. The original (shown here) aired twice on CBS, on Nov. 24 and 28, totaling just over 10 million viewers. Now CBS says it has an additional hour of clips and comments. Read more…
1) “Elsbeth,” 10 p.m., CBS. Lots of ballerinas started in the “Nutcracker” story that begins with a kids’ Christmas party. Now an avante-garde director decides to do the show without children. This leads to distress, to murder and (shown here) to Elsbeth donning a tutu. Read more…
Norman Lear once summarized his friend beautifully:
“To be alone with Rob Reiner is to be in a crowd,” he wrote. “His brain and his mouth, like a chain of Chinese firecrackers, are firing constantly.”
And that brain kept triumphing — as a comedy writer, as one of the stars of Lear’s “All In the Family” and then as the director of classic movies, from “This Is Spinal Tap” to “A Few Good Men” and “When Harry Met Sally.”
Reiner (shown here in “This Is Spinal Tap,” 78, and his wife Michelle, 68, were reportedly found dead Sunday (Dec. 14), apparently stabbed to death. He left an awesome track record. Read more…
(NOTE: President Trump plans to give a talk at 9 p.m. ET tonight. The shows listed here were scheduled prior to this; for an overview of changes and options, see the story at “News and Quick Comments.”)
1) “Survivor” finale, 8-11 p.m., CBS. After last week’s scrambling (shown here), five survivors remain. There’s Rizo Velovic, 25, in tech sales; Sophie Balardi, 27, entrepreneur; Sage Ahrens-Nichols, 30, clinical social worker; Savannah Louie, 31, former reporter; and Kristina Mills, 36, career counselor. Tonight, one will become the 49th million-dollar winner. Read more…
Imagine three siblings who seem to have nothing in common … yet, somehow, have everything in common that really matters.
Those are the “Knives Out” mysteries, the third of which just arrived on Netflix.
They seem like mismatched kin — one cute and perky, one sleek and high-tech, one gloomy and gothic. But they share one character (ace detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, right), the writer-director (Rian Johnson) and what counts:
Each is brilliantly crafted, with gifted actors playing compelling characters. Each has the twists, turns and surprises that a mystery requires. The films: Read more…
1) “The Nutcracker,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS. This lush English National Ballet production (shown here) does everything right –gorgeous sets, costumes and stagecraft, backing 100-plus dancers, all of them deeply talented. The “Nutcracker” structure leaves the first 15 minutes fairly flat; then the magic begins. Read more…
