1) “25 Days of Christmas” start, Freeform. It’s the 23rd year of this marathon, packing the month with holiday movies and more. That starts mildly – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish” at 7 a.m. – and soon gets better. There are “Simpsons” Christmas reruns (shown here) at 1:15, 1:45 and 2:15 p.m., followed by Tim Allen’s “Santa Clause” trilogy at 2:45, 4:50 and 6:55 and Jim Carrey’s “Grinch” at 9. Read more…
1) “Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire” and its sequel, 8 and 8:30 p.m., CBS. We’re used to cartoons that are brash and frantic. Here’s the opposite, with droll, dry wit. It’s British, of course; the voices were re-cast for us, using one Brit (Hugh Grant as Blitzen) and lots of Americans. Ben Stiller voices Robbie (shown here), with Britney Spears as Donner, Leah Remini as Vixen and Jim Belushi as Santa. Read more…
1) “Great Performances: Kinky Boots,” 9 p.m., PBS. In a five-Friday stretch, PBS has had a vast range. It’s had a serious drama, a Shakespearean comedy and three musicals – one silly, one heavy and now “Kinky” (shown here), with a shoe company switching to flashy footwear. Onstage, this was a big hit; it won six Tonys, including best musical and score. On TV, Cyndi Lauper’s vibrant music only partly makes up for the cardboard characters, including a central guy who temporarily goes bad, for plot convenience. Read more…
1) Thanksgiving Day Parade, 9 a.m. to noon, NBC.and CBS, Here are all the elements to launch TV’s Christmas season – noise, color, size and Santa. The parade (shown here) are 11 bands, 1,000 clowns, 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers and 26 floats, many bearing lip-syncing star –.Ciara, Chicago, Lea Michele, Billy Porter, Black-Eyed Peas and more. Networks also add separate acts, especially early. CBS has Miranda Lambert; NBC opens with “Sesame Street” Muppets and has the casts of four musicals. Read more…
1) “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” 8 p.m., ABC. For a successful feast, it’s important to choose the caterers wisely. In this case, alas, Snoopy and Woodstock are in charge; they prepare marshmallows and popcorn. Wrapping up the hour is the Mayflower segment of “This Is America, Charlie Brown.” Read more…
1) “Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry,” 9-11 p.m., NBC. Parton (shown here), 73, continues her triumphant tour of the networks. ABC had a primetime profile, then featured her at the Country Music Association awards. Netflix made eight movies based on her songs; on Dec. 8, Hallmark has her “Christmas at Dollywood” movie. And NBC has her performing along with some famous friends, including Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Emmylou Harris, Lady Antebellum, Margo Price, Hank Williams Jr. and more. Read more…
1) “Dancing With the Stars” finale, 8-10:01 p.m., ABC. The final-four line-up is stuffed with people who almost won other competitions. Lauren Alaina, 25, was runner-up on “American Idol” … Ally Brooke (shown here with Sasha Farber), 26, was in a group (Fifth Harmony) that finished third on “X-Factor” … and Hannah Brown, 25, finished seventh on “Bachelor”; she then became the “Bachelorette” star. Now one of them might be a winner; they’re in the finals, alongside Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson’s former comedy colleague. Read more…
1) American Music Awards, 8 p.m, ABC. Taylor Swift (shown here) will perform and be crowned artist of the decade. But Post Malone leads this year, with seven nominations; he’ll perform with Ozzy Osbourne, Travis Scott and WATT. Ciara hosts a strong night for women: Selena Gomez has her first TV performance in two years; Shania Twain has her first AMA one in 16 years. Also performing:Billie Eilish, Thomas Rhett, Christina Aguilera, Green Day, Camila Cabello, Dua Luppo, Lizzo, Kesha, more. Read more…
1) “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” 7 and 8 p.m., TBS. Over the next five weeks, we’ll get lots of lookalike Christmas shows, each aspiring to adequacy. So it’s good to stop first and savor some holiday greatness; this 1966 cartoon offers TV at its best. It starts with Dr. Seuss’ brilliant book, then adds superb animation by Chuck Jones, the man behind Road Runner cartoons. Boris Karloff offers the droll narration, with Thurl Ravenscroft singing about a mean one (shown here), Mr. Grinch. Read more…
1) “Dynasty,” 9 p.m., CW. Comedies love Thanksgiving, but some dramas also get a crack at it. Now Blake Carrington (Grant Show, shown here) – facing criminal charges – realizes this could be his last chance for a family Thanksgiving. First, he wants Cristal and Adam to quit bickering. Also, Dominique is being pushed to disclose important information … and she’s pushing Monica to work with her new singer. Read more…
