Holiday movies, music specials arrive to light a bleak year

Published 4:44 pm Friday, December 4, 2020

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" will air on PBS on Dec. 13 (Fair use)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bring on the sentimental holiday rom-coms, the chorus of Christmas music specials and the nostalgia of last century’s animated charmers. We’ll take any and all feel-good moments in a year of scarcity.

Mariah and Dolly and Charlie Brown are among the comforts TV is offering this month, and not a moment too soon. Here’s a sampling from broadcast networks, cable and streaming services, all times Eastern unless noted.

STOCKING STUFFERS

  • “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 (check local listings), PBS. Protests followed the 1965 broadcast evergreen’s removal to Apple TV+ , with PBS’ telecast the compromise. Or see it on the streaming service during a free Dec. 11-13 window.
  • “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 7:40 p.m. Dec. 5, Freeform. Looking different than everyone else is a burden that turns to joy for a heroic reindeer in the 1964 special narrated by Burl Ives, he of the mellifluous voice.
  • “Frosty the Snowman,” 9 p.m. Dec. 12, CBS. A magic hat brings the snowman to life in the animated 1969 classic, narrated by Jimmy Durante.
  • “Silent Night — A Song for the World,” 8 p.m. Dec. 10 and Dec. 23, CW. The origin and cultural influence of the 200-year-old carol is recounted in a musical documentary that includes Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban and the Vienna Boys Choir.

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HOLIDAY HARMONY

• “A Holly Dolly Christmas,” 8:30 p.m. EST (8 p.m. PST) Dec. 6, CBS. Dolly Parton sings hymns, holiday pop classics and tunes from her new album, and shares personal and faith-based Christmas memories.

• “Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir,” 9 p.m. Dec. 14 (check local listings), PBS. Broadway musical star Kelli O’Hara and actor Richard Thomas are part of the annual program, taped before an audience last year in Salt Lake City.

Most Popular

• “Garth & Trisha Live! A Holiday Concert Event,” 8:30 p.m. EST live (8 p.m. PST, taped), Dec. 20, CBS. Brooks and Yearwood will perform holiday songs chosen from among fan requests submitted beforehand via Brooks’ Facebook Watch show.

MERRY MOVIES

  • “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 8 p.m. Dec. 24, NBC. Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey is floundering amid self-doubt, but family, neighbors and Clarence the angel come to the rescue in filmmaker Frank Capra’s 1946 enduring favorite.
  • “Love, Lights, Hanukkah!”, 8 p.m. Dec. 12, Hallmark. Christina (Mia Kirshner) is readying her restaurant for Christmas, with a DNA surprise and unlikely romance on the menu. Ben Savage and Marilu Henner co-star.
  • “The Christmas Setup,” 8 p.m. Dec. 12, Lifetime. New York lawyer Hugo (Ben Lewis) heads home to Milwaukee, where matchmaking mom Kate (Fran Drescher) sets him up with his high school crush, Patrick (Blake Lee).
  • “Christmas She Wrote,” 8 p.m. Dec. 6, Hallmark. Writer Kayleigh (Danica McKellar) escapes home after her column is canceled, but there’s no hiding from the responsible, if very handsome, culprit (Dylan Neal).