If you can’t find something to watch this week, then you’re not looking hard enough.
Or, even worse, you’re just not festive enough. And that has to change!!
Christmas is all over the schedule, but when you take a break from the egg nog, you can watch The Flight Attendant, Superintelligence, and Black Beauty, too.
Saturday, November 21
8/7c A Nashville Christmas Carol (Hallmark)
Vivienne Wake (Jessy Schram), a workaholic television producer in charge of a country musicthemed Christmas special showcasing newcomer Alexis (Raelynn), never lets personal feelings get in the way of business.
On the verge of accepting a job in LA, and with the return of Gavin Chase (Wes Brown), her childhood sweetheart and manager to the special’s headliner, Belinda (Sara Evans), she receives a visit from the ghost of her recently deceased mentor, Marilyn ((Wynonna Judd).
Her mentor warns her current path leads to a dark future and has recruited both the Spirit of Christmas Past (Kix Brooks) and the Spirit of Christmas Present (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) to help her get back on track.
The Spirits’ time-jumping adventures force Vivienne to take hold of her life. Will Vivienne ultimately choose her career or another chance at love?
8/7c Feliz NaviDAD (Lifetime)
David Morales (Mario Lopez), an Arizona high school principal and single dad, has lost the holiday spirit after also losing his wife a few years ago during the Christmas season.
Now, David will do anything to avoid Christmas so he moonlights as a delivery driver during the holidays.
But this year David’s 14-year-old daughter, Noel (Paulina Chavez), and his live-in sister, Marissa (Marycarmen Lopez), are determined to bring the yuletide spirit back to the family and, with a little luck, also help David find love again via online dating.
So when Sophie (AnnaLynne McCord), a witty musician and customer on David’s delivery route, swipes right on him, something magical happens between them.
10/9c The Angel Tree (HMM)
“There’s a place called Pine River, high up in the mountains, where Christmas is celebrated with an incredible tradition. Every holiday season, the Angel Tree appears overnight in the town square. And then…the magic begins. People write down their wishes and hang them on the tree, and a mysterious benefactor, known only as ‘Angel,’ helps make those wishes come true.”
Thus, begins the story of the Angel Tree. Rebecca (Jill Wagner), a magazine writer who spent her childhood in Pine River, is sent on assignment to uncover Angel’s true identity.
Privately, she also wants to know why her long ago wish to stay in town was not fulfilled. While researching for her story, Rebecca reconnects with her old friend Matthew (Lucas Bryant).
While he is happy to see her, Matthew feels strongly that Angel’s secret should be kept, and he does his best to keep her from finding out the truth. As Rebecca gets closer to unmasking Angel, she rediscovers a belief in the power of community, her desire for home and especially, the magic of the Angel Tree.
Sunday, November 22
8/7c The Christmas House (Hallmark)
Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis (Lawrence) and patriarch Bill (Treat Williams), have summoned their two grown sons – TV star, Mike Mitchell (Robert Buckley) and Brandon Mitchell (Jonathan Bennett) – home for the holidays.
It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house, will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community.
As Brandon and his husband Jake (Harder) make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi (Ayora), his high school sweetheart.
8/7c Homemade Christmas (Lifetime)
Every year, Megan (Michelle Argyris), an ambitious young woman uses the weeks leading up to Christmas to become the ultimate holiday freelance assistant for hire, helping with any Christmas-related tasks for extra income.MO
But when the opportunity arrives to save a Christmas party and dazzle her crush, she must choose between the man of her aspirations and Mr. Right.
9/8C Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)
Chilling, emotional, and fantastic are the three words I would use to sum up the midseason finale.
The series is going from strength-to-strength and this instalment feels like a natural endpoint for this tremendous run of episodes.
Watch live, or earlier on AMC+, because you do not want spoilers to ruin all the fun.
10/9c A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love (HMM)
Margie (D’Orsay) and Pat (Page)were high school sweethearts who parted when different paths in life separated them after graduation. Pat, now divorced, returns to his hometown of Boise for a fresh start anda new job opportunity after living the island life in Hawaii with his two young sons.
As he’s running a quick errand after just arriving home, Margie spots Pat in his telltale red convertible, flags him down and the two catch up a bit.
But this is just the first of a series of coincidences – or Godwinks – that continue to bring Margie and Pat together over the next several days. It’s clear there are still feelings between them but Margie is dating someone and Pat is focused on finding a new job.
As Margie and Pat spend more time together, old feelings resurface. Margie begins to reconsider what she wants in a relationship and realizes the one she is in isn’t right for her.
As they seem to be getting closer to picking back up where they left off as high school seniors, a job opportunity that would take Pat out of state arises and it looks like their timing is off once again. But there may be one more Godwink in store that will help them find their happily ever after – together.
10/9c A Taste of Christmas (Lifetime)
When Natalie (Anni Krueger) learns her cousin Francesca (Nia Vardalos) must cancel the Christmas Eve opening of her new Italian restaurant, Natalie’s heart goes out to all of the guests who were planning on attending.
Since no one should be alone on Christmas, Natalie decides to make the opening happen any way she can. However, the attractive but pessimistic Chef Stefano (Gilles Marini) believes it’s impossible — there are only three days until Christmas!
But Natalie insists that problems are just opportunities in disguise and soon she convinces Stefano that they can do it. At first, these opposites do not attract, but feelings begin to change when they find themselves working side-by-side.
With Stefano’s help Natalie learns that cooking, like Christmas, isn’t about perfection… it’s about sharing it with the ones you love.
Monday, November 23
8/7c Heart of the Holidays (Hallmark)
When Sam Wallace’s (Vanessa Lengies) life on Wall Street falls apart, she heads back to her small town for Christmas and comes face to face with her former flame Noah (Corey Sevier), the local café owner and community organizer.
After initially struggling to break the ice, Sam and Noah join forces to put on an event at the food bank, reigniting Sam’s humanitarian spirit and their feelings for each other.
But when Sam’s ex shows up dangling a dream job back in New York, Sam must decide if she’ll return to the city or follow her heart back to her community and to Noah.
Tuesday, November 24
Fatman (VOD)
If you already read our review of the new movie starring Mel Gibson as Santa but didn’t get to the theater to see it, we have good news.
The flick in which Walton Goggins stars as an assassin after the fat man with a beard drops on demand today.
Be sure to read our full review, and then make your purchase. We all know it’s going to worth the money.
8/7c A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado (Hallmark)
Erin Chambers (Aytes) is Brooklyn, Colorado’s director of community development – and daughter of Mayor Raymond Chambers (Peter Bryant, “Riverdale”), who wants her to follow in his political footsteps.
Erin is responsible for promoting the struggling burg as a top holiday destination to boost tourism, which includes organizing the campaign’s main event: the town square tree lighting.
She stumbles across the perfect spruce belonging to Kevin Snyder (Taylor), a single firefighter, and his adopted daughter Claire (Grace Sunar, “Snowpiercer”).
When she mistakenly posts the photo she took of it to the town’s social media account instead of her own, the local paper runs with the story and her father the mayor falls in love with the idea of having a tree from the site of the original town square.
Unfortunately, Kevin doesn’t want to part with it. Erin is expected to secure the spruce for the tree lighting and hopes she’ll eventually be able to change his mind.
As they spend more time together thanks to his new role as safety advisor for the tree lighting, they become close and Erin forms a strong bond with Claire. But an unexpected turn of events puts a halt to their budding romance and prompts Erin to make a lastditch effort to put things right and make it a Merry Christmas for all.
10/9C Big Sky (ABC)
The gripping new drama moves along nicely in its second episode, with interesting twists and turns, and another killer cliffhanger.
Yep, this is another show you need to watch live to enjoy.
And if you were planning on skipping it after that Big Sky Season 1 Episode 1 surprise, give it another chance anyway. What have you got to lose?
Wednesday, November 25
Happiest Season (Hulu)
This is such a fun movie! Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis star as Abby and Harper, two women in love who disagree over the magic of the holiday season.
Harper does her best to share her love of Christmas with Abby, and once she gets on board, they plan a trip to spend the special ocassion with Harper’s family.
Mary Steenburgen and Victor Garber star as Harper’s parents, and all is not exactly as Harper portrayed to Abby on the homefront.
That means an eventful celebration that neither of them could have fully anticipated.
Other stars include Dan Levy, Alison Brie, Jake McDorman, and Aubrey Plaza, so it’s not to be missed!
8/7c Good Morning, Christmas! (Hallmark)
Melissa Merry (Alison Sweeney) and Brian Bright (Marc Blucas) are America’s favorite hosts from the top-rated morning show, “Today with Bright & Merry.” What America doesn’t know is Melissa and Brian cannot stand to be in the same room with one another.
Producer Jennifer (Nicole Oliver) reminds Merry & Bright they must spend the upcoming week in Mistletoe, the town that won the show’s Christmas contest, where Mel and Brian will film on location.
Unfortunately for Melissa and Brian, they must not only put on a happy face in front of the cameras, but also pretend to like each other in front of the entire town.
Will they finally come clean on Christmas about their mutual dislike, or will the town that loves Christmas reveal to them their true feelings for each other?
Thursday, November 26
The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
If you haven’t yet bought into HBO Max, The Flight Attendant might be the show to hook you.
Kaley Cuoco stars as a flight attendant who finds herself at the heart of an international mystery, and there is blood on her hands.
We know whose blood it is, but we have no idea how it got there. The series is fast paced and funny, but it’s not afraid to reveal some deep flaws in its lead character, either.
Zosia Mamet, Michiel Huisman, Rosie Perez, and T.R. Knight also star, and the first three episodes drop today with a new episode weekly thereafter.
Superintelligence (HBO Max)
Thanks, COVID! Don’t mind if I DO watch the planned theatrical release starring Melissa McCarthy on TV!
When an all-powerful Superintelligence (James Corden) chooses to study the most average person on Earth, Carol Peters (McCarthy), the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
As the A.I. decides to enslave, save or destroy humanity, it’s up to Carol to prove that people are worth saving.
8/7c Christmas by Starlight (Hallmark)
Annie Park (Kimberly Sustad) is a whip-smart lawyer who specializes in child adoptions. When her family’s beloved neighborhood eatery, The Starlight Café, is slated for demolition, she vows to put a stop to it.
William Holt (Paul Campbell), the free-wheeling heir to the development firm responsible, makes her an unlikely proposition: he’ll spare the café if Annie spends the week “appearing” as the stringent legal counsel his father is demanding he hire in the wake of some careless and costly mistakes.
Helping get Will’s father off his back for a week seems a small price to pay to save her parents’ beloved café and she agrees. But when Annie oversteps and commits Will’s firm to hosting a lavish Christmas fundraising event at the Starlight, he saddles her with planning it, something she’s never done before.
With one misstep after another, Annie’s efforts to pull off the impossible look doomed to fail. The more Annie and Will’s vastly different worlds collide, the more sparks begin to fly. And when push comes to shove, they discover just how similar they really are and without even knowing it, those sparks may have fanned into a flame.
Friday, November 27
Black Beauty (Disney+)
The latest iteration of this classic tale from Anna Sewell that has captivated young women for generations comes to Disney+ for the holiday season.
This version stars Mackenzie Foy as the young woman who is captivated by beauty, and Kate Winslet as Beauty.
I’ve never imagined a verison of the film with a talking horse, but it appears that’s what we’re going to get, even if there isn’t any indication of that from the trailer.
8/7c Dear Christmas (Lifetime)
Natalie Morgan (Melissa Joan Hart) is the host of a popular podcast, Holiday Love, which shares true stories of holiday romance with its listeners. While to the outside world and her listeners everywhere see Natalie is an expert on romance, she’s never truly experienced a romance of her own.
As Natalie prepares to embark on a promotional tour for her new book, she stops back home to spend Christmas with her family where she unexpectedly begins to experience her own holiday romance as sparks ignite with local firefighter, Chris (Jason Priestley). D
ear Christmas also stars Robin Givens, Ed Begley Jr. & Faith Prince and includes cameos by Jamie and Doug Hehner (Married at First Sight: Couples Cam) and Hilarie Burton and Antwon Tanner (One Tree Hill).
8/7c Five Star Christmas (Hallmark)
Lucy Ralston (Bethany Joy Lenz) and her siblings are surprised to find out that their dad has converted the family home to a B&B. Just as the family is getting over the shock, famed travel writer Bea Turner unexpectedly shows up incognito.
To make the struggling inn look more successful the Ralston’s pretend to be guests and must maintain the charade for the duration of Bea’s visit. Another guest, Jake (Victor Webster) checks in unexpectedly as well and sparks fly between him and Lucy.
As the two grow closer, Lucy feels terrible deceiving him, but it turns out that Jake has a secret of his own.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.