Between streaming and cable, there is a seemingly endless variety of things to watch. Here is a selection of TV shows and specials that are available live or streaming this week, Dec. 2 to Dec. 8. Details and times are subject to change.
Cozy Up With Holiday Specials
Though you may still be snacking on Thanksgiving leftovers as we enter December, it’s officially time to get into the holiday spirit. And it shouldn’t be too hard, TV-wise at least.
For the 15th year in a row, Christmas heads to Nashville with a celebration of all things holiday and all things country on “CMA Country Christmas,” hosted by Amy Grant and Trisha Yearwood. Performers including Jon Pardi, CeCe Winans and For King + Country will sing festive favorites like “Joy to the World.” Yee-haw and happy holidays! Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC.
A quintessential Rockefeller Center Christmas tree — a Norway spruce — has made the yearly voyage to the big city, from its home in West Stockbridge, Mass., about 130 miles from Midtown Manhattan. Since its arrival, it has been adorned with 50,000 LED lights and a 900-pound Swarovski crystal star, and now is finally ready for its close-up. The 92nd Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center lighting ceremony will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson, with the Radio City Rockettes, the Backstreet Boys and Jennifer Hudson scheduled to perform. Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Immediately after the tree lighting, “Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning Spectacular” is set to celebrate Fallon’s new star-studded album, “Holiday Seasoning,” which dropped on Nov. 1 and features songs with the Jonas Brothers, Justin Timberlake and Dolly Parton. Expect them and others to celebrate with Fallon. Wednesday at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Last year Sabrina Carpenter released a holiday-themed remix to her popular song “Nonsense,” and this year she is upping the ante with “A Nonsense Christmas,” an entire holiday special. After a big tour, she’s home for the holidays and Chappell Roan, Tyla and Shania Twain are all expected to stop by and perform songs with Carpenter from her EP “Fruitcake.” Troye Sivan, Lana Del Ray and Dan Levy will also be there to pitch in on silly holiday-themed skits. Friday at 9 p.m. on Netflix.
Two Types of Reality Television
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Joe Francis ran a multimillion-dollar company that profited from filming young women on spring break, often partly nude and intoxicated. The company would then sell VHS tapes and DVDs on late-night infomercials; in the first two years the content reportedly brought in $20 million. Now, in a three-part documentary, “Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story,” Francis is confronted with the reality of his exploitive business model. Francis currently lives in Mexico, after an arrest warrant was issued against him for not complying with a bankruptcy agreement. The documentary includes interviews with former employees, along with women who were featured in the tapes. Streaming on Tuesday on Peacock.
Should you want much lighter reality fare, “Southern Charm” is back for its 10th season, with one familiar face notably missing. At the end of last season, Jarrett Thomas announced his resignation from the show. But fear not: Craig Conover, Shep Rose and Madison LeCroy are all back and up to their usual sewing and shenanigans. Thursday at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
A Maple Syrup Heist Needs Investigating
Everyone loves to dunk on Canada (I say as a Canadian), but let’s not forget that the country has a large supply of an in-demand and high-priced natural resource — maple syrup, of course. In a 2012 real-life maple syrup heist, $18 million worth of syrup was stolen from Quebec’s reserves. “The Sticky,” a new show, takes inspiration from that crime, with Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr playing maple syrup thieves. All six episodes are set to drop at the same time. Streaming on Amazon prime Video on Friday.
Lucy Worsley, historian extraordinaire, is back with “Holmes vs. Doyle,” which investigates the origins of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s increasing hostility toward Sherlock Holmes, the character he wrote and eventually ended up killing off. To better understand Doyle, Worsley takes viewers back to his time as a medical student in Edinburgh. Sunday at 8 p.m. on PBS.
The post Christmas Specials, Plus 4 Things to Watch on TV This Week appeared first on New York Times.
