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PREMIERES, INCLUDING: CHRISTMAS WITH THE ANDERSONS – SATURDAY, DEC. 10, 9/8c PM
A HUSBAND FOR CHRISTMAS – SUNDAY, DEC. 11, 9/8c PM PLUS, CATCH RETURNING FAVORITES ALL SEASON LONG!
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CYNOPSIS Weekender
It’s December 8, 2016, and this is the second of four special Thursday afternoon editions Cynopsis is publishing this month – a quick guide to keep you in the know about the best in TV, movies, and industry events this weekend.
Make sure you catch…
Mild-mannered single mom Katrina sets in motion a diabolical plan to ruin the wedding of the father of her daughter in Merry Ex-Mas, on TV One Saturday at 8p.
A couple accustomed to throwing the year’s biggest Christmas party at their house decide to host a very different kind of gathering, and learn what’s most important about the holiday, on ION’s Christmas with the Andersons, Saturday at 9p. On Sunday, the net premieres A Husband for Christmas, about two graphic designers who agree to a loveless marriage of convenience. We’re guessing sparks will fly somewhere…holiday romance starts at 9p.
When her niece is cast in The Philadelphia Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker, a jaded ex-ballerina is forced to come to terms with the life and love she left behind in Hallmark Channel’s A Nutcracker Christmas, Saturday at 8p. Young dance prodigy Sophia Lucia, one of the stars in the movie, tells Weekender, “The best part of making A Nutcracker Christmas was behind the scenes with our director Michael Lembeck. He is so funny and made me feel right at home!” Sunday brings Love You Like Christmas, centered on a high-powered marketing executive whose car trouble steers her to Christmas Valley.
A high school music teacher is hired by a handsome widower to give music lessons to his teenage daughters in The Sound of Christmas, Sunday at 9p on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Darcy’s job writing heartfelt copy for greeting cards is turned upside down when Andrew arrives at the company to take over from his grandfather, and has a very different view of the business. Up’s Season’s Greetings premieres Sunday at 7p.
After being fired from her high-powered job, Rebecca heads back home to see her mom and attend her friend’s wedding on Christmas Eve. Initially convinced that the trip is a terrible mistake, Rebecca learns that you can go home again in Lifetime’s A Christmas Wedding Date, Saturday at 8p.
A spoonful of sugar: Saturday is retro night on broadcast, with 1964 classic Mary Poppins airing at 8p on ABC, opposite 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and 1969’s Frosty the Snowman on CBS.
Poppins chimney sweep Dick Van Dyke is back Sunday night in two newly colorized versions of The Dick Van Dyke Show, starting at 8p on CBS. The episodes were selected by series creator Carl Reiner. How did Reiner feel about the colorization? “I was shocked by how accurate it is,” he told the NY Post. “It was eerie, like being there.” There will be no interruption between episodes “That’s My Boy??”, first broadcast in 1963, in which Rob reminisces about the hectic days surrounding son Ritchie’s birth, and 1965’s “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which has Laura blurting out an embarrassing secret on a TV quiz show.
Empire’s Taraji P. Henson hosts Fox special Taraji’s White Hot Holidays, featuring Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott and others, tonight at 8p.
A 25th Anniversary Special for the Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest airs on CBS Sunday at 5p, adjacent to football. The event, produced by Juma Entertainment and in partnership with the Waterkeeper Alliance, has raised over $6 million for the foundation. Celebs who took part in the December 2-4 activity in Park City, Utah included Pierce Brosnan, Larry David, Amy Brenneman, JB Smoove, among others.
Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Speclal premieres on Disney Channel Friday at 8:30. Donald skips his annual migration south for the winter to spend the holiday with Mickey and the gang.
Discovery’s Fast N’ Loud Mega Week Special airs tonight from 9-11p. Hot Wheels challenges Richard and Aaron to once again to build a life-sized car to possibly become part of their exclusive Red Line Club, and Aaron reveals his choice for the build: a 1963 Ford Econoline truck.
Weather outside frightful? Check out Cynopsis digital programming guide Watcheroo for video inspiration. A sampling: SuperMansion: War on Christmas became available today on Crackle…Season 3 of Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle starts on Friday, as well as Season 2 of Fuller House, Captive and Spectral on Netflix.
AI’s John Cox recommends some “little known gems” on Apple TV. First up is Fortitude. “Known as one of the safest places on Earth, a small village in the Arctic Circle called Fortitude just had its first murder. Great actors from many countries and the scenes between Stanley Tucci and Michael Gambon are priceless.” And The Guilty: “Child goes missing at a neighborhood barbeque, what happens next is even worse. At only three 45 minutes per episode, perfect for a snowy or rainy Saturday afternoon.”
Alicia J. Rose, creator of Amazon Prime Video’s The Benefits of Gusbandry, previews, “Glory holes, legal weed and questionable dating decisions made in the wake of impending middle age by a woman with the worst Gaydar EVER; a 77 minute mini-binge of Season One of The Benefits of Gusbandry will deliver more laughs than you might be comfortable with.”
As for AdFirm, creator Jeremy Morris-Burke tells Weekender, “What I tried to do is tell a funny story packed with jokes about a bunch of incompatible people in a bizarre tech startup where they have to come together to crack a big mystery and not get killed by shaman magic.”
Got a suggestion for a weekend streaming binge? Send it to [email protected].
Not feeling the holiday cheer? ID’s Pandora’s Box: Unleashing Evil offers counter-programming. New series starts tonight at 10p with an episode titled “Dungeon of Dread,” about an investigation into depraved serial killings.
Reflecjos.Conicas de la cuidad, exploring the changing face of Mexico City, makes its debut on arts and entertainment net Canal 22 Mexico tonight at 9:30p.
As part of its ongoing “UPlift Someone” initiative, Up launched a new video called “The $20 Impact Challenge,” joining with content creator Blake Grigsby to ask the question: “How much of a positive impact can you make in your world with just $20?” Take part at #20DollarChallenge.
It’s Army versus Navy football on CBS Saturday at 3p, and Utah at Xavier shooting hoops on Fox at 5:30p. The Seattle Sounders face off against Toronto in the MLS Cup soccer final on Fox at 8p, the first time either team has made it to the Final.
The New York Jets are in San Francisco 49ers territory starting at 4p Sunday on CBS. Football action picks up later when the Dallas Cowboys battle the New York Giants Sunday night on NBC.
Friday has AXS TV Fights: Resurrection Fighting Alliance 46, AXS TV’s last fight card of the year and RFA’s final event before merging with Legacy Fighting Championship to form Legacy Fighting Alliance in 2017. First battle: Jan. 13 on AXS TV.
Anderson Cooper and pal Kelly Ripa are hosting the CNN Heroes: All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC on Sunday, honoring everyday people who make extraordinary contributions to help others. The event airs live on CNN, starting at 8p.
Winners of the 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards will be revealed at the awards gala on Sunday at 8p, broadcast from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on A&E. Comedian T.J. Miller hosts; among those making appearances will be Nicole Kidman, Kevin Hart, Justin Timberlake and Jim Parsons.
Today is teaming with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation for year 2 of NBCUniversal’s #ShareKindness campaign, at the Today Pop-Up Shop at NYC’s 30 Rockefeller Center. Through December from 9a-5p, people can stop by to send a thank you note to a service member or child spending the holiday in the hospital, or decorate a lunch bag for a child in need. Plus, there’s a photo booth.
California’s KSBW 8 and Central Coast ABC, together with the Salvation Army, celebrate the 30th annual “KSBW Share Your Holiday” on Friday, from 12p-8p. The event helps bring families donations of new and unwrapped toys, clothing, blankets, food, bottled water, and monetary contributions. KSBW 8 and Central Coast ABC will live broadcast the event from five Central Coast locations on Friday, December 9 from 12p-8p.
The Washington Capitals are hosting a holiday party on Saturday, on behalf of Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation for families adopted through the Foundation’s Family-to-Family program. Festivities start at 1p at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA. This year, 20 underserved, deserving families were adopted, and an additional 14 families were adopted by Caps and Wizards players and staff.
Prepare yourselves, NYCers: drunk Santas (and reindeer, and elves) storm the city starting at 10a on Saturday for SantaCon. The event may not be media-related, but trust us, you’ll catch on the news.
Arriving This Weekend:
Office Christmas Party centers on co-workers rallying to throw a holiday bash so epic it will save their jobs. Jennifer Aniston, T.J. Miller and Jason Bateman star. “Like most movies that supposedly aim to pee in Santa’s cornflakes, Office isn’t nearly as nihilistic as its veneer; beneath all the criminal mischief and baby-Jesus jokes there’s still heart of gold,” says EW.
An art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband’s novel in Nocturnal Animals, a film the New York Times calls “a harsh cautionary tale about love, vengeance and the divide between life and art.” Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal star in the dark drama opening wide on Friday.
Jessica Chastain plays brilliant and ruthless lobbyist who takes on the most powerful opponent of her career in political thriller Miss Sloane. But “in light of the recent presidential election,” says the NY Times, “it all feels like small potatoes.”
For Up TV’s EVP and GM Amy Winter, the weekend will include, “likely several hours of untangling Christmas lights, figuring out which ones work, how to make them blink, and then hanging precariously off of a ladder while wrestling lights around the tree. And then the next few hours the family will be on high alert to see just what our 14 lb 8-month-old cat is going to do about having a tree with blinking lights in his house.”
“I’m playing a bunch of shows with my band and will probably watch old movies and some of the awesome new original series on Amazon this weekend,” says Shark Party Media’s Heidi Vanderlee, “in between practices and playing!”
Hearst’s Dana Stern is “going to a networking Fireside Gathering in NYC on Sunday! All colleagues from television and talent development.”
Have a great weekend!
Lynn Leahey: Editorial Director @Lynn_Leahey
Roberta Caploe: Publisher @robertacaploe
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group
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