Dec. 2 – 8
Top picks for TV, books, music, home entertainment & more
A steamy new take on a romance classic, all hail country music’s king and queen, & celebs play bar games
FRIDAY, Dec. 2
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Steamy new adaptation of the classic D.H. Lawrence novel stars Emma Corwin (above) as the wealthy Englishwoman who finds that love—and marriage—ain’t what it was cracked up to be (Netflix).
Firefly Lane
Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke return to their roles for season two of the drama about lifelong best friends facing the ultimate test of their bond and wanting to nurture the other relationships in their lives (Netflix).
Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays
The superstar a cappella group goes on a magical musical whirlwind trip around globe in this streaming special, gathering holiday cheer and inspiration (Disney+).
SATURDAY, Dec. 3
The Great Holiday Bake War
Can a yummy recipe have all the ingredients for romance? Find out in this original network movie starring LeToya Luckett and Finesse Mitchell as contestants who meet on a holiday baking competition (9 p.m., Own).
SUNDAY, Dec. 4
Fit for Christmas
Amanda Kloots (of TV’s The Talk) executive-produced and stars in this new holiday flick as a Montana fitness instructor who falls for a mysterious businessman, complicating both of their plans (8:30 p.m., CBS).
George & Tammy
Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain star in this six-episode saga about the turbulent, often torrid relationship of superstar country music couple George Jones and Tammy Wynette (9 p.m., Showtime).
Home Town
Renovation experts Erin and Ben Napier (left) return for a new season of bringing new life to outdated homes in their own small town of Laurel, Miss. (8 p.m., HGTV).
MONDAY, Dec. 5
Barmageddon
Country star Blake Sheldon and buddy Carson Daily are the rowdy ringleaders of this wild new game show, hosted by WWE wrestling superstar Nikki Bella, pitting their celebrity friends against each other in “bar games” at Sheldon’s Old Red nightspot in Nashville. With appearances by
His Dark Materials
Season three of the series, based on the final novel in author Philip Pullman’s award-winning epic fantasy series, finds the prophesized child (Dafne Keen) venturing to a dark place as her father’s war against the Authority edges closer. With Ruth Wilson and James McAvoy (9 p.m., HBO).
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
It wouldn’t feel like the holidays without a viewing of this classic 1966 TV special, featuring the voice of Boris Karloff as the green-goblin Christmas thief transformed by the sweetness of the season (7:30 p.m., TNT).
Tiny Toony’s Christmas Carol
Get in the ha-ha holiday spirit with this Dickens-themed roundup of classic ‘toons from Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Porky the Pig and others, plus vintage holiday shorts rarely seen on broadcast TV (8 p.m., MeTV).
TUESDAY, Dec. 6
Liam Gallagher: Knebworth 22
Let’s rock! Documentary and full concert chronicles the Oasis frontman’s return to the stage at England’s iconic music venue (Paramount+).
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7
The Goldbergs
In this holiday episode, Erica buys a festive baby toy and Beverly goes full Grinch in an attempt to steal Christmas (8:30 p.m., ABC).
The Great Holiday Baking Special
Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are the judges, and Ellie Kemper and Zach Cherry host this celebrity-filled holiday special, in which you’re invited “into the tent” for a star-studded competition of whisking, baking and faking (Roku Channel).
THURSDAY, Dec. 8
CMA Country Christmas
Carly Pierce hosts this 13th annual holiday TV musical special, with performances by Steven Curtis Chapman, Scotty McCreery, Marin Morris, Old Dominion, The War and Treaty, and more, all filmed on colorful Christmas-themed sets in Nashville, Tenn. (9 p.m., CBS).
The Real Housewives of Miami
New season six of the feisty franchise drama turns up new heat in the Sunshine State with its returning high-drama housewives and some new acquaintances (Peacock).
Doom Patrol
Brendon Fraser, Matt Bomer, April Bowlby and Michelle Gomez star in season four of the action-packed series based on characters in DC Comics, about a group of people who all suffered horrible accidents that left them with superhuman abilities (HBO and HBO Max).
NOW HEAR THIS
Relive the smooth, spiritually-inclined grooves of the 1972 Cat Stevens’ No. 1 platinum album Catch Bull at Four—the best-selling album of his entire career—with this newly remastered vinyl 50th anniversary re-release (AME/Ume).
The seminal sounds of the Beach Boys can be rediscovered in the new box set Sail On Sailor-1972 (Capitol/Ume). The multi-disc collection, available as both CDs and LPs, includes rarities, remastered versions of original albums from the group’s post-pop period, and a live Carnegie Hall concert.
Sweet indeed! The cast recording of the Broadway smash A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical (UMe) is a tune-filled journey through the iconic singer-songwriter’s catalog of hits, including “Sweet Caroline,” “I’m a Believer,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Solitary Man.”
Legendary former Beatle Paul McCartney sounds as great as ever on The 7” Singles Box, a new-release collection of 80 career-spanning single releases, newly remastered on CD, including “My Love,” “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Silly Love Songs,” plus rare mono recordings of “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “Too Many People.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Long before the #MeToo movement, Joyce Chopra was breaking down barriers in Hollywood. Find about how in Lady Director: Adventures in Hollywood, Television and Beyond (City Lights). As this new bio details, among her many other achievements, Chopra produced the first TV-movie adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ novel Blonde—beating the controversial Netflix adaptation (starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe) to the screen by 20 years.
Learn about the rockin’ roots of the music that changed the world in The Birth of Rock & Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records (Wheldon Owen) by noted music journalists Peter Guralnick and Colin Escott. This lavishly illustrated coffee-table showcase details the start of a musical revolution in Memphis, Tenn., where Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, B.B. King and others churned out an explosive mix of hillbilly boogie, Beale Street blues, Southern soul and juke-joint jump at visionary producer Sam Philliips’ now-legendary studio.
The coolest cat in all of pop culture is the Bat. Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight, by Andrew Farago and Gina McIntyre (Insight Editions), spreads its wings with a lavishly illustrated tour of Batman across the spectrum of entertainment, from comic books and TV to animation and live action, video games and ultimately a franchise of blockbuster movies.
WATCH IT NOW
One of TV’s hottest series is now available on Blu-ray. The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) follows star Bob Odenkirk as he dramatizes the last leg of his character’s transformational journey from a former con artist into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman.
The Media Tourist 