The rash of holiday specials can seem excessive. Are they all in good taste? Or a blemish on the season?
Proof that every sort of program can have its very own special holiday moment, “Dr. Pimple Popper: The 12 Pops of Christmas” (9 p.m., TLC) follows Dr. Sandra Lee and her staff as they work overtime helping patients put their best faces forward. Nobody wants a temporary facial eruption immortalized on a holiday card, so they besiege Dr. Lee in the hopes she can smooth things out.
There’s a moment in the mid-December rush when you realize we’ve torn through all of the good holiday specials and the focus of broadcast media turns from Christmas anticipation to pre-New Year’s retrospection.
I’d venture a guess that the arrival of Dr. Pimple Popper’s special is a good sign. So is the “Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards” (9 p.m., NBCSN). Of the six honors bestowed tonight, three are given to competitors who “inspired, amazed and surprised” the sports world in 2018. Given we’ve got two more weeks of bowl games, NFL playoff contention and routine NBA, NHL and college games, I’d say these accolades could be a tad premature.
— I can safely guess few tavern games will be honored by Sports Illustrated. Fans of that more casual pastime are in luck as BBC America devotes the next two weeks to the coverage of the World Darts Championship. Starting today through Dec. 23 and picking up again Thursday, Dec. 27, matches will stream on bbcamerica.com at 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and air Sundays at 9 a.m. on BBC America. (Please note that today’s first matches begin at 2 p.m.) Look for more than 100 hours of darts action through Jan. 1.
— Netflix begins streaming season three of the Australian drama “Wanted,” about two polar opposites (Rebecca Gibney, Geraldine Hakewill) forced into hiding after witnessing the murder of a corrupt police officer.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A squad of North Pole elves handles the logistics for the big night on “Disney Prep and Landing” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-G). Followed by “Disney Prep and Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-G). A slick, quasi-militaristic take on the holidays that always leaves me cold.
— The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs meet in “Thursday Night Football” (8 p.m., Fox).
— Competitors focus on cookies and bread on “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition” (9 p.m. ABC, TV-PG).
— Sketches old and new unfold on a repeat helping of “A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— The “Baroness Von Sketch Show” (9 p.m., IFC, TV-MA) navigates holiday seating arrangements.
— Critters don’t exactly exude holiday spirit on “The Secret Life of a Zoo” (9 p.m., Animal Planet, TV-PG).
— An author of bachelor lifestyle books turns to a fetching neighbor for holiday advice in the 2017 romance “Christmas Next Door” (10 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Dumped by her pop star boyfriend just before the holidays, a wallflower learns to duet with a proper stranger in the 2018 romance “Christmas Harmony” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— A new directive leaves the remaining crew off balance on the finale of the 10-episode space saga “Nightflyers” (10 p.m., Syfy, TV-MA), based on a novella by George R.R. Martin.
CULT CHOICE
A summer waitressing job becomes a milestone for three teens (Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish, Lili Taylor) in the 1988 coming-of-age feature “Mystic Pizza” (8 p.m., POP, TV-PG). Matt Damon’s film debut.
SERIES NOTES
Talk of babies on “The Big Bang Theory” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Minimum wages, maximum chaos on “Superstore” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) … Garth (DJ Qualls) helps out on “Supernatural” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Sheldon audits a college course on “Young Sheldon” (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Emet and David recharge on “I Feel Bad” (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
Secret Santas and unsettling secrets on “Mom” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Hope faces her darkest fears on “Legacies” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Avery needs advice on “Murphy Brown” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Hondo faces father issues on “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Bob Woodward is booked on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (11 p.m., Comedy Central) … Diane Kruger, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Julian Castro are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Miley Cyrus and Regina King on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Amy Adams, Jeff Ross, Dave Attell and Kurt Vile appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC).
Natalie Portman, Adam Pally and Todd Sucherman visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Gwen Stefani appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
(Kevin McDonough can be reached at [email protected].)
