— Churn out 500 Christmas movies and there’s going to be a story for everybody. ABC obviously thought that families who make an annual habit of spending their Christmas holidays at expensive tropical resorts were an underserved audience.
Lea Michele ("Glee") stars in the holiday movie "Same Time, Next Christmas" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) as Olivia, a 20-something architect who reconnects with the grown-up version of the boy she fell in love with on shared holiday vacations in Hawaii’s sun and sand.
— Veterans of reality television spectacles look for love in familiar spots (near camera crews) as "Ex on the Beach" (9 p.m., MTV) enters its fourth season.
— A holiday favorite since 1965, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-G) manages to mingle Beethoven and jazz, holiday disenchantment, biblical verses and psychiatry in a neat little package. "Charlie Brown Christmas Tales" fills out the hour.
— "Project Runway" (9:30 p.m., Bravo, TV-PG) enters its 18th season housed at the TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK airport, an update of the famed 1962 building designed by Eero Saarinen, an acclaimed example of mid-20th century architecture and modernist flair.
— Now streaming on CBS All Access, "Tell Me a Story" enters its second season of updating classic fairy tales including "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty." Look for Carrie-Anne Moss, Paul Wesley, Odette Annable and Matt Lauria as part of the anthology’s cast.
— Apparently, there’s always room for more tales of vampires based on comic books. The 10-part series "V Wars" begins streaming on Netflix, starring Ian Somerhalder, Adrian Holmes, Peter Outerbridge and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf. "V Wars" author Jonathan Maberry has also contributed to Marvel’s Wolverine and Black Panther stories.
— In real life, court proceedings can unfold with all of the frustrating deliberation of Dickens’ "Bleak House," at the glacial pace of a trip to the DMV. But where’s the entertainment in that?
Proof that reality television is all about footage in the hands of a crafty editor, the new series "Court Cam" (9 p.m., A&E) zips things up and concentrates on sudden moments of violence and mayhem. It’s the judicial process dumbed down to the level of ultimate fighting.
As more people contemplate cutting the cord and living life without cable television, they often wonder what they will lose. Just what are they giving up? When A&E churns out series like "Court Cam," they make that decision so much easier.
— ID’s new true-crime paranoia series "The Interrogator" (9 p.m., ID, TV-14) begins with a teen who goes missing on Christmas Eve and a detective who goes all-out to find him.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— "Saturday Night Live" (8 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) repeats Christmas sketches from seasons and decades past.
— The Cowboys and Bears meet in NFL football action (8 p.m., Fox, NFL).
— Things heat up on "Santa’s Baking Blizzard" (8 p.m. and 9 p.m., Food, TV-G).
— As Congress holds impeachment hearings, the speaker of the House fields questions on "Nancy Pelosi: CNN Town Hall" (9 p.m., CNN).
— David realizes he’s being used on "Evil" (10 p.m., CBS, TV-PG)
— A wreath challenge on "Making It" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Hotel employees fleece wealthy patrons in the 1931 satire "Blonde Crazy" (11 p.m., TCM) starring James Cagney and Joan Blondell. The film is the source of Cagney’s most quoted (and impersonated) line: "That dirty, double-crossin’ rat!"
SERIES NOTES
A birthday party snub on "Young Sheldon" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Dean’s solo act on "Supernatural" (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Fake dates on "The Unicorn" (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
Tammy’s period of adjustment on "Mom" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Hope is drawn back home on "Legacies" (9 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Dogged determination on "Carol’s Second Act" (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
"The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" (11 p.m., Comedy Central) … Jameela Jamil appears on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS, TV-14) … Casey Wilson, Nico Santos and Chris Hardwick appear on "Lights Out with David Spade" (11:30 p.m., Comedy Central) … Scarlett Johansson and Joe Pera are booked on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Jennifer Lopez and Camila Cabello on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Sam Rockwell, Francesca Hayward, Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (11:35 p.m., ABC) … Mariska Hargitay, Lizzy Caplan and Sam Fender visit "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC, r).
