— ‘Tis the season of the limited holiday series. A week after the arrival of Netflix’s "Merry Happy Whatever," Fox debuts "The Moodys" (9 p.m., TV-PG), airing over the next three Wednesday nights. Adapted from an Australian series of the same name, "Moodys" has everything "Whatever" lacks. Namely, good writing, likable people and character development.
Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins star as Sean and Ann Moody, middle-class Chicago parents of adult children, eager to welcome them home for the holidays. OK, they don’t have to wait for their eldest, Sean Jr. (Jay Baruchel), because he lives with them, has a dead-end job and shows little motivation to do better.
Aspiring photographer Dan (Francois Arnaud) returns from New York, too thin for his father’s taste and recently split up from his latest girlfriend. His crestfallen status lasts only long enough for him to catch the eye of an old friend’s girlfriend (Maria Gabriela de Faria) with whom he shares an immediate jokey and flirty bond. Chelsea Frei rounds out the main cast as Bridget Moody, the pretty sister who arrives with secrets and problems of her own.
At its best, "The Moodys" seems more like a well-written play than a half-hour sitcom or a mopey dramady of the "This Is Us" variety. The characters are clearly drawn but never obvious. Everyone is floundering but not paralyzed by self-pity.
Leary does a wonderfully understated job as the worried patriarch and AA veteran with a savior complex. He hires incompetent contractors from "the program" to give them a "leg up," yet remains judgmental enough to count every scotch his mother downs at a holiday party.
If "Moodys" has a message or a theme, it’s that the holidays often bring us together at a time when we’re too busy sorting through our own "issues" to actually support each other. The gathering of the young adults and the proximity to their old high-school buddies and haunts also offers a narrative safety valve when the family drama gets too intense.
If "The Moodys" has a fault, it’s a matter of pacing. Hourlong helpings seem about 10 minutes too long. It’s a small quibble. Not enough to keep me from thinking that "The Moodys" might be the best thing I’ve seen on network television for some time.
— John Legend, Brett Eldredge, Derek and Julianne Hough, Chicago, Straight No Chaser, Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, Ne-Yo and Gwen Stefani are the scheduled performers as the "87th Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center" (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14) celebrates the fact that a mighty pine was sacrificed for our amusement.
— As if the premise of "Man vs. Bear" (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-PG) weren’t loaded enough, we’re shown how a boomer, millennial and gen-Xer react when confronted with a grizzly. Let me guess. One wants praise just for showing up, the other feels overlooked, while another brags how he saw bigger grizzlies while on a Viking river cruise.
— "Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas" (9 p.m., Freeform, TV-14) offers proof that guilt does not end at the grave. A woman worries that her would-be boyfriend feels jilted because she didn’t get back to him after a great first date. But she actually died on the way home. And her wireless plan has spotty coverage in Valhalla.
— Lagertha pines for a quiet life as "Vikings" (9 p.m., History, TV-MA) enters its two-part, 20-episode final season.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Four celebrities perform on "The Masked Singer" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— Costumes and coordination on "Making It" (10 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— That old feeling on "Stumptown" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Buddies find a dead body during a memorable walk in the woods in the 1986 drama "Stand by Me" (8 p.m., BBC America, TV-14), adapted from a Stephen King short story.
SERIES NOTES
"Survivor" (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Bev’s cookbook attracts interest on "The Goldbergs" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Acceptance letters and old videotapes arrive on "Riverdale" (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Lessons in toughness on "Schooled" (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
Danger and contagion on "SEAL Team" (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Too many cooks on "Modern Family" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A deadly accident may have been intentional on "Nancy Drew" (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Vintage foldouts on "Single Parents" (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A dangerous copycat on "S.W.A.T." (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
