Some films can’t help being personal. Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky (HBO’s “Beware the Slenderman”) confronts a condition in her own family in the emotional documentary “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-PG).
Not long after the birth of her son Jonas, she and her husband began to notice the child’s hearing loss. This heartbreak did not come completely as a surprise, as both of Brodsky’s parents were deaf.
“Sonata” shows how her young son adjusts to his hearing loss, as well as her aging father’s ability to thrive after a long life of deafness. The film also explores how Ludwig van Beethoven continued to compose some of the most familiar music in history even after losing his hearing.
“Sonata” makes inventive use of home movies, animation and graphics to immerse the viewer in a world of sensation, thought and reflection without the benefit of sound.
— NBC wraps up its holiday presentation of “Making It” (9 p.m. and 10 p.m., TV-PG), a crafting competition hosted by Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler.
TONIGHT’S CHRISTMAS MOVIES
— Twentysomethings meet at a posh Hawaiian resort where their rich families shared holidays when they were children in the 2019 romance “Same Time, Next Christmas” (8 p.m., Freeform, TV-PG), starring Lea Michele of “Glee” fame.
— Clueless suburbanites (Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo) light up their block while hosting a low-rent relative (Randy Quaid) in the 1989 comedy “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-PG).
— An app inventor puts the social in media in the 2018 romance “Mingle All the Way” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— A blizzard scrambles the schedules of grouchy pilots in the 2019 romance “Grounded for Christmas” (8 p.m., Lifetime, TV-PG).
— Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti star in the 2007 comedy “Fred Claus” (8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., WE, TV-PG).
— An overbooked executive has a glimpse of a simpler, happier life in the 2019 romance “Carole’s Christmas: Unwrapped” (8 p.m., OWN, TV-PG).
— A book editor (Jimmy Stewart) falls under the spell of a fetching witch (Kim Novak) and her warlock brother (Jack Lemmon) in the 1958 comedy “Bell, Book & Candle” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-PG), featuring one of the grooviest Christmas trees ever captured on film.
— Loveless siblings make a wager in the 2019 holiday romance “Dear Santa, I Need a Date” (8 p.m., TV One).
— The 2017 biographical drama “The Man Who Invented Christmas” (8 p.m., Showcase) imagines the influences on Charles Dickens that inspired Scrooge, Cratchit and Tiny Tim.
— “Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic” (10 p.m., Freeform, TV-PG) throws some tinsel on corporate theme park promotion.
— Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon star in the 2008 comedy “Four Christmases” (10:15 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Robert Downey Jr., Taylor Swift and Melissa McCarthy appear on “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
— Veronica takes on Mr. Lodge on “Riverdale” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— Julia puts all of her eggs in one basket on “Almost Family” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
A military veteran, an ultra-marathoner and a weightlifter appear on “Man vs. Bear” (9 p.m., Discovery, TV-PG).
— Undercover in the classroom on “Stumptown” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
A retired teacher (Art Carney) goes on a cross-country trip with his pet cat in the 1974 road movie “Harry and Tonto” (10 p.m., TCM, TV-14), directed by Paul Mazursky. In a major upset, Carney won the Oscar for Best Actor, beating Al Pacino (“The Godfather Part II”) and Jack Nicholson (“Chinatown”) in two era-defining roles.
SERIES NOTES
A million incentives on “Survivor” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Two singing celebrities are revealed on “The Masked Singer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … Holiday card envy on “The Goldbergs” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Beanie babies on “Schooled” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
Jason recovers from surgery on “SEAL Team” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Cam seems too happy on “Modern Family” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A kidnapping brings back memories on “Nancy Drew” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … Santa’s list on “Single Parents” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Hondo babysits a warlord on “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Ed Harris, Samantha Power and Thomas Rhett appear on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Jon Hamm, Keri Russell and Gary Clark Jr. on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Jack Black and Coady Willis visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Anthony Anderson guest-hosts Nick Jonas and Vampire Weekend on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:35 a.m., CBS).
