Gentle, frequently funny and deliberately odd, the variety special “John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch” begins streaming today on Netflix.
Mulaney, a stand-up comic and writer for “Saturday Night Live,” deliberately imitates Mister Rogers here, inviting children to discuss their deepest fears and most vexing mysteries. Or at least speak lines written by the host approximating childhood wonderment.
The result is a blend of sketches and songs that accentuate the offbeat and only occasionally capsize into the precious. The show’s title and tone are clearly inspired from kids’ specials from a generation back. The kind Mulaney grew up watching.
The show begins with a boy no older than 6 speaking at some length about his general fear of death and his specific phobia about drowning. An elaborate and clever musical number follows about another boy’s fondness for his widowed grandmother’s new boyfriend, a quiet guy who sits around reading mystery novels, bothering nobody and still manages to inspire wrath in the boy’s mother and aunts, still mourning their father. The song manages to unpack a lot of narrative information, all from the point of view of a child, who may not yet understand adult resentments.
Another song explores a child’s curiosity about what flowers do at night, and another, featuring David Byrne, formerly of the Talking Heads, gives voice to a young girl who tries to express herself but finds adults ignoring her or chattering through her performances.
Other guests include Natasha Lyonne, Richard Kind and Jake Gyllenhaal.
— Researchers have discovered that the FBI investigated the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) when it was first released. Some in the agency feared its depiction of Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) was too Scrooge-like and anti-banker. This despite the fact that the movie’s benevolent hero, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), is also a banker.
In many ways the film is really a meditation on the gradations of capitalism, from the benevolent kind that invests in neighbors and creates Bedford Falls to the grasping, exploitative brand that leaves a sad, depleted Potterville in its wake.
— Dickens fans can compare and contrast five adaptations of his novella, including the dreary and profane 2019 epic “FX’s A Christmas Carol” (8 p.m., FX, TV-MA). The FXM network offers a marathon of the 1951 “A Christmas Carol” running from 6:50 p.m. through 4 a.m. Christmas morning.
Viewers can also sample the 2009 Jim Carrey vehicle “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” (8 p.m., Starz Encore), the 1992 comedy “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (10 p.m., DXD) or the 1938 “A Christmas Carol” (midnight, TCM), starring Reginald Owen and Gene Lockhart. Look for a young June Lockhart (“Lassie,” “Lost in Space”) among Crachit’s children.
— Speaking of Lockhart, Netflix begins streaming the second season of its update of “Lost in Space.”
— Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone. A columnist can have no greater gift than faithful readers. Thank you all!
ONE LAST NIGHT OF HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
— An innocent (Will Ferrell) searches for his birth father (James Caan) in the big city in the 2003 comedy “Elf” (7 p.m., AMC, TV-PG).
— The voice of Fred Astaire animates “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-G).
— Fox repeats its 2017 musical special “A Christmas Story Live!” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG), narrated by Matthew Broderick.
— Artisans distill the spirit of the holidays in the two-part “Moonshiners: A Very Moonshiners Christmas” (8 p.m. and 9 p.m., Discovery).
— A perfectionist lawyer’s daughter brings a stranger to dinner in the 2018 comedy “One Crazy Christmas” (8 p.m., BET, TV-14).
— Gifted and talented in ways his jock father can’t appreciate, a sled-puller runs off with a nonconformist elf to the Island of Misfit Toys in the 1964 musical “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (8:50 p.m., Freeform, TV-G).
— Trisha Yearwood hosts “CMA Country Christmas” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
— Kristin Chenoweth hosts “Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir” (9 p.m., PBS, check local listings).
CULT CHOICE
Jean Shepherd narrates the 1983 adaptation of his holiday stories and radio yarns “A Christmas Story” (8 p.m., TBS, TV-PG), presented in marathon fashion over the next 24 hours.
SERIES NOTES
Newly found remains may put a case to rest on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … Dean Cain hosts “Masters of Illusion” (8 p.m., CW, r, TV-PG) … On two helpings of “FBI” (CBS, r), a key source vanishes (9 p.m., TV-PG), a bomber strikes (10 p.m., TV-14) … Kevin Frazier and Keltie Knight host “Greatest Holiday Commercials Countdown 2019” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:35 p.m., ABC) is a repeat. Other late night shows have been preempted.
