The Thanksgiving turkey has not yet fully thawed, but that won’t stop the premature Christmas specials.
Peacock streams the 2023 holiday fantasy “Genie,” starring Melissa McCarthy as an enchanted wish-granter named Flora.
Like many such movies, “Genie” begins with a little heartache. Bernard (Paapa Essiedu) has worked hard to get his family into a fancy apartment building in New York City, complete with a doorman (Marc Maron). But that has not left much time for the wife (Denee Benton) and kid, so she’s decided to leave him right around the holidays. And his boss (Alan Cumming) fires him the very same day!
Crestfallen, Bernard finds solace in a dusty antique that explodes in computer special effects once he gives it a little elbow grease.
Apparently, Flora has been stuck in there for some 2,000 years. This doesn’t explain her outfit. It looks like a costume from a grade-school production of “Aladdin,” something cobbled together from thrift store castoffs. And she appears to have been ensconced in the bottle before the invention of shampoo and conditioner — but just in time for blue eye shadow.
McCarthy does her best to be a sassy genie. She discovers pizza with the gusto of someone who hasn’t eaten for two millennia and grants Bernard’s wish to have the “Mona Lisa” hung on the wall of his apartment. This casual gesture sparks a manhunt for the masterpiece and the arrival of a detective (Luis Guzman). But first, Flora gets to wash her hair and trade in her ancient duds for Christmas sweaters.
It takes a lot of sparkle and belabored jokes to get around to Bernard’s most fervent wish (hint: the wife and kid mentioned above) and for Flora to realize that in some 2,000 years, she’s never found a better friend.
If the strenuous feel-good vibe of “Genie” seems familiar, it’s because it was written by Richard Curtis, whose works include “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill” and “Love Actually,” among others.
— Apple TV+ puts the accent on its most-talked-about series with a showcase for a star of the just-concluded “Ted Lasso,” “Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas,” streaming today.
While best known for “Lasso,” Waddington also appeared in HBO’s cult hit “Game of Thrones” and Netflix’s “Sex Education.” She’s spent decades on London and Broadway stages but has all the hallmarks of an actress of a certain age enjoying her sudden “discovery.” She’s everywhere. She even co-hosted this year’s Eurovision Song Contest!
Statuesque yet self-deprecating, both posh and approachable, Waddington runs through Christmas songs and skits with fellow “Lasso” co-stars and other singing celebrities in front of a London audience. Its setting emphasizes the live theatrical experience at the expense of glitzy Christmas TV special cheese. And that’s too bad. There’s a super-corny moment of holiday twinkle at the very end, but revealing that would be like opening your Christmas presents five weeks early.
— Apple TV+ also streams a new live-action/animated hybrid adaptation of “The Velveteen Rabbit,” based on the children’s book by Margery Williams.
— Move over “Survivor.” Netflix streams “Squid Game: The Challenge.”
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— Inflation is a good thing when you’re blowing up giant balloons. “Countdown to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) goes behind the scenes.
— “Saturday Night Live” (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14) glances back at Thanksgiving-themed skits.
— “NOVA” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) presents “Lee and Liza’s Family Tree,” highlighting the difficulty of exploring one’s genealogy when you are the descendants of enslaved people.
— “Secrets of the Dead” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-PG, check local listings) searches for the remains of Richard III’s nephews, said to have been murdered by their hunchbacked uncle.
CULT CHOICE
The president (Jack Warden) and his circle fall under the spell of a mysterious stranger (Peter Sellers) who is actually a simple-minded gardener who likes to watch television in the 1979 satire “Being There” (midnight, TCM, TV-14). Directed by Hal Ashby and based on a book by Jerzy Kosinski.
SERIES NOTES
“Survivor” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The Masked Singer” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-PG) … “Celebrity Jeopardy!” (8 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
David Spade hosts “Snake Oil” (9 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14) … “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (9 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG) … “The Amazing Race” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … “The $100,000 Pyramid” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Peter Dinklage and Tig Notaro sit down on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Joel Kinnaman and Mario Carbone on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Paul Giamatti, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
