What is more powerful, a mother’s love or a child’s sense of wonder, wanderlust and imagination? Since 1942, parents and children have enjoyed the picture book "The Runaway Bunny," now adapted into an animated half-hour special streaming on HBO Max.
Like the book, by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations by Clement Hurd, the team behind "Goodnight Moon," the animation shifts from full color to black-and-white line drawings as a baby bunny muses on his many escapes and adventures, including flying like a bird, sailing on the sea and performing at the circus. And every time, his mother explains how she would follow and find him and bring him back home.
Narrated by Tracee Ellis Ross, "Bunny" is designed to entrance young minds and entertain parents as well. Each adventure is accompanied by a performance from musicians including Mariah Carey, Rosanne Cash, Ziggy Marley, Kelly Rowland, Rufus Wainwright and others.
The cartoon’s half-hour running time is completely appropriate to its source. It also captures the gentle nature of a bedtime story, a tone all too lacking in so much frantic children’s fare.
"The Runaway Bunny" is produced and directed by Amy Schatz, winner of eight Emmy Awards, who brought "Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales" to the screen for HBO Family in 1999.
— Spoiler alert! America Ferrara returns to "Superstore" (8:30 p.m., NBC, TV-14) for tonight’s two-part series finale. Can sparks between her character, Amy, and Jonah (Ben Feldman) be far behind?
A rare TV series set in a world of low-wage workers insecure about their jobs, their housing and, in the case of Mateo (Nico Santos), their citizenship status, "Superstore" is set in a St. Louis big box mall retail store, which in later seasons had been bought by another corporate giant, a move that increased job insecurity as well as explained Amy’s move to headquarters in Los Angeles.
Much of the series’ energies involved Amy’s striving struggle up the corporate ladder and her unlikely romance with Jonah, a college-educated slacker whose presence at the store seemed a continual mystery to both fellow workers and viewers.
"Superstore" arrived at a time when "brick and mortar" retail stores were suffering at the hands of ecommerce. The show managed to lampoon the notion that, during COVID, the employees could be both "essential" and gruesomely exploited at the same time.
The set and art direction of tonight’s finale episodes perfectly capture the sad, picked-over nature of an outlet during a "going-out-of-business" sale. The big question remains just how many viewers find the humor in that.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— The final six don their black jackets on "Hell’s Kitchen" (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— Mixed signals on "Station 19" (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— "Harry & Meghan’s American Dream" (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG) examines the former royals a year after "Megxit."
— A grim New Year’s Eve on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9 p.m., NBC, r, TV-14).
— The first season of "Call Me Kat" (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14) concludes with a cat’s funeral.
— Teddy grieves on "Grey’s Anatomy" (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
— "For Real: The Story of Reality TV" (9 p.m., E!, TV-PG) recalls pioneering celebrity stars.
— Mike’s absence makes Kristin the boss on "Last Man Standing" (9:30 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— Clarice must prove her competency on "Clarice" (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14).
— Eddie’s secret habit on "A Million Little Things" (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Winner of seven of the 10 Oscar nominations it received, the 1962 drama "Lawrence of Arabia" (4 p.m., TCM, TV-14) remains one of the most highly praised screen epics of all time. Part of a daylong salute to director David Lean that begins with his 1945 adaptation of Noel Coward’s doomed romance "Brief Encounter" (10:30 a.m., TV-PG).
SERIES NOTES
Mary makes a very wrong impression on "Young Sheldon" (8 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … Drew’s blues on "B Positive" (8:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG).
Bonnie’s mixed emotions on "Mom" (9 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … MG is no triumph on "Legacies" (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … A ring of fire on "Bob Hearts Abishola" (9:30 p.m., CBS, r, TV-PG) … "Dateline" (10 p.m., NBC).
LATE NIGHT
Mike Birbiglia appears on "Conan" (11 p.m., TBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Maya Rudolph, Christopher Meloni and 24Goldn on "The Tonight Show" (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Gwen Stefani and Dr. Sanjay Gupta appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (11:35 p.m., ABC, r).
Sacha Baron Cohen, Viet Thanh Nguyen and Ash Soan visit "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Chrissy Teigen appears on "The Late Late Show With James Corden" (12:35 a.m., CBS).
