You’ve been terrible, 2016! You’ve literally been THE WORST. I feel you, Michael Stipe. I feel you.
President Bartlet and a bunch of his famous friends are BEGGING the Electors to use their powers to not elect Donald Trump. I know this is probably not going to happen, I know the Electoral College will more than likely give Trump their votes, but if we’re going to have a system like the Electoral College that strips American citizens of the actual power of their individual vote, then shouldn’t the Electoral College uphold ALL of its duties including preventing someone without eminent qualifications from being elected? Especially someone without eminent qualifications who might be a Russian agent? From Alexander Hamilton himself in the Federalist Papers No. 68: “Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one quarter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union? But the convention have guarded against all danger of this sort, with the most provident and judicious attention.” DO YOUR JOBS, ELECTORS. THE NATION IS COUNTING ON YOU.
TV networks and studios are trying to figure out how to create content in the Trump era. Do they appeal to those voters or continue to promote progressive ideas? CONUNDRUMS.
Reality show contestant, Omarosa, has joined the Trump transition team.
Oh, hey, Matt Lauer asked Schwarzenegger about Trump being a producer on Celebrity Apprentice in a toothless interview on The Today Show. Funny how Lauer didn’t mention how this might present a conflict of interest for NBC. OH WAIT, NO IT’S NOT. IN FACT, THIS IS THE WHOLE FUCKING PROBLEM RIGHT HERE.
But back to the Russians. They are developing a reality game show, Game 2: Winter, in which “everything is allowed.” On it, a bunch of people will be sent to Siberia for nine months to survive in the wilderness for a $1.65 million prize. Oh, and people can buy their way onto the cast for $165,000. So much fun. This is definitely not the end of civilization as we know it.
Here’s a trailer for the Sense8 Holiday Special. And Lana Wachowski explains why she made it here. It debuts on December 23rd. Happy Fucking New Year to you, too, kids:
Speaking of Christmas specials, here’s James Corden’s Christmas Carpool Karaoke:
Is Saturday Night Live snobby about having TV stars host? Absolutely. Yes. “We crunched the numbers, and over the past five-and-a-half seasons, only 20-ish percent of SNL hosts have been ‘TV stars’ (i.e. actors whose primary gig at the time was a TV series and only a TV series). And of that 20 percent, many of the TV stars’ hosting gigs coincided with the release of a major movie in which they starred.” But why? Well, that’s less clear.
Here are some spoilery Game of Thrones pictures featuring Sam.
I had my problems with The Walking Dead’s season premiere, but if you’re going so far as to write complaints about it to the FCC, you clearly have never watched the series before. Also, let me just tell you, you should not be letting your 12-year-old watch this show. Honestly. I am serious. Don’t do that.
Attention wannabe TV writers: Shonda Rhimes is teaching an online screenwriting course.
Julia Roberts will star in a TV movie based on the novel Today Will be Different, about a woman who “had ambitions to wake up and have the best day of her life, but is forced to abandon those plays when she finds a strange, new future unfolding.” So, basically, all of America on November 9.
In other development news:
- Netflix is going to air Growing Up Coy, a documentary about the 6-year-old transgender child who started the national bathroom debate.
- Lawyer Up, a family legal comedy from the writer of Office Christmas Party, has been bought by ABC.
- Alone Together, a best friends comedy from Lonely Island, has been bought by Freeform.
Haters Back Off, the Netflix series starring Miranda Sings, has been renewed for a second season.
In other renewal news:
- Big Freedia Bounces Back is the new title of Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce, and will return on Fuse TV.
- Viceland has renewed F*uck, That’s Delicious and Noisey and picked up some new shows.
And premiere dates!
- The Path returns on Hulu on January 25.
- CBS is giving Superior Donuts, it’s only new show with any sort of diversity, a plumb spot behind The Big Bang Theory beginning on February 2nd.
- Sneaky Pete, the Giovanni Ribisi and Bryan Cranston crime series, debuts on Amazon on January 13th.
- The Missing‘s second season will begin on Starz on February 12. The first season of this series was really strong, and no one seemed to pay any attention to it. This season will star The Governor from The Walking Dead. He’s very good! Remember when villains were good on The Walking Dead? Yeah.
R.I.P. Craig Sager, NBA sideline reporter.
WATCH THIS
Hawaii Five-0: The Five-0 go to Mexico for some dumb reason. 8 p.m., Friday, CBS
Married to Medicine: Houston: Ashandra skips Crazy Cindi Rose’s Derby Hat party. GOOD FOR HER. 8 p.m., Friday, Bravo
Saturday Night Live: Casey Affleck and Chance the Rapper. 10:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC
FRIDAY
The Man in the High Castle: Season two! Amazon
Barry: A film that looks at the events that shaped a young Barack Obama. Damn, we’re going to miss him. DON’T GO! Netflix
The Exorcist: In the season finale, the enemies of the church plan their attack on Nice Pope. Cross your fingers that Fox doesn’t cancel this excellent little series. 8 p.m., Fox
SATURDAY
Star Wars marathon: Now that you’ve seen Rogue One, put your hair in Princess Leia buns and spend the day watching a bunch of other Star Wars movies. Begins at 9:48 a.m., TNT
Trading Places: One of the most underrated holiday movies, for real though. 5:50 p.m., Comedy Central
SUNDAY
Shameless: In the season finale, the Gallaghers deal with the death of one of their own. 8 p.m., Showtime
The Sound of Music: The hills are alive and all that. 7 p.m., ABC
Elf: Don’t resist. You know this is one of your favorite Christmas movies. 8:50 p.m., Freeform
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Friday): Reese Witherspoon, Andrew Rannells, Warpaint The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: (Friday): Liam Neeson, Shepard Smith, Jon Batiste
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Last Man Standing (new) |
Dr. Ken (new) |
Shark Tank (repeat) |
20/20 (new) |
| CBS | MacGyver (new) |
Hawaii Five-0 (new) |
Blue Bloods (repeat) |
| CW | The 85th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (new) |
Local |
| FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (new) |
The Exorcist (new) |
Local |
| NBC | Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon (new) |
Dateline NBC (new) |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown | 20/20 (new) |
News/Local |
| CBS | Big Game | 48 Hours | News/Local |
| FOX | UFC Fight Night (live) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Pentatonix Christmas Special (repeat) |
SNL Christmas Special (repeat) |
News/Local | Saturday Night Live (repeat) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | The Sound of Music |
| CBS | NFL Football (live) |
60 Minutes (new) |
NCIS: Los Angeles (new) |
Madam Secretary (new) |
Elementary (new) |
| FOX | Breakthrough Prize (new) |
The Simpsons (new) |
Son of Zorn (new) |
Family Guy (new) |
Last Man on Earth (new) |
Local/News (new) |
| NBC | Sunday Night Football: Buccaneers at Cowboys (live) |