MONDAY
America’s Got Talent: “A Holiday of Champions” — basically a clip show designed to refresh our memories before the midseason spinoff, America’s Got Talent: The Champions. 9 p.m., NBC
The Year in Memoriam 2018: A celebration of the people we lost this year, including the Bushes, John McCain, and Aretha Franklin. 9 p.m., ABC
Fail State: A look into the predatory businesses associated with higher learning, including for-profit colleges and student loans. 8 p.m., Starz
Bleed Out: And if that’s not cheerful enough for you, how about this documentary about medical errors? 7 p.m., HBO
TUESDAY
The Voice: A winner is chosen. Season finale. 8 p.m., NBC
Ellen DeGeneres: Relatable: Ellen returns to her stand-up roots. Netflix
Take Back the Harbor: This special looks at a remarkable New York City high school who is helping replenish the oyster beds in the New York Harbor. I do recognize that this might only interest me because I used to live practically on the harbor, love oysters and have two kids in unique high schools, so, you know, feel free to ignore this. 7 p.m., Discovery
WEDNESDAY
Survivor: The tribal council meets to choose a winner. Season finale. 7 p.m., CBS
Schitt’s Creek: The family struggles to get into the Christmas spirit in this Christmas special. 9 p.m., Pop
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: Oh, Clark. 6 p.m., AMC
No Country for Old Men: Because sometimes the holidays call for a bolt gun. 7 p.m., El Rey
THURSDAY
Timeless: The two-hour series finale is here and the plan is to save Rufus in time for Christmas. Series finale. 7 p.m., NBC
Watch What Happens Live!: Brace yourselves, the Real Housewives OGs are in the clubhouse: Teresa Giudice, Kyle Richards, Bethenny Frankel, Ramona Singer, Vicki Gunvalson, Nene Leakes. 10 p.m., Bravo
Aggretsuko: We Wish You a Metal Christmas: The metal singing red panda is back with a Christmas special. Netflix
Murphy Brown: Murphy spends New Year’s Eve at Phil’s bar in the probable series finale. 8:30 p.m., CBS
Christmas Movies
- Christmas for the Books: 8 p.m., HMC
FRIDAY
Bird Box: Sandra Bernhart Bullock stars in this horror/thriller film about a woman trying to raise a set of toddlers during an apocalyptic event. Netflix
Marvel’s Runaways: Second season. Hulu
Life Itself: Hey, it’s that widely panned movie from the guy who made This is Us. Amazon
7 Days Out: This documentary series looks at what goes into the week ahead of some of the biggest events in the world, like a gaming championship or Westminster dog show. Netflix
Derry Girls: A Northern Irish comedy about a group of teens in the 1990s. I could show you a trailer, but it’s super boring. Instead, this clip is what you need. Netflix
Perfume: A serial killer is making perfume out of people in this German series because of course this is a German series. Netflix
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski: A documentary about an artistic genius living right under everyone’s nose. Netflix
Vanity Fair: Olivia Cooke stars in the most recent version of William Thackeray’s tale of social climbing. Amazon
A Home for the Holidays: CBS’s annual celebration of adoption and foster care will feature performances by Gwen Stefani, Train, and Lukas Graham. 7 p.m., CBS
Christmas Movies
- A Christmas Kiss: 7 p.m., Lifetime
- Christmas at Grand Valley: 8 p.m., HMC
SATURDAY
Isle of Dogs: DOGS! 7 p.m., HBO
The Alec Baldwin Show: Baldwin’s guests are — and I am not making this up — RuPaul and Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg. 9 p.m., ABC
The Wizard of Oz: Because. 7 p.m., TNT
Harry Potter marathon: 8 a.m., USA
Christmas Movies
- Jingle Around the Clock: 7 p.m., Hallmark
- Christmas Bells Are Ringing: 8 p.m., HMC
SUNDAY
Watership Down: The darkest story about bunnies ever. Netflix
The Year 2018: It was a mixed bag, honestly. 8 p.m., ABC
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby: Because “I’m gonna come at you like a spider monkey” will never not be hilarious 6:25 p.m., Comedy Central
Christmas Movies
- Hometown Holiday: 6 p.m., Up
- 2 Holiday Tales: 7 p.m., Lifetime
- Christmas Made to Order: 7 p.m., Hallmark
Bird Box? Sandra Bernhart?
Guh. No — Sandra Bullock. Dumb distracted brain.
-T
“Birdbox: Sandra Bernhart stars in this horror/thriller film about a woman trying to raise a set of toddlers during an apocalyptic event.” So, current events?
I’m glad Timeless is getting a chance at a proper ending, but it will be hard to tie up all the loose ends in two hours (less commercials).
-Jim