Doing my best to be thankful.

Gather ’round, it’s time to extend some thanks.

But if I’m being honest, I’m not feeling particularly grateful.

In the first half of this year, my family faced two painful back-to-back losses. Those two chairs are going to feel especially empty today.

And then there’s the loss this country gave itself on November 5th by re-electing a twice-impeached, adjudicated rapist, convicted felon, and insurrectionist who through his incompetence exacerbated a once-in-a-century pandemic and killed hundreds of thousands of us, who stole state secrets, who enriched himself and his family through corrupt means, who stripped me of my fundamental bodily autonomy and promises to do the same to American women everywhere, who threatens to tear families apart and tank our economy and deport citizens and destroy our alliances, who cozies up to dictators and undermines our institutions and who will forever evade justice for his multitude of crimes and sins.

It’s really hard for me to feel grateful about living in this country right now.

But I’m trying.

I am thankful for my family, those of us who are still standing. Though we don’t agree politically — and it becomes fraught at times — we are closer than ever. I am just not one of those people who is going to cut off my family who voted for him. I understand the sentiment and will defend anyone who makes that choice, but I can’t afford to lose anyone else this year. Particularly my mother: I have always loved my mother, but I was shown this year (and the past few years leading up to my father’s loss) that she is the strongest person I know, and I am thankful for her in ways that she’ll never fully appreciate. As always, I am especially grateful for my husband and sons — they are good, big-hearted men who carry empathy and a strong sense of justice within their hearts, and I’m proud to be a part of their lives. And my dear friends … so many lovely people have steadied me in these dark months. I am and will always be profoundly grateful to them, and thankful that they choose to be a part of my life.

I am thankful that I do not want for shelter, food, or good health. I never take those things for granted.

I am thankful that people around the country are planning on resisting this terrible incoming administration’s plans, one way or another. I am thankful for the journalists, the lawyers, the teachers, the doctors, the advocates and activists, the politicians, the scientists, and all of the loudmouths who will stand between the incoming White House and the most vulnerable.

I am thankful that the TV industry is slowly coming back after several difficult years. I am particularly thankful for Evil, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and What We Do in the Shadows, even though they are abandoning us in this shit year. I am grateful for the return of Jon Stewart and all of the late-night hosts, as they show that man for the buffoon that he is. I am thankful for the mindless nonsense of Love is Blind and yes, even the Bachelor shows, which help distract me from all the awfulness. I am thankful for Baby Reindeer, and Hacks and The Bear, and English Teacher, and Nobody Wants This, and Only Murders in the Building, and Abbott Elementary, and Shōgun, and the insane fever dream that is Doctor Odyssey. And most of all, I am thankful for the end of La Brea.

And, as always, I am thankful for anyone who clicks on this silly little TV blog. Time is precious and I am honored that you spend any of yours here on this site. You make me feel a little less alone on this cursed internet.

I hope your turkey is juicy, your potatoes are fluffy, and your sweet potatoes are especially sweet. Happy Thanksgiving, friends, and keep your heads up. I’ll try to do the same.

WATCH THIS

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: SANTA BETTER GET HIS ASS DOWN HERE ALREADY. 9 a.m., NBC

National Dog Show Presented by Purina: They’re good dogs, Brent.  11 p.m., NBC

The Madness: Colman Domingo stars in this thriller as a media pundit who discovers a body in the woods and suddenly finds himself framed for the death of a white supremacist. Series premiere. Netflix

Is It Cake? Holiday: OK BUT IS IT? Sorry for all the yelling. IT’S BEEN A HARD MONTH. NOT SURE I CAN HANDLE BEING GASLIT BY BAKED GOODS. Netflix

Late Night:

• Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jerry Seinfeld, Cody Rhodes, Billy Strings
• Late Night with Seth Meyers: The Meyers Family

THUR

7:00

7:30

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

ABC	Mary Poppins

CBS

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (repeat)

Ghosts (repeat)

Matlock (repeat)

Elsbeth (repeat)

CW

Shrek

News/Local

FOX

The Masked Singer (new)

The Floor (new)

News/Local

NBC	Sunday Night Football (live)