The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day tends to be the deadest week for TV and this year is no exception. It’s the least likely time any network or streaming service debuts or ends anything.
This is the best time, in fact, to catch up on shows you didn’t finish earlier in the year or hadn’t gotten around to. Or you can just watch an old episode of “Cheers” or “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
It also forces me to highlight new episodes of shows I’d normally ignore such as HGTV’s “Househunters” and A&E’s “Storage Wars.”
But New Year’s Eve does include the return of Netflix’s popular series “Cobra Kai” for a fourth season and “Queer Eye” for a sixth season.
And there are multiple options for New Year’s TV specials. The most popular will likely be ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” NBC, dropping Carson Daly, has gone younger with Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson hosting a special. CBS jumps in with a country music-focused New Year’s special. Both Fox News and CNN have their annual celebrations as well. (Fox, the broadcast network, chose to cancel its Times Square special due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.)
New Year’s Day features some key college bowl games and HBO Max’s 20th anniversary retrospective on the “Harry Potter” film series.
And by Sunday, Jan. 2, many networks are back to their normal schedules with fresh episodes of shows like CBS’s “The Equalizer,” the season finale of Paramount’s “Yellowstone” and Showtime’s “Dexter: New Blood” airing. Fox also debuts yet another Gordon Ramsay cooking show “Next Level Chef” while Discovery resurrects Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs” reality show.
This covers Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022.
MONDAY
“Death to 2021″ 3:01 a.m. Netflix — This darkly comedic retrospective mixes real news footage and scripted talking-head interviews as it sends up the year that tried to one-up 2020.
“The Family Chantel” 8 p.m. TLC — Chantel’s family and Pedro’s family finally converge in the Dominican Republic. Lidia questions Pedro’s loyalty, and Nicole confronts Chantel. When Nicole’s anger gets the best of her, insults aren’t the only things being thrown.
“The Year: 2021″ 9 p.m. ABC — Robin Roberts hosts a two-hour review of the year.
“1,000-Lb. Sisters” 10 p.m. TLC — Amy’s dreams have come true, but now she must face the demands of motherhood and still try to lose weight. Tammy goes to rehab for food addiction, and her brother Chris must move on with his weight-loss surgery without her.
TUESDAY
“2021 and Done With Snoop Dogg & Kevin Hart” 3:01 a.m. Peacock — A comedic retrospective of a year that began with so much promise but mostly turned into a sequel of 2020.
“7 Little Johnstons” 8 p.m. TLC — Trent begins searching for a new job while Amber decides whether or not to enroll in college to continue her career as a teacher. Anna, Emma and Alex set up Emma’s new photo booth and take snapshots for their online shops.
“House of Payne” 8 p.m. BET — As Ella is spun into Laura’s web of wedding plans, Calvin realizes he may not be as ready to get married as he thought.
“The Super Bob Einstein Movie” 9 p.m. HBO — How Bob Einstein became one of the very pillars of American comedy, a man who influenced a legion of well-regarded comedians of his time and later generations with his very peculiar sense of humor.
“Storage Wars” 9 p.m. A&E — Brandi wakes up on the wrong side of the bed but feels much better after picking up a locker in Placentia.
WEDNESDAY
“Anxious People” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series) — A failed bank robber locks himself in a home, along with a real estate agent, two IKEA addicts, a pregnant woman, a suicidal millionaire and a rabbit.
“Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series) — The danger and depravity of New York’s Times Square in the late 1970s and early 1980s made it possible for one man to commit unthinkable acts in a nearly lawless area rife with drugs and sex work.
“The Book of Boba Fett″ 3:01 a.m. Disney+ (new series) — Legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand navigate the galaxy’s underworld when they return to the sands of Tatooine to stake their claim on the territory once ruled by Jabba the Hutt and his crime syndicate.
“Earth Emergency” 8 p.m. GPB — This revealing film examines how human activity is setting off dangerous warming loops that are pushing the climate to a point of no return — and what we need to do to stop them.
THURSDAY
“And Just Like That” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max — Carrie’s friends rally to help her recover from hip surgery. Charlotte learns some surprising news about her daughter, and Che’s words hit home for Miranda.
“Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles” 8 p.m. Bravo — Altman enlists Flagg’s help in selling his parents’ home in Aspen, but when news of a change in Flagg’s employment leaks, all hell breaks loose.
“Househunters” 10 p.m. HGTV — A husband is all about buying a historic charmer in upstate New York, but getting his opinionated wife on board may be a problem. She just wants a newer, ranch-style home where she can enjoy having plenty of personal space.
FRIDAY
“Cobra Kai” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (fourth season debut) — Johnny and Daniel team up to take down Kreese.
“Queer Eye” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (sixth season debut) — The team heads to Texas for new makeovers.
“CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live” 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. CNN — Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper herald in the new year at Times Square.
“New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” 8-11 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. CBS — Performers include Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Darius Rucker and Miranda Lambert.
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” 8-11 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-2 a.m. ABC — Performers include Atlanta’s Big Boi, French Montana, AJR, Avril Lavigne and Journey.
“All-American New Year 2022″ 10 p.m. Fox News — “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-hosts Will Cain, Rachel Campos-Duffy and Pete Hegseth will be on hand.
“Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party hosted by Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson” 10:30 p.m. NBC — Guests include Brandi Carlile, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and Saweetie.
WEEKEND
“Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” 3:01 a.m. Saturday HBO Max — Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson get back together to reminisce about their time working alongside one another.
“Chief Daddy 2: Going For Broke” 3:01 a.m. Saturday Netflix — The Beecroft family are ready to spend all of Chief Daddy’s inheritance.
“133rd Annual Rose Parade” 11:30 a.m. Saturday NBC — Chrissy Metz and Susan Kelechi Watson of “This is Us’ will host.
“Rose Bowl” 5 p.m. Saturday NBC — Utah vs. Ohio State.
“Allstate Sugar Bowl” 8:40 p.m. Saturday ESPN — Baylor vs. Ole Miss.
“American Pickers” 9 p.m. Saturday History (23rd season debut) — A California almond farm serves up a hidden stash of retro surf shop relics, and a Prohibition-era bowling alley in L.A. offers a mind-blowing trip back in time.
“Around the World in 80 Days’ 8 p.m. Sunday GPB (new series) — David Tennant stars as literature’s greatest explorer, Phileas Fogg, in a thrilling new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel
“Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” 8 p.m. Sunday ABC — Tara Lipinski, Raven-Symone and Tori Spelling compete.
“Dirty Jobs” 8 p.m. Sunday Discovery (ninth season debut) — Mike Rowe returns after a long hiatus from his groundbreaking series.
“The Equalizer” 8 p.m. Sunday CBS — McCall and Mel help a deported woman track down her son after she was separated from him while seeking asylum at the U.S. border.
“Next Level Chef” 8 p.m. Sunday Fox (new series) — Gordon Ramsay has designed a one-of-a-kind culinary gauntlet, set on an iconic stage like you’ve never seen.
“Yellowstone” 8 p.m. Sunday Paramount (fourth season finale) — Denim Richards (Colby), Jefferson White (Jimmy) and Ian Bohen (Ryan) dissect Beth and Caroline’s fierce rivalry, Jamie’s fateful choice under blackmail and Mia’s reaction to Jimmy’s engagement news.
“Claws” 9 p.m. Sunday TNT — Feeling guilty for Jenn and Bryce losing custody of their children, Desna offers them use of her condo, where Jenn begins secretly taking Oxy to steady her nerves.
“Dexter: New Blood” 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Dexter and Harrison find themselves closer than ever over Christmas break.
“Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime” 9 p.m. Sunday Food (new series) — Guy Fieri is expanding his successful restaurant empire and is searching for one talented food entrepreneur to run their own Chicken Guy! franchise.
“NCIS: Los Angeles” 9 p.m. Sunday CBS — NCIS investigates the apparent suicide of a Navy intelligence officer who leapt to his death after taking LSD.
“The Rookie” 10 p.m. Sunday ABC — Now that John Nolan knows about Bailey’s past, he must decide if they still have a future.
“S.W.A.T.” 10 p.m. Sunday CBS — When Deacon enlists Chris’ help on an off-duty private security detail, they struggle to survive when they’re attacked by a drug cartel looking to kidnap their wealthy VIP client.
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