On Friday, Peacock is bringing back “MacGruber 2,” which was originally a “Saturday Night Live” skit making fun of “MacGyver.”
Meanwhile, on “SNL,” the ageless Paul Rudd (”The Shrink Next Door”) hosts for the fifth time.
TNT brings back the fourth and final season of “Claws” Sunday.
And three alternative sci-fi scenarios are posed on three different streaming services.
HBO Max’s “Station Eleven,” based on the best-selling book, sees how civilization tries to adjust to the apocalypse 20 years after the near humanity-ending event, debuts Thursday.
On Friday, Apple TV+’s “Swan Song” gives a man (Mahershala Ali) a chance to “live on” with a clone embedded with his memories but is that really him?
And over at Hulu on Friday, Chloe Grace Moretz in “Mother/Android” is a pregnant woman trying to evade androids who have turned against their human creators.
HBO Max Thursday also debuts a reality show trying to find the next real “Magic Mike.”
Amazon Prime’s biggest contribution this week is “With Love” about how two siblings seek love and romance in 2021.
And Netflix is offering the second season of its big-budget fantasy series “The Witcher” Friday.
On HBO, a history of “Sesame Street” debuts on Monday dubbed “Street Gang: The Road to Sesame Street.”
On broadcast TV, three still popular reality shows end their seasons: NBC’s “The Voice” (season 21) on Tuesday and CBS’ “Survivor’ (season 41) and Fox’s “The Masked Singer” (season 6) on Wednesday. NBC is also debuting two new sitcoms: “American Auto” Monday and “Grand Crew” on Tuesday.
Paramount, riding on the popularity of “Yellowstone,” on Sunday is coming out with another Western called “1883″ starring Sam Elliott, Faith Hill and her husband, Tim McGraw.
This covers Monday, Dec. 13, through Sunday Dec. 19.
MONDAY
“Gordon Ramsay’s Road Trip″ 8 p.m. Fox — It’s an epic European vacation through Italy, France and Scotland.
“20 Years of Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir” 8 p.m. GPB — Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell joins the choir and orchestra for this two-hour 20th anniversary retrospective with performances from Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth and Gladys Knight.
“The Voice” 8 p.m. NBC — The live finale show (part two on Tuesday).
“Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street” 10 p.m. HBO — A deep dive into one of the longest-running children’s programs in American television history.
“American Auto” 10:01 p.m. NBC (pilot) — Payne Motors gets a new CEO on the same day they’re rolling out a new self-driving (and problematic) vehicle.
TUESDAY
“Russell Howard: Lubricant” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — This two-part special features comic Russell Howard’s delayed-yet-delighted return to the stage and a look at his life during an unexpected break.
“Grand Crew” 8 p.m. NBC (pilot) — Some friends always find the humor in career moves, dating drama and more as they live their best lives as young Black professionals in LA.
“The Murders of Starved Rock” 8 p.m. HBO — A three-part documentary series exploring the 1960 brutal murders of three women in Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County, Illinois.
“FBI” 8 p.m. CBS — After Rina is critically wounded while heading to work with Jubal, the team makes the chilling discovery that a vengeful Vargas (David Zayas) orchestrated the shooting from behind bars and continues to target the rest of their team and their loved ones.
“Riverdale” 9 p.m. the CW — Unnerved by a series of strange happenings around him, Jughead’s quest for answers leads him to uncover the truth about Riverdale.
“The Voice” 9 p.m. NBC (21st season finale) — The final five includes Team Kelly Clarkson’s Girl Named Tom, a sibling trio who could be the first non-solo artist to win the show.
“Queens” 10:01 a.m. ABC — When tragedy strikes the group, the ladies take a moment to reflect on the beginning stages of their friendship in the early ‘90s.
WEDNESDAY
“The Hand of God” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — The story of a young man’s heartbreak and liberation in Naples, Italy. It’s the 1980s and 17-year old Fabietto Schisa might be an awkward Italian teen struggling to find his place.
“iHeart Radio Jingle Ball 2021″ 8 p.m. the CW — Ed Sheeran, the Jonas Brothers, Doja Cat and Lil Nas X are some of the performers.
“The Masked Singer” 8 p.m. Fox (sixth season finale) — The final two singers, the winner from “Group A” and the winner from “Group B,” will perform and both will be unmasked!
“Survivor” 8 p.m. CBS (41st season finale) — The winner is named. Could it be a woman after a long stretch of male winners?
“Young Rock” 8 p.m. NBC (special presentation) — An unexpected guest shows Dewey that this is the first in a long line of terrible Christmases.
“Kenan” 8:30 p.m. NBC (special presentation) — As the team prepares for the annual Holiday Spectacular, Rick attempts to unseat Tami as the leader of the band and Mika feels her work is unappreciated.
“Mr. Mayor” 9 p.m. NBC (special presentation) — Neil serves his love of gift-giving by forcing his disgruntled staff to work on “L.A. Christmas Eve” as they wait for his “perfect gift” to arrive.
“Chrisley Knows Best” 9:30 p.m. NBC (special presentation) — Todd goes into a decorative yuletide battle with Nanny Faye. Savannah helps Chloe write a letter to Santa, but Todd forgets to send it off to the North Pole. Can a Christmas miracle save the day?
THURSDAY
“Dead Asleep” 12:01 a.m. Hulu — A friend kills his good friend but claims he did it while sleepwalking.
“And Just Like That” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max — Carrie is still grieving but is thrown for a loop by a revelation in the will.
“Finding Magic Mike” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max (new series) — Ten regular guys who have “lost their magic” are put through the paces of a Magic Mike Live bootcamp, baring their souls — and more — as they learn to perform sexy and daring dance routines with one being crowned the real Magic Mike.
“Firebite” 3:01 a.m. AMC+ (new series) — Two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, go on a quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the South Australian desert.
“MacGruber 2” 3:01 a.m. Peacock (new series) — After rotting in prison for over a decade, America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot MacGruber is finally released.
“Days of Our Lives: A Very Salem Christmas” 3:01 a.m. Peacock — The movie centers on Will writing a script just before Christmas, involving his loved — and a few not-so-loved — ones. He also gets a little help from his super supportive husband, Sonny.
“Station Eleven” 3:01 a.m. HBO Max (new series) — A post-apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines, this limited drama series tells the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what’s been lost.
“A California Christmas: City Lights” 3:01 a.m. Netflix — Callie and Joseph are blissfully in love, until business and family obligations call Joseph back to the city, as well as threaten to derail their romance.
“L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth” 8 p.m. NBC — Celebrating the inspiring stories of 10 U.S.-based non-profit leaders.
“Station 19″ 8 p.m. ABC — It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the firefighters have their hands full responding to a number of crises throughout Seattle.
“Grey’s Anatomy” 9 p.m. ABC — The doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial celebrate the holidays; Hamilton and Meredith prepare for a milestone on their project.
“Big Sky” 10 p. ABC — Jenny and Cassie trade stories on recent run-ins with Tonya, leading Cassie to confront her about working for Ren.
FRIDAY
“Swan Song” 12:01 a.m. Apple TV+ — A loving husband and father diagnosed with a terminal illness (Mahershala Ali) is presented with an alternative solution by his doctor (Glenn Close) to shield his family from grief. Awkafina is also on the cast.
“Mother/Android” 12:01 a.m. Hulu — Georgia (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Sam (Algee Smith) flee their country as the world battles artificial intelligence.
“The Shrink Next Door” 12:01 a.m. Apple TV+ (first season finale) — It’s unclear if this show even has a second season set up.
“Swagger” 12:01 a.m. Apple TV+ (first season finale) — No word on a second season.
“With Love” 12:01 a.m. Amazon (new series) — Consisting of five hourlong episodes, this series follows the Diaz siblings, Lily and Jorge, who are on a mission to find love and purpose.
“Decoupled” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (new series) — A misanthropic writer and his startup-founder wife juggle their impending divorce with the absurdities and annoyances of life in their affluent world.
“The Witcher” 3:01 a.m. Netflix (second season debut) — Geralt, the lone wolf, is now a father figure and takes Ciri with him to a spot that serves as the home base for the witchers.
“The Greatest #AtHome Videos” 8 p.m. CBS — The Christmas edition.
“Rolling Like Thunder” 8 p.m. Showtime — Charts the fascinating history of train and graffiti culture through its most competitive, romantic and mythic legends.
WEEKEND
“Saturday Night Live” 11:29 p.m. Saturday NBC — Paul Rudd is host.
“Christmas Takes Flight” 8 p.m. Sunday CBS — Pilot Jenny Beckett is determined to save her airline’s annual holiday charity benefit after a new cost-cutting CEO cancels the event, but finds herself falling for the mogul in the process.
“Power Book II: Ghost” 8 p.m. Sunday Starz — Tariq races against the clock for Yasmine.
“Yellowstone” 8 p.m. Sunday Paramount — Tensions escalate with the protesters, but Beth has a plan. Jimmy and Emily get closer. Monica and Kayce share a special moment.
“Dexter: New Blood” 9 p.m. Sunday Showtime — Dexter is worried that a serial killer may have set sights on someone he cares deeply about.
“1883″ 9 p.m. Paramount (new series) — The Dutton family embarks on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. Stars include Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
“Claws” 9 p.m. TNT (fourth season debut) — With the casino gone, Desna is prepared to return to her roots as a money-laundering nail mogul, which proves to be more difficult than expected.
“Insecure” 10:07 p.m. Sunday HBO — Episode title is “Out, okay?”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” 10:37 p.m. Sunday HBO — Title of this episode is “Igor, Gregor, and Timor.”
About the Author
