TV's Best Bets
■ KEEP SWEET
discovery+
Warren Jeffs was the Prophet of the FLDS, an offshoot of Mormonism, whose controversial reign ended with a conviction for child sexual assault, landing him in jail for life. After Jeffs’ downfall, some in the community pledged their loyalty to him, while others turned their backs on him and FLDS altogether. Ten years after his arrest, those left behind attempt to rebuild their community. This documentary chronicles these events and is an allegory for the unsettling reality we are living through.
■ HAWKEYE
Disney+
New Series! Jeremy Renner reprises his role from the “Avengers” films as sharpshooter Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, who joins forces with another well-known Marvel archer, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). In the comics, Bishop takes on the mantle of Hawkeye from Barton, so this series may very well feature a similar passing of the torch. Florence Pugh also reprises her big-screen MCU role, playing Yelena Belova, and if you saw her post-credits scene at the end of “Black Widow,” you have some idea how Belova may figure here. “Hawkeye” will also introduce Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, aka Echo, a superhero who can perfectly copy another person’s movements and is one of the few deaf characters in comic books. Vera Farmiga also stars. First two episodes are available; subsequent new episodes are available Wednesdays.
■ 8-BIT CHRISTMAS HBO Max
Original Film! Neil Patrick Harris, Winslow Fegley, June Diane Raphael and Steve Zahn star in this humorous and heartfelt look back at the adventures of childhood. Set in suburban Chicago in the 1980s, the story centers on 10-year-old Jake Doyle’s (Fegley) herculean quest to get the latest and greatest video game system for Christmas. Harris plays an adult Jake and also narrates, with Raphael and Zahn playing young Jake’s parents.
■ A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS
Netflix
Original Film! In this magical and comic origin story for Father Christmas from England, an ordinary young boy named Nikolas (Henry Lawfull) sets out on an extraordinary adventure into the snowy north in search of his father, who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm. Taking with him a headstrong reindeer called Blitzen and a loyal pet mouse (voice of Stephen Merchant), Nikolas soon meets his destiny. Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, Toby Jones, Maggie Smith and Kristen Wiig also star.
■ BRUISED
Netflix
Original Film! Jackie Justice (Halle Berry, also making her directorial debut) is a mixed martial arts fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after her last fight, she’s coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend Desi (Adan Canto) and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) who promises Jackie a life back in the octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.) — the son she gave up as an infant — shows up at her doorstep.
■ ROBIN ROBIN
Netflix
The latest stop-motion animated charmer from Aardman, the British studio famous for beloved titles like the “Wallace & Gromit” films, is a half-hour musical adventure about a bird named Robin (voice of Bronte Carmichael) who has been raised by mice. Beginning to question where she belongs, Robin embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Gillian Anderson, Richard E. Grant and Adeel Akhtar are also among the voice cast.
■ SELLING SUNSET
Netflix
Season Premiere! The reality series following elite Los Angeles real estate agents returns for Season 4.
■ TRUE STORY
Netflix
New Series! Kevin Hart makes his dramatic series debut in this limited, seven-episode drama on which he also serves as an executive producer. In the series, a tour stop for worldfamous comedian Kid (Hart) in his hometown of Philadelphia becomes a matter of life and death when the consequences of a lost evening with his wayward older brother (Wesley Snipes) threaten to destroy everything he’s built.
■ THE REAL WORLD HOMECOMING: LOS ANGELES
Paramount+
Season Premiere! This season of the docuseries reunites original “The Real World: Los Angeles” cast members Beth Anthony, Beth Stolarczyk, David Edwards, Glen Naessens, Irene Berrera-kearns, Jon Brennan and Tami Roman in the same Venice Beach house they shared back in 1993, in the second season of MTV’S “The Real World.” That season made history with a number of series firsts, including never-before-seen “confessional” style interviews, cast members exiting midseason with new house guests moving in, a wedding and more. The series also tackled important issues such as same-sex relationships, abortion, consent, safe sex and eating disorders. After spending decades apart, the roommates will reconnect to find out how the series transformed their lives once the cameras stopped rolling, and they’ll discover, once again, what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real.
■ DRAGONS RESCUE RIDERS: HEROES OF THE SKY
Peacock
New Series! This latest series spinoff of Dreamworks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” animated film franchise follows Viking twins Dak and Leyla, who were rescued and raised by dragons, growing up learning to speak their language. Along with young dragons Winger, Summer, Cutter and Burple, they defend and protect other dragons on exciting adventures around their home of Huttsgalor.
■ SAVED BY THE BELL
Peacock
Season Premiere! In Season 2 of this revival of the ’90s sitcom, Bayside High gears up to compete in the Southern California School Spirit Competition. Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) is determined not to get sidetracked by “Bayside nonsense,” but when a cute new student is elected student council VP, she finds herself in way over her head; Mac (Mitchell Hoog) sees the competition as a way to finally step out from his father’s shadow; Jamie (Belmont Cameli) leans on Lexi (Josie Totah) in the wake of his parents’ divorce, while Lexi struggles to be a more understanding girlfriend; Aisha (Alycia Pascual-peña) seeks a new outlet after football is canceled; Devante (Dexter Darden) finds love with a rich Bayside girl; and Slater (Mario Lopez) and a newly single Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren) grow closer despite their tumultuous romantic past. All 10 episodes are available.
■ HANNA
Prime Video
Season Premiere! All six hourlong episodes of the third and final season of this espionage drama are available. The new season continues the journey of Hanna (Esmé Creed-miles), who was created by the sinister Utrax organization and trained to be an assassin, but is now secretly trying to destroy the group. Ray Liotta joins the cast as Gordon Evans, a respected former military man and intelligence operative who wields incredible insider power.
■ WILD TALES FROM THE FARM: “HUNKERING DOWN”
Smithsonian Channel, 8
p.m.
Watch some animals hunker down while others get ready to strut their stuff as fall gives way to winter on the farm. Mozartloving cows, curious piglets and a new hen rivalry bring wintertime drama to the Southern England farm. “Downton Abbey” co-star Hugh Bonneville narrates.
■ STAR OF THE MONTH: SYDNEY GREENSTREET
TCM, beginning at 8 p.m. Catch a Classic! Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Wednesday-night salute to the films of legendary actor Sydney Greenstreet concludes and it starts out with a bang with two of Greenstreet’s most famous movies. First up is the iconic, Oscar-winning “Casablanca,” the 1942 drama about romance and intrigue in the titular North African city that ranks as one of Hollywood’s finest productions ever. Among the ways this film reaches perfection is with its flawless casting, evident not just in its primary stars — Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid — but also its second-billed actors like Conrad Veidt, Peter Lorre and, of course, Greenstreet. As crooked club owner Ferrari, Greenstreet is not in the film a lot, but the character plays a key role, and when he does show up, Greenstreet steals the scene, as usual. Up next is the beloved, holiday-set 1945 romantic comedy “Christmas in Connecticut,” led by Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan, with Greenstreet as the editor for Stanwyck’s journalist character. After that is the 1944 film noir “The Mask of Dimitrios,” led by Greenstreet and also starring Lorre and Zachary Scott; “Between Two Worlds” (1944), a wartime fantasy drama starring John Garfield and Henreid; “The Velvet Touch” (1948), a film noir headlined by Rosalind Russell; and “They Died With Their Boots On” (1941), a fictionalized account of the life of George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) that was Greenstreet’s second film, featuring the actor in a smaller supporting role as Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.
■ BATWOMAN: “PICK YOUR POISON”
The CW, 9 p.m.
As Ryan’s (Javicia Leslie) family dynamic grows more complicated, she also finds herself in the middle of a Bat Team standoff between Luke (Camrus Johnson) and Mary (Nicole Kang). Alice (Rachel Skarsten) finds a new sidekick to do her bidding.
■ A “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” THANKSGIVING
NBC, 9 p.m.
This two-hour special highlights memorable Thanksgiving-themed sketches from the show’s 47 seasons.
■ NOVA UNIVERSE REVEALED
PBS, 9 p.m. Miniseries Finale! Many think that the Big Bang is when the universe started and time itself began. What clues can we discover about this ultimate genesis of everything, and can we ever really know what existed before the universe’s birthday? “Big Bang,” the finale of this NOVA miniseries, winds back the ages with the help of animation based on stunning images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Discover infant galaxies, and learn how scientists came up with an incredible theory for what happened billionths of a billionth of a second after the universe’s birth.
■ SECRETS OF THE DEAD
PBS, 10 p.m.
Season Finale! Season 19 concludes with “The Caravaggio Heist.” In 1984, a Maltese national treasure went missing from the cathedral of St. John in Valletta — a masterpiece by the legendary Italian artist Caravaggio. Two years of investigations across Europe led to nothing, but a strongwilled priest never gave up.
Father Marius Zerafa, director of museums in Malta, managed to establish a channel of communication with the thieves and set off on a quest to recover the priceless painting, putting his life on the line for the sake of a masterpiece.
■ EVEN MORE FUNNY WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE
Showtime, 10 p.m.
This monthly comedy showcase in New York and Los Angeles returns to Showtime with a third hourlong comedy special, filmed at the Irvine Improv in Orange County, California. Teri Hatcher, in her first stand-up performance, leads a cast of female comedy veterans in a night of uninhibited laughs. The special also stars Carole Montgomery, Wendy Liebman, Monique Marvez, Leighann Lord and Marsha Warfield, who talk sex, dating and how they hilariously made it through the pandemic.
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