SATURDAY’S BEST PICKS
6 PM $ College Football An SEC rivalry that dates back 125 years gets another chapter today at Baton Rouge, La., where the LSU Tigers hope the home field can provide a muchneeded assist in their game against the powerhouse Crimson Tide of Alabama. Unfortunately, after losing eight starters to the NFL Draft — including Heisman winner Joe Burrow — the Tigers have struggled in the early going, while the No. 2-ranked Tide are once again one of the country’s dominant squads. 8 PM ( HALL) MOVIE Christmas in Vienna Sarah Drew stars in this 2020 romance as Jess Waters, an accomplished violinist, who recently has lost some of the joy she once felt in performing. That doesn’t stop her from accepting an invitation to be part of a prestigious Christmas Eve concert at the Vienna Music Hall in Austria. After flying to Vienna two weeks before the performance, Jess visits her close friend Tori (Alina Fritsch), who is currently working as a nanny for Tori’s cousin, Mark Olson (Brennan Elliott), a widowed diplomat.
8 PM ( LIFE) MOVIE Christmas on Wheels After her uncle is injured, Ashley returns to her small hometown to care for him, but is dismayed to learn he has sold her late mother’s vintage red convertible, which holds many fond memories for her. With the help of a local attorney, Ashley manages to re-acquire the car, and uses it to deliver gifts to the community as her mother once did. As she reconnects with those old memories, Ashley has second thoughts about returning home to the big city. Tiya Sircar and Michael Xavier star.
8 PM ( HBO) MOVIE Dolittle Based largely on “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle,” Hugh Lofting’s second book in his classic children’s series, this
2020 fantasy adventure stars Robert Downey Jr. as the Welsh veterinarian who can communicate with animals. As the story opens, however, Dr. Dolittle has retreated from human society following the death of his beloved wife. Antonio Banderas, Jim Broadbent and Michael Sheen are among the human co-stars; the posh animal voice cast includes Oscar winners Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer and Marion Cotillard.
8 PM ( LMN) MOVIE Young, Stalked and Pregnant While finishing up her senior year of high school, Audrey (Taylor Blackwell) has just won acceptance at a top-tier university when she discovers she is pregnant by her boyfriend, Sam (Cody Sulek), who insists that they get married and start building a family. When Audrey moves ahead with plans for a future without him, however, Sam and his mother (Tanya Clarke) decide to take the matter into their own hands in this 2020 thriller.
9 PM ( SHO) MOVIE The Children Act Ian McEwan adapted his own 2014 novel for Richard Eyre’s moving 2017 drama, which stars Emma Thompson as family court judge Fiona Maye, who faces a thorny moral dilemma when she hears the case of a leukemia-stricken teenager (Fionn Whitehead). Adam Henry, age 17, needs a transfusion, but he and his family are Jehovah’s Witnesses and reject such treatment. Meanwhile, Fiona’s work is taking a toll on her marriage to Jack (Stanley Tucci), who is mulling an affair. Ben Chaplin, Jason Watkins and Nikki Amuka-Bird co-star.
10 PM ( AMC) Eli Roth’s History of Horror While earlier episodes explored horror films that share a common theme, the Season 2 finale, “Nine Nightmares,” takes a deep dive into nine films that defy categorization and push the boundaries of horror. Some of these great films exist to entertain and provoke audiences, while others put society under a microscope, making people question not just what they fear, but why they fear it.