TUESDAY’S BEST PICKS
8 PM $ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The beloved “Animagic” tale of the most famous reindeer of all offers a thoughtful lesson about discrimination. Young Rudolph is teased by the other reindeer and excluded from their games because his nose is different. His taunters sing a different tune, though, when Rudolph uses the trait to keep Christmas from being canceled. Burl Ives is the voice of Sam the
Snowman, who narrates the story and renders the title tune (of course) plus “A Holly Jolly Christmas.”
8 PM G Swamp Thing Still wearing the outward appearance of Alec Holland (Andy Bean), Swamp Thing (Derek Mears) takes Abby (Crystal Reed) to a part of the swamp that’s blighted with the encroaching rot, unwittingly putting her life in danger, in the new episode “Brilliant Disguise.” Elsewhere, Lucilia (Jennifer Beals) lures Avery (Will Patton) into the swamp under false pretenses, while Maria (Virginia Madsen) meets with the leader (Michael Beach) of a shadowy finance group called The Conclave.
9 PM _ NEXT Shea (Fernanda Andrade) narrowly manages to rescue Ethan (Evan Whitten) from a dire situation, while Ty (Gerardo Celasco) is forced to make a difficult decision for the sake of his family in the new episode “FILE 6.” Elsewhere, LeBlanc (John Slattery) takes matters into his own hands to fight his degenerative brain disease, while Gina and C.M. (Eve Harlow, Michael Mosley) get to know each other better after escaping from the hospital. Jason Butler Harner and Elizabeth Cappuccino also star. 9 PM G Tell Me a Story After the shootout, a determined Beau (Eka Darville) sets out to track down Ashley’s (Natalie Alyn Lind) assailant in the new episode “Lost and Found.” Jackson (Matt Lauria) confronts Veronica (guest star Garcelle Beauvais) about Simone’s (Ashley Madekwe) disappearance, then gets help from an improbable ally. Tucker (Paul Wesley) pursues the escaping Olivia (Danielle Campbell), while Maddie (Odette Annable) turns to Rebecca (Carrie-Anne Moss) for some motherly advice.
9 PM ( ID) MOVIE The Witmans Filmmaker David Petersen explores the intricacies of juvenile incarceration in the United States in this documentary that was five years in the making. At the heart of the film is the case of Zach Whitman, who was 15 when he was charged with the 1998 murder of his 13-year-old brother Greg. Tried as an adult, Zach went through 21 years of appeals and reversals before he was released from prison in May of 2019 as a result of a Supreme Court ruling against sentencing a child to a mandatory life sentence.
9 PM ( OWN) Our OWN Christmas Meagan Good and Devon Franklin cohost this new one-hour yuletide gospel special, featuring uplifting holiday moments, surprise acts of giving, plus joyous performances by Grammy-winning gospel singers. Scheduled artists include Kierra Sheard, Erica Campbell, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Le’Andria Johnson and The Clark Sisters.
9:01 PM $ Let’s Make a Deal Primetime For tonight’s new holiday primetime edition of the venerable daytime game show, host Wayne Brady welcomes special guest Phil Keoghan. The Emmy-winning host of “The Amazing Race” is on hand to present one lucky trader a chance to win a very special reward: an outdoor, adventure-themed trip of a lifetime.
10 PM & Transplant In a new episode called “Orphans,” Bash (Hamza Haq) forges a special connection with an unlikely patient, while Mags (Laurence Lebeouf) strives to find a better balance between her work and personal life. Elsewhere, June (Ayisha Issa) reaches out to a closed-off teenage patient. Dr. Bishop and Claire (John Hannah, recurring guest star Torri Higginson) enjoy some time together outside the hospital.
10:01 PM * Big Sky While still searching for the missing girls, Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) grows more wary of Legarski (John Carroll Lynch) after a disturbing conversation with him in the new episode “The Big Rick.” Elsewhere, Grace (Jade Pettyjohn) makes some progress as the girls try to get free. As Mereliee (guest star Brooke Smith) begs Legasrki to open up before it’s too late, Helen (Valerie Mahaffey) confronts Ronald (Brian Geraghty) about his increasingly strange behavior.