THURSDAY’S BEST PICKS
8 PM _ NFL Football In a tightly packed AFC Wild Card race, the Las Vegas Raiders need every win they can get and a golden opportunity presents itself today in Sin City, where Derek Carr and his mates challenge Justin Herbert and the struggling Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders drew first blood in their first meeting with their AFC West rivals in Week 11, when a tough defensive stand in the closing minutes enabled them to escape L.A. with a hard-fought 31-26 victory.
8 PM G Dogs of the Year Returning for another edition, this annual fan-favorite special counts down the Top 10 dog stories of 2020, celebrating the canines who have left a mark on human society with their extraordinary and selfless behavior. Their accomplishments range from the heartwarming to the funny to the poignant and beyond, in an hour that delivers uplifting entertainment for the entire family.
8 PM ( TNT) MOVIE A Christmas Carol Selfish heart need softening? Make it so. Patrick Stewart (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) brings one of his favorite roles to the small screen in this 1999 adaptation of the Dickens classic. As miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, reformed by a Christmas Eve tour of his past, present and future, he’s surrounded by an excellent supporting cast and impressive effects. Joel Grey plays the Ghost of Christmas Past.
8 PM ( HBO) MOVIE Billy Elliot
A big hit with critics, this 2000 drama boasts a spirited performance by young Jamie Bell in the title role of a coal miner’s son who shocks friends and relatives with his career goal. He wants to be a ballet dancer, which some support and others mock. Director Stephen Daldry and co-star Julie Walters were Oscar nominees for the film. The film later was adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical with a score by Elton John.
8 PM (TCM) MOVIE Going My Way Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald won Academy Awards for this warm, wonderful 1944 drama about a priest (Crosby) whose presence has a major effect on an ailing parish. The Irving Berlin-composed song “Swinging on a Star” also earned an Oscar, as did writer-director Leo McCarey and the film itself. Opera star Rise Stevens also appears; Crosby reprised the role of Father Chuck O’Malley the next year in “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”
9 PM ( WE) Braxton Family Values Traci decides to seek some professional help when she continues to struggle with her grief over a major loss as the family gets back together for a big Braxton wedding in the Season 7 finale “Sister Staycation.” Later, just as Toni is releasing a new album, the global coronavirus pandemic sends the United States into lockdown, drawing the clan even closer and reminding them about true family values. 9:01 PM $ Mom Bonnie (Allison Janney) is apprehensive about Adam’s (William Fichtner) safety when he stubbornly insists on going skiing for the first time since his accident in the new episode “Sober Wizard and a Woodshop Workshop.” Elsewhere, Tammy (Kristen Johnston) frets that Jill (Jaime Pressly) unwittingly is sending the wrong message to the young at-risk girls they’re supposed to be mentoring. Mimi Kennedy and Beth Hall also star; Kevin Pollack and Rebecca Metz guest star. 10 PM ( USA) Chrisley Knows Best Alpha patriarch Todd Chrisley and his fractious family wrap up their eighth season of domestic adventures with a finale called “Odd Savannah Out,” which finds Grayson preoccupied with a pastime that is both never-ending and doomed to failure: trying his best to be the perfect son to a wildly demanding father. Elsewhere, Savannah feels as if she’s getting frozen out of the tightly knit relationship Chase and Nanny Faye enjoy.