San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
WHAT TOWATCH
from the publishers of TV Guide
The Crown
Netflix (season premiere)
In season four of the drama about the British royal family, as the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles ( Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As tensions rise between the queen and Britain’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) provides amuchneeded fairy tale to unite the British people. Behind closed doors, however, the royal family is becoming increasingly divided.
NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS, 7 p.m.
The NCIS teamis called to help find the missing star witness in the trial of a chief petty officer in the new episode “War Crimes.”
The Simpsons
Fox, 7 p.m.
David X. Cohen, who wrote several of the all-time great episodes of “The Simpsons” in the 1990s, returns to pen the new episode “Podcast News,” in which Grampa Simpson (voice of Dan Castellaneta) is accused of a crime.
A Timeless Christmas
Hallmark Channel, 7 p.m. (original film)
CharlesWhitley (Ryan Paevey) travels from1903 to 2020 where he meets Megan Turner (Erin Cahill), a tour guide at his historic mansion, and experiences a 21st-century Christmas.
The Christmas Edition
Lifetime, 7 p.m. (original film)
Marie Osmond stars in this drama along with Carly Hughes, who plays an up-and-coming journalist who takes over running a small-town newspaper in Alaska. Using a series of Christmas articles, she’s able to quickly return the newspaper to profitability, and soon falls in love with her new home and the handsome son of the paper’s former owner. However, when her old boss announces plans to take over the paper for herself, she will need a Christmas miracle to save it.
The TroubleWith Maggie Cole
PBS, 7 p.m.
Devastated Maggie heads to the local pub to obtain a room, only to face another townsperson wronged by radiogate. Becka and Maggie share a rare moment, putting things into perspective for Maggie. Karen surprises Peter in a borderline terrifying way.
The Reagans
Showtime, 7 p.m. (new series)
Directed by Matt Tyrnauer (“Valentino: The Last Emperor”), this four-part documentary series focuses on the rise and reign of America’s ultimate power couple: Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Evocative archival footage and illuminating contemporary interviews examine Nancy’s central role in her husband’s career, the darker aspects of the Reagans’ climb to power, and how the political tactics used in the ’60s and ’70s became a progenitor of our current national politics.
Michael Caine Double Feature
TCM, beginning at 7 p.m. Enjoy a couple of facets that legendary British actor Michael Caine can bring to his performances. First up is “The Ipcress File,” the 1965 BAFTA-winning spy
thriller starring Caine in the first of his big-screen appearances as secret agent Harry Palmer. The film offers a grittier, more downto-earth look at espionage work compared with the James Bond movies that had begun a few years earlier, while still being an exciting watch. Up next is “Gambit” (1966), the Oscar-nominated heist comedy in which Caine and Shirley MacLaine play criminals trying to acquire a priceless antiquity froma millionaire (Herbert Lom).
Bless the Harts
Fox, 7:30 p.m.
In the new episode “The McEntire Truth,” Betty and Crystalynn (voices of Maya Rudolph and Mary Steenburgen) teamup to debunk Marjune’s (guest voice Holly Hunter) fabricated life story.
The 2020 E! People’s Choice Awards
E!, 8 p.m.
The global, fan-driven awards show will celebrate the year’s best in movies, TV, music and pop culture. The telecast will celebrate an unprecedented year in pop culture, bring together the entertainment community and its fans, and honor the everyday heroes who’ve inspired us throughout the year.
Bob’s Burgers
Fox, 8 p.m.
“Bob’s Burgers” celebrates its 200th episodemilestone in “Bob Belcher and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Kids.” The familymust figure out how to keep the restaurant open after the flat-top grill breaks on the morning of Ocean Fest on Ocean Avenue.
Roadkill
PBS, 8 p.m.
Peter is the defendant at the family dinner table. As friends, family, employees and even a dead person turn against him, he follows hismotto: “Keep moving forward.”
The Good Lord Bird
Showtime, 8 p.m. (series finale)
As the adaptation closes, federal troops surround fabled abolitionist John Brown (Ethan Hawke) at Harpers Ferry. It’s time for Brown’s (fictitious) young ward, Onion ( Joshua Caleb Johnson), to fight or flee.
Family Guy
Fox, 8:30 p.m.
Meg (voice of Mila Kunis) plans her wedding to an unexpected Quahog resident in the new episode “Meg’sWedding.”
First Ladies: Lady Bird Johnson
CNN, 9 p.m.
President Lyndon Johnson’s administration enacted the Civil Rights Act, one of the most prolific legislative programs in U.S. history. But it likely wouldn’t have succeeded without Lady Bird Johnson’s steadying presence. Catapulted, by the assassination of John F. Kennedy, into a first lady role she did not prepare for, Lady Bird played a vital role in her husband’s presidency.
The Christmas Doctor
HallmarkMovies & Mysteries, 9 p.m. (original film)
A week before Christmas, Dr. AliciaWright (Holly Robinson Peete) is offered an assignment away from home. Amysterious man (Adrian Holmes) fromher past journeys to find her before Christmas and brings a revelation that could change her life forever.
Murder on Middle Beach
HBO, 9 p.m. (new series)
In this compelling four-part docuseries, the son of a Connecticut divorcée seeks answers in her unsolvedmurder.
Secrets of the Lost
Science Channel, 9 p.m. (season premiere)
Archaeologists armed with cutting-edge tech explore the aftermath of Pompeii’s legendary destruction, and access to the latest scientific investigations reveals how the eruption transformed an entire region.
Uncensored
TVOne, 9 p.m.
If you don’t have a seat at the table, sometimes you have to create your own. Black Hollywood has been makingmajor contributions to TV and film for decades — whether recognized or not — and it’s not stopping any time soon. In this episode, entertainers Nia Long, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold andmore reminisce on Black Hollywood.
Moonbase 8
Showtime, 10 p.m.
In the new episode “Rats,” Rook (Tim Heidecker) is homesick and considers leaving Moonbase 8, and Cap ( John C. Reilly) chases a prowler going through the base’s garbage.