WHAT TO WATCH
From the publishers of TV Guide
Robbie the Reindeer
CBS, 7 p.m.
CBS airs two “Robbie the Reindeer” animated holiday specials tonight, beginning with “Hooves of Fire,” in which Robbie (voice of Ben Stiller) competes against Blitzen (voice of Hugh Grant) in the Reindeer Races for a position on Santa’s sleigh team. Then in “Legend of the Lost Tribe,” Robbie must stop Blitzen from creating a Reindeer World theme park.
Christmas Waltz
Hallmark Channel, 7 p.m. (original film)
After Avery’s (Lacey Chabert) storybook Christmas wedding is canceled unexpectedly, dance instructor Roman (Will Kemp) helps her rebuild her dreams.
Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding
Lifetime, 7 p.m. (original film)
Lifetime’s first Christmas sequel to last year’s hit movie “Merry Liddle Christmas” once again follows Jacquie Liddle (Kelly Rowland), as she and Tyler (Thomas Cadrot) try to plan their perfect destination Christmas wedding. Naturally, Jacquie’s plans go awry when her boisterous family intervenes in her planning and her snooty wedding planner quits in protest.
Finding My Daughter
LMN, 7 p.m. (original film) When Ashley (Cristina Rosato) was 16, she had to give up her newborn daughter for adoption but always wondered what happened to her. Eighteen years later she receives a letter from Brittany (Megan Best) requesting to meet her birth mother. Delighted and a little anxious, Ashley sets out to meet her daughter, but by the time she arrives in her small hometown, Brittany has vanished. The only people willing to help her are Scott (Kyle Cassie), owner of the local bookstore, and Jake ( Jesse Hutch), Ashley’s old high school boyfriend and the town sheriff. As Jake helps Ashley search for Brittany, they discover
they still have feelings for each other, but their new relationship is strained after Jake uncovers a long-hidden secret. Putting her trust into the wrong person, Ashley must fight to reunite with her daughter and see Jake again.
Parisian Painters
TCM, beginning at 7 p.m.
The art scene in the City of Light is the focus of two iconic films airing back to back tonight. First up is “An American in Paris” (1951), the classic musical directed by Vincente Minnelli and choreographed by Gene Kelly, who stars alongside Leslie Caron in her film debut. The film was inspired by George Gershwin’s 1928 orchestral work of the same name, and most of its songs also come from George and Ira Gershwin. The brilliantly colorful and fun film won six of the eight Oscars for which it was nominated, includ
ing best picture and an honorary Oscar to Kelly for his achievements in choreography. Tonight’s second film is “Moulin Rouge” (1952), director/co-writer John Huston’s look at 19th-century artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec ( José Ferrer). The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Ferrer, and won two, for its art direction and costume design.
History’s Greatest Mysteries
History, 8 p.m.
In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to Antarctica, but soon after arrival, his ship — the Endurance — was destroyed by shifting glaciers. Shackleton was then tasked with leading his 27 men across the tundra on an epic struggle for survival. Shackleton’s battle against the odds and his unfailing commitment to bring all his men out alive turned him into
a legend. But the Endurance has remained lost for over a century, and its final resting ground remains one of the greatest polar mysteries. This episode follows a new, groundbreaking expedition heading back into the frozen seas to hunt down the last piece of the story: Shackleton’s lost ship. Can they break through the ice and locate this holy grail of shipwrecks?
The Story of Santa Claus
CBS, 8 p.m.
This animated musical holiday special features the voices of Ed Asner, Betty White and Tim Curry, and revolves around a gentle toymaker whose only wish is to deliver a toy to every child on Christmas.
Who Killed the Lyon Sisters?
Investigation Discovery, 8 p.m.
Tonight’s two-hour “True Crime at 9” special looks at the reinvestigation of a decades-old unsolved case. On March 25, 1975, 12-year-old Sheila Lyon and her little sister, 10-year-old Katherine, walked half a mile from their
home to a shopping mall in Wheaton, Md., and were never seen again. When news of their disappearance broke, residents wondered if someone within their community was responsible. Local law enforcement exhausted all resources in the extensive search for the missing girls, but the investigation into Sheila and Katherine’s disappearance was plagued by false leads and questionable suspects. Despite all of law enforcement’s efforts, the case eventually went cold. Almost four decades later, a new team of determined coldcase investigators uncovered a promising lead, and from there, the twisted story of a witness turned prime suspect begins to unravel.
USS Christmas
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, 9 p.m. (original film)
Maddie ( Jen Lilley), a reporter for a Norfolk newspaper, embarks on a Tiger Cruise during Christmastime where she meets a handsome naval officer (Trevor Donovan) and stumbles on a mystery in the ship’s archive room.