TONIGHT'S BEST
It’s a Wonderful Life 6 p.m. on (83); 8 p.m. on ); 9 p.m. on 0
Small-town guy George Bailey (James Stewart) defers one big dream after another to stay home, marry a local girl (Donna Reed) and run the family business. Facing financial ruin, he’s pulled from suicidal despair by angel Clarence (Henry Travers), who shows him how terrible the world would have been if he’d never lived. Lionel Barrymore also stars in director Frank Capra’s 1946 classic.
The Greatest Showman 6 p.m. on (84); 9 p.m. on &
Aussie filmmaker Michael Gracey made a very big splash with his feature directorial debut on this 2017 blockbuster, which overcame mixed reviews to become the fifth-highest-grossing live-action musical of all time. Critics mainly took issue with how much artistic license the movie took with the real-life saga of P.T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, but audiences clearly were swept away by the sheer spectacle and engaging cast, which also includes Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya. The song “This Is Me” was nominated for an Oscar.