No shortage of holiday specials on tap
From Bill Murray to Michael Bublé, there’s something for every taste
Feeling blue because December has barely begun and you already missed airings of those classic Christmas specials starring Rudolph, Charlie Brown and The Grinch?
Be of good cheer. Besides the fact you can pretty much watch them anytime on-demand, they’ll all be broadcast again and again closer to Christmas. Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (1964) airs this Monday and Dec. 15 on CBC, A Charlie Brown Christmas returns Dec. 17 on YTV and Dec. 24 on ABC, and Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas repeats Dec. 14 and Dec. 20 on CBC.
Besides, there are plenty of other holiday offerings between now and the 25th. Here are a dozen guaranteed to put viewers in a festive mood:
A Very Murray Christmas (Available now at Netflix). Ring-ading-ding in the holidays with this retro hour from Bill Murray, cowriter/producer Mitch Glazer and director Sofia Coppola. Murray plays his croonin’ self, headlining a Christmas special derailed by a major snowstorm. He and his pals George Clooney, Amy Poehler, Miley Cyrus, Maya Rudolph and Paul Shaffer, among other A-listers, throw together the kind of special SCTV’s Guy Caballero could only dream about. Canadian Michael Cera scores as a snarky network nerd.
22 Minutes Holiday Special (Dec. 8, CBC). Meet the Heroes of the Holidays and find out why there was No Room at the Inn in this hour-long special. Featuring contributions from every province and territory.
Taraji and Terrence’s White Hot Holidays (Dec. 9, Fox). Nothing says Christmas like the stars of Empire. Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard are getting into the festive spirit with special guests Mary J. Blige, John Legend and Jamie Foxx.
Michael Bublé’s Christmas in Hollywood (Dec. 10, CBC, NBC). The Grammy Award-winner hosts his fifth annual NBC Christmas special, with celebrity guests (including fellow Canadians Céline Dion and William Shatner) joining him at classic Hollywood locations. Jay Leno, Eva Longoria and Blake Shelton also star.
A Jann Arden Christmas at The Social (Dec. 13, CTV). Daytime co-hosts Melissa Grelo, Cynthia Loyst, Lainey Lui and Traci Melchor welcome the Juno Award-winning singer as she performs tunes from her holiday album A Jann Arden Christmas.
The Curse of Clara: A Holiday Tale (Dec. 14, Dec. 25, CBC). A small-town girl’s dream of landing the role of Clara in the National Ballet School production of The Nutcracker comes true with an assist from … Phil Esposito?
Set in 1972 during Team Canada’s epic hockey triumph, this animated special features the voices of Esposito and hockey announcer Bob Cole (who called the original games on the radio). Check out the O’Keefe Centre and other Toronto landmarks from the ’70s in the background.
Merry Christmas Mr. Bean (Dec. 14, CBC). Like Rudolph, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Rowan Atkinson’s impish man/child never seems to wear out his welcome — even while trashing the toy section of a department store. First broadcast in 1992.
Olive, the Other Reindeer (Dec. 18, 19, 24 and 25, YTV). Move over, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and The Grinch. This relative newcomer combines the talents of Matt Groening, Drew Barrymore and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in a sweet fable about the dog who saved Christmas. Ed Asner, Dan Castellaneta and Jay Mohr also help bring J. Otto Seibold’s cool storybook illustrations to life.
A Christmas Melody (Dec. 20, W Network). Mariah Carey stars in and directs this Hallmark movie about a clothing designer named Kristin (Lacey Chabert) who moves back to her home town in Ohio from New York. There, she encounters her high school rival Melissa (Carey) and tensions result.
Murdoch Mysteries: A Merry Murdoch Christmas (Dec. 21, CBC). The long-running series’ first holiday episode boasts guest stars Ed Asner, Brendan Coyle ( Downton Abbey) and Kelly Rowan. Murdoch and Ogden attend a Christmas performance featuring a young girl who would go on to become America’s Sweetheart as a silent movie star — Mary Pickford (Peyton Kennedy). When St. Nick is introduced at the end of the night, however, the philanthropist playing him has been murdered. Can the real St. Nick help Murdoch solve the crime?
It’s a Wonderful Life (Thursday, Dec. 24, CTV and NBC). An angel gets his wings every time this 1946 Jimmy Stewart classic charms a new viewer.
The Andy Griffith Show Christmas Special (Dec. 25, CBS). As it has in recent years with I Love Lucy, CBS has gone back into the vault and colourized another of its early TV classics.
Two newly tinted episodes are featured from The Andy Griffith Show (1960-’68), including a first season holiday gem with Mayberry’s finest, Andy and Barney (Griffith and Don Knotts), outfoxing the town Scrooge.
And yes, kids, that’s director Ron Howard as young Opie.