THURSDAY’S BEST PICKS
12 PM (FREE) MOVIE Shrek Forever After Things get even twistier than usual during the fourth entry in the animated fairy-tale franchise, as a frustrated Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) strikes a bargain with Rumpelstiltskin that will allow the big green family guy to enjoy a day as a properly terrifying ogre. Unfortunately, Shrek doesn’t realize the “fine print” in this deal will have devastating repercussions for himself, Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) and the entire kingdom of Far Far Away.
8 PM G Popstar’s Best of 2022 Presented by Associated Television International, host Elizabeth Stanton counts down the greatest and most memorable moments and trends of 2022 based on polls from “Popstar Magazine” in this new special. From Justin Bieber’s health scares to Pete Davidson’s dating life, Harry Styles spitting to Will Smith’s Oscar meltdown, 2022 gave us plenty of things to ponder and reexamine.
8 PM (FOOD) Restaurant: Impossible Felicia’s failing restaurant in Ash Fork, Ariz., has forced her to sacrifice her time with her children. Overwhelmed by guilt, she is ignoring her mountain of debt and her deteriorating business. Robert Irving must help Felicia turn her attitude and business strategy around to save the restaurant and her family in the Season 21 premiere episode “A Mother’s Guilt.”
8 PM (HBO) MOVIE The King’s Man The third installment in the “Kingsman” movie franchise and a prequel to the two earlier films, Matthew Vaughn’s 2021 spy action comedy underperformed at the box office, mainly due to pandemic-related issues. It still delivers an entertaining yarn about how the Kingsman organization was born during the turmoil of World War I. Ralph Fiennes heads the stellar cast as Orlando, Duke of Oxford and founder of the spy network, with Tom Hollander (“The Night Manager”) pulling triple duty in multiple roles. Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode and Daniel Bruhl co-star. 8 PM (TCM) MOVIE The Great Sinner Airing in celebration of “Star of the Month” Ava Gardner’s 100th birthday (Dec. 24), Fedja (Gregory Peck) is a young writer who goes to Wiesbaden to write about gambling and gamblers, only to ultimately become a compulsive gambler himself. Losing all his wealth, as well as his moral fiber, he commits the ultimate degradation of robbing a church poor box in order to feed his compulsion in this 1949 drama. In addition to Gardner, other stars include Melvyn Douglas, Walter Huston, Ethel Barrymore and Frank Morgan.
9 PM (FREE) MOVIE Shrek Forever After Things get even twistier than usual during the fourth entry in the animated fairy-tale franchise, as a frustrated Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) strikes a bargain with Rumpelstiltskin that will allow the big green family guy to enjoy a day as a properly terrifying ogre. Unfortunately, Shrek doesn’t realize the “fine print” in this deal will have devastating repercussions for himself, Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) and the entire kingdom of Far Far Away. 9:01 PM (HGTV) Luxe for Less Young parents Cameron and Avery are trapped in a dated house. After dreaming about luxury for so long they finally realize it’s time for some help, and call Michel Boyd and his team. Big ticket items Boyd needs to work into their $60,000 budget: a butler’s pantry inspired by a mansion, a countertop that charges your phone, replicating an $8,000 kitchen hood and creating luxury living spaces while making it functional for children in the new episode “Butler’s Pantry Please.”