TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
10 AM * 12 PM (FREE) Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade Make sure the presents are unwrapped and things are settling down in time for this new special hosted by Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, Sherry Cola and Marcus Scribner and filmed at both the Walt Disney World resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California. In addition to an amazing holiday parade, viewers get musical performances from the Houghs, Black Eyed Peas, Chloe Flower, Maren Morris, Meghan Trainor, Ne-Yo, Il Volo, and David Foster and Katharine McPhee.
5PM * (ESPN) NBA Basketball In arguably the marquee game of ABC/ESPN’s Yuletide NBA quintupleheader, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference collide at TD Garden, where Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics hope the home crowd works to their advantage against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. The last time these teams saw each other was last spring, when the Celts dominated the Bucks in Game 7 of the East Semifinals on their way to a berth in the NBA Finals.
8PM (FX) MOVIE The Lion King Jon Favreau directed this 2019 “photorealistic computeranimated remake” of the 1994 animated blockbuster that chronicles the coming of age of Simba (now voiced by Donald Glover), a lion cub whose royal father (voice of James Earl Jones) has been murdered by Simba’s villainous uncle (voice of Chiwetel Ejiofor). The voice cast also includes Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Alfre Woodard, Beyoncé and John Oliver.
8PM (HBO) MOVIE Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of wizarding. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers in this 2022 fantasy adventure.
9PM ^ Call the Midwife With Christmas soon approaching, the midwives move to their maternity clinic and are delighted when their first patient is a familiar face. Life in Poplar returns to normal after the tragic train crash, and everyone unites for a festive talent show in this new holiday episode. Helen George, Vanessa Redgrave, Laura Main, Stephen McGann, Jenny Agutter, Judy Parfitt and Cliff Parisi also star.