WHAT TO WATCH
From the publishers of TV Guide
Morning Fables
TCM, beginning at 6 a.m.
Turner Classic Movies transports viewers into the realm of fairy tales courtesy of a few short films, plus two memorable features. One of the latter is Jean Cocteau’s surreal, dreamlike 1946 feature “Beauty and the Beast,” based on the famous tale, with Josette Day playing Belle and Jean Marais as the Beast. This classic of French cinema features English subtitles. The other film airing this morning is 1962’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm,” co-directed by fantasy film master George Pal. It not only offers a biographical drama about famous fairy tale-collecting brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm (portrayed by Laurence Harvey and Karlheinz Böhm), but also brings to life some of their legendary tales, like “The Cobbler and the Elves,” “The Singing Bone” and “The Dancing Princess,” sometimes through the use of stop-motion animation effects. “Brothers Grimm” was one of the epic productions filmed in the Cinerama widescreen format during the heyday of that process in the 1950s and ’60s, and while you may not be able to see the film in this grand, original format, it still looks terrific, thanks to its Oscar-winning costumes and Oscar-nominated cinematography and art direction.
Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love
NBC, 7 p.m.
This 2016 TV film followed 2015’s “Coat of Many Colors” and is the next chapter in the life of young Dolly Parton. The film delivers Christmas joy and peril as an unexpected blizzard threatens the Parton family, while, at the same time, Dolly’s father (and his kids) make sacrifices to raise enough money to finally buy his loving wife the wedding ring he could never afford to give her. Meanwhile, an important person in little Dolly’s life begins to see that her amazing voice and musical gift might
be made for something bigger than rural Tennessee. Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder, Alyvia Alyn Lind and Gerald McRaney star in the film, which also features a special appearance from Parton as the Painted Lady.
Kids Baking Championship
Food Network, 8 p.m. (season premiere)
A dozen young chefs with mad cooking skills (and, most likely, curfews) compete for $25,000 in the latest 10-week competition chaperoned by hosting judges Valerie Bertinelli
and Duff Goldman. That is one hefty allowance!
L.A.’s Finest
Fox, 8 p.m.
As Syd (Gabrielle Union) and McKenna ( Jessica Alba) finally close in on Gabriel Knox, a shocking revelation makes their fight more personal than ever in the new episode “Armageddon.”
His Dark Materials
HBO, 8 p.m. (season finale) In season two’s fantastical conclusion, aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda)
wants to fulfill his quest and help young adventurer Lyra (Dafne Keen) — no matter what.
Atlanta Justice
Investigation Discovery, 8 p.m. (new series)
The Atlanta Homicide Unit consistently has one of the highest clearance rates in the country, but no one solves a murder by themselves — it takes a skilled and devoted team to identify, catch and prosecute killers. Members of this elite and dedicated team include Detectives Nicole Redlinger and J.D. Stephens, and prosecutors Leif Howard and Tanya Miller. This series immerses viewers into the world of these big-city detectives and prosecutors as they work to solve some of Atlanta’s most baffling crimes.
Dr. Pimple Popper
TLC, 8 p.m. (season premiere)
This new season features Dr. Lee’s most challenging cases to date, introduced in “Before the Pop,” which aired earlier this year and focused on telemedicine appointments due to the pandemic. Some of the cases are so extreme, Dr. Lee teams up with specialists to provide the best outcome possible, including for an adorable 8-year-old girl — the youngest patient yet on the series — with an extreme case of psoriasis who would like to be a dermatologist when she grows up; a man with severe keloids on the back of his head and scalp; and an incredibly rare case of nevus sebaceous that covers much of a woman’s face.
World’s Most Unexplained
Travel Channel, 8 p.m. Experts investigate reports of moving Virgin Mary statues in Ireland and question whether the stigmata phenomenon is a miracle or hoax.
Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain
PBS, 9 p.m.
This film chronicles Jordan’s modest origins through his rise to national renown as a pioneering attorney, businessman, civil rights leader and counselor to presidents spanning the eras from LBJ to Barack Obama.
Paranormal Declassified
Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
Paul Beban investigates evil shapeshifters from Navajo folklore known as Skinwalkers. Beban tracks the mythical beasts from the heart of the Navajo Nation, to the infamous Skinwalker Ranch in Utah and Wisconsin, where he captures something unexplainable.