TV Best Bets for December 11

TCM, 5:45pm EST, Catch a Classic!

Jane Austen’s timeless 1813 novel of unlikely romance is richly adapted in this lavish Academy Award-winning 1940 classic, which also draws from Helen Jerome’s 1935 stage adaptation of the book. Greer Garson portrays spirited Elizabeth, one of five Bennet sisters hoping for matrimony. Laurence Olivier plays Darcy, whose arrival at a nearby estate sets maiden hearts aflutter. But first impressions can mean so very much. Elizabeth and Darcy find reasons to view each other with disdain, setting in motion a velvet struggle of pride and prejudice, perception and reality, forgiveness and love.

The Prom

Netflix, Original Film!

In this musical comedy directed by Ryan Murphy (Ratched), Meryl Streep and James Corden play suddenly struggling New York City stage stars who are spurred into an initially self-absorbed, but ultimately genuine, activism when they rally to help a small-town Indiana high school girl (Jo Ellen Pellman) who has been banned from attending the prom with her girlfriend (Ariana DeBose). Keegan-Michael Key, Kerry Washington, Nicole Kidman and Andrew Rannells also star.

A Trash Truck Christmas

Netflix

When Hank finds out that Trash Truck doesn’t know what Christmas is, he sets out to show him and their friends what the magical holiday is all about. And luckily for Santa, the friends are up to speed just in time to help save Christmas.

I’m Your Woman

Amazon Prime Video, Original Film!

Set in America in the 1970s, this drama revolves around Jean (Rachel Brosnahan), who must go on the run with her child due to her husband’s crimes. Their lives become intertwined with a man (Arinzé Kene) and a woman (Marsha Stephanie Blake), forming an unlikely partnership that teaches them more than just how to survive.

Safety

Disney+, Original Film!

Reginald Hudlin (Marshall) directed this drama inspired by the empowering story of former Clemson University football safety Ray Ray McElrathbey (Jay Reeves), a young man facing a series of challenging circumstances, whose dedication and persistence help him to triumph over repeated adversities. Aided by his teammates and the Clemson community, he succeeds on the field while simultaneously raising and caring for his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson).

High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special

Disney+

In this 45-minute special, the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series— Olivia Rodrigo, Joshua Bassett, Matt Cornett, Sofia Wylie, Larry Saperstein, Julia Lester, Dara Reneé, Frankie A. Rodriguez, Joe Serafini, Mark St. Cyr and Kate Reinders — get viewers in the holiday spirit with their renditions of holiday classics, popular hits and a medley of Hanukkah favorites. They will also share anecdotes of memorable holidays from their childhoods, best — and most embarrassing — presents, favorite traditions, family photos and poignant New Year’s resolutions. Bassett will also debut an acoustic version of an original song he wrote for the upcoming second season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Madagascar: A Little Wild (Part 2)

Hulu & Peacock, New Episodes!

Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria continue their big adventures in New York City as the animated series based on the feature film continues. The foursome become babysitters for a new litter of tiny hedgehogs, Melman gets stuck in a firetruck and Alex is accidentally mistaken for a large house cat. While their shenanigans may lead to sticky situations, the little pals always work together and make the best of whatever life throws their way.

The Wilds

Amazon Prime Video, New Series!

Rachel Griffiths stars in this series that is described as part survival drama, part dystopic slumber party. It follows a group of teen girls from different backgrounds who must fight for survival after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. The castaways both clash and bond as they learn more about each other, the secrets they keep and the traumas they’ve all endured. There’s just one twist to the drama — these girls did not end up on this island by accident.

Wolfwalkers

Apple TV+, Original Film!

This latest animated film from two-time Academy Award-nominated director Tomm Moore (Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells) is set during a time of superstition and magic, when young apprentice hunter Robyn Goodfellowe journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolfpack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends Mebh, a free-spirited girl who is a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Baby Shark’s Big Show!

Nickelodeon, 12:30pm EST, New Series!

Baby Shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo... This new animated series based on the kids’ viral video — with more than 7 billion views, it’s just YouTube’s most watched of all time — is fintastic family fun. Baby (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) lives in Carnivore Cove with his parents, grandparents and best friend, William (Luke Youngblood). “Baby is sweet, bubbly and enthusiastic — he has no clue how to play it cool,” says co–exec producer Whitney Ralls. In this special (regular episodes start in the spring), Santa Jaws disappears two days before Fishmas, and the boys set out to find him. Along the way, they learn that “giving gifts to you and you and you” (you know the tune) is even better than receiving.

General Hospital

ABC, 2pm EST

Scott (Kin Shriner) demands an explanation. Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) seeks Olivia’s (Lisa LoCicero) advice. Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn) places her trust in the wrong hands. Nikolas (Marcus Coloma) surprises Ava (Maura West). Sam (Kelly Monaco) confides in Carly (Laura Wright).

Christmas Cookie Challenge

Cooking Channel, beginning at 4pm EST

‘Tis the season for Christmas cookies, and Cooking Channel is here with new back-to-back episodes to spark your imagination. Beginning with “Picture-Perfect Christmas,” “Colors of Christmas,” “Bright Lights, Big Cookies” and “Christmas Traditions,” and moving on to “Christmas Mischief,” “Center of the Season,” “Homemade Holidays” and “Merry Christmas Makeover.”

Shark Tank

ABC, 8pm EST

An entrepreneur from Surfside, Florida, tries to sweeten up the Sharks with her approach to getting a classic dessert with a healthy twist to children. Two safety-oriented engineers from Littleton, Colorado, take the Sharks for a ride as they share their product designed to boost visibility while navigating the streets. Three entrepreneurs from Miami bring the Sharks into the future with their educational robot.

MacGyver: “Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice”

CBS, 8pm EST

In the new episode “Thief + Painting + Auction + Viro-486 + Justice,” Mac (Lucas Till) and the team must find and steal a biological weapon before it’s sold to a terrorist cell.

The Christmas Caroler Challenge

The CW, 8pm EST, Season Premiere!

Hosted by Dean Cain and Laura McKenzie, the three-episode Christmas caroling competition event series features 10 extraordinary Christmas carol groups, each with their own stylized brand of performance, celebrating the great Christmas music we have all come to love. We’ll meet groups from the most elaborate ultra-traditional virtuoso performances to those with the most unexpected twists on the classic Christmas carol. Each group which will be judged by three celebrity judges.

My Lottery Dream Home: Holiday Extravaganza

HGTV, 8pm EST

David Bromstad will show fans how to deck the halls like a lottery winner — but on a realistic budget — in My Lottery Dream Home: Holiday Extravaganza. The popular HGTV designer will transform a living room into a lush Christmas tree forest, set a spectacular tablescape for a festive dinner party and adorn a home’s exterior with so much holiday razzle dazzle that the whole neighborhood will cheer.

Inn Love by Christmas

Lifetime, 8pm EST, Original Film!

Mandy Leeds (Jonna Walsh), a successful young woman living in Miami, is climbing her way up the corporate ladder in the hotel industry. Though she doesn’t get back to her small Northern hometown much, this year her Gram (Jayne Eastwood) is able to finally convince her to come home for Christmas. Mandy has another reason, too — the quaint local inn is for sale, and she wants to acquire it for her company. With her eyes on the prize, Mandy travels back home, but on her way there, she runs into Lucas Menzino (Jesse Hutch) — her high school rival — who has his eye on the inn as well.

It’s a Wonderful Life

USA Network, 8pm EST, Catch a Classic!

Frank Capra’s beloved, Oscar-nominated 1946 holiday classic stars Best Actor Oscar nominee Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a discouraged and despairing building-and-loan manager who contemplates suicide before a guardian angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) intervenes and allows George to see what his small town of Bedford Falls would be without him — and all that is right in his world. Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore also star in the iconic film whose Oscar nominations also included Best Picture and Best Director for Capra. The film re-airs tomorrow morning on USA Network, and will also air Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) on NBC.

Magnum P.I.: “Easy Money”

CBS, 9pm EST

Higgins’ (Perdita Weeks) attempt to repossess an airplane goes south when she and Magnum (Jay Hernandez) discover that it was being used by a drug cartel in the new episode “Easy Money.”

Biggest Little Christmas Showdown: “A Small Retro Christmas”

HGTV, 9pm EST

Three new teams of the nation’s top designers and renovators from the Biggest Little Christmas Showdown, hosted by Tony Award-winning actor James Monroe Iglehart, will make miniature old-fashioned retro houses from the ground up as they fight in the battle of their lives. They are competing for a chance to win a prize worth $50,000 and an unexpected design shocker!

Ancient Aliens: “Giants of the Mediterranean”

History, 9pm EST

Ancient cultures throughout the Mediterranean recorded stories of enormous beings that descended from the sky. Could massive megalithic structures and reported discoveries of towering human-like skeletons reveal that this part of the world was once inhabited by giants?

Paranormal Caught on Camera: “Supermarket Ghost and More”

Travel Channel, 10pm EST

A ghostly prankster torments the staff at a Scottish grocery store; a UFO flies across an airport runway in Puerto Rico; and a legendary child-snatching cryptid is spotted in Bolivia.

The Graham Norton Show

BBC America, 11pm EST

Michael J. Fox and Brit wit Stephen Fry are among tonight’s guests. Dolly Parton sings!