Rueben's Ramblings

Here is the very long list of the programming options to expect on TV this coming week:

On November 16, the season finale of Queen Sugar will air on OWN at 8 PM; while that same night the season premieres of The Flash and Riverdale will air on The CW at 8 and 9 PM respectively.

The season finale of Dopesick will air online on Hulu on November 17.

On November 18, the season finale of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol will air online on Peacock; while the 4th season of Star Trek: Discovery will premiere online today on Paramount+.

The following holiday movies will all debut on November 18:

* The Jenkins Family Christmas online on BET+. After burying their father earlier in the year, Baneatta and Beverly attempt to carry on his Christmas traditions without strangling each other — but when an unknown half-sister arrives at the family festivities, more than just Christmas presents are opened. The movie stars Regina Taylor, Kim Coles, Tammy Townsend, Robert Gossett, Ashley Love Mills, Anthony Chatmon II, Derek Chadwick, Bailey Bass, Thomas Miles and Monti Washington.

* The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star on Netflix. Vanessa Hudgens stars three times over in this lighthearted third Princess Switch movie, which follows Queen Margaret (Hudgens) and Princess Stacy (also Hudgens) as they try to track down a stolen, precious family artifact. They team up with Margaret’s cousin, Fiona (Hudgens once again) who enlists the help of a new, mysterious man. The cast includes Nick Sagar, Sam Palladio, Remy Hii, Will Kemp and Amanda Donohue.

* Psych 3: This Is Gus on Peacock. In preparation for a shotgun wedding before the birth of Baby Guster, Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) and Groomzilla Gus (Dule Hill) go rogue in an attempt to track down Selene’s (Jazmyn Simon) estranged husband, as Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) grapples with the future of his career. The rest of the cast reprising their roles include Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, Corbin Bernsen, Sage Brocklebank and Kurt Fuller. English singer-songwriter Curt Smith will guest star as himself.

* Every Time a Bell Rings online on Hallmark Movies Now. Three sisters reunite in their hometown of Natchez, Mississippi at Christmas after a long time apart. They’re surprised to discover their late father had planned one last scavenger hunt for them to find the family’s wooden wishing bell, a beloved, annual holiday tradition when they were young. As they search for clues in the days leading up to Christmas, the trio visits local childhood haunts around Natchez that hold special meaning for them. In the process, their sisterly bond is rekindled and each learns an important lesson about what they want in life and in love. The cast includes Erin Cahill, Brittany Ishibashi, Ali Leibert and Wes Brown.

On November 19, the season finale of the new drama Foundation and the season finale of The Morning Show will both air on Apple TV+ online; while that same day, the second season premiere of The Great will air on Hulu online.

The following new dramas will debut online on November 19:

* The Wheel of Time on Amazon. The series follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the Aes Sedai, a powerful organization of women who can use magic. She takes a group of five young people on a journey around the world, believing one of them might be the reincarnation of the Dragon, a powerful individual prophesied to either save the world or destroy it. Among the large ensemble cast is Sophie Okonedo and Maria Doyle Kennedy.

* Cowboy Bebop, based on the animated series, on Netflix. A ragtag crew of bounty hunters chases down the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals in this live-action adaptation of the popular anime TV series. They’ll save the world…for the right price. The cast includes John Cho, Elena Satine, Geoff Stults and Daniella Pineda.

The following holiday movies will debut on November 19:

* Candy Coated Christmas on Discovery+. Molly Gallant is a Beverly Hills marketing executive whose carefully planned life takes an unexpected turn when she takes a business trip to the picturesque town of Peppermint Hollow. The movie stars Molly McCook, Aaron O’Connell, John McCook, Lee Garlington, Jae Suh Park, Landry Townsend, Lonzo Liggins, Dia Frampton and Ree Drummond.

* Nantucket Noel on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. During the Seaside Noel celebrations, Christin (Sarah Power) learns of a developer who is planning to tear down the wharf that is home to her toy store. Tensions rise as she falls for the developer’s son, Andy (Trevor Donovan).

* Dancing Through the Snow at 8 PM on Lifetime. Michael Foster (Colin Lawrence) is a firefighter and devoted single father to 8-year-old Lily (Bianca Lawrence), an aspiring ballerina. After a video goes viral of Michael and Lily doing an adorable ballet routine, Michael becomes the most eligible bachelor, as women everywhere want to date this adorable dad. However, the only woman Michael has eyes for is Lily’s ballet teacher, Olivia (AnnaLynne McCord). Will Michael be able to dance his way into Olivia’s heart?”

* tick, tick…boom online on Netflix. An aspiring theatre composer (Andrew Garfield) endures a quarter-life crisis as he approaches 30 and does not feel close to his dream. The cast includes Alexandra Shipp, Judith Light, Vanessa Hudgens, Bradley Whitford, Joel Grey and Mj Rodriguez.

The following holiday movies will debut on November 20:

* Mistletoe & Molly at 7 PM on UPtv. Waitress and animal lover, Molly Bishop, is desperate for a holiday miracle. Broke and needing major car repairs, she’s counting on a big career opportunity to come through before the holidays – without using her family’s name to get there. But when handsome cafe regular and do-gooder Aiden Ford starts to meddle in her life, Molly will have to figure out if it’s too much or just the holiday miracle she needed. The film stars Eden Broda and Zach Smadu.

* You Make It Feel Like Christmas at 8 PM on Lifetime. Emma (Mary Antonini) is a talented designer who finds herself too busy to return home for the holidays after her work catches the eye of design guru Kate Marguiles (Stephanie Sy), much to her father, Tom’s (Alex Poch-Goldin), dismay. When her ex-boyfriend and childhood best friend Aaron (Michael Xavier) returns home after active military duty, he makes it his mission to get her home to celebrate their Christmas traditions.

* A Kindhearted Christmas on GAC Family at 8 PM. Jamie (Jennie Garth) owns a sightseeing and tour company in the small town of Cooperville, New York. Navigating the holidays with enthusiasm is trickier for Jamie since her husband Matt passed. Matt loved Christmas and found unparalleled joy in giving to others. While reminiscing with family, Jamie realizes the town desperately needs someone with Matt’s genius for thinking of the small gestures that bring genuine happiness to the holidays. While watching her favorite news program, “Wake Up Upstate,” or more importantly, the show’s handsome TV anchor, Scott (Cameron Mathison), Jamie learns about a neighboring high school’s fundraising goal and spontaneously gifts the entire amount – anonymously. Jamie’s anonymous gift sparks another and another until the entire town gets into the spirit. News of the generous gift giving draws Jamie’s TV crush to Cooperville seeking to do some serious reporting on the identity of the secret Santa. What isn’t a secret is that Jamie and Scott will discover each other just in time for Christmas.

* Five More Minutes at 10 PM on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Inspired by the Scotty McCreery song, a woman’s Christmas wish is answered in unexpected ways when her late grandfather’s journal turns up and reveals an untold romance. The movie will star Nikki Deloach and David Haydn-Jones.

* A Christmas Together With You at 8 PM on the Hallmark Channel. During the Christmas season, Megan and her father-figure Frank head out on a road trip to find his long-lost love. Along the way, Megan finds the love of her own life. The film stars Laura Vandervoort and Niall Matter.

On November 21, the season finales of Grantchester and Baptiste will both air on PBS at 9 and 10 PM respectively; while that same night the season two premiere of Power Book II: Ghost will air on Starz at 8 PM. Also that night, the 2021 American Music Awards will air at 8 PM on ABC.

Lastly, the following holiday movies will debut on November 21:

* Baking Spirits Bright at 8 PM on Lifetime. Mira Varma (Rekha Sharma) takes pride in her family’s business of making fruitcakes, despite the decline in its popularity of once being America’s most-gifted holiday confection. When Mira’s parents decide to hire Brady Phillips (Dion Johnstone) and his high-powered marketing company to boost sales for the holidays, Mira must fight to hold on to the heart of the company she loves so much.

* Christmas on 5th Avenue at 7 PM on UPtv. Eve, a Christmas loving professional wish granter, takes on the task of decorating the high-end condo for a reclusive writer who is spending the holidays out of town. But when the handsome writer turns out to be home for the holidays after all, Eve will have to pull out all her tricks to make him fall in love with Christmas all over again – and maybe find romance along the way. The cast includes Kathryn Davis, Olivier Renaud and Kate Vernon.

* Who Is Christmas Eve? at 8 PM on Bounce. Eve Simmons (Paige Hurd) was abandoned as an infant on the steps of a church 30 years ago on Christmas Eve. Now, struggling to move forward with her life, she embarks on a search to uncover the mystery of her birth with the help of her boyfriend Curtis (Romeo Miller) and famed investigative genealogist Pam Slaton (Juliana Harkavy).

* Christmas Down Under on ION at 8 PM. After a fight with her husband (Paul O’Brien), a tightly wound wife (Justine Kacir) follows him to his hometown of Sydney, Australia, in hopes of saving their marriage. Tracking him down proves complicated, and she must rely on an Aboriginal tour guide and a social media influencer ride-share driver to help — all just days before Christmas.

* A Kiss Before Christmas on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. When nice-guy Ethan casually wishes his life had taken a different course, he wakes up the next day to find nothing is the same – he’s not married to his wife Joyce, he doesn’t have two teen aged kids and he’s CEO of his company. If he wants to reclaim his original life and the family he loves, he must convince Joyce he’s telling the truth and win her over…and he only has until Christmas Day. The film stars James Denton, Teri Hatcher and Marilu Henner.

Mark your calendars!