Rueben's Ramblings

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

On November 23, the mid-season finale of New Amsterdam will air on NBC at 10:01 PM.

The 3rd and final season of Hanna will air online on Amazon on November 24.

The following movies will also debut on November 24:

* Bruised on Netflix. Years after walking away from her promising career, aging mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jackie Justice (Halle Berry, who also directed the film) accepts an offer to fight the top female MMA fighter in an unsanctioned bout while also dealing with the unexpected return of her 6-year old son, who she gave up for adoption as an infant. The film also stars Shamier Anderson and Adan Canto.

* A Boy Called Christmas on Netflix. Based on the novel by Matt Haig, this heartwarming holiday tale follows Nikolas, a boy who travels to the north to find his father, who is searching for the Elfhelm, the rumored village of the elves. Along the way, Nikolas enlists the help of his loyal sidekicks, Blitzen the reindeer and a pet mouse. The cast includes Toby Jones, Sally Hawkins, Kristen Wiig, Michiel Huisman, Jim Broadbent and Maggie Smith.

* The stop-motion animated Robin Robin on Netflix. A bird raised by mice begins to question where she belongs in this heartwarming holiday musical special. Aardman, the animation studio behind Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Chicken Run created this stop-motion adventure, so there is no double plenty of adorable whimsy in store. Among the voices that will be heard in this film will be
Gillian Anderson and Richard E Grant.

* Gabriel’s Rapture, Part 1 on Passionflix. The film will find Melanie Zanetti and Giulio Berruti returning for the next adaptation of the second book in the franchise created by Sylvain Reynar

* 8-Bit Christmas on HBO Max. Set in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, the story centers on 10-year-old Jake Doyle’s (Winslow Fegley) herculean quest to get the latest and greatest video game system for Christmas. The movie also stars Neil Patrick Harris, June Diane Raphael and Steve Zahn.

Also on November 24, the first two episode of Hawkeye will debut online on Disney+. While in New York City post-Blip, Clint Barton [aka Hawkeye] (Jeremy Renner) must work together with the young archer Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) to confront enemies from his past in order to get back to his family in time for Christmas. The cast includes Vera Farmiga, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James and Florence Pugh. Linda Cardellini, Ava Russo, Ben Sakamoto and Cade Woodward will reprise their roles as Clint’s wife and children.

The following movies will debut on November 25:

* The Nine Kittens of Christmas on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Cat lovers Zachary and Marilee (Brandon Routh and Kimberley Sustad) are thrown back together at Christmas when they’re tasked with finding homes for a litter of adorable kittens. Gregory Harrison returns too.

* Christmas Deja Vu on BET+. A woman with a downtrodden life who hates Christmas longs for the life she could have had as a singer. She meets an angel who grants her wish. The movie stars Amber Riley, Loretta Devine and Blue Kimble.

* Christmas in the Pines on FOX Nation/Vudu (check your local listings). As Ariel (Jillian Murray), an up-and-coming magazine writer, and Mark (Murray’s real-life husband Dean Geyer), a successful architect, battle over ownership of an idyllic Christmas cottage, they soon discover that their cozy holiday getaway may not be the only thing they love.

* Christmas in the Wilds (the sequel to the movie Romance in the Wilds) on FOX Nation/VUDU (check your local listings). Separated by a blizzard, new couple Buck (Victor Zinck Jr.) and Jessica (Kaitlyn Leeb) take on the uncharted wilderness in hopes of reuniting for their first Christmas together. But as their adventure becomes a battle for survival, they realize how far they’re willing to go for love.

Also on November 25, Part 2 of the Gossip Girl reboot will return to HBO Max online.

The following movies will debut on November 26:

* Angel Falls Christmas on GAC Family at 8 PM. Ally Morgan (Jessica Lowndes) is a workaholic ER doc struggling for work-life balance with boyfriend, Josh. On the night Josh is set to propose, he and Ally have a row about her pulling an extra shift on Christmas Eve which leads to a breakup. Josh knows with Ally work comes first. Ally is miserable alone before a chance encounter with handsome barista, Gabe (Chad Michael Murray) leads her to fulfill a Christmas bucket list of fun activities she never would have ventured doing on her own. Ally’s best friend and fellow ER doctor, Dawn has never seen Ally so happy and is rooting for a Gabe-Ally relationship. Now, the saintly Maureen must redirect Gabe’s intentions if Josh and Ally have a chance at reconciliation this Christmas.

* Reba McEntire’s Christmas in Tune on Lifetime at 8 PM. Years after their personal and professional breakup, the singing duo of Georgia (Reba McEntire) and Joe Winter (John Schneider) agree to reunite after their daughter, Belle (Candice King), asks them to participate in a Christmas Charity concert, only to find themselves getting back in tune on stage and off.

* A Castle for Christmas on Netflix online. Brooke Shields stars as famous author Sophie Brown, who is trying to buy a castle in Scotland, as one does. She faces opposition from the owner, Duke Myles (Cary Elwes), who doesn’t want to sell the castle to a foreigner. But underneath all their conflict, something else may be blooming between them.

* Christmas CEO on the Hallmark Channel at 6 PM. A small toy company CEO gets a once in a lifetime offer to merge with a mega toy company but will need her estranged ex-business partner’s signature to seal the deal. What he helps her rediscover will change both of their lives. The film stars Marisol Nichols and Paul Greene.

* An Unexpected Christmas on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. A writer convinces his ex-girlfriend to pose as a couple for Christmas. Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hynes star.

The following movies will debut on November 27:

* Making Spirits Bright on Lifetime at 6 PM. The son and daughter of rival holiday decorating families help mend their fathers’ decades-old feud, finding romance along the way as they compete in the town’s holiday decorating contest. The film stars Taylor Cole and Carlo Marks.

* Christmas at Castle Hart on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Brooke Bennett (Lacey Chabert) goes to Ireland for Christmas to search for her Irish roots. While there, she meets Aiden Hart (Stuart Townsend), Earl of Glaslough. Mistaken for an elite event planner, she’s hired to host his castle’s epic Christmas party.

* Merry Liddle Christmas Baby on Lifetime at 8 PM. Jacquie Liddle (Kelly Rowland) and her husband, Tyler (Thomas Cadrot), are preparing for the arrival of their first baby. Meanwhile, Jacquie’s sister Treena (Latonya Williams) and her husband, Julian (James M. Callica), are thinking about adopting a baby themselves, and spirited, fashionista sister Kiera’s (Bresha Webb) relationship with Chris (Nathan Witte) is heating up. With their family expanding in ways they could never have expected, the Liddles are headed for a crazy Christmas filled with merry mayhem and lots of love and laughter.

* The two-hour reboot of Nash Bridges at 9 PM on the USA Network. The film brings back original cast members Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as elite investigators for the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit. The film will also star Bonnie Somerville, Jeff Perry and Joe Dinicol.

* Royally Wrapped for Christmas at 8 PM on Lifetime. Lindsay Palmer (Jen Lilley), the NY director of an international charity organization, is called to the Kingdom of Veronia by the royal family who runs the foundation to interview for the job of overseeing the whole operation. As Lindsay is put through the interview process, she ends up finding true love with the prince (Brendan Fehr).

* Time For Them to Come Home for Christmas at 10 PM on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. During the holidays, a woman with amnesia catches a ride with her handsome nurse to investigate the only clue to her identity: a newspaper clipping for a Christmas Festival with a cryptic invitation. The film stars Jessy Schram and Brendan Penny.

The following movies will debut on November 28:

* Christmas in Tahoe at 6 PM on the Hallmark Channel. To save her family hotel’s Christmas show, talent booker Claire must ask for help from her ex- boyfriend Ryan, the lead guitarist of a now-famous band that fired her as their manager years ago. The cast includes Laura Osnes, Kyle Selig, Pat Monahan and George Lopez.

* The Christmas Contest on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Exes Lara and Ben compete in a Christmas contest to win money for the charity of their choosing. The city watches them battle and choose what is more important, victory or love. Candace Cameron Bure, John Brotherton and Barbara Niven star.

* The Waltons: Homecoming at 8 PM on The CW. John Boy (Logan Shroyer from This Is Us) and his family prepare for John Sr. homecoming to spend Christmas together, but after a storm comes in the way, John Boy has to find his father (Ben Lawson) and the journey through it will change his life forever. The cast includes Bellamy Young as Olivia; Christian Finlayson as Jason; Marcelle LeBlanc as Mary Ellen; Tatum Sue Matthews as Erin; Callaway Corrick as Elizabeth and Samuel Goergon as Jim Bob. The narrator will be Richard Thomas, who played John Boy in the original TV series.

* Miracle in Motor City on Lifetime at 8 PM. Amber Dupont (Tia Mowry) bites off more than she can chew when she takes charge of her church’s annual Christmas pageant and inadvertently promises to deliver a special performance by Motown legend Smokey Robinson. When her best friends secretly enlist Amber’s former flame Eddie (Mark Taylor) to help, the pair reconnect in a quest to find Smokey and convince him to appear. With the clock ticking, family, friends, and superstar Smokey Robinson come together to stage the most special pageant yet.

* Christmas Is You at 8 PM on GAC Family. Years after Emma left her first love, Tyler, to pursue her dreams of becoming a singer, the two are reunited in their hometown for the holidays. Emma, now an assistant, must convince Tyler, now a famous popstar, to sign with her record company, while also trying to save the town’s Christmas Caroling Celebration. The movie stars Becca Tobin and Matthew MacCaull.

* A Christmas Witness on ION at 8 PM. A no-nonsense federal marshal (Arielle Kebbel) is tasked with protecting a low-level, charming mobster (Colin Egglesfield) until he testifies against his mafia boss two days after Christmas.

Also on November 28, the fall finale of Fear the Walking Dead and the season finale of The Walking Dead: World Beyond will both air on AMC+ online today.

The new season of the anthology series The Hot Zone: Anthrax will debut on November 28 at 10 PM on National Geographic. The 6-episode second season follows FBI Special Agent Matthew Ryker (Daniel Dae Kim) as he tracks down the killer, finding himself ensnared in an unstable web of psychological warfare. Bruce Ivins (Tony Goldwyn) is the brilliant microbiologist who becomes embroiled in the hunt. The cast includes Dylan Baker and Harry Hamlin.

Lastly, the four-round special Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses will debut on both TBS and Cartoon Network on November 28 at 8 PM. Helen Mirren will host this 20th Anniversary salute to the Harry Potter movie franchise that will feature teams designated by the fourt houses at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy – Gyrffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw – testing their knowledge of the books and films over the course of four consecutive weeks.

Mark your calendars!