Rueben's Ramblings

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

On December 6, the fall finale of 9-1-1 will air on FOX at 8 PM followed by the season finale of The Big Leap at 9 PM; that same night the fall finales of both NCIS and NCIS: Hawai’i will air on CBS at 8 and 9 PM respectively.

The four-episode HBO limited series Landscapers will premiere on December 6 at 9 PM. The series tells a unique love story involving Chris and Susan Edwards (David Thewlis and Olivia Colman), a seemingly ordinary British couple, who become the focus of an extraordinary investigation when two dead bodies are discovered in the back garden of a house in Nottingham.

The following movies will debut on December 6:

* Secretly Santa on Lifetime at 8 PM. Miranda (Alicia Dea Josipovic) and Paul (Travis Nelson) are business rivals who accidentally meet at a costumed Santa crawl and spend a romantic evening together without learning each other’s identities. As their anonymous romance continues online, their businesses merge, forcing them into an unwanted partnership. As they clash while working together on a holiday gift-giving app, their hearts must reconcile their online love when unexpected feelings develop for one another.

* Hip Hop Family Christmas on VH1 at 9 PM. Hip-Hop’s most famous family agrees to participate in a live Christmas television special to address negative press and soften their image. The ensemble cast include Keri Hilson, Ne-Yo, Terrence J, Serayah, MC Lyte, Redman, Valarie Pettiford and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe [among others].

On December 7, the fall finale of The Resident and the season finale of Our Kind of People will both air on FOX at 8 and 9 PM respectively and that same night the fall finale of FBI: International will air on CBS at 9 PM. The People’s Choice Awards will also air on December 7 at 9 PM simultaneously on Bravo, E! And NBC.

The holiday movie Christmas Movie Magic will debut on Lifetime at 8 PM on December 7. When entertainment writer Alli Blakeman (Holly Deveaux) is assigned a story covering the anniversary of a classic Christmas movie in the small town where it was filmed, she agrees on the condition that it could lead to a big promotion. When she meets local theater owner Brad (Drew Seeley), they unravel the mysterious origins of the movie’s signature song and Alli learns that movie magic isn’t always just on screen.

On December 8, the season finale of CSI: Vegas will air at 10 PM on CBS; also that same night the fall finales of Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. will all air on NBC at 8, 9 and 10 PM respectively.

The Lifetime movie Christmas With a Crown will debut on December 8 at 8 PM. After Cassie (Lisa Durupt) returns to her hometown to revive her family’s traditional Christmas festival, she meets a dashing stranger, Nicolas (Marcus Rosner), who’s volunteered to help organize the event. Sparks begin to fly between them, but little does she know that he’s really a prince in disguise, longing to find the true spirit of the holidays. It will take a Christmas miracle of royal proportions for their hearts to meet as one.

On December 9, the season finale of Guilty Party will air online on Paramount+ and the season finale of Gossip Girl will air online on HBO Max. That same night, Bull will air its fall finale on CBS at 10 PM; and Walker will also air its fall finale that night on The CW at 8 PM.

The 3-part limited series Anne Boleyn will debut online on AMC+ on December 9. The drama explores the final months of Anne Boleyn’s (Jodie Turner-Smith) life from the eponymous Queen’s perspective, as she struggles to secure a future for her daughter and to challenge the powerful patriarchy closing in around her. Anne Boleyn depicts the key moments that cause Anne to topple, unpicking her immense strength, her fatal vulnerabilities and her determination to be an equal among men.

Also on December 9, the Sex and the City 10-episode revival And Just Like That… will debut online on HBO Max with the first two episodes followed by one new episode each week. The revival reunites original stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis as best friends Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, the late great Willie Garson and Evan Handler all return; however Kim Cattrall will not appear in the revival. New cast members include Sara Ramírez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman.

The following movies will debut on December 9:

* Merry Switchmas will debut online on BET+. The holidays take a wrong turn when identical twin sisters agree to switch places for one night only at their parents’ Christmas party. With their boyfriends, a feisty great-aunt, and others tangled in their charade, the sisters end up finding out more about their family and themselves before the night ends. But the real question is whether the sisters can eventually make things right with their family and boyfriends when the truth comes out. The film stars Valarie Pettiford, Thea Camara, Peter Parros, Rachel Aladdin, Rebekah Aladdin, Joseph Harold and Joel Harold.

* A Fiancé for Christmas will debut on Lifetime at 8 PM. Perpetually single Sawyer (Amanda Payton) makes a fake wedding registry, hoping a shopping spree with a scan gun will be the ultimate retail therapy. But when the registry is discovered and the whole town throws her a surprise bridal shower, she’s too embarrassed to tell the truth. Instead, she finds a fake fiancé to help her navigate through the lies and holiday festivities. However, as real feelings develop between Sawyer and her fake fiancé, they may turn into the real deal after all. Adam Gregory also stars along with Marie Osmond.

On December 10, the fall finales of S.W.A.T., Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods will all air on CBS at 8, 9 and 10 PM respectively; and that same night the fall finale of Nancy Drew will air on The CW at 8 PM. Also that night, the 6th season premiere of The Expanse will air on Amazon online; and the season finale of the new Apple TV+ drama Invasion will air online.

The following movies will debut on December 10:

* Encounter online on Amazon. A decorated Marine (Riz Ahmed) goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from a mysterious threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind. The cast includes Janina Gavankar, Rory Cochrane, Keith Szarabajka and Octavia Spencer.

* The animated movie Back to the Outback online on Netflix. Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they’re monsters, a group of Australia’s deadliest creatures plots a daring escape from the zoo. The voices will be provided by Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Eric Bana, Guy Pearce, Keith Urban, Jacki Weaver and Wayne Knight [among others].

* The Unforgivable online on Netflix. Released from prison into a society that won’t forgive her past, a woman (Sandra Bullock) seeks redemption by searching for the sister she left behind. The film also stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Viola Davis, Jon Bernthal, Richard Thomas and Rob Morgan.

* A Dickens of a Holiday! on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. To make the 100th anniversary of her hometown’s Victorian festival a success, Cassie invites action movie star and former high school classmate Jake to play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. The film stars Kristoffer Polaha and Brooke D’Orsay.

* Holiday in Santa Fe on Lifetime at 8 PM. Casa de Milagro is a family-owned business that makes holiday ornaments and décor, inspired by Mexican Christmas traditions. Their award-winning designs, created by matriarch Milagro Ortega, are highly sought after each holiday season. Siblings Tony (Morio Lopez) and Magdalena (Aimee Garcia), with help from their dad (Efrain Figueroa), run the shop in Santa Fe, but when their beloved Milagro unexpectedly passes, the family struggles to find its heart. With Milagro gone, Belinda Sawyer (Emeraude Toubia), an executive at one of the largest greeting card and holiday décor chains, sees an opportunity to acquire the company. When sparks fly between Belinda and Tony, Belinda realizes there is more to Casa de Milagro than meets the eye.

The following movies will debut on December 11:

* The Holiday Fix Up on Lifetime at 8 PM. When Sam (Jana Kramer), the designer behind a popular home renovation show, returns to her hometown during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop (Ryan McPartlin) as her lead contractor. The only problem — he’s the guy who broke her heart and she’s the one who got away. Sparks fly as they work closely to get the renovations done in time for the inn’s annual Christmas Eve Harborfest. Will they be able to fix the mistakes of their past to build a future together?

* Christmas in the Rockies on UPtv at 7 PM. After her father is hurt in a timber accident, Katie Jolly must enter a lumberjack competition to save her family’s business. But when the paramedic who saved her dad’s life also joins the contest, a romance sparks just in time for Christmas. The film stars Kimberly Sue Murray and Stephen Huszar.

* A Christmas Miracle for Daisy on GAC Family at 8 PM. Whitney Alder (Jill Wagner) owns interior design firm Marietta Designs, which she runs with her friend Andi in the small town of Marietta, Mont. Whitney is designing Santa’s float for the annual Marietta Christmas Parade when a potential job opportunity comes her way: the full redesign of a landmark home by Christmas Eve. Despite the challenge, Whitney and Andi sign onto the job — only to discover the home’s new owner is Whitney’s ex-boyfriend, Connor Sheenan (Nick Bateman), who has moved to town from Los Angeles with his bright-eyed young daughter, Daisy. Connor had no intention of becoming a family man, but when his goddaughter is orphaned, he adopts her and commits to becoming a devoted single dad. More than anything, Daisy wishes for a mom to complete her picture-perfect family, and no prospect is as perfect as Whitney. Tall order, but Christmas is a time for miracles.

* A Royal Queens Christmas on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. A prince finds his way to Queens during Christmas when a local woman enlists his help with a children’s Christmas show. The film will star Megan Park and Julian Morris.

* A Godwink Christmas: Miracle of Love on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 10 PM. Now that Joy has completed her education, she’s ready to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse and follow in her late mother’s footsteps. Back at home before the holiday and with no job on the horizon, Joy’s interest is piqued by a volunteer opportunity out of town. There, she meets Eric, who is also at a crossroads. As they become immersed in the effort to build a new home for a family at Christmas, Joy and Eric both find a new sense of purpose. Through a series of coincidences — or Godwinks — and a medical miracle, they begin to believe in destiny. The movie stars Katherine Barrell and Alberto Frezza.

The following movies will debut on December 12:

* A New Lease on Christmas on ION at 8 PM. A single real estate agent (Claire Coffee) falls for a handsome coffee shop owner (George Stults) — only to discover that the job she just took requires her to evict him from his shop.

* A Christmas Proposal on CBS at 8:30 PM. A down-on-her-luck chef, Maria Winters (Jessica Camacho), who dreams of starting her own line of food trucks, agrees to pose as the girlfriend of hotshot Seattle attorney Julian Diaz (Adam Rodriguez), visiting his family for Christmas, to help him prove he’s the ideal candidate to take over the family firm. But their business arrangement is complicated by the magic of the season as real sparks begin to fly.

* Fixing Up Christmas on UPtv at 7 PM. Known as a fixer for difficult clients, a talented party planner must help a young CEO plan the Christmas party of the year to dazzle the mayor and save his company. Will the fixer fix something more than just the company? The film stars Natalie Dreyfuss and Marshal Williams.

* The Christmas Star on GAC Family at 8 PM. An astronomer, Madeline Baggett, searches for life beyond Earth, and when she believes she has found it, convinces her boss to allow her to travel to a small hamlet in upstate New York where the scientist hopes to capture a once-in-a-lifetime event. With refractors, telescopes, and a small film crew in tow, Madeline arrives and sets up in Summit Ridge, where she meets widowed national park ranger Ryan Sparks and his young daughter, Celeste. With Ryan’s help, Madeline begins to chart the celestial event which brings the pair closer to finding love under the stars. The film stars Sarah Canning and Daniel Lissing.

* People Presents: Blending Christmas on Lifetime at 8 PM. The Hacienda de la Sierra is Emma’s (Haylie Duff) favorite place to spend the holiday season, and her boyfriend Liam (Aaron O’Connell) has been secretly planning to propose to her there, surrounded by both their families. Emma is delighted when she arrives to find the whole family bunch there. Of course, no holiday gathering is complete without drama, and soon the families are bickering over every detail! The added stress from trying to blend the two families eventually takes a toll on Emma and Liam, who start questioning their own relationship. Now just days before Christmas, the two families realize that they’re going to have to work together in order to reunite Emma and Liam. Former Brady Bunch cast members Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland and Susan Olsen also appear along with Beth Broderick, Greg Evigan, Telma Hopkins and Jennifer Elise Cox.

* Sister Swap: Christmas in the City on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Meg Swift comes to Salt Lake City from her hometown in Hazelwood to see her sister Jennifer, who runs a local restaurant in town. When Jennifer and her teenage son Simon return to Hazelwood for a pre-holiday visit with their family, Meg offers to help Jennifer’s staff to prepare for a competition among local restaurants that awards the winner money for the charity of its choice. Still feeling the effects of losing their Uncle Dave, a change of scenery and a project to dive into is just what Meg needed. As effusive Meg works alongside the more reserved Joe, the restaurant’s manager, the two find their differences are what make them a great team. Swapping cities with her sister helps Meg figure out her next chapter and also just might bring her an unexpected romance. The film stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Ashley Williams and Keith Robinson.

Lastly also on December 12, the season finale of Succession will air at 10 PM on HBO.

Mark your calendars!