Rueben's Ramblings

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

On December 20, Dynasty will return for the start of its 5th season with its premiere episode on The CW at 8 PM followed by a second episode at 9 PM.

The following movies will debut on December 20:

* Miracles Across 125th Street on VH1 at 9 PM. The film follows a Harlem rapper who confronts his past by returning to his family’s church on Christmas Eve after battling drug addiction. The film stars Nick Cannon, Lil Kim, Chrisette Michele, Kierra Sheard-Kelly and Tommy Davidson.

* Candy Cane Candidate on Lifetime at 8 PM. Natural born leader Julia (Jacky Lai) returns to her hometown of North Falls for Christmas to drown her sorrows in eggnog, cookies, and Yuletide after her recent political campaign for city council ended in a landslide loss. It’s the perfect place for Julia’s holiday escape — until she realizes coming home means running into her old high school rival, Parker (Jake Epstein), the arrogant know-it-all who beat her in a race for senior class president. When the North Falls mayor resigns, the town holds an emergency election, and Julia and Parker find themselves once again facing off. But as Julia and Parker campaign their way through the Christmas season and plan a toy drive together, Julia begins to see a different side of Parker, and the ice between them slowly begins to thaw. As their political race comes to a head, Julia and Parker discover winning isn’t everything.

The following movies will debut on December 21:

* The Christmas Ball on Lifetime at 8 PM. When lead ballerina Clare Fitzgerald (Deidre Mullins) is let go before the Christmas season’s Nutcracker, she’s beyond devastated and jumps at the opportunity to visit her Aunt Bridget (Caroline Langrishe) in England during the holidays. Once there, she meets Liam (Nick Hendrix), a local professor and historian who is helping Aunt Bridget preserve the family manor. Clare discovers that Christmas Regency balls were once held at the manor, prompting Aunt Bridget to propose they hold a ball as part of Liam’s presentation to the preservation society. As Clare and Liam work together, the two also waltz into a new romance.

* Being the Ricardos online on Amazon. Taking place over the course of a week during production of I Love Lucy, shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos threaten the relationship between Hollywood power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem). The film also stars J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Linda Lavin, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg, John Rubinstein and Robert Pine.

On December 22, the season premiere of Emily in Paris will air on Netflix online; while that same day, the season finale of Hawkeye will air online on Disney+.

The following movies will debut on December 22:

* The Matrix: Resurrections online on HBO Max. Twenty years after the events of The Matrix Revolutions, Neo (Keanu Reeves) lives a seemingly ordinary life as Thomas A. Anderson in San Francisco where his therapist prescribes him blue pills. Neither he nor Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) recognize each other. However, Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II – originally played by Laurence Fishburne) offers him the red pill and reopens his mind to the world of the Matrix. The cast includes Jessica Henwick and Jada Pinkett Smith as well as Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jones, Christina Ricci and Telma Hopkins.

* It Takes A Christmas Village on Lifetime at 8 PM. In order to make the town’s Christmas market a reality, Mayor Alex Foster (Brooke Nevin) must convince the reclusive Darcy Hawkins (Corey Sevier) to loan out his family’s historic mill, which is no easy task thanks to a long-running family feud. But as Alex slowly chips away at Darcy’s frosty exterior, their feelings grow beyond the interest of the town, leading this unlikely duo to the prospect of love.

The following movies will debut on December 23:

* Christmas for Sale online on BET+. A young real estate agent pretends to be a billionaire’s yoga instructor on a holiday ski trip to gain a lucrative real estate listing, but she ends up falling in love with the eccentric and charming gentleman. The film stars Nadine Ellis, Aaron Spears and Shanti Lowry.

* Rebuilding a Dream Christmas on Lifetime at 8 PM. Successful real estate broker Abbey (Meggan Kaiser) is forced back to her hometown to repair a Victorian house she inherited from her grandmother. She decides to sell the house and hires single dad Josh (Zane Stephens) to help with the repairs. Working together brings up memories from her past and as her relationship with Josh and his 8-year-old son, Noah (JonSteele), grows, Abbey finds her calling and makes a home for herself.

* Two-hour holiday special of Fantasy Island on FOX at 8 PM. The episode entitled “Welcome to the Snow Globe” will focus on a busineswoman (Lindsey Kraft from Grace and Frankie), whose fantasy of a perfect Christmas and meeting ‘Mr. Right’ (Eddie Cahill) tests Roarke (series lead Roselyn Sanchez) in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones (Mackenzie Astin) faces his past, while a new Secret Santa tradition has Ruby and Javier looking to the future.

NOTE: This special was to air on December 21, but was moved because of a delayed football game.

On December 24, the series finale of Dickinson will air online on Apple TV+; while that same day, the season finale of The Wheel of Time will air online on Amazon.

The following movies will debut on December 24:

* Don’t Look Up online on Netflix. The film tells the story of two low-level astronomers (Leonardo DiCapril and Jennifer Lawrence), who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet earth. The ensemble cast includes Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Timothee Chalamet, Rob Morgna, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Himest Patel, Matthew Perry, Chris Evans, Melanie Lynskey, Gina Gershon, Michael Chiklis and Paul Guilfoyle.

* Hot Chocolate Holiday on Lifetime at 8 PM. Colette (Aubrey Reynolds) runs a coffee shop that is known for her secret hot chocolate. When Marcus (Jonny Swenson), a new dessert shop owner, starts to draw in Colette’s customers with his very own specialty hot chocolate that tastes exactly like the recipe from her beloved grandmother, she is determined to expose him. But as she gets to know Marcus, sparks fly between the cocoa connoisseurs.

The final Christmas movie for the year – Writing Around the Christmas Tree – will air on Christmas Day at 8 PM over on Lifetime. Mikaela (Krystal Joy Brown) a successful romance novelist who has had bad luck in love, visits a quaint bed and breakfast for a Christmas writers retreat near a snowy lake town each year. Upon arriving, she meets dashing writer Levi (Curtis Hamilton), who soon convinces Mikaela that she shouldn’t be writing about love if she doesn’t allow herself to get out and actually experience it.

Lastly, on December 26, the season finale of Condor will air at the special time of 10 PM on EPIX; while that same night the season finale of Hightown will air on Starz at 9 PM.

Mark your calendars!