Rueben's Ramblings

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

On November 15, the season finale of Reasonable Doubt will air online on Hulu.

The first 3 episodes of the second season premiere Leverage: Redemption will air online on Freevee (formerly IMDbTV) on November 16; while, on that same day, the finale of American Horror Story: NYC will air on FX at 10 PM.

On November 16, the limited series The Santa Clauses, based on the box office movie franchise The Santa Claus, will debut online on Disney+. Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is on the brink of his 65th birthday and realizing that he can’t be Santa forever. He’s suddenly starting to lose his Santa magic; and, more importantly, he’s got a family who could benefit from a life in the normal world, especially his two kids who have grown up at the North Pole. With a lot of elves, children and family to please, Scott sets out to find a suitable replacement Santa while preparing his family for a new adventure in a life south of the pole. Elizabeth Mitchell is back as Carol; David Krumholtz as Bernard the Elf as well as Kal Penn and Laura San Giacomo.

Season 3 of First Wives Club will premiere on BET+ online on November 17, and that same day, the final season of Dead To Me will air on Netflix. And, that same day, the second season premiere of Gangs of London will air online on AMC+.

The following holiday movies will debut on November 17:

* Sweet Navidad on Lifetime at 8 PM. Lovable pastry chef Carmen (Camila Banus) dreams of opening her own Puerto Rican-influenced bakery—like the one her family owned on the island. In the meantime, she showcases her treats at a local coffee shop. When hotel owner Victor Flores (David Fumero) discovers Carmen’s talents, he invites her to apply for a position as pastry chef for his hotel’s holiday gala. Knowing other applicants will have culinary-school backgrounds, as opposed to her homegrown skills, Carmen reluctantly applies. When she is accepted, she’s paired with chef Jax (Mark Hapka) to curate the perfect holiday menu. But the two do not mix well. Carmen is messy and cooks from the heart; Jax is a perfectionist fixated on technique. As they race against the clock to assemble their intricate holiday menu, sparks fly, and they realize they might have more to learn from one another than they initially thought.

* Christmas Party Crashers on BET+. When two grifters meet after crashing the same millionaire’s Christmas party, they agree to work together to achieve each other’s ‘mission,’ not knowing that they would find something more than money or fame – true love. The movie stars Skye Townsend, Jaime Callica and Cocoa Brown.

* Christmas With You on Netflix. Feeling career burnout, pop star Angelina (Aimee Garcia) escapes to grant a young fan’s wish in small-town New York, where she not only finds the inspiration to revitalize her career but also a shot at true love. Freddie Prinze Jr. co-stars.

* A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max. Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is all grown up in this sequel to the annual holiday favorite in which he must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it, this time as a dad. Peter Billingsley returns to the role that has made kids of all ages anticipate Christmas morning like no other. Erinn Hayes co-stars.

Also on November 17, the mind-bending drama 1899 will debut online on Netflix. In 1899, European immigrants traveling to the promised land encounter a terrible nightmare after finding another migrant ship adrift on the open sea. The cast includes Aneurin Barnard, Emily Beecham and Andreas Pietschmann.

The following movies will debut on November 18:

* A Country Christmas Harmony on Lifetime at 8 PM. Before Chrissy Kessler’s (Brooke Elliott) meteoric rise to fame, the country music superstar was just a small-town girl with dreams of the big time. Now, with her record sales on a rapid decline, Chrissy is strong-armed by an unrelenting record executive to return to the hometown she left behind to perform a live Christmas concert. Accompanying her on this journey is her longtime supportive assistant Eugene (Danny Pintauro). Luke Covington’s (Brandon Quinn) quiet life is suddenly disrupted when he runs into Chrissy, his ex-girlfriend and former country music duo partner, who disappeared on him to pursue her solo career all those years ago. After a tempestuous rainstorm forces the ex-sweethearts to seek shelter in Luke’s ranch home, the two realize that the only way they’ll survive the holidays is with the other’s help.

* The People We Hate at the Wedding on Amazon. Struggling American siblings Alice and Paul (Kristen Bell and Ben Platt) reluctantly agree to attend the wedding of their estranged, wealthy half-sister Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) in the English countryside alongside their mother, Donna (Alison Janney). The film also stars Dustin Milligan, Tony Goldwyn and Julian Ovenden.

* Slumberland on Netflix. In the dreamworld of Slumberland, a young girl (Marlow Barkley) works with an outlaw to see her late father again. The film also stars Jason Momoa, Kyle Chandler, India de Beaufort and Chris O’Dowd.

* Spirited on Apple TV+. Each Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Will Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge. Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself reexamining his own past, present and future. Octavia Spencer also stars.

* Inventing the Christmas Prince on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Shelby (Tamera Mowry-Housley) is about to quit her job as a rocket engineer when her daughter becomes convinced that her Scrooge-like boss, Evan (Ronnie Rowe Jr.), is the Christmas Prince from a story Shelby invented years ago.

* Disenchanted, the long-awaited sequel to the box office movie Enchanted, on Disney+. It’s been fifteen years since Giselle and Robert (Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey) wed, but Giselle has grown disillusioned with life in the city. They decide to move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairy tale life – unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix she hoped for. Suburbia has a whole new set of rules and a local queen bee, Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph), who makes Giselle feel more out of place than ever. Frustrated that her happily ever after hasn’t been easy to find, she turns to the magic of Andalasia for help, accidentally transforming the entire town into a real-life fairy tale, placing her family’s future happiness in jeopardy. Now, Giselle is in a race against time to reverse the spell and determine what happily ever after truly means to her and her family. Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jayma Mays also star.

The following movies will debut on November 19:

* The Holiday Switch on UPtv at 7 PM. When two strangers mistakenly pick up the wrong piece of luggage at the airport, each must use the intriguing contents within to track down the other’s whereabouts in time for Christmas. The film stars Alex Paxton-Beesley and Morgan David Jones.

* Christmas at Pine Valley on Great American Family at 8 PM. Natalie (Kristina Cole) writes a blog that leads people to accidentally believe that her farm is family-owned and run when it is in fact a collection of friends who are chosen family. Reporter Josh (Andrew Biernat) is intrigued by the family’s story, traveling to the farm to write an article. When Josh begins interviewing ‘the family,’ they maintain the story fearing the truth will cause them to lose everything during the busiest time of the year.

* Santa Bootcamp on Lifetime at 8 PM. When event planner Emily Strauss (Emily Kinney) is hired by mall magnate Ed Mancini (Patrick Cassidy) to stage the ultimate Christmas Gala for his most important investors, Emily finds herself being sent to bootcamp – Santa Bootcamp – to find the perfect Santa and the inspiration she will need to make the evening a success. While there, Emily meets Belle (Rita Moreno), the bootcamp’s drill sergeant with a heart of gold, who helps Emily rediscover the magic of Christmas and find romance along the way.

* Three Wise Men and a Baby on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Three brothers (Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes and Andrew Walker) get the surprise of their lives when they are forced to work together to care for a baby over the holidays. As they slowly get the hang of things, they find themselves on unexpected journeys of self-discovery and begin to rebuild their relationships as brothers, as well as the damaged romantic and professional relationships in their respective lives… all while rediscovering their love of Christmas. Margaret Colin also stars.

* Long Lost Christmas on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 10 PM. Hayley (Taylor Cole) is an interior designer who plans to surprise her recently widowed mother, Patricia, with the perfect holiday present: the extended family she knows her mom yearns for. The film also stars Benjamin Ayres.

Also on November 19, the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air on HBO at 8 PM.

The following movies will debut on November 20:

* The Case of the Christmas Diamond on ION at 8 PM. Blue collar Andy (Kelly Daly) is a little nervous but thrilled when she is invited to her rich friend’s estate for Christmas, but when the family matriarch’s multi-million-dollar gem suddenly goes missing she finds herself accused of the theft and at the center of Detective Billings’ (Billy Baldwin) investigation. With the help of a famous mystery writer, Andy must find the real culprit amid the litany of wealthy guests all of whom have their knives out for her.

* Christmas Lucky Charm on UPtv at 7 PM. Every boyfriend Jessica has had found the love of his life right after he dated her. Just as Jessica leans into her unlucky love life and swears off dating for the Christmas season, a handsome gallery owner moves in across the street. The film stars Sugenja Sri and Adrian Spencer.

* My Favorite Christmas Tree on Great American Family holiday at 8 PM. Kyla (Emma Johnson) is a skilled genealogy researcher who’s made a thriving business of putting together family trees. When she comes across new information regarding her mother’s mysterious extended family, Kyla and her sister travel to the charming town of Conifer, hoping to piece together their ancestry. The search leads Kyla to a generations-old Christmas tree farm, its stubborn, handsome owner – and potentially, love. Giles Panton also stars.

* A Show-Stopping Christmas on Lifetime at 8 PM. Riley Burdett (Jamie Perez) is the artistic director of the Onota Theatre in Western Massachusetts. When Regina, the Scrooge-like owner of the theatre, breaks the news that she’s preparing to sell the property before the holiday performance, Riley must call upon the ghosts of Regina’s past, present, and future to change her mind. Meanwhile, a big TV star, Sam Palmer (Thomas McDonnell), has moved to the area to escape the craziness of Hollywood. Riley casts him as Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol and his star power, his cleverness, and his budding love for Riley helps her save the theatre and steal her heart during this very special Christmastime.

* A Walton’s Thanksgiving on The CW at 8 PM. In this follow-up to last year’s The Waltons’ Homecoming, the Walton family reunites to prepare for Thanksgiving in 1934. The Depression has affected everyone, but John Walton (Teddy Sears) has found a way to provide for his family through the farm and by picking up odd jobs from the eccentric Baldwin Sisters. It’s also the time of year for the Annual Harvest Festival Fair, where carnival rides, talent shows and pie contests become the center of attention for the Waltons. As the story unfolds, John Boy (Logan Shroyer) learns the true meaning of taking responsibility, Mary Ellen (Marcelle LeBlanc) comes to understand patience and collaboration, Grandma (Rebecca Koon) finds that winning can be complicated, and Olivia (Bellamy Young) shares her healing heart with every other Walton family member — at a time when each of them need it most. And when a young boy enters the Waltons’ world, everyone’s life is changed in ways they could never have imagined — transformed forever through love, faith and kindness.

* When I Think of Christmas on the Hallmark Channel at 8 PM. Sara Thompson (Shenae Grimes-Beech) returns to her hometown to help her mother move and is surprised to find her ex-boyfriend Josh Hartman (Niall Matter) is back home. The two had once planned a life in music together, but Sara left to study law. The former flames slowly reconnect and try to heal wounds, both old and new. When Sara makes a surprising discovery, she and Josh forge a bold plan for the upcoming Christmas concert that will lead them all back to their musical roots and make this a holiday to remember. Beth Broderick also stars.

Lastly, also on November 20, the season finale of SEAL Team will air online on Paramount+; while that same day, the 2022 American Music Awards will air on ABC at 8 PM. Also that same night the finales of Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Magpie Murders and Annika will air on PBS at 8, 9 and 10 PM respectively; and that same day, the series finale of The Walking Dead will air on AMC+ as well as air on AMC at 9 PM.

Mark your calendars!