Rueben's Ramblings

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

On December 2, the fall finale of 9-1-1: Lone Star will air on FOX at 8 PM; while on that same night, the series finale of Superman & Lois will air at 8 PM on CW.

The 2-hour season finale of Accused will air on FOX on December 3 at 8 PM; while that same night, the fall finale of The Irrational will air on NBC at 10 PM.

On December 3, the Disney+ drama Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will debut online. Told through the perspective of four kids, the series follows them as they make a mysterious discovery on their seemingly safe home planet, then get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy, crossing paths with the likes of Jod Na Nawood, a mysterious character played by Jude Law. Kerry Condon and Nick Frost co-star along with newcomers Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter and Robert Timothy Smith as the four kids.

The Netflix movie That Christmas will debut online on December 4. The animated film follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, Santa Claus making a big mistake and it also features an enormous number of turkeys. Voices are provided by Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw and Jodie Whittaker.

On December 5, the BET+ holiday movie Brewster’s Millions Christmas will debut online. A reimagining of the 1985 comedic classic Brewster’s Millions starring the late Richard Pryor that follows Morgan Brewster (China Anne McClain) as she embarks on a unique and challenging journey of delightful chaos to inherit her uncle Montgomery’s fortune before Christmas. Along the way, she discovers the true meaning of love, faith, and family through the act of giving rather than receiving. The ensemble cast includes Romeo Miller, Richard Pryor Jr., Rain Pryor, Telma Hopkins, Tequan Richmond and Sierra McClain.

The Netflix drama Black Doves will debut online on December 5. In this British spy thriller, Helen (Keira Knightley) begins a passionate affair that may endanger her secret identity when her lover becomes victim to London’s underworld and her employers send an old friend to protect her. Sarah Lacashire, Ben Whishaw and Tracey Ullman also star.

On December 5, the Hallmark+ movie Season’s Greetings From Cherry Lane will debut online. In 1951, a doctor (Corey Cott) wants to make the holiday special for his worried wife (Annabelle Bourke) before he is shipped out to serve in Korea, but when she suffers a minor fracture to her arm his carefully planned out Christmas Eve plans are upended. In 2003, a newly married couple (Sarah Dugdale and Shannon Kook) who are always in agreement about everything host two sets of in-laws for Christmas Eve for the first time and find that they may not have had as much in common as they thought they did. And in 2024, a couple (Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III) tries to arrange special Christmas surprises for each other but keeping them a secret may be harder than they thought.

The season finale of the Hallmark+ drama Mistletoe Murders will air online on December 5.

Also on December 5, the Hallmark Mystery holiday movie A Dance in the Snow will debut at 8 PM. Melanie’s (Erica Cerra) 17-year-old autistic daughter Jenny (Vanessa Burghardt) is a senior in high school and looking forward to college. After a bad experience her junior year, Jenny is not interested in attending her final Christmas dance before graduating. Melanie decides to surprise Jenny by getting involved in the school’s planning committee to create a welcoming dance for all students. Meanwhile, Jenny and her friends secretly plan their own party, in part to honor Melanie. Melanie works with Jenny’s literature teacher (Mark Ghanimé) on the dance and starts to fall for him while Jenny develops something special with a new classmate (Dorian Giordano) at school. When their secrets snowball, however, their plans begin to drive a wedge between the usually tightknit mother and daughter at the holidays.

On December 6, the Hulu series Paris Has Fallen, based on the movie franchise, will debut online. Set within the Has Fallen box office movie franchise that starred Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart, the small screen adaptation focuses on what happens when a terrorist group led by the villainous Jacob Pearce (Sean Harris) attacks a high-profile event, with the French Minister of Defense as their target. Protection officer Vincent Taleb (Tewfik Jallab) finds himself working with street-smart MI6 operative Zara Taylor (Ritu Arya from The Umbrella Academy) to save the day. But when events take a dark turn, Vincent and Zara soon realize that the plan extends beyond just one politician. When they suspect that one of their colleagues in the security services is feeding information to Jacob, Vincent and Zara find themselves needing to rely only on each other. Increasingly isolated and with Jacob always one step ahead, can this unlikely pair stop Paris from falling to a man hell-bent on vengeance?

The limited series The Sticky will debut online on December 6 on Amazon Prime. The series follows Ruth Landry (Margo Martindale), a tough, middle-aged maple syrup farmer who turns to crime when the bureaucratic authorities threaten to take away everything she loves. She teams up with the hot-tempered Bostonian mobster (Chris Diamantopoulos), and a mild-mannered French-Canadian security guard (Guillaume Cyr) to carry out a multi-million-dollar heist on Quebec’s maple syrup surplus.

On December 6, the Hallmark Channel movie Private Princess Christmas will debut at 8 PM. Vi (Ali Skovbye), better known as Princess Violet of Wingravia, adores the privileges of being a royal, if none of the responsibilities. After being disappointed by Vi one time too many, the Queen (Erica Durance) decides to test her daughter’s mettle once and for all and issues an ultimatum: Vi must pass a vigorous leadership boot camp in Colorado or lose the throne to her uncle. At boot camp, Vi and her fellow cadets are put through a rigorous grind under the uncompromising supervision of Captain Ryan Douglas (Derek Klena).

The Netflix movie Mary will debut online on December 6. This epic biblical film focuses on Mary (Noa Cohen, played by Mila Harris as young Mary), a Jewish girl who lives in Nazareth with her parents, Anne and Joachim, is presented at the temple in preparation for her marriage to Joseph (Ido Tako). Following the incarnation and birth of Jesus, Mary is forced into hiding. When Herod the Great (Sir Anthony Hopkins) orders the Massacre of the Innocents, Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with Jesus.

On December 7, the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will debut on HBO at 9 PM (and will also stream on MAX). Chronicling his personal and professional life before and after the near-fatal horseback riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, this movie uses Reeve’s own words, as well as intimate input from his closest family members and friends, to paint a rich, nuanced portrait of a man who refused to be defined by his physicality and who proved that you don’t need tights and a cape to be a hero.

The Great American Family movie Once Upon a Christmas Wish will debut on December 7 at 8 PM. A local mayor discovers his childhood Christmas wishes are coming true. With his childhood friend, the pair can inspire residents to showcase the town’s warmth and values while pushing back a major developer’s desire to take the community in a different direction. The movie stars real-life husband and wife Mario and Courtney Lopez.

On December 7, the Hallmark Channel movie Sugarplummed will debut at 8 PM. Emily (Maggie Lawson) has always dreamed of creating the perfect Christmas, meticulously planning every detail year after year, only to feel like she’s falling short. Hoping to bring her family closer together, she makes a wish for a holiday as picture-perfect as the ones she sees in a made-for-TV holiday movie. To her shock, Sugarplum (Janel Parrish), the film’s relentlessly optimistic main character, magically steps off the screen to make Emily’s wish come true — whether she’s ready for it or not. As Sugarplum applies her movie-world rules to real life, Emily gets caught up in the possibility of finally achieving the flawless family Christmas. But when Sugarplum’s magical fixes start to backfire one by one, Emily begins to question what an ideal holiday really is. With time running out, Emily and Sugarplum find themselves on a heartwarming adventure – one that might just amount to an entirely different kind of Christmastime perfection.

The Lifetime movie A Very Merry Beauty Salon will debut on December 7 at 8 PM. Sienna (Tia Mowry), the owner of the bustling Divine Beauty Salon is preparing for Atlanta’s Tinsel Ball, where she will be honored for her charitable work in the community. The annual event takes a glamourous turn with the arrival of Lawrence (RonReaco Lee), a charismatic CEO whose family’s wine brand is now co-sponsoring the Ball. Sparks fly between them, but Sienna’s mother Georgia (Donna Biscoe) who is the head of the Ball’s committee, worries his involvement may ruin the event’s traditions. As Sienna and Lawrence are unexpectedly paired as dance partners, romance blooms, setting the stage for a steamy romance that challenges Sienna’s thoughts on love and family and makes this year’s Tinsel Ball the most memorable yet.

Also on December 7, the OWN holiday movie A Season to Remember will debut at 9 PM. Sports reporter Symone Gibson (Michele Weaver) is ambitious and good at her job, but often has to navigate being a woman in a male-dominated field. She gets a crash course in how to be more assertive after teaming with freelance sports photographer Iggy Love (Nathan Owens), who knows a thing or two about going after what’s really important in life. She has just a week before Christmas to find an attention-grabbing story that could take her career to the next level. With Iggy’s assistance, Symone chases down a story and finds romance, courage and a new sense of direction along the way.

The season finale of Lioness will air online on December 8 on Paramount+; while on that same night, the fall finale of The Equalizer will air on CBS at the special time of 8:30 PM; and also that night, the network premiere of 1923 will air on Paramount Network. Check your local listings for airtime.

On December 8, the UPtv movie 12 Dares of Christmas will debut at 7 PM. A schoolteacher’s (Brittany Underwood) quiet holiday season gets a jolt of spice when she accepts a 12 Dares of Christmas challenge from her sister while scrambling to ready her town for a Christmas exchange program with a suave, opinionated French teacher (Sean Yves Lessard).

The Lifetime movie How to Fall in Love By Christmas will debut on December 8 at 8 PM. Nora Winters (Teri Hatcher), the fiercely talented writer-turned-CEO of her own lifestyle brand, PRISM, finds herself in a tight spot when the company’s future hangs in the balance. In a desperate attempt to save her business through a partnership with the popular dating app, Take To Heart, she discovers an unexpected twist! The only way to win them over is to write a column on falling in love by Christmas with the help of Jack (Dan Payne), a charismatic photographer who has been assigned to the piece.

Lastly, the Hallmark Channel movie Leah’s Perfect Gift will debut at 8 PM on December 8. Leah Meyer (Emily Arlook) is a bonafide lover of Christmas – the trees, the ornaments, the eggnog, but she has always admired the holiday from afar because she’s Jewish. Though her family celebrates Hanukkah, Leah has longed to experience a traditional Christmas. When her boyfriend Graham (Evan Roderick) invites her to spend the holidays with his classic Connecticut family, she eagerly accepts. Excited to dive into the quintessential Christmas she’s always dreamed of, Leah quickly discovers that fitting in with Graham’s uptight family and his not-so-welcoming mom (Barbara Niven) is easier said than done. As holiday traditions clash and awkward moments pile up, it is not quite the cozy Christmas that she expected.

Mark your calendar!