2011 Network TV Holiday Specials; NBC Picks-Up Full Season of Grimm, Adds 2 More Up All Night Episodes

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

2011 Network TV Holiday Specials; NBC Picks-Up Full Season of Grimm, Adds 2 More Up All Night Episodes

Can you believe the holiday season is nearing? Thanksgiving is um tomorrow, which means Christmas is right around the corner! And then it will be 2012 already a week after Christmas. Time flies! Anyway as I mentioned, I have put together our annual network television (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW) holiday specials list that we all like to watch every year like Frosty the Snowman and A Charlie Brown Christmas, new classics like Shrek the Halls and Disney Prep & Landing and we even get some all-new specials like Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty Vs. Nice. Sure the network holiday line-ups are not as detailed as some cable networks like ABC Family, but the main holiday specials are still on network television! These are just actual holiday related specials and movies, not movies or specials airing during the holiday season on broadcast network television, kicking it off tomorrow with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on ABC:

ABC
Thursday, Nov. 24, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/This is America Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers
Thursday, Nov. 24, 9:30-11pm: A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (NEW!)
Monday, Nov. 28, 8-9pm: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) and Shrek the Halls
Thursday, Dec. 1, 8-9pm: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Thursday, Dec. 1, 9-11pm ET: CMA Country Christmas (NEW!)
Monday, Dec. 5, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Christmas and Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice (NEW!)
Thursday, Dec. 8, 8-9pm: Winter Wipeout: Deck the Balls (NEW!)
Thursday, Dec. 8, 9-10pm: America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular (NEW!)
Monday, Dec. 12, 8-9pm: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown
Thursday, Dec. 15, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Christmas/Charlie Brown Christmas Tales plus seven-minute short from Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa
Saturday, Dec. 17, 8-9pm: Winter Wipeout: Deck the Balls ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 17, 9-11pm: CMA Country Christmas ENCORE
Sunday, Dec. 18, 7-8pm: America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular ENCORE
Sunday, Dec. 18, 9-11pm: ABC Sunday Movie of the Week: The Santa Clause 3 - The Escape Clause
Monday, Dec. 19, 8-9pm: Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special and A Chipmunk Christmas (Both NEW! to ABC)
Thursday, Dec. 22, 8-9pm: Disney Prep & Landing and Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice ENCORE
Thursday, Dec. 22, 9-10pm: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown ENCORE
Friday, Dec. 23, 8-9pm: Shrek the Halls ENCORE and Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation
Friday, Dec. 23, 9-10pm: Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs Nice and Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special ENCORES
Saturday, Dec. 24, 8pm: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 24, 8:30-11pm: ABC Thursday Movie of the Week: Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Monday, Dec. 27, 8-9pm: Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Thursday, Dec. 29, 8-9pm: Happy New Year, Charlie Brown/She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown
Saturday, Dec. 31, 8-10pm New Year's Rockin' Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 10-11pm Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012 (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 11:30pm-2:11am Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012, Parts 1 and 2 (NEW!)
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on ABC, view our schedule.

CBS:
Friday, Nov. 25, 8-9pm: Hoops & Yo-Yo Ruin Christmas and Elf on a Shelf: An Elf's Story (NEW!)
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 8-9pm: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Friday, Dec. 9, 8-9pm: Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns
Friday, Dec. 9, 9-10pm: Yes, Virginia There Is A Santa Claus and Elf on a Shelf: An Elf's Story ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 10, 8-9pm: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 10, 9-10pm: The Flight Before Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 17, 8-9pm: Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns ENCORES
Saturday, Dec. 17, 9-10pm: The Story of Santa Claus
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 8-9pm: 13th Annual Home for the Holidays
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on CBS, view our schedule.

NBC:
Friday, Nov. 24, 10-11pm: The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NEW!)
Saturday, Nov. 26, 8-9pm: The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ENCORE
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 8-9pm: Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 3, 8-11pm: NBC Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life
Monday, Dec. 5, 8-10pm: The Sing-Off Holiday Special (NEW!)
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 8-9pm: A Michael Buble Christmas (NEW!)
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 9-11pm: Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 24, 8-11pm: NBC Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on NBC, view our schedule.

Fox:
Thursday, Nov. 24 8-9:30pm: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas and Happiness is Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (NEW!)
Friday, Dec. 16 8-9pm: Happiness is Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown ENCORE
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 8:30pm: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on Fox, view our schedule.

The CW:
Friday, Nov. 25 8-10pm: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Olive, The Other Reindeer
Wednesday, Nov. 30 8-9pm: A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (NEW! to The CW)
Friday, Dec. 23 8-10pm: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Olive, The Other Reindeer ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on The CW, view our schedule.

NBC has picked-up a full season of the new Friday drama Grimm. The series has surprisingly done decently for a Friday, either winning its time period or coming in second place over its four airings to date. As a result, NBC has picked-up a full 22 episode season for the series. NBC will also air an all-new episode on a special night and time on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 10pm to try and expand its audience and drive more tune-in to its regular Friday airings. The series has averaged about a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 in live+same day data.
Also at NBC, two more episodes of new comedy Up All Night have been ordered, bringing the number of episodes from 22 to 24. The single-camera starring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph was picked up for a full season early last month, as we mentioned. The series will be moving to Thursdays after The Office starting January 11. After a decent start, the comedy has plunged in the ratings but NBC will give it a boost by moving it to another night and time. Will it work? We shall see.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, January 15

Shifting Gears - "Accommodations" (ABC, 8:20PM ET/PT)
Matt joins Riley at Carter’s high school open house, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.

Abbott Elementary - "Testing" (ABC, 8:50PM ET/PT)
Janine must rethink her lesson plans after her class performs poorly on a practice test, while Jacob struggles to engage a disinterested student. The district sends a new custodian to train under Mr. Johnson.

Poppa's House - "Podcast" (CBS, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)

Junior enlists Nina’s help to film a documentary of Poppa’s iconic career, but the direction of the film takes a detour when the radio station begins using AI promos with Poppa’s and Ivy’s voices.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 13)

Wednesday, January 15

Tim Allen (Shifting Gears/Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Watch Tim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Adam appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He also talks about Severance on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Ben Stiller (Arrested Development) - Ben is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Severance on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Pauline Chalamet (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Pauline stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Denis Leary (Going Dutch/No Good Deed/Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll/The Job) - NBC's Today catches up with Denis in the 10am hour. He chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about One of Them Days on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. She also co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/The Mick) - Kaitlin talks about High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Gabriel Basso (The Big C) - Gabriel talks about The Night Agent on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - NBC's Today catches up with Britt in the 9am hour.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell/Nobodies/Truth Be Told/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - NBC's Today catches up with Mark-Paul in the 10am hour.
Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - NBC's Today catches up with Andrew in the 10am hour.
Jennifer Lopez (South Central) - Jennifer talks about her film Unstoppable on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Jim talks about his Hulu comedy special Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny on a repeat Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay talks about his new virtual reality series Soapstone Comedy Presents on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony discusses his Fox special The Real Full Monty on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Da'Vinchi (grown-ish) - Da'Vinchi is a guest on New York Livng on WPIX in New York at 10:30am.