Innholdsfortegnelse for November 26, 2018 i TV Guide Magazine

@TVGMMattRoush America’s top TV critic Matt Roush answers your burning questions I’ve been watching Mom since the beginning, and the ensemble cast, from Anna Faris and Allison Janney to the rest of the AA group, is terrific. But I can’t for the life of me understand why they added Kristen Johnston (above, far right, with Faris and Janney). She’s loud, mugs and delivers most of her lines at a bellow, sucking the air out of the room. Her character seems to be there to annoy the rest of the cast. I know she annoys the hell out of me. So why is she here? —Michael MATT ROUSH: Tell us what you really think! I get that Johnston’s character of ex-con Tammy would be something of an acquired tastelessness, but now…

PREMIERES The Great Christmas Light Fight Nov. 26, 8/7c, ABC House Hunters: Home for the Holidays Nov. 27, 9/8c, HGTV Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath Nov. 27, 9/8c, A&E Adam Ruins Everything Nov. 27, 10/9c, truTV Bargain Mansions Nov. 28, 9/8c, DIY Catfish: The TV Show Nov. 28, 9/8c, MTV Chrisley Knows Best Nov. 28, 9/8c, USA Man Fire Food Nov. 28, 9/8c, Cooking Channel Vikings Nov. 28, 9/8c, History Knight Fight Nov. 28, 10/9c, History Death by Magic Nov. 30, Netflix F Is for Family Nov. 30, Netflix The Great British Baking Show: Holidays Nov. 30, Netflix Berlin Station Dec. 2, 9/8c, Epix Nightflyers Dec. 2, 10/9c, Syfy Vanderpump Rules Dec. 3, 9/8c, Bravo Maine Cabin Masters Dec. 3, 10/9c, DIY Unanchored Dec. 3, 10/9c, Bravo Legends of…

America’s Most Watched 25 TOP SHOWS The Late Night Races Stephen Colbert (below) is continuing his reign as the King of Late Night, beating out Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. Through the week ending November 9, CBS’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert remained No. 1 in total viewers season-to-date—3.5 million vs. 2.4 million for NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and 2 million for ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! And for the first time ever, The Late Show overtook The Tonight Show with viewers age 18–49. A Windy City Win for NBC Wednesdays Chicago’s on fire! Scheduling the three Dick Wolf–produced Chicago shows—Med, Fire (above) and P.D.—to air back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday nights has reaped ratings rewards for NBC. The triple procedural threat has given the network a 30 percent bump…

CYBER MONDAY: TALES OF SHOPPING GONE WRONG Let’s face it: Cyber Monday was likely created for people who love to stay home and watch TV. If you need extra incentive today to avoid the harried inperson shopping experience and look for deals online, check out how these characters checked out. But be warned: Going the cyber route can have pitfalls too. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE “Yippie Kayak” (Season 3, Episode 10), Amazon Video, Hulu In this delirious tribute to Die Hard, a bunch of robbers hold up a department store right before Christmas. That means NYPD Det. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), who’s stuck inside, finally gets to live his dream and pull a John McClane. No matter that the bad guys are Canadian (ha!)—he is ready and willing to take ’em on.…

MOVIE PICKS TCM Spotlight: Edgar Award Winners It doesn’t take a supersleuth to figure out why we love tonight’s TCM lineup: Each film has won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, so you know missing out would be a crime. Audrey Hepburn (left) and Cary Grant lead off the night with their 1963 romantic comedy thriller Charade, which finds a widow (Hepburn) being chased and double-crossed by multiple men looking for a fortune stolen by her late husband. Next up, Henry Fonda heads a terrific cast in the tense 1957 jury drama 12 Angry Men at 10:15/9:15c. Then, movies don’t get much more noir than 1953’s The Big Heat (12:15am/11:15c), starring Glenn Ford as an honest detective taking on the mob and crooked cops. At 2am/1c, Sean…

Wednesday, Nov. 28 Best of Enemies (2015) Hulu A documentary about the televised debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. Thursday, Nov. 29 Harry Brown (2009) Amazon Prime Video, Hulu Kind of like Charles Bronson’s Death Wish, but set in London and starring Michael Caine. Friday, Nov. 30 Broken Star (2018) Hulu A troubled aspiring actress (Analeigh Tipton) goes to seriously scary lengths to become a star. Daylight’s End (2016) Hulu Survivors of a zombie apocalypse struggle to get to safety. The Remains (2016) Hulu A cheesy take on the haunted house genre. Scenic Route (2013) Hulu Two friends on a road trip have an epic fight in this disturbing drama. Undrafted (2016) Hulu A college baseball star (Aaron Tveit) passed over during the MLB draft joins an intramural team. Saturday, Dec. 1 Angels &…

A HEARTBREAKER FOR MATTY! MacGyver 8/7c, CBS Wait a sec—Matty Weber (Meredith Eaton), the tough and tight-lipped director of the covert Phoenix Foundation, is suddenly teary-eyed? “You will definitely need tissues,” warns Eaton of this week’s episode, which looks at some “private pain” Matty’s endured for years. The source of the angst: her husband, Ethan (Brendan Hines), an undercover agent introduced in the November 9 episode. When Ethan’s own secret mission crosses over with Matty and the Phoenix team, the pair’s heartbreaking love story comes to light. And love story it is. Flashbacks let viewers in on “why Matty fell for the charming Ethan instantly,” the actress says, but fans will “be left with their hearts in their hands” watching the twists and turns they must take. The big reveal…

STANDING OVATION I do not agree with Mike Baxter’s politics, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying Last Man Standing. This show is about so much more than conservative values, and I’m glad Fox resurrected it. —Anita SEASONS OF LOVE Cheers to 9-1-1 for their November 5 episode that explored the meaning of love through slice-of-life rescues. The writing on this show is smart, and I hope it continues. —Sharon DOUBLE TAKE Did the October 23 episode of NCIS: New Orleans really cast Melinda McGraw as a character other than Diane, the ex-wife of both Agent Gibbs and Agent Fornell who was killed on NCIS? These shows are connected and do crossovers. Did they think longtime viewers wouldn’t notice? —Karen Email us: letters@tvgm.com FAN ART THE GOOD DOCTOR By Alex…

TV GETS MORE INCLUSIVE Media-monitoring organization GLAAD has been taking stock of LGBTQ representation on the small screen for 23 years with its annual “Where We Are on TV” report. This year, the news is good! The 2018–19 season is on track to see a record number of gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual and queer characters featured on broadcast, cable and major streaming services. 75 The number of LGBTQ series-regular characters on broadcast primetime scripted shows (out of 857), an all-time high. One example: Dr. Dylan Reinhart (Alan Cumming), the lead of CBS’s Instinct. 208 The number of LGBTQ series-regular and recurring characters on scripted primetime cable shows. FX is the most inclusive network, thanks to Pose (below) and American Horror Story. 112 The number of LGBTQ series-regular and recurring characters…

@TVGMMattRoush Dirty John Bravo presents a reverse fairy tale of a sociopathic Prince Charming Sundays, 10/9c, Bravo HAD SHE BUT known…there wouldn’t be a story to tell. In her best role since leaving Nashville, Connie Britton rises above TV’s typical woman-in-peril clichés to convincingly play the real-life Debra Newell, a truly unlucky real housewife of Orange County. She quickly earns our sympathies (if not always our respect) in an impeccably cast, slickly addictive eight-part dramatization of a hit true-crime podcast. Much like sunny and gorgeous Debra, a successful interior designer with four ex-husbands and a sorry track record for online dating, we want to believe she’s finally met Mr. Right when John Meehan (charismatic, confident Eric Bana) sweeps her off her expensively shod feet. The doctor—at least, that’s what he…

The Flash Sunday, Dec. 9, 8/7c, The CW Arrow Monday, Dec. 10, 8/7c, The CW Supergirl Tuesday Dec. 11, 8/7c, The CW TOGETHER, THEY’VE BATTLED aliens and taken down Nazis from Earth-X—the darkest world in the infinite multiverse. Now, The CW’s courageous DC Comics heroes are in for something entirely different. Crossovers within the Arrowverse (named for the very first DC-based show in The CW’s stable, Arrow) began in 2014 with “Flash vs. Arrow,” and since then, the annual mashup has typically brought in season-high ratings for the shows involved and launched new series as well. This year’s “Elseworlds” is the fifth multi-episode crossover, and it is going really out there with a switcheroo storyline that spans three nights on The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl. (The previous episodes of each…

WHY IT’S MORE THAN A GUILTY PLEASURE! Dynasty 8/7c, The CW With some reboots, you just have to walk away. Fans who bailed on Dynasty, though, should come running back. After a spotty start last fall, the soapy update—which swapped the ’80s and Denver oil for today’s Atlanta and the energy biz—slowly hit its stride. Now in Season 2, this addictive indulgence is successfully honoring the ABC classic without relying on carbon copies of its characters. Grant Show’s Blake Carrington is shadier (and sexier!) than John Forsythe’s stoic patriarch, Nicollette Sheridan is serving a saucy, low-rent spin on Joan Collins’s bitch royale Alexis, and Elizabeth Gillies (below) has elevated Pamela Sue Martin’s eternal victim Fallon into a smart ballbuster. Even this Sammy Jo (Rafael de la Fuente) is a twist…

DEATH BY MAGIC SERIES PREMIERE FRIDAY, NOV. 30 Move over, Harry Potter! British magician Drummond Money-Coutts (above) has nothing up his sleeves—and everything to lose—in this new series that chronicles his attempts to do mind-blowing stunts that killed other illusionists. “What drives me is the thought that I can represent to children what my heroes represented to me,” he says, crediting a strange childhood for his interest in “dangerous magic.” Here, he teases three don’t-try-these-at-home tricks. UNDERWATER ESCAPE Inspired by a magician who drowned during an act in 1930, Money-Coutts is still chilled by his own twist on the scenario: “It wasn’t a failure, but it was, for me, the most traumatic.” Given that it involves being chained inside a car that is then flooded with water (right), we can…

Amazon debuted its Echo Show—a tabletop touch screen and speaker that could do everything from play music to stream Prime Video content—in 2017. The new version ($230, Amazon.com) offers serious upgrades. It can link to your Hulu account, unlocking the site’s library and live TV service (depending on your plan). If you have cable, you can also stream NBC. Like all of Amazon’s other Echo products, it runs on the brand’s voice assistant, Alexa. So say, “Alexa, watch Good Morning America” and you’ll see Robin Roberts on the new 10.1-inch display, which has hidden speakers (the 2017 Echo Show’s faced front) featuring better sound. —AD…

Friday, Nov. 30 Atomic Blonde (2017) HBO Now A spy (Charlize Theron) infiltrates 1980s Germany in this thrilling action flick. Cleopatra (1963) HBO Now Elizabeth Taylor plays the Egyptian queen in an overstuffed epic. Richard Burton costars. Dead Calm (1989) HBO Now A psycho terrorizes a couple (Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill) on a yacht. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) HBO Now “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.” Meryl Streep shines as a mean fashion magazine editor. The Door in the Floor (2004) HBO Now Grieving parents split after their sons’ deaths. Duplicity (2009) HBO Now An MI6 spy (Clive Owen) and a CIA agent (Julia Roberts) conspire to carry out a con. Glory Road (2006) HBO Now The inspirational true story of college basketball coach Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), whose team had a historic all-black starting lineup. Hitch (2005) Sony…

Legends of the Lost With Megan Fox SERIES PREMIERE 8/7c, Travel Channel Transformers vixen (and history buff) Megan Fox travels the globe to investigate age-old mysteries, such as whether women fought alongside male Vikings. The Gifted 8/7c, Fox The Mutant Underground has been headed for a showdown with the Inner Circle all season, and it looks like things are going to get violent tonight! How will the devious Reeva Payge (Grace Byers, below) take it when superpowered teen Andy (Percy Hynes White) stands up to her? The Conners 8/7c, ABC This Christmas, Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) has landed on her brother-in-law’s naughty list for being too nice: Dan (John Goodman) wants to know why she’s buying her jobless boyfriend (guest star Matthew Broderick) an expensive gift. DIGGING DEEP FOR ANSWERS The…

VICKI LAWRENCE: MY LIFE ON TV The Cool Kids 8:30/7:30c, Fox That Vicki Lawrence first gained fame playing the brash, blue-haired Mama on The Carol Burnett Show, at age 24, is a testament to her talent—and the miracle of makeup! Now the Emmy winner, 69, has come more into her own as feisty Margaret on The Cool Kids, Fox’s hit sitcom about lovable retirement community rebels. Margaret’s senior partners in crime include fabulous Sid (Leslie Jordan), spacey Charlie (Martin Mull) and cranky Hank (David Alan Grier, right, with Lawrence), who tonight romances a younger woman the group thinks is trying to con him. One thing that’s on the up-and-up: Lawrence’s comedy legend cred. Here are highlights. The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78, CBS) “I grew up on that show,” says Lawrence,…

ACROSS 1 Newhart and Hoskins 5 ____ topic 8 Barrymore of Santa Clarita Diet 12 ____ the Viking 13 Contend for an award 14 McEntire of Reba 15 The Thin Man’s pooch 16 Common newspaper name 18 Sister, ____ 20 Black birds 21 ____ of Eden 23 ____ work 24 Bad advice (2 wds.) 28 Freeway exit 31 Dora the Explorer iguana 32 Ed Norton workplace 34 thirtysomething ad agency 35 Baby, I’m ____ 37 State of high alarm (2 wds.) 39 On the ____ 41 NYC neighborhood 42 Christian of Mr. Robot 45 Amy of Square Pegs 49 Tiny crack 51 Edible tropical root 52 Phineas Bogg’s time-travel device on Voyagers! 53 Cat on Mr. and Mrs. North 54 Dabney Coleman on Drexell’s Class 55 ____ Angel 56 Food grain 57 Imogene of Your Show…

@damianholbrook LOVE IT! Cheers to Brandy Norwood for her shady Star power. As Miss Carlotta’s backstabbing little sister Cassie, the former Moesha more than holds her own opposite Queen Latifah and has given Fox’s music-biz soap the kind of über-juicy villainess we love to hate and hope to have around for seasons to come. She just needs to stop trying to shoot everyone! Cheers to Legacies for pumping new blood into The Vampire Diaries’ universe. Funny, frisky and hella frightening at times, The CW’s latest TVD spinoff has brought a welcome return of Mystic Falls’ familiar faces and a wildly fun approach to teen angst, thanks to witchy Hope (Danielle Rose Russell, above) and the student body at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted. Cheers to Superstore…

1922–2018 LIKE MANY OF the iconic characters he created, Stan Lee had a secret identity. The comic book impresario, who died November 12 at age 95, was born Stanley Lieber but used a pseudonym (that he later adopted as his legal name) to avoid the embarrassing “funny pages” stigma associated with the genre as he started his career. Ironically, Lee’s flamboyant personality and knack for humanizing superheroes helped make comic books cool and became the driving force behind what is now a multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. In the 1960s, Lee and his cohorts at Marvel revolutionized comics by introducing characters who struggled to balance personal woes with crime-fighting capers. The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man (cocreated with legendary artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, respectively) immediately drew a passionate fanbase and were…

Editors’ Choice Conan Without Borders: Japan 10/9c, TBS Conan O’Brien’s itinerary for his visit to the Land of the Rising Sun wasn’t that of the typical tourist. “I wanted to avoid the tropes of Japan, like, ‘Oh, Conan sumos,’” the talk show host explains. Instead, this hour will look at newer societal aspects like kawaii, the country’s cuteness culture (think: Hello Kitty). O’Brien dresses up in neon with blue hair for that segment. “I basically look like my mom on ecstasy,” he says with a laugh. Since 2015, the comic has traveled with cameras in tow to Cuba, Italy, Israel and Haiti, among other places, for the Without Borders series. Destination No. 10, Japan, entered the running when his team discovered the existence of Conan Town, a locale named for…

INSIDE JOKES DOCUSERIES PREMIERE FRIDAY, NOV. 30 Landing a spot in the “New Faces” showcase—a part of the Montreal-based Just for Laughs comedy festival—is a launching pad to stardom. (Hey, just ask Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart and Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost.) This new series follows seven stand-ups (including Daphnique Springs, below) as they hone their acts, juggle day jobs and audition for what they hope is their big break. ALSO STREAMING KUNG FU PANDA: THE PAWS OF DESTINY This Is Us star Chrissy Metz lends her voice to a family-friendly animated series—based on the hit movies—about four bears with martial arts skills who try to save the world from an evil force. Season 1 available MIRZAPUR Drug smuggler Akhandanand Tripathi (Pankaj Tripathi) runs the Indian city of Mirzapur. His…