Innholdsfortegnelse for December 30, 2024 i TV Guide Magazine

SHIFTING GEARS IS “a story about relationships that can be repaired,” sitcom legend Tim Allen says of his return to network TV. “Or restored, as we say,” he clarifies with a knowing smile. Restoration is at the heart of the new multicamera comedy, in more ways than one. Allen stars as Matt Parker, the owner of a North Hollywood classic car remodeling and restoration shop. Already dealing with the recent passing of his wife, Matt’s world is upended when his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) comes crashing back into his life. “She just shows up on his doorstep with her two kids. She’s getting a divorce, and her life is falling apart,” Dennings says. “She has no money and she needs to stay with him. So it turns both their…

Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches SEASON PREMIERE Sunday, Jan. 5, 9/8c, AMC MOVE OVER, GLINDA. Here comes a wicked twist, fresh out of the coven! Season 2 of the gothic supernatural drama, based on Anne Rice’s bestselling Lives of the Mayfair Witches book trilogy, finds heroine Rowan Mayfair (Alexandra Daddario, above), a neurosurgeon descended from notorious New Orleans enchantresses, experiencing some horrific growing pains. After giving birth to the human form of her diabolical phantom lover Lasher (Jack Huston) in the first-season finale, Rowan is now struggling to juggle motherhood with a newborn who is rapidly aging—and gearing up to end her bloodline, one witch at a time. “Rowan has this very strange relationship with this child, in the most Anne Rice way,” showrunner Esta Spalding said with a laugh at…

Remembering Teri Garr 8/7c, TCM Celebrate the life of the beloved Oscar-nominated actress, who passed away October 29 at the age of 79, with three of her most memorable films—beginning with Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic Young Frankenstein. Garr’s performance as saucy assistant Inga made her a standout among (above, from left) Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman and Gene Wilder. 1977’s Oh, God!, with George Burns (10/9c) and 1979’s The Black Stallion (midnight/11c), in which Garr plays the mother of young Alec Ramsey (Kelly Reno), follow. The Flipping El Moussas 9/8c, HGTV It’s a family affair for power couple Tarek and Heather Rae, who team up with Tarek’s sister Angelique and her boyfriend to teach them about the flipping business. NEW DISCOVERIES IN IRAQ Lost Treasures of the Bible 9/8c, National Geographic…

St. Denis Medical 8/7c, NBC If orange is the still new black, then get hospital executive director Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) a jumpsuit, stat, because she is crushing on a prison guard (Robert Baker) assigned to protect two inmates (Guillermo Diaz and James Earl) who have sent each other to the ER. Betting on Paradise 9/8c, HGTV In the second of six episodes, seasoned renovators Luke Shantz and Steph Sitt (above) continue to work their magic on a rundown Costa Rican property. Their hope is to turn it into a luxury boutique hotel that locals can enjoy, but in tonight’s adventure, sewage system work leads to a sinkhole problem. We’re guessing potential guests won’t like that. Deal or No Deal Island 9/8c, NBC Moving into its official timeslot premiere this week,…

ACROSS 1 British adventurer Grylls 5 Cleaning cloth 8 Wilson was one in Cast Away 12 Folk singer Guthrie 13 ____ You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. 14 Comedian and actress Adams 15 Jessica of Total Recall 16 Zhang of Gossip Girl 17 Spigots 18 After first place (2 wds.) 21 “No” vote 22 Elmore Leonard novel and lead character on Justified 26 Revenge of the ____ 29 “You ____ me at hello” 30 The first lady 31 Location 32 Voice actor Blanc 33 Soreness 34 Wrestling victory 35 90 ____ Fiancé 36 Comedian Paul 37 Movie genre 39 Carol Burnett tugged hers at show’s end 40 3–11pm shift for fire-fighters (2 wds.) 45 Today coanchor Kotb 48 The ____ Squad 49 Gender type 50 A false god 51 Stand-up comic Wong 52 Competitive…

How’s this for a pivot? Best known for the comedy series Friends, David Schwimmer is turning over a new leaf with a scary-fun role in Season 2 of Disney+/Hulu’s top-notch Goosebumps anthology. “I just thought it was going to be a blast,” he admits of his first real foray into horror. “I’m a physical actor, but I’ve never really had the chance to do horror, action and comedy. To blend all those three was a dream.” Of the invasive-nightmare variety, of course. After all, this plant-themed season is based on the works of R.L. Stine (see sidebar), the king of late–20th century young adult thrillers. Unlike the first season, which leaned heavily into the bestselling author’s more supernatural stories for the tale of Pacific Northwest classmates terrorized by the sins…

“I’M NOT AN angry young man. I am a concerned and conscientious young man,” Michael Cole told TV GUIDE MAGAZINE in a 1969 profile arguing the opposite, with legendary producer Aaron Spelling admitting the actor had a “hostility to anyone he doesn’t know,” but that it was a “defense mechanism.” Cole initially turned down the role that made him a star—as Pete Cochran, part of the hip undercover The Mod Squad (1968–73), alongside the late Peggy Lipton and Clarence Williams III—because, as he told Spelling, “I’m not going to take the part of a guy who finks on his friends.” He relented after realizing their job was to take down the adults exploiting kids. All three reprised their roles in 1979’s TV movie The Return of the Mod Squad. Cole,…

IT’S NOT JUST the animals that take center stage on PBS’s All Creatures Great and Small. In the fifth season of Masterpiece’s positively poignant British dramedy, based on veterinarian James Herriot’s beloved books, the humans are stepping outside their usual roles as World War II continues to impact the pastoral Yorkshire community of Darrowby in 1941. For executive producer Debbie O’Malley, who wrote two of the season’s seven episodes, that presented a challenge. “The things people love about the show are the warmth and the humor and the sense of community,” she says. “We wanted to preserve all of that but also not do a disservice to the very real hardships and sacrifices that people made.” Two of Skeldale House’s animal docs already have left to serve their country: Tristan…

Monday Night Football 8:15/7:15c, ABC & ESPN Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers A rematch of last season’s NFC championship game takes place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, as Jared Goff (above) and the Lions battle Brock Purdy and the 49ers in Week 17. The Lions are roaring into the playoffs and could be close to locking up the NFC’s top seed. The 49ers, however, are hovering close to .500 and might need help reaching postseason. When the teams met in January, the 49ers wiped out the Lions’ 24–7 lead at halftime and went on to win 34–31, spoiling Detroit’s bid for their first Super Bowl. —Ryan A. Berenz The Hunger Games Marathon 2/1c, AMC May the odds be ever in your favor as you relive the drama…

Going Dutch SERIES PREMIERE 9:30/8:30c, Fox TIPTOE THROUGH THE tulips with a combat boot–wearing Denis Leary (above) in this new military workplace comedy set in the least strategically important U.S. Army installation in the world: Garrison Stroopsdorf in the Netherlands. Leary stars as Col. Patrick Quinn, a highly decorated officer who loses it one day and goes off on a tirade. Army brass discipline him in the most effective manner possible: banishing him to take command of Stroopsdorf, which has become more like Club Med than a military post. Worse yet, the base’s temporary commanding officer is his estranged daughter, Capt. Maggie Quinn (Taylor Misiak), who now has to take orders from the father she grew up without. The colonel relies on his exceedingly loyal aide, Maj. Abraham Shah (Danny…

Vienna Blood SEASON PREMIERE 10/9c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org) Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer) and his psychoanalyst partner Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard, above left, with Maurer) gamble with their lives more than ever in Season 4 of the crime thriller, set before World War I. It’s 1909, and Max is back in Vienna after a yearlong tour of the United States, ready to take on another risky assignment with Oskar, this one involving the double murder of an arms merchant and a highly placed official. Their mission: Root out a government mole known as Mephisto, whose efforts to create an independent Slavic state in the Balkans could provoke the empire into a world war. A hard-won clue leads the partners to a posh casino that’s “part of…

Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. SEASON PREMIERE 8/7c, PBS (check local listings at pbs.org) “I know our stories speak to people because I am stopped everywhere,” says Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. He previews the 10-episode 11th season of his fascinating genealogy series tracing the family trees of 20 notable Americans, starting tonight with Broadway star Lea Salonga and actress Amanda Seyfried. Did you uncover any surprise reveals this season? Michael Imperioli’s maternal great-grandfather had more in common with the character Michael played on The Sopranos than he’d ever imagined. This guy was bootlegging and running a tavern. Which moment in these new episodes moved you most? One involved Laurence Fishburne (above left, with Gates). He had long yearned to know the identity of his biological father,…

Epic Fridays Marathon 7:25/6:25c, Syfy For this weekly run of films that celebrate the upcoming May 2025 opening of Universal Epic Universe theme park in Florida, the network kicks things off with a formidable lineup. First is the 2022 animated feature The Bad Guys, featuring the voices of Sam Rockwell and Awkwafina, followed by 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (9:25/8:25c). The 1995 martial arts film Mortal Kombat (above, 11:45/10:45c) closes out the night. Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? 10/9c, HBO In his 13th special for the network, filmed live at the CIBC Theater in Chicago, the comedian and host aims to bring a fresh (and humorous) outlook to a delicate topic: American politics. Laugh along with him if you dare. HELP WANTED The UnBelievable With Dan…

The Couple Next Door SERIES PREMIERE Friday, Jan. 17, 9/8c, Starz “THE MAIN THEME of the show is desire and what happens when ordinary people cross their own moral boundaries. It’s the anticipation of this forbidden sex, that slow, burning obsession, which will eventually ignite in spectacular fashion, which makes this a very sexy series,” says executive producer Jo McGrath of the new six-part dark psychological thriller starring Outlander heartthrob Sam Heughan. Heughan is traffic cop Danny, living in an upscale community with his yoga instructor wife, Becka (Jessica De Gouw, Pennyworth). They have an open relationship and welcome the new couple on their street, teacher Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson, Poldark) and journalist Pete (Alfred Enoch, How to Get Away With Murder), with very open arms. To cast the irresistible Danny,…

Honeymoon Phase The Young Sheldon spinoff starring Montana Jordan and Emily Osment (above) has had a stellar season, clocking in as one of the Top 5 highest-rated series of the fall. Steady Start The prequel has been a solid performer, growing its viewership by 54 percent when factoring in seven days of delayed playback. Still, it’s running 23 percent behind the departed NCIS: Hawai‘i. Quack Attack The Big Ten Championship Game, which saw the Oregon Ducks triumph over the Penn State Nittany Lions, drew the fifth-largest college football audience on any network this season (and increased 5 percent over last year’s championship). Reindeer Games Shifting back to NBC for its 60th annual holiday airing, the 1964 stop-motion Christmastime classic, about Santa’s outcast reindeer whose nose glowed so bright, hit a…

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Corporate intrigue will be the focus on The Bold and the Beautiful at the start of 2025, as the ripple effects of Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Hope Logan’s (Annika Noelle) underhanded takeover of Forrester Creations are felt. For Saint-Victor and Noelle, the depth of their alter egos’ betrayal was a surprise. “What’s amazing about the story is that, as it unfolded for the viewers, it unfolded for us,” shares Saint-Victor. “So, for a while, we didn’t know how far we were going to take it. And once you’re turning the pages [of the script] going, ‘Oh, shoot, we actually do take over,’ I was in shock. Wonderful shock.” Especially since it’s a big change for their characters. “We’re usually the moral compass, and now…

CELEBS: THEY’RE JUST like us! At least, that’s what Judge Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) thinks when The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik (playing what Rauch teases is a “very heightened, bizarro version of herself”) appears on the stand after a run-in with the law. “Abby is ecstatic that Mayim befriends her, but things take a turn when their relationship quickly goes off the rails,” previews Rauch, who teases that self-proclaimed superfan Abby gets “way more than she bargained for with the encounter.” The episode, which is also the show’s midseason premiere, marks a long-awaited reunion for Rauch and Bialik, who costarred on Bang for several years—Bialik as neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler and Rauch as microbiologist (and former Cheesecake Factory waitress) Bernadette. Bialik’s appearance on Rauch’s legal sitcom is the first…

The Greatest @Home Videos: Cedy Awards 8/7c, CBS Cedric the Entertainer hosts his third annual awards show, which highlights the best in viral videos from the past year. Also knocking: Cedric’s The Neighborhood costar Max Greenfield. Happy’s Place 8/7c, NBC Bar owner Bobbie (Reba McEntire, above) prepares for her rightful role as the tavern’s anniversary party emcee, but bartender Gabby (Melissa Peterman) tries to steal the spotlight. Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) and accountant Steve (Pablo Castelblanco) make a bet on who will win. RuPaul’s Drag Race SEASON PREMIERE 8/7c, MTV It’s a teenage dream: Pop star Katy Perry guest judges during the Season 17 opener alongside host RuPaul and judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews and Ts Madison. This new season also offers a fresh twist for queens hoping to…

Abbott Elementary 8:30/7:30c, ABC School’s back in session, and some troublemakers are crashing class. When the Emmy-winning docu-comedy returns from winter break, the well-intentioned teachers will partner with the vice-ridden gang of FXX’s long-running satire It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The highly anticipated crossover—Sunny will air its own collab episode later in 2025—was first teased by Abbott creator and star Quinta Brunson (above right, with her costars). Details are under wraps, but all of Sunny’s degenerates will be present: Paddy’s Pub owners Mac (Rob McElhenney), Dennis (Glenn Howerton) and Charlie (Charlie Day), financial supporter Frank (Danny DeVito) and waitress Dee (Kaitlin Olson). “We were very careful about how we chose the pairings,” teases executive producer Patrick Schumacker. Fellow EP Justin Halpern adds that some canon details from Sunny’s early days…

StuGo SERIES PREMIERE 8/7c, Disney Channel Camp is officially in session in this original animated series created and executive produced by The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse writer Ryan Gillis. Six middle schoolers are tricked by a mad scientist into spending the summer at an academic camp—which turns out to be just a little more adventurous than they imagined. The all-star voice case includes Zosia Mamet (Girls), Gabourey Sidibe (American Horror Story) and Lorraine Toussaint (The Equalizer). TODAY’S SPORTS PICKS NFL FOOTBALL 8/7c, CBS Wild Card Round Playoffs The NFL’s “Super Wild Card Weekend” has 12 teams in action for the postseason’s first round. (The No. 1 seeds in each conference get a bye.) Tonight’s winner moves on to next weekend’s divisional playoffs. TENNIS 10/9c, ESPN2 Australian Open: Early Rounds…

Brilliant Minds SEASON FINALE 10/9c, NBC The medical drama about unconventional neurologist Oliver Wolf (Zachary Quinto) brings its freshman season to a close with the line between professional and personal dramas blurring for staff, including Dr. Van Markus (Alex MacNicoll, above right, with Quinto). The show has regularly flashed back to Wolf’s childhood, explaining how his mother Muriel (Donna Murphy) helped him deal with his late father’s mental illness. Now his boss, the two have a fraught relationship. “By the end of the season, what becomes clear is that we can never outrun our past,” previews Quinto, adding that a “very profound” reveal is coming. —Damian Holbrook POSITIVE VIBES Baylen Out Loud SERIES PREMIERE 9/8c, TLC Tourette syndrome hasn’t dampened the spirits of 22-year-old Baylen Dupree. This reality series follow…

Law & Order 8/7c, NBC The procedural’s winter premiere finds detectives Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) and Riley (Reid Scott) investigating the motive behind the murder of a young man pushed in front of a train. Divided by Design 9/8c, HGTV Husband-and-wife duo Ray and Eilyn Jimenez battle it out to wow clients, but complications for each thwart their plans: Ray deals with a budget snafu, while Eilyn frets over how her design will affect a home belonging to a well-known architect. Law & Order: SVU 9/8c, NBC Lies and betrayal are revealed when a victim sees video of a sexual encounter she can’t remember. Trying to distract ADA Carisi (Peter Scanavino), who still struggles after his harrowing hostage ordeal, Captain Benson (Mariska Hargitay) puts him on the case—and Carisi’s wife, Intelligence…