Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Troian Bellisario and Ashley Benson star in "Pretty Little Liars"

Future 'Liars': And now, for something completely different. "Pretty Little Liars" has a tradition of airing one-off specials around this time of year, with Halloween and Christmas themes being the norm. This year the ABC Family teen drama isn't skipping the special -- but it is skipping the holiday theme.

"Pretty Little Liars: 5 Years Forward" is bucking the trend and, as the title suggests, jumping into the future to take a peek at the lives of the show's characters a few years down the road. The ABC Family special premieres Tuesday, Nov. 24.

With the second half of season 6 not premiering until Jan. 12, it's a bite-sized morsel that will have to satisfy fans until the new year.

"Pretty Little Liars," which is based on the book series of the same name, follows a group of teenage girls who together keep a dark secret from their past.

Despite being set half a decade in the future, all of the show's main actors return for "5 Years Forward." Alison (Sasha Pieterse, "Good Luck Chuck," 2007), Spencer (Troian Bellisario, "Suits"), Hanna (Ashley Benson, "Eastwick"), Aria (Lucy Hale, "Scream 4," 2011) and Ezra (Ian Harding, "Adventureland," 2009) are all back for the special.

If "5 Years Forward" is anything like the Halloween specials of years past, it will be filled with important clues to the show's overarching mysterious plot. While it may land outside of a regular season, "Pretty Little Liars: 5 Years Forward" is definitely part of the show's canon. The special airs Tuesday, Nov. 24, on ABC Family.

A Thanksgiving tale: Nat Geo is bringing the Thanksgiving story to life. Who doesn't know the tale? The settlers, the landing at Plymouth, and the local Wampanoag people coming to their aid and helping them survive the harsh conditions of the American East Coast.

Of course, there was a lot more to it than that. "Saints & Strangers," a two-night, four-hour event premiering Sunday, Nov. 22, on Nat Geo, tells a grittier side of the Mayflower story and the events that led up to the first Thanksgiving.

The title refers to the divide between the two factions that stepped onto Massachusetts' shores on that fateful landing day: the religious Pilgrims and the riches-seeking adventurers. The conflicts between these two groups lies at the heart of "Saints & Strangers."

Nat Geo has pulled together a diverse and talented cast to bring history to life. Ron Livingston ("Office Space," 1999) stars as John Carver, a godly man and the Plymouth colony's first governor. Ray Stevenson ("Rome") is the leader of the "strangers," Stephen Hopkins. He's a man with a dark past, and is the only Mayflower passenger who's ever been to the New World before.

Raoul Trujillo ("Apocalypto," 2006) stars as Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag, while Anna Camp ("Pitch Perfect," 2012), Kalani Queypo ("The Royal Tenenbaums," 2001) and Tatanka Means ("A Million Ways to Die in the West," 2014) help round out the cast.

It won't quite be the feel-good story that most people learn as kids, but this grittier version of the Mayflower landing may be a bit closer to how things really happened. The two-night event begins Sunday, Nov. 22, on Nat Geo.

A Christmas fairy tale: A runaway princess, a charismatic commoner and a holiday backdrop. It sounds like the beginning of so many fairy tales, and that's exactly what TV watchers will get with Hallmark's next original movie.

The channel's annual Countdown to Christmas celebration has begun, with family-friendly holiday fare airing daily. Of course, Hallmark being Hallmark, there are original movies galore, including one that's spinning a modern-day fairy tale.

"Once Upon a Holiday" premieres Wednesday, Nov. 25, and it promises to bring a modern holiday twist to a tale that's as old as time.

Briana Evigan ("Step Up 2: The Streets," 2008) stars as Katie Hollingston, the beautiful princess of the tiny kingdom of Montsaurai. While visiting America for the holidays, she finds herself nostalgic for her childhood Christmas celebrations and gives her handlers the slip in order to get some time alone.

Paul Campbell ("Battlestar Galactica") stars as Jack Langley, the handsome guy with a home restoration business. Down-to-earth and heartbroken after a recent breakup, he saves Katie from a mugger and the sparks between them begin to fly -- but he doesn't know that she's royalty.

It really is a classic fairy tale love story, but with Christmas magic in the air, the two lovebirds just might be able to live happily ever after.

"Once Upon a Holiday" premieres Wednesday, Nov. 25, on Hallmark.