Saturday Night Live Christmas, on NBC
The cast celebrates the holidays with a look back at some of the best Yuletide sketches in the history of the show. The show has a long-standing tradition of poking fun at the holiday season with hilarious takes on holiday food and festive silly songs.
Q: I've recently started watching "Bones" reruns, but a lot of the storylines seem to mirror the original "CSI." Which came first? Do they share writers or anything?
You may be on to something there. I can't speak to specific plots, since both shows have produced hundreds of episodes over their combined 26 years on television, but they both shared a pretty significant behind-the-scenes figure: Josh Berman.
Berman served as a producer and writer for several years on both "Bones" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." In fact, he was part of the team that created "CSI" back in 2000.
Dr. Ken, on ABC
Determined to show her Welltopia co-workers her fun side, Allison (Suzy Nakamura) decides to throw an office Christmas party in this new holiday episode. However, Ken (Ken Jeong) would rather just unwind, and not have to think about work.
The Great American Baking Show, on ABC
As visions of sugar plums dance in children's heads, some of the nation's most talented bakers go head to head in a culinary competition in this new episode. Co-hosts Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez lead the bakers through a series of challenges designed to test various skills.
Holiday television: Celebrate the season with star-studded specials
Howie Mandel, Mel B, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell as seen in “America’s Got Talent”
Star, on Fox
Jude Demorest stars as Star, a young woman who sets out to become a singing sensation alongside her sister, Simone (Brittany O'Grady), and her bestie, Alexandra (Ryan Destiny), in this premiere. Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt also star in the new drama.
Q: Who's the actor who plays Sherlock's brother in "Elementary"? He looks familiar to me, but I can't figure out why.
If you're one of the (relatively) few people who saw the 2011 historical drama "Anonymous," you'll remember Rhys Ifans as the leading man, playing the Earl of Oxford. If you didn't see it, you probably remember him as The Lizard in "The Amazing Spider-Man" (2012).
Sadly (for his prestige level), it's more likely you remember him from "The Amazing Spider-Man," which was a huge hit, while "Anonymous" was a flop.
The Voice, on NBC
After weeks of intense competition, the remaining vocalists find out which performer wins the lucrative recording contract in this season finale. Carson Daly hosts, while Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys and Blake Shelton mentor the contestants.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, on CW
CW has holiday fun for the whole family with an animated special about a grandmother who mysteriously disappears. Based on the hit song, the special tells the story of a boy named Jake, who searches for his missing grandmother and tries to prove that Santa Claus is real.
Q: Why did Michael Weatherly leave his good position as Special Agent Tony DiNozzo in "NCIS"? His new show, "Bull," doesn't take advantage of his acting talents and is very disappointing. Please tell me he's going back to "NCIS" in the near future!
A I'm afraid it's pretty unlikely that Michael Weatherly will return to "NCIS," because many people disagree with you on "Bull" -- it's actually one of the big success stories of the new season.
As for why Weatherly chose to quit his cushy "NCIS" job, he put it pretty succinctly at this summer's Television Critics Association press tour: "Sometimes a change is as good as a rest," adding, "I wasn't burnt out, but I was ready for a new challenge."
