What's on Tonight (Friday): That's So Raven's Banquet...

Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet

Thanks to a gift from my brother, a new iPhone and a new PS5, I have had Apple TV free for the last several months and won't have to pay anything for it until next year.  Apple doesn't have a ton of original programming compared to Netflix, but what it has is usually quality stuff.  Mythic Quest was one of the first shows I binged on the streamer, and I was instantly hooked.  The cast is great, the writing is sharp (the pandemic episode was wonderful) and it's hilarious.  The third season debuts today.  Highly recommended.

Elsewhere...

*The Christmas programming started trickling in a few weeks ago, but today things get taken up a notch.  In addition to Hallmark and UPtv, this week we have new Christmas films (a term I use ever so loosely) from Lifetime and Discovery+, the latter of which is premiering FOUR Christmas movies this week.  Will any of them be good?  No.

*AMC+ has a new comedy starring Melissa Fumero and Rachel Bloom about a former couple competing over their favorite watering hole.  Unfortunately, Fumero and Bloom are not the former couple.  That would have bumped this from "interest piqued" to "must see" status.

*Not giving into all this premature Christmas nonsense is good ol' reliable Shudder, which is debuting a new horror/coming-of-age Canadian Inuit science fiction film called Slash/Back.  The first 30 seconds of the trailer makes this look like a northern Reservation Dogs, but with adolescent girls.  Then shit gets crazy.

I watched all of Amazon's The Devil's Hour this week.  It's a decent puzzle box show with some good performances.  I'm not sure if a second season is planned, but I could see it going either way.  I found the ending a little unsatisfying as there were some loose ends and things that didn't seem to add up.  Could be I just didn't understand what the show was going for, or it could be a tangled mess of a story that the writers never really sorted out.  Steven Moffat was one of the producers so, once again, I could see it going either way. 

I did appreciate that the show goes to great lengths to make sure you know that the kid, who is obviously on the spectrum, is not actually autistic.  Magical autistic children is Stephen King's territory and he doesn't like it when anyone encroaches

TOP PICK

⭐🗡 Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet✔️ (Apple, 12:01 AM) SEASON THREE PREMIERE. 'Ian and Poppy must learn to navigate not only the gaming world but also their partnership at GrimPop Studios, while Dana's forced into acting as a mediator for her bosses. David, meanwhile, learns how to be the boss at Mythic Quest as Jo returns as his assistant, and Caron tries to figure out where she belongs following her promotion. Rachel faces her own challenges as she attempts to balance her morality with capitalism. All the while, Brad, newly released from prison, tries to navigate the world as a reformed man.'

PREMIERES

The English

🔔 The English✔️ (Amazon, 12:01 AM) LIMITED SERIES. ' An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), and a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout come together in 1890 middle America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood. Both of them have a clear sense of their destiny, but neither is aware that it is rooted in a shared past. They must face increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their limits, physically and psychologically.'

🎥 La Caida / Dive✔️ (Amazon, 12:01 AM) 'In this nuanced story about the complexities of relationships, Mariel is a veteran competitive diver who has one last chance at the Olympics. However, when a terrible truth surfaces, Mariel confronts her biggest personal question yet: is winning defined as the ultimate dream?'

🔔 Mammals✔️ (Amazon, 12:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Follows the story of Jamie (James Corden), a chef whose world implodes when he discovers shocking secrets about his pregnant wife, Amandine. Jamie finds himself hunting for answers with the help of his brother-in-law Jeff. Through this hunt, the cracks in Jeff’s marriage to Jamie’s sister Lue widen. “

🔔 Out Loud (Amazon, 12:01 AM) LIMITED SERIES. ''Four school friends and their singing teacher make up a fun and very promising romantic music cover band until a big fight breaks them up. Seven years later, thanks to the marriage of one of them, they meet again.'' 

🔔 Circuit Breakers (Apple, 12:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'A half-hour futuristic anthology series that tackles kid-relatable issues through a sci-fi lens. But not everything is as it seems, and their curiosity leads to chaos.'

🔔 Play-Doh Squished (Freevee, 12:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Features three teams of fun-loving adults and kids going ‘doh-to-doh’ in the ultimate Holiday Competition. The groups compete in two physical challenges that culminate in a sculpting event where they must build immersive Winter Wonderlands out of Play-Doh!'

🎥 Bar Fight✔️(AMC+, 3:01 AM) 'Nina and Allen split everything in their lives after their break-up and must compete in a ridiculous custody battle for their prized watering hole in which lines will be drawn, sides will be chosen, and beers will be drunken.  Starring Rachel Bloom and Melissa Fumero.'

Bar Fight

🔔 Ancient Apocalypse (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'Journalist Graham Hancock travels the globe hunting for evidence of mysterious, lost civilizations dating back to the last Ice Age.'

🎥 Capturing the Killer Nurse (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'This documentary reveals how investigators proved ICU nurse Charles Cullen was killing patients — and how close he came to getting away with murder.

🎥 Is That Black Enough for You?!? (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'Culture critic and historian Elvis Mitchell traces the evolution — and revolution — of Black cinema from its origins to the impactful films of the 1970s.'

🎥 Don't Leave (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'Semih's girlfriend suddenly breaks up with him. In search of answers about their relationship, he must soon confront what he had long ignored.'

🎥 Monica, O My Darling✔️ (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'A slick robotics expert joins a murderous plot after a passionate affair takes a sudden turn, but nothing — not even death — is what it seems to be.'

🎥 My Father's Dragon✔️ (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'A young boy leaves the city of Nevergreen and journeys to the mysterious Wild Island, where he finds ferocious beasts — and the friendship of a lifetime.'

🤖 Transformers: Earthspark✔️(Paramount, 3:01 AM & Nickelodeon, 4:00 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Introduces a new generation of Transformers robots called Terrans - the first Transformers robots to be born on Earth - and together with the humans who welcome them in and care for them, they'll redefine what it means to be a family.'

🎥 Slash/Back✔️ (Shudder, 3:01 AM) 'Set in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a sleepy hamlet nestled in the majestic mountains of Baffin Island in the Arctic Ocean.  The film opens as the village wakes up to a typical summer day. No School, no cool boys (well... except one), and 24-hour sunlight. But for Maika and her ragtag friends, the usual summer is suddenly not in the cards when they discover an alien invasion threatening their hometown.'

🔔 The Manny (Tubi, 3:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Lani McCall is a successful social media chef on the verge of getting her own TV show. But as a single mother, she needs someone to help care for her young son and ends up being charmed by, and ultimately hiring, a handsome male nanny named Morgan Washington. Lani starts catching feelings for Morgan, but little does she know, he's a twisted and emotionally stunted "boy" who'll stop at nothing to get the family he never had.'

🔔 Variety's Salute to Service (History, 8:00 PM) 'Hosted by Seth Meyers; feature stories of different veterans who continue to serve their communities after time in the military; highlighting organizations such as Headstrong, Team Rubicon, The Bush Institute, Gary Sinise Foundation and the USO.'

🎥 Mother's Deadly Son (LMN, 8:00 PM) 'Marianne is in a desperate fight for the survival of her only son and must fight for his life to prove his innocence.'

My Father's Dragon

🎄CHRISTMAS (RELATED) PREMIERES🎄

🎥 A Christmas Open House (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 'Melissa is an ambitious Atlanta property stager who teams with her old high school crush, David Phelps, to sell her newly married mom’s home in their small Georgia hometown'. 

🎥 Designing Christmas (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 'Interior designer, Stella, and contractor, Pablo, have charmed viewers for six years as co-hosts of the renovation show, House Sweet Home, by relying on their expertise and palpable on-screen chemistry despite not being an actual couple. After the owners of the home slated for their upcoming holiday episode pull out, Pablo and the HSH team convince Stella to be their next client in hopes of saving the episode and the show itself.'

🎥 A Gingerbread Christmas (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 'After a devastating workplace development throws Hazel's job prospects as a full-time architect into question, she leaves NYC to spend the holidays with her father Ted in her suburban Chicago hometown. While there, she discovers that the family bakery has been on the decline since the passing of her mother. When all seems to be lost, she gets the idea to enter a Gingerbread house competition led by homegrown food celebrity Mark Clemmons offering a $100k prize – enough to get the ailing bakery back on track.'

🎥 One Delicious Christmas (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 'The future of Vermont culinary destination, Haven Restaurant and Inn, rests squarely on the shoulders of Abby Richmond, who inherited the property from her parents. In order to secure an investment, hot shot chef Preston Weaver is brought in to “shake up” the holiday menu after Abby unexpectedly loses her longtime chef.'

🎥 The Christmas Retreat (UPtv, 7:00 PM) 'When Kim’s boyfriend breaks up with her instead of proposing, her mom whisks her away to a Christmas retreat where she meets the owner’s unemployed brother, Mark. But will they be able to see past the mistakes neither one wants to admit to and let the magic of the season connect them?'

🎥 In Merry Measure (Hallmark, 8:00 PM) 'When pop star Darcy returns home to spend Christmas with her sister and niece, she unexpectedly finds herself coaching the high school choir with her onetime rival, Adam.'

🎥 The Dog Days of Christmas (Lifetime, 8:00 PM) 'Annie Blake, an aid worker, heads home to North Haven, Vt., to spend the holidays with her family. When the local animal shelter closes, Annie steps in to save it with the help of the local vet and old school nemesis, Dylan.'

Mammals

RETURNING SHOWS

🌎 Down to Earth with Zac Efron (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON TWO.

🔔 The Greatest #athome Videos (CBS, 8:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

💰 Gold Rush: White Water (Discovery, 9:00 PM) SEASON SIX PREMIERE.

😂 Entre Nos: The Winners 3 (HBO Latino, 10:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

😂 Entre Nos Presents: Ian Lara: Romatic Comedy (HBO Latino, 10:40 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

STREAMING

🔔 The Peripheral (Amazon, 12:01 AM) 

🔔 Acapulco (Apple, 12:01 AM) "We Don't Need Another Hero" 

🔔 Central Park (Apple, 12:01 AM) "A Hot Dog to Remember" 

🦟 The Mosquito Coast (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Least Concern Species" 

🔔 The Problem with Jon Stewart (Apple, 12:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. "Election Wrap Up Special" 

🔔 Shantaram (Apple, 12:01 AM) "Apo Val Pranah" 

⚖ Judy Justice (Freevee, 12:01 AM) 

👻 Ghost Brothers: Lights Out (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. "The Haunting of Waverly Hills" 

👻 Haunted Scotland (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) SEASON FINALE. 

🍴 In the Kitchen with Abner and Amanda (Discovery+, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 ¡García! (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) "Episode 4" 

🍰 The Great British Baking Show (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Martha Gardens (Roku, 3:01 AM) 

🥚 The Eggventurers (YouTube, 12:00 PM) 

👮‍♂️ Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

🔔 The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock, 9:00 PM) 

La Caida / Dive

SPORTSBALL TONIGHT/TODAY LIVE

🏌️‍♂️ PGA Tour Champions Golf: Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Second Round (Golf, 4:00 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Houston vs. Saint Joseph's (CBSSN, 6:00 PM)

🏀 Women's College Basketball: South Carolina at Maryland (ESPN2, 6:00 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Michigan State vs. Gonzaga (ESPN, 6:30 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Villanova at Temple (ESPNU, 7:00 PM)

🏈 College Football: East Carolina at Cincinnati (ESPN2, 8:00 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Princeton at Navy (CBSSN, 8:30 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Eastern Michigan vs. Michigan (ESPNU, 9:00 PM)

🏀 NBA Basketball: Minnesota Timberwolves at Memphis Grizzlies (ESPN, 9:30 PM)

🏈 College Football: Fresno State at UNLV (CBSSN, 10:30 PM)

MIDNIGHT

🎵 Tallboyz (Fuse, 12:00 AM) "I've Got This Foot Thing"

EARLY PRIMETIME

🔔Craig of the Creek (Cartoon Network, 4:00 PM) 'Craig goes to extreme lengths to keep up with the fall fashion trends.'

🤖 Transformers: Earthspark (Nickelodeon, 4:00 PM) 'Robby, reeling from his family's move from Philly to the rural town of Witwicky, finds new joy and purpose when he and his sister Mo bond with the first-ever Earth-born Transformers, Twitch and Thrash.'

💲 People Puzzler (GSN, 6:00 PM) 
🎥 The Christmas Retreat (UPtv, 7:00 PM) 
💲 America Says (GSN, 7:30 PM) 

Transformers: Earthspark

🕗 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

🦈 Shark Tank (ABC, 8:00 PM) 'Guest shark Peter Jones; a luxury apparel line designed to elevate one's office look; a portable way to enjoy beverages on tap; a fruit preservation device; a fruit-infused wine collection; an update on Curie, a natural product line.'

🔔 The Greatest #athome Videos (CBS, 8:00 PM) 'Country singer Luke Bryan joins host Cedric the Entertainer to help surprise heroes who went viral risking their lives during Hurricane Ian; Cedric shares his favorite fall videos filled with food, football, family, furry friends and more.'

🔔 Penn & Teller: Fool Us (CW, 8:00 PM) 'Magicians featured include Apollo Riego, Rachel Wax, Kolos and Peter Wood.'

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night SmackDown (Fox, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Lopez vs. Lopez (NBC, 8:00 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 The Villains of Valley View (Disney Channel, 8:00 PM) 
🎥 In Merry Measure (Hallmark, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Variety's Salute to Service (History, 8:00 PM) 
🎥 The Dog Days of Christmas (Lifetime, 8:00 PM) 
🎥 Mother's Deadly Son (LMN, 8:00 PM) 
💀 An Unexpected Killer (Oxygen, 8:00 PM) 
👮‍♂️ On Patrol: First Shift (Reelz, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Young Rock (NBC, 8:30 PM) 
🔔 Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion (Disney Channel, 8:30 PM) 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

🔔 Whose Line is it Anyway? (CW, 9:00 PM) 'Guest comic Jeff Davis.'

🔔 Raven's Home (Disney Channel, 9:00 PM) 'When the family refuses to take part in Alice and Ivy's safety plan, they try to trick them but instead end up accidently locking themselves and the family in the basement.'

🍴 Diners, Drive-ins & Dives (Food, 9:00 PM) 'Guy Fieri's diggin' into not-your-everyday dishes, all day long. In Taos, NM, there's a stacked-up breakfast, unique pot pie and Mexican recipes not found on a typical menu. Skate legend Tony Hawk tags along for creative vegan cooking in San Diego.'

💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:00 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush: White Water (Discovery, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Vale dos Esquecidos (HBO Latino, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
🔨 Fixer Upper: The Castle (Magnolia, 9:00 PM) 
👮‍♂️ On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Fatal Attraction: Last Words (TVOne, 9:00 PM) 
💖 Love During Lockup (WE, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:01 PM) 
🔨 Make Yourself at Home (Magnolia, 9:30 PM) 

Slash/Back

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

😂 Entre Nos: The Winners 3 (HBO Latino, 10:00 PM) 'The Entre Nos comedy series welcomes the winners of the 3rd edition of the Latino Stand-Up! Comedy Competition.'

💀 Urban Legend (Travel, 10:00 PM) 'An insecure high schooler buys the perfect prom dress from a vintage store in the hope of impressing her crush; when she experiences a series of ghostly occurrences, she begins to suspect the dress's previous owner may be haunting her.'

😂 Entre Nos Presents: Ian Lara: Romatic Comedy (HBO Latino, 10:40 PM) 'Lara explores the lessons learned during the pandemic, including common problems of New Yorkers during travel, and offers some essential advice to avoid risky dating experiences.'

💰 Gold Rush: The Dirt (Discovery, 10:00 PM) 
🔔 Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, 10:00 PM) 
🔨 The Home Team with Britt and Annie (Magnolia, 10:00 PM) 
🤼‍♂️ All Elite Wrestling: Rampage (TNT, 10:00 PM) 
😂 Entre Nos Presents: Ian lara: Romatic Comedy (HBO Latino, 10:40 PM) 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Graham Norton Show (BBC America, 11:00 PM) 'Graham is joined by Paul Mescal, Michaela Coel, Winston Duke, Emma Corrin and Richard Ayoade. Music comes from Loyle Carner.'

🔔 Back on the Record with Bob Costas (HBO, 11:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 'Featured guests: Rob Manfred, Christine Brennan, Dave Zirin, and Doc Rivers.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 PM) 'Actor Daniel Radcliffe; singer Weird Al Yankovic; actress Kerry Condon; Kurt Vile and the Violators perform; Dena Tauriello sits in with the 8G Band.'

🔔 The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM)
🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM)
🔔 The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS, 12:37 AM)
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM) 

Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE

📺 Knight Rider (Syfy, 4:57 AM - 11:14 AM); The Andy Griffith Show (Sundance, 6:00 AM - 12:00 PM); The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (VH1, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM); Roseanne (CMT, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM); ER (Pop, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM); Living Single (TVOne, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); South Park (Comedy Central, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM); Hawaii Five-0 (Ion, 10:00 AM - 2:00 AM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM); Law & Order (Sundance, 1:00 PM - 2:00 AM); The Office (Comedy Central, 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM); House (Pop, 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM); One Day at a Time (Antenna, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Three's Company (Antenna, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 8:00 PM -9:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TV Land, 8:00 PM - 11:05 PM); Barney Miller (Antennae, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); King of Queens (TV Land, 11:05 PM - 2:00 AM); Designing Women (Antenna, 11:30 PM); Becker (Antenna, 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM); Wings (Antennae, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM); Alice (Antenna, 2:00 AM - 3:00 AM); Mom (TV Land, 2:00 AM - 4:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 10:00 PM) 'Actor Don Rickles; singer Frank Sinatra; singer Olivia Newton-John; actor David Janssen.'

Monica, O My Darling

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Zap2it; Netflix; Wikipedia; Horrornews.net; Sysfy.com; hollywoodreporter.com

⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included