What's On Tonight (Monday): Have Yourself a Very Whovian Christmas ...

 

Via Giphy.

Season's Greetings, Commentariat! Our Christmas Day Top Pick is "The Church on Ruby Road," which is both the latest Doctor Who Holiday Special and the first one for Ncuti Gatwa, whose series will air in 2024.

While I wonder if one has to wear ruby slippers to the Church on Ruby Road, let's see what TV has to offer us for Monday, Dec. 25. All times are EST.


STREAMING AND HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING (Talkin' 'Bout Talk has the week off.)
The Madame Blanc Mysteries Christmas Special, 3:01 a.m., Acorn TV. Premiere. "It's coming up to Christmas and Judith and Jeremy have arranged for Jean, Dom, Caron and Gloria to attend a murder mystery night at an old friend's hotel. Judith explains that the hotel has a spooky history. A terrible storm starts, and heavy rain pounds the isolated hotel. During the evening the murder mystery becomes a night of actual murder as someone is killed. With several suspects trapped together in the hotel, can Jean find who is responsible and discover who the killer is? Will this answer the mystery to the ghostly goings on at Hotel Sanguinet?"

Ricky Gervais: Armageddon, 3:01 a.m., Netflix. Premiere. "The BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning mind behind The Office, Extras and Afterlife takes the stage for a provocative new stand-up special, riffing on the end of humanity, political correctness, family weddings, funerals and Artificial Intelligence."

What If ...?, 3:01 a.m., Disney+. "What If ... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?"

The 40th Anniversary Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, 10 a.m., ABC. 2 hours. "A Christmas parade featuring musical performances and celebrity guests. Performers include Chrissy Metz, The Smashing Pumpkins and Iam Tongi. Julianne Hough and Derek Hough host."

The Doctor Who Holiday Special, 1:30 p.m., Disney+. "The Church on Ruby Road." "Long ago on Christmas Eve, a baby was abandoned in the snow. Today, Ruby Sunday meets the Doctor, stolen babies, goblins and perhaps the secret of her birth."

PRE-PRIMETIME SPORTS

NBA Basketball, 12 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2. Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks.

NFL Football, 1 p.m., CBS/Nickelodeon. Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs.

NBA Basketball, 2:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN. Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets.

NFL Football, 4:30 p.m., FOX. New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles.

NBA Basketball, 5 p.m., ABC/ESPN. Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers.

Via Giphy.

PRE-PRIMETIME MOVIES (Expanded for Christmas!)

Home for the Holidays, 7 p.m., The Movie Channel Xtra.

A Christmas Story, 7 p.m., TNT. Part of the annual marathon.

Revolutionary Road, 7:01 p.m., HBO Signature.

Showing Up, 7:05 p.m., Showcase.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, 7:10 p.m., Syfy.

Predator, 7:13 p.m., MoreMax.

The Lesson, 7:15 p.m., Sho2.

Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, 7:16 p.m., StarzEncore.

Friday, 7:20 p.m., WE.

Source Code, 7:32 p.m., HBO2.

PRIMETIME (It's almost entirely reruns tonight.)

NFL Football, 8 p.m., ABC. Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers.

NBA Basketball, 8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2. Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat.

NBA Basketball, 10:30 p.m., ESPN. Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns.

The Call the Midwife Holiday Special, 8 p.m., PBS. 90 minutes. "Delicate situations cause uncertainty for the midwives just two weeks before Christmas. A heavy snowfall may complicate holiday celebrations." Encore at 9:30 p.m.

Johnny Carson, 10 p.m., Antenna. 90 minutes. Bruce Dern, David Letterman and Judith Blegen are the guests on this Dec. 20, 1979, episode.

Movie Night! (Expanded for Christmas!)

The Waltons Homecoming, 8 p.m., The CW.

Peter Pan, 8 p.m., Univision. 2003 movie.

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, 8 p.m., BET.

Mission Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, 8 p.m., CMT.

Step Brothers, 8 p.m., Vice. Encore at 10 p.m.

Barbie, 8 p.m., HBO.

The Holiday, 8 p.m., Lifetime.

Across the Universe, 8 p.m., Cinemax.

We're the Millers, 8 p.m., MTV.

Miracle on 34th Street, 8 p.m., Sundance. 1947 movie.

The Wizard of Oz, 8 p.m., TBS. Encore at 10:15 p.m.

Vertigo, 8 p.m., TCM.

American Hustle, 8 p.m., The Movie Channel.

U.S. Marshals, 8 p.m., Pop.

Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection, 8 p.m., VH1.

Hotel Transylvania, 8:15 p.m., Nickelodeon.

A Christmas Carol, 8:20 p.m., FXM. 1951 movie.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 8:30 p.m., NBC. 2000 movie.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, 8:30 p.m., Freeform.

Get Smart, 8:39 p.m., HBO Family. 2008 movie.

Just Go With It, 9 p.m., Bravo.

It's a Wonderful Life, 9 p.m., E! Part of a marathon.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 9 p.m., FX.

Mafia Mamma, 9 p.m., Showtime.

John Wick: Chapter 4, 9:10 p.m., Starz.

The Wedding Singer, 10 p.m., TruTV.

Courtesy YouTube.

LATE NIGHT PICK! (Late Night Talk also has the week off.)

Santa Claus: The Movie, 3 a.m., AMC.

Sources: Futon Critic, zap2it, IMDB, Google.