What's On Tonight (Friday): It's a Dead Man's Movie...

        

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Today's Top Pick is the third film in the Knives Out franchise: Wake Up Dead Man.  Daniel Criag returns as gentleman detective Benoit Blanc and is joined by another sprawling cast of stars: Josh O'Connor, Mila Kunis, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Thomas Hayden Church and Jeffrey Wright among others.  Once again directed by Rian Johnson, the film deals with the murder of a monsignor in what appears to be an open and shut case.  Reviews, as with the previous entries, are excellent.

If murder mystery isn't your drug of choice, Apple has the streaming premiere of testosterone-fueled racing drama F1.  If you prefer your films with a decided lack of testosterone, HBO Max has the streaming premiere of Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.  And if you reject testosterone all together in favor of a more estrogen-infused product, Disney+ and ABC have the premiere of limited series Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era (yes, that's what it's actually titled).  Disney+ also has the final performance from Swift's tour (appropriately titled Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show), while poor ABC only has a preview of said concert because fuck any Swifties who won't shell out for Disney+.

⭐🎥 Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'Detective Benoit Blanc sifts through a series of suspects when a monsignor turns up dead.'

Elsewhere...  

 PREMIERES

F1

🎥 F1 (Apple, 12:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'Dubbed "the greatest that never was," Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1's most promising phenom until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he's a racer-for-hire when he's approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to for one last shot at being the best in the world.'`

🎥 Tell Me Softly (Amazon, 3:01 AM) 'Kamila Hamilton had everything under control... or so she thought: it wasn't in her plans for the Di Bianco brothers to return and turn her world upside down again.'

🎥 Influencers (AMC+/Shudder, 3:01 AM) 'In the picturesque landscapes of Southern France, a young woman's chilling fascination with murder and identity theft sends her life into a whirlwind of chaos.'

🎵 Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era (Disney+, 3:01 AM / ABC, 8:00 PM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'An illuminating docuseries that gives an intimate look at Taylor's life as her tour made headlines and thrilled fans around the world. In addition, the series features Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Travis Kelce, Ed Sheeran, and Florence Welch, along with her band, dancers, crew, and family members - offering never-before-seen insight into what it took to create a phenomenon.'

🎥 Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Disney+, 3:01 AM) 'The full-concert film, captured in Vancouver, B.C., during the final show of the record-breaking tour, features the entire set of "THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," which was added to the tour following that album's release in 2024.'

🎥 Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'Forty-one years after the release of the groundbreaking mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, the now estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer) are forced to reunite for one final concert.'

🔔 Stolen Children (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. 'Investigative reporter Tamuna Museridze sets out to unravel a profoundly personal mystery as she follows the trail of a widespread 1990s scheme in which newborns were taken from Georgian maternity wards and trafficked across the world.  She exposes networks, mechanisms, and long-buried secrets along with family tragedies that remain just as painful today.'

🔔 City of Shadows (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'A gruesome crime has occurred in La Pedrera - Casa Milà: a burning body appears on the façade of Gaudi's emblematic building. Inspector Milo Malart, until now suspended from his job, comes back to activity and, together with deputy inspector Rebeca Garrido, will try to find the author of this crime.

🔔 Single Papa (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON ONE. 'Follows Gaurav Gehlot, a lovable man-child whose emotional age can best be described as "work in progress." His sudden decision to adopt a baby right after his divorce, leaves his family so shocked they briefly consider rebooting him. What follows is unprecedented pandemonium as the Gehlots scramble to understand how a man who still misplaces his socks plans to raise a whole human.'

🎥 Hag (Tubi, 3:01 AM) 'After a decade apart, Rowan rents his spare room to Mag -a self-proclaimed "hag"- whose obsession with him grows into a life-or-death showdown.'

🎵 Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Preview) (ABC, 9:00 PM) 'An intimate look at Taylor's life as her tour makes headlines and thrills fans around the world.'

😂 Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh (HBO, 9:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION. '​Sarah Sherman slithers onto screens in her first HBO stand-up special for an hour of jokes, open-wound confessionals…and bodily fluids.'

🎄CHRISTMAS PREMIERES🎄

Home for Christmas

🎄💖🎄Home for Christmas (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON THREE. 'Tired of the constant comments on her relationship status, perpetually single Johanne starts a 24-day hunt for a boyfriend to bring home for Christmas.'

🎄🔔🎄The 93rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (CW, 8:00 PM) SPECIAL PRESENTATION.

🎄🎥🎄A Runaway Bride for Christmas (Lifetime, 8:00 PM) 'When runaway bride Emma seeks refuge in the only town she's ever called home, she unexpectedly falls for her former high school crush who's hiding his own heartbreak.'

🎄🎥🎄The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Joe Bob's Cold Cruel Christmas (Shudder, 9:00 PM) 'Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl are once again possessed by the Christmas spirit, hosting a double-feature of snowy slashers for an unholy night full of frozen fear and cold-blooded kills.'

🎄🎥🎄Christmas in Alaska (Lifetime, 10:03 PM) 'Two rival journalists competing for the same promotion get stranded in snowy Alaska after an emergency landing. They find themselves caught up in an unexpected Christmas romance.'

 RETURNING SHOWS

🐢 Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Paramount, 3:01 AM) SEASON TWO.

STREAMING

🔔 Pluribus (Apple, 12:01 AM) "The Gap" 

👰‍♀️ Bridezillas (All Reality, 3:01 AM) "Beauty-Queenzilla & Liezilla" 

💀 The Creep Tapes (AMC+/Shudder, 3:01 AM) 

🏒 Heated Rivalry (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 The Seduction (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

🔔 Tougen Anki (Netflix, 11:31 AM) 

👮 Cops (Fox Nation, 6:00 PM) 

💖 Love Island: Australia (Hulu, 7:01 PM)

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

🏐 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship: Regional Semifinal (ESPN, 12:00 PM)

🏌️ PGA TOUR & LPGA Golf: 2025 Grant Thornton Invitational - Round 1 (Golf, 1:00 PM)

🏐 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship: Regional Semifinal (ESPN, 2:30 PM)

⚽ College Soccer: NCAA Men's College Cup, Round: Semifinal #1 (ESPNU, 6:00 PM) 

🏐 Women's College Volleyball: Teams TBA (ESPN2, 7:00 PM)

🏒 NHL Hockey: Chicago Blackhawks at St Louis Blues (ESPN+/Hulu, 8:00 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Texas Longhorns at Connecticut Huskies (Fox, 8:00 PM)

⚽ College Soccer: NCAA Men's College Cup, Round: Semifinal #2 (ESPNU, 8:30 PM) 

🏈 FCS Football Championship: Quarterfinal (ESPN, 9:00 PM)

🏐 Women's College Volleyball: Teams TBA (ESPN2, 9:30 PM)

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era

EARLY PRIMETIME

🔔 Wylde Pack (Nickelodeon, 5:30 PM) 'During a heatwave, Will tries to fix the broken air conditioning to protect his family; Ellie's bossy behavior at Raven Club makes Jack and Lil quit, forcing her to save her friendships and her investigation.'

🪨📃✂️ Rock Paper Scissors (Nickelodeon, 6:00 PM) 'When Scissors swallows a pinecone, Pencil uses a technological marvel, the origami robot, to enter his stomach; Scissors sees an inspirational movie about a scrappy kid who defies the odds to become a football star.'

🕖 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

👮 Sherriff Country (CBS, 8:00 PM) 'As cannabis growers in Edgewater scramble to pay their taxes in cash, a violent robbery leaves a man in critical condition and exposes the vulnerability of the legal cannabis trade; Mickey navigates a tense meal with her stepsister.'

🎄💖🎄The Twelve Dates of Christmas (Hallmark, 8:00 PM) 'Kate confronts past dating patterns after she matches with someone she ghosted; Mac and Evelyn roadtrip to Brighton; Callum holds a pop-up at the Pear Tree.'

🔔 Power Book IV: Force (Starz, 8:01 PM) 'Tommy and Diamond disagree on business, while Jenard takes the opportunity to introduce another hustle to CBI; Stacy does damage control to salvage her campaign, and Mireya contemplates her future.'

🎵 Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The End of an Era (ABC, 8:00 PM) 
🎄🔔🎄The 93rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (CW, 8:00 PM) 
🔔 Happy's Place (NBC, 8:00 PM) 
🤠 The Last Cowboy (CMT, 8:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 
💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) 
🎄🎥🎄A Runaway Bride for Christmas (Lifetime, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Ready to Love (OWN, 8:00 PM) 

👮 On Patrol: First Shift (Reelz, 8:00 PM) 

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 
🤸 Stumble (NBC, 9:30 PM) 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

🔥 Fire Country (CBS 9:00 PM) 'Bode participates in a high school drunk-driving drill that unexpectedly reconnects him with a former classmate; Three Rock reopens with a new crew and high hopes.'

🎭 American Masters (PBS, 9:00 PM) 'Celebrating the life and career of actor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday; featuring never-before-seen footage, photos and home movies that detail his legacy in show business.'

🎄💖🎄The Twelve Dates of Christmas (Hallmark, 9:00 PM) 'Kate's mother, Delilah, shows up for a holiday visit, throwing Mac and Kate for a loop; history repeating itself causes Callum and Kate to remember their past.'

⚔️ Spartacus: House of Ashur (Starz, 9:00 PM) 'Korris faces Ashur's wrath and must prove himself worthy.'

🎵 Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Preview) (ABC, 9:00 PM) 
🦁 Vantara: Sanctuary Stories (Animal Planet, 9:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 
🍽️ Diners, Drive-Ins 7 & Dives (Food, 9:00 PM) 
😂 Sarah Squirm: Live + In The Flesh (HBO, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
👽 The Unbelievable with Dan Ackroyd (History, 9:00 PM) 
👮 On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
💀 Dateline NBC (NBC, 9:01 PM) 
🪓 The Last Woodsman (Discovery Channel, 9:08 PM) 

City of Shadows

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

👮 Boston Blue (CBS, 10:00 PM) 'Danny and Lena's investigation into a robbery gone wrong quickly turns personal; Sean and Jonah face rising tensions with Boston's firefighters; Sarah clashes with boyfriend Seth over family discipline.'

🔔 It's Florida, Man (HBO, 10:00 PM) 'A Naples woman faces legal issues after experiencing effects from a new medication.' 

👽 The Proof is Out There (History, 10:03 PM) 'Do an ancient pair of footprints prove giants once walked the earth? How does an eight-year-old girl climb walls like Spiderman? Tony and his team of experts examine the evidence to find the truth.'

🔔 20/20 (ABC, 10:00 PM) 
💀 Murder at the Motel (A&E, 10:01 PM)
🎄🎥🎄Christmas in Alaska (Lifetime, 10:03 PM) 

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) 'Actress and singer Lady Gaga.'

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 AM) 'Actors Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez ("Merrily We Roll Along"); actor Taran Killam.'

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

The Andy Griffiths Show (Sundance, 5:00 AM - 1:00 PM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM); South Park (Comedy Central, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Roseanne (CMT, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM); Living Single (TV One, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM); Parks and Recreation (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM); The Andy Griffith Show (TVLand, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM); The Office (Comedy Central, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM); 227 (Antenna, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 7:00 PM -9:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TVLand, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM); Barney Miller (Antennae, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); Becker (Antenna, 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Golden Girls (Hallmark, 10:00 PM - 1:00 AM); The King of Queens (TVLand, 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM); Wings (Antenna, 12:30 - 1:00 AM); The Drew Carey Show (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Actor John Davidson; comedian Richard Pryor; actress Darleen Carr; actor Michael J. Fox.'

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Rotten Tomatoes; YouTube; TV Guide; TV Passport

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