SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3
Pasadena (SoapNet, 7 p.m. ET/10 p.m. ET) Henry is missing, Lily is seeing a manipulative psychologist and Catherine develops an intense interest in a handsome young priest. Dana Delany stars. Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity) joins the cast as Father Collins.
Charles & Camilla: Whatever Love Means (WE, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. WE: Women's Entertainment's first original movie reveals details about the early years in the relationship of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, some of them quite surprising -- especially the bit about Camilla's role in choosing Lady Diana Spencer as Charles' first wife. Laurence Fox and Olivia Poulet star.
Academy of Country Music 40th Anniversary Celebration (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Garth Brooks, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Montgomery Gentry, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Mickey Gilley, Barbara Mandrell and Lee Ann Womack are among the stars appearing in this tribute to and retrospective of the work of the Academy of Country Music during the last four decades. Several of the stars appearing in the show will perform country hits by the artists who inspired them. This special was taped in Las Vegas last May at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
DaVinci & the Code He Lived By (History Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. As noted in this special, Leonardo da Vinci had many skills and interests that extended far beyond the paintings that would immortalize him -- including the design of military equipment (he sketched tank designs that would be used more than 350 years later in World War I), the construction of flying machines (hundreds of years before their time) and developing three-dimensional charts of the human body (which came about as a result of another obsession, performing secret autopsies). Not bad for a man born illegitimate and penniless in a small Italian village back in 1452.
Love's Long Journey (Hallmark Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. This continuation of the franchise that began with two of the Hallmark Channel's highest-rated original movies, Love Comes Softly and Love's Enduring Promise, is based on the third installment in faith fiction author Janette Oke's best-selling series about the lives of settlers in North America. Newlyweds Missue and Willie LaHaye travel west to set up a homestead on land Willie purchased years earlier. Erin Cottrell, Logan Bartholomew, Irene Bedard, John Savage and Dale Midkiff star.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4
Pope John Paul II (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. First of Two Parts. Last July during a press conference at the Television Critics Association's annual summer gathering CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler famously dubbed the script for this historic mini-series "a papal page turner." Tassler's remark caused a very small flap, but the spirit of her assessment was accurate. Pope John Paul II covers most of the remarkable life of the man born Karol "Lolek" Wojtyla in 1920 Poland, who defied the many extreme challenges in his life (including the deaths of his parents and older brother when he was only 20, the Nazi atrocities that decimated his homeland and the oppression of communist authorities) to rise through the hierarchy of the Catholic church and be elected Pope in October, 1978 at the age of 58. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) plays Wojtyla during his young adult years. Jon Voight portrays him thru his sometimes-controversial 26-year reign as Pope until his death in April of this year. James Cromwell, Ben Gazzara and Christopher Lee also star.
Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 10 p.m. ET) Can the crew handle the quintuplets that were born prematurely at the end of last week's episode? And, of equal weight in this sex-and-romance fueled series, will Meredith ever recover from the humiliating experience of having her latest one-night stand show up at Seattle Grace Hospital the next morning with an erection that wouldn't quit?
The Dead Zone (USA Network, 10 p.m. ET) Jennifer Finnigan (Close to Home) reprises her role as psychic Alex Sinclair in this utterly charming Christmas episode. Alex and Johnny, psychics who compliment each other in every way, work together to help an addled Santa reclaim his identity and three delinquent street kids find a home. Anthony Michael Hall stars.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO, 10 p.m. ET) Season Finale. The strangely disappointing fifth season of this once-sizzling HBO comedy series comes to a close. Larry David and Cheryl Hines star.
Sleeper Cell (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) Mini-Series Premiere. Showtime's certain to be controversial ten-hour drama about an undercover Muslim FBI special agent who infiltrates a Los Angeles-based terror cell led by an Islamic extremist plotting massive terror attacks in the United States will ultimately do little to calm American fears and suspicions about the Muslims next door. But it also reminds us of the harrowing work being done every day by men and women of all religious and ethnic backgrounds all over the world to track terrorist activities and thwart future attacks. Thought provoking, enlightening and a telling reflection of our troubling times, Sleeper Cell evokes comparisons to many of those terrific movies of the Seventies that similarly explored the complex issues of their day. Indeed, this series is so absorbing and so challenging that viewers will likely find themselves feeling sorry for one of the main characters before tonight's premiere is over, only to be reminded that the object of their sudden compassion was planning to murder thousands of innocent people. Showtime will telecast the first eight installments of this series at 10 p.m. ET Sunday through Wednesday for the next two weeks, with repeats running in two-hour blocks on Thursday and Friday evenings. The two-hour finale will premiere Sunday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET. Michael Ealy, Oded Fehr, Grant Heslov and Alex Nesic star.
But Can They Sing? (VH1, 10 p.m. ET) Season Finale. It's down to Carmine Gotti Angello, Michael Copon and Morgan Fairchild. We're guessing the popular Gotti hottie is going to claim the top prize, even though he can't sing worth a damn. Actually, not one of the competitors on this show, including Copon and Fairchild, can carry a tune. That's what's made it so much fun.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5
GAC Holiday Military Declarations (GAC, 5 p.m. ET) Premiere. Every night this week from 5-6 p.m. ET GAC will present an hour of country music videos featuring taped dedications from soldiers stationed in Baghdad and soldiers' family members here in the United States. Recording artists including Buddy Jewell, Heidi Newfield, Josh Turner, Rockie Lynne and Luke Stricklin will introduce the dedication blocks.
The Triangle (Sci Fi Channel, 9 p.m. ET) Mini-Series Premiere. First of Three Parts. Sci Fi Channel's annual December miniseries event this year is the story of a billionaire who loses numerous cargo ships and their crews in the area of the Atlantic Ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle and assembles a team of experts in various fields to get to the bottom of this legendary mystery. Executive producers Bryan Singer (X-Men, House) and Dean Devlin (Independence Day) developed this original story. Sam Neill, Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Bruce Davison, Lou Diamond Phillips and Michael Rogers star. Incidentally, today marks the 60th anniversary of the disappearance in 1945 of Flight 19, a squadron of Navy torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle during a training flight, as well as the plane and crew that was sent to search for them. The Triangle will continue Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. ET and Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 9 p.m. ET.
Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Gauntlet 2 Rookies vs. Veterans (MTV, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Teams comprised of alumni from MTV's The Real World and Road Rules compete in a series of challenges for more than $300,000 in cash and prizes. Hosted by pro BMX dirt jumper TJ Lavin. Beginning Dec. 12, MTV will debut its first online series, The After Show, on mtv.com, which will run directly after each new episode of Gauntlet 2 premieres on MTV. Blair of Road Rules: The Quest will host the online series, which will feature interviews with Gauntlet 2 contenders, footage that was cut from episodes and segments in which Blair challenges his guests to participate in new stunts.
TV Guide and TV Land Present the 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments (TV Land, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. First of Five Parts. The most surprising moments in television history -- from NBC's decision to start the made-for-television movie Heidi precisely at 7 p.m. on November 17, 1968, even though a thrilling New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game was not yet over to the legendary series finale of Newhart to Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl XXXVIII half-time show to the unforgettable moment on The Mary Tyler Moore Show when Phyllis learned her brother was gay -- have been culled by staffers at TV Guide magazine and TV Land for this five-part countdown series, which will run on TV Land from Dec. 5-Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. ET. The full list will be printed in the Dec. 5-11 edition of TV Guide.
I Can't Believe I Wore That (WE, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. First of Four Parts. Personalities who enjoyed pop-culture celebrity status in the Seventies, Eighties, Nineties and, perhaps prematurely, the early years of this new millennium comment on the more unfortunate fashions of each of those decades. Bo Derek and Dave Coulier host.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6
Fear Factor (NBC, 8 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. NBC's schedule this fall has been so unremarkable that the return of Fear Factor almost feels like cause to celebrate, even with all that bug eating and vomiting.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8 p.m. ET) It's the 40th anniversary of this endearing 1965 tale about Charlie Brown's search for the true meaning of Christmas, featuring what may be the saddest looking Christmas tree of all time and one of the most stirring spiritual messages in the history of broadcast holiday entertainment.
Billboard Music Awards (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Live. Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Toby Keith and R. Kelly are among the artists scheduled to perform during the 16th annual Billboard Music Awards, telecast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Kanye West will receive the Artist Achievement Award. 50 Cent, Lil Jon, Linkin Park, Larry the Cable Guy, Carmen Electra, Chris Brown and Blue Man Group are also scheduled to appear.
Earth Angels (Lifetime, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. In an uplifting scenario of Oprah-like proportions, a struggling single mother who has spent the past 12 years making certain that hundreds of homeless Baltimore-area men, women and children have food unexpectedly experiences a series of events that change her life for the better -- each one secretly orchestrated by members of a team of people set on rewarding the woman for her selfless efforts.
Party/Party (Bravo, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. Here's yet another reality series celebrating the wretched excess of American life, at least as it is lived by those who are fortunate enough to have money to burn and silly enough to waste it. Each episode follows the efforts of two different families to celebrate similar events, all motivated by the common desire to throw the best party ever for their guests of honor. Watching these people exhaust themselves in the interest of putting together perfect parties may be interesting, but somehow it's hard to care.
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She (HBO, 9:30 p.m. ET) Premiere. Gore Vidal narrates this documentary about the mental, physical and societal challenges facing individuals who seem to be not entirely male or female featuring interviews with transsexuals, intersexuals and transvestites and their families. Segments include a look at India's hijras, who are considered a "third sex."
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (CBS, 10 p.m. ET) Premiere. There is no gender-blurring or sexual confusion here. Just a lot of beautiful women baring as much of their breasts and behinds as broadcast standards will allow in a determined effort to showcase the newest lingerie from their sponsor.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. A new season of Bravo's fading series about a team of talented gay men who provide makeovers for straight men begins on a different note, with a series of shows in which the Fab Five help engaged couples prepare for their weddings.
Daisy Does America (TBS, 10 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. British actress and comedian Daisy Donovan travels across the country in search of people pursuing their ideas of the American Dream in this new reality series executive produced by Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7
America's Next Top Model (UPN, 8 p.m. ET) Season Finale. It's down to Bre, Nicole and Nik. One will become the country's next top model, if not exactly a household name, as the fifth season of this still-potent series comes to a close.
Epitafios (HBO Signature, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. HBO 'Ole's highly acclaimed first fiction series, which is written and filmed in Latin America by Latin Americans for Latin American viewers, comes to HBO Signature complete with subtitles so that the rest of us can understand what everyone's talking about. It's an intense drama about an ex-police officer and a female psychologist trying to catch a serial killer. Julio Chavez, Cecelia Roth, Paola Crum and Antonio Birabent star.
Going Hollywood (TLC, 9 p.m. ET) Series Premiere. This reality series chronicles the demanding and disheartening only-in-Hollywood experiences of three young adults who work as interns at entertainment companies run by Kevin Spacey (Trigger Street Productions), Robert Evans (The Robert Evans Company) and Method Man (Method Man Enterprises).
Project Runway (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET) Season Premiere. Sixteen new aspiring fashion designers assemble for season two of Bravo's breakout reality competition series. Each one is ready to compete in a series of design challenges at New York City's Parsons The New School for Design and avoid those dreaded weekly eliminations. The last designer standing will win $100,000 in seed money to launch his or her own line, a spread in Elle magazine and a mentorship from the Banana Republic Design Team. Supermodel Heidi Klum returns as host. Judges, who also serve as mentors on this program, include designer Michael Kors and Elle magazine fashion director Nina Garcia.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8
Inside Grand Central (National Geographic Channel, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. The inner-workings, underground tunnels and secret chambers below New York City's Grand Central Terminal are revealed in this fascinating documentary that chronicles the 92-year history of the massive structure. Every day 700,000 people (that's more than the population of Boston) pass through Grand Central, which encompasses a remarkable 48 acres in the middle of Manhattan.
Three Wise Guys (USA Network, 9 p.m. ET) Premiere. Tom Arnold, Judd Nelson, Katey Sagal, Nick Turturro, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Arye Gross, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Eddie McClintock star in a goofy holiday comedy about a casino owner, his three stooges and the crafty young pregnant woman they encounter on Christmas Eve.
Without a Trace (CBS, 10 p.m. ET) It's never a good time for Jack when his father shows up, and his visit in this episode is no exception. Martin Landau reprises his Emmy nominated role of Frank Malone.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9
Celebrate! Christmas with Maya Angelou (Hallmark Channel, 7 p.m. ET) Premiere. Family and friends of poet and author Maya Angelou gather at her North Carolina home to sing, cook and exchange gifts and share holiday stories in this Christmas special.
Dear Santa (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) Premiere. Real letters received by the U.S. Postal Service from children asking for Santa Claus' help are answered and the kids' wishes are fulfilled in this feel-good reality special quite unlike much of Fox' traditionally abrasive unscripted fare. A holiday album featuring original songs by Alicia Keys, Nick Lachey and American Idol 4 finalist Vonzell Solomon and Christmas classics by Nat King Cole, Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis, among others, has been produced in conjunction with this special and will be sold in 15,000 post offices nationwide (and online at www.usps.com/shop and iTunes). One dollar from the sale of each album will be donated to charities that work to make children's holiday wishes come true by answering real-life letters to Santa.
Masters of Horror (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) A cynical detective suspects that a mythological Native American creature is real in Deer Woman, a horror comedy tale co-written and directed by John Landis (An American Werewolf in London).