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Tis the season!
We’re not even to Halloween yet, but you can toss it and Thanksgiving right out the window because Christmas is here! Fa la la la la la and all that. We’re not even going to pretend that we think it’s too early for Christmas. In 2020, I can think of nothing better than escaping for the holidays.
Oh yeah, and The Undoing premieres, This Is Us returns, The Mandalorian takes another swing at the Star Wars universe and a whole lot more!
Saturday, October 24
8/7c Jingle Bell Bride (Hallmark)
Julia Gonzalo stars in Jingle Bell Bride as a wedding planner named Jessica Perez, who travels to a remote town in Alaska.
She’s searching for a rare flower for a celebrity client and is charmed by the small town during Christmas.
In addition to being charmed by the small town, she’s also delighted with the handsome local helping her (Ronnie Rowe Jr.). It sounds like she might find a lot more than the flower she’s seeking!
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8/7c Christmas Unwrapped (Lifetime)
Did you see our Christmas Unwrapped exclusive clip? If so, then you are already planning on watching this Christmas movie from Tiffany Haddish.
Amber Stevens West plays Charity, an ambitious reporter, who learns the true meaning of Christmas when she investigates Erik Gallagher (Marco Grazzini).
Erik is a beloved member of the town know to provide gifts to the locals but swears that the gifts are coming from Santa himself!
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9/8c Christmas Tree Lane (HMM)
Christmas Tree Lane is a beautiful movie starring Alicia Witt and Andrew Walker, two people who find their way into each other’s hearts for their love of Christmas and tradition.
Of course, when the Lane is up for sale, Meg and Nate find out they have a lot more in common than they thought.
Can they work together to save a beloved part of town or will their individual interests tear them apart before they even begin?
Days of Our Lives Drake Hogestyn costars.
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Sunday, October 25
8/7c Forever Christmas (Lifetime)
My friend Gary Goldstein wrote this fun film after optioning Ruth Clampett’s novel, Mr. 365.
If you’re a member of Passion Flix, you might have already seen Mr. 365 under that title. If not, then you’re in for a treat!
Gary really loves what he does, and it’s obvious in this fun movie about a man named Will (Christopher Russell), who finds himself an instant celebrity when journalist, Sophia (Chelsea Hobbs) wants to feature the Christmas-loving man on a reality TV program.
If there’s one thing we know about 2020, it’s that the idea of Christmas being forever, 365 days a year, is right up our alley!
We chatted with Gary again to promote the movie, and you can find that conversation on TV Fanatic on Sunday.
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8/7c Chateau Christmas (Hallmark)
Merritt Patterson and Luke MacFarlane star in Chateau Christmas as Margot and Jackson.
Margo is a world-renowned pianist, who returns to Chateau Neuhaus to spend the holiday with her family and rediscover her passion for music after some bad reviews.
Bumping into her former bandmate and ex-boyfriend is likely to inspire her love of music and a whole lot more when Jackson convinces her to headline the annual Christmas concert.
All kinds of feelings will come rushing back for both of them!
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9/8c The Undoing (HBO)
Powerhouse actors Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant star as Grace and Jonathan Fraser, living happily together, raising their son, exactly as they always wanted.
But after an acquaintance of Grace’s is murdered in horrific fashion, Grace finds herself stunned at how quickly her life has changed.
Grace is forced to question everything she thought she knew to remain on her feet and hold the course for her family in this mystery from Emmy winners Susanne Bier and David E. Kelley.
We’ll be covering this one weekly, so be sure to return Sunday night after the premiere for a full review.
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9/8c Deliver by Christmas (HMM)
Eion Bailey and Alvina August star in this movie about a bakery owner and a widower.
When widower, Josh, moves to town with his young son, Molly has no idea she’s about to cross paths with him.
It turns out that the mysterious client she’s never met in person and the handsome widower are the same person!
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Monday, October 26
The Creepshow Halloween Special (Shudder)
This is a treat! Creepshow drops a fully animated special on Shudder just in time for Halloween.
Directed by Greg Nicotero and based on stories by Stephen King and Joe Hill, this special stars Keifer Sutherland and Joey King!
“Survivor Type,” based on the short story by Stephen King and adapted by Nicotero, stars Sutherland as a man determined to stay alive alone on a deserted island no matter what the cost.
“Twittering from the Circus of the Dead,” based on the short story by Joe Hill and adapted by Melanie Dale, stars King as a teen whose family road trip includes a visit to the gravest show on earth.
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Temple (Spectrum)
If you’re one of the few, the elite that is a Spectrum subscriber, then you’re going to get a crack at a new-to-the-US series starring Mark Strong.
In this character-driven drama, a brilliant but haunted surgeon must sacrifice everything for the ones he loves by opening an underground clinic.
As word of the clinic starts to spread amongst outcasts and the criminal underworld, our hero becomes entrenched in dangerous battles between life and death — and one for his very soul.
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Tuesday, October 27
The Dakota Entrapment Tapes (Sundance Now)
In a sleepy North Dakota town, where the crime rate is so low people often don’t lock their front doors, 20-year-old college student Andrew Sadek mysteriously disappears in May 2014 and is found dead almost two months later.
What Andrew’s friends and family didn’t know was that in the months before his death, he had been coerced into becoming an informant for an aggressive police task force that had been secretly operating for years.
As details of Andrew’s double life are revealed, the cover of the shadowy program is blown, laying bare the collusion and abuse of power of local law enforcement at all levels.
Following the Sadek family’s fight for the truth about how their son was killed, The Dakota Entrapment Tapes skillfully uncovers the forces at play in his death and reveals why law enforcement secretly waged a war on drugs, on a college campus that didn’t have a drug problem.
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9/8c This Is Us (NBC)
It’s the Season 5 Premiere!
This Is Us returns after the blow-out fight between Kevin and Randall that ended This Is Us Season 4.
Will the brothers come face to face? Is the treatment that Randall strong-armed Rebecca into actually working? And how will the family react, especially Kate, when she learns that her brother is having twins with her best friend?
It’s also the Big Three’s 40th birthday. Will it be a celebration or devolve into yet another disaster? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
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Wednesday, October 28
Holidate (Netflix)
Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) hate the holidays. They constantly find themselves single, sitting at the kids table, or stuck with awkward dates.
But when these two strangers meet during one particularly bad Christmas, they make a pact to be each other’s “holidate” for every festive occasion throughout the next year.
With a mutual disdain for the holidays, and assuring themselves that they have no romantic interest in the other, they become each other’s perfect plus-one which leads to some hilarious and provocative hijinks.
However, as a year of absurd celebrations come to an end, Sloane and Jackson find that sharing everything they hate may just prove to be something they unexpectedly love.
Let’s be honest. We’ve seen this premise so many time, but it never grows old. Get ready to enjoy some holidates with Sloane and Jackson!
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9/8c The Conners (ABC)
The Conner family has always gone all out for Halloween, and despite Lanford canceling the holiday due to the risks of the coronavirus, we expect nothing less from this year.
Who will have the most outrageous costume? Will they manage to remain socially distant while giving out unsanctioned treats?
Michael Fishman, who stars as D.J. Conner, makes his directorial debut and we’re curious to see his vision for this year’s Conner Halloween.
Thursday, October 29
8/7c Superstore (NBC)
How will Superstore tackle coronavirus while also saying goodbye to Amy?
Well, it appears we’re going to find out, as the season premiere finds Amy and Jonah trying to bring some order to the Cloud 9 chaos after the virus hits.
Oh, joy?
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10/9c Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 (CBS)
Two words. HARRY. MUDD.
If Sarek hasn’t sold you yet on the Star Trek pedigree of the newest series in this franchise, the introduction of Harry Fenton Mudd, the most impressive and incorrigible con-man of the 23rd Century is sure to do the job.
Brought back to our screens by none other than Rainn Wilson, Mudd is hanging out on a Klingon prison ship when Lorca is captured. Sign on this week and see how it turns out for the bad penny that never goes astray for long.
Oh yeah, and there’s this guy, Ash Tyler, too. Meh.
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11/10c Deutschland 89 (Sundance)
The Deutschland saga comes to an end with 89, and it looks like there are some big, historical moments on tap.
How will Martin Rauch deal with the consequences of his actions in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall?
While everyone else revels in the enormity of the situation, Martin’s world will be thrown into turmoil. Check out the trailer for the third and final season.
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Friday, October 30
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The first hit from Disney+ returns!
We have absolutely no idea what to expect, but we’re pretty thrilled to have something to look forward to with our favorite universe.
Here’s a special look at the second season.
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Truth Seekers (Prime Video)
This is what you need as you roll into Halloween!
Truth Seekers is called a supernatural comedy drama series, so you know that no matter what kind of programming you enjoy, you’ll find something to like here.
Take a look at the trailer, and if you’re feeling excited, grab a group of friends and visit the Truth Seekers escape room!
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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.