David Eulitt/Getty ImagesALSO SEE: Get Your FREE Printable NFL 2024 TV Schedule!
All Times Eastern. PBS programming varies regionally.
Wednesday, Dec. 25
NFL Football
Netflix, beginning at 1pm Live
Netflix is the exclusive global home for the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games. Up first, the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs are at the Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Houston Texans. Beyoncé will be performing at halftime of this second game. The service will also be streaming at least one holiday game in 2025 and 2026 as part of a three-season deal.
Blended Christmas
BET+
Original Film!
After a freak accident, a new bride cancels her tropical Christmas honeymoon to take care of her husband’s ex-wife and kids, with a little help from a holiday angel.
Beyond Paradise Christmas Special 2024
BritBox
Can Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and the team solve a series of eerie cases in time for the annual Christingle? When a man is haunted by the ghost of his dead wife, the team investigates. Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) assumes there must be a rational explanation, but when Humphrey also spots the ghost, it’s clear there is more to the case than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn) deals with a missing-person case when the Virgin Mary disappears from the church.
The Original Yule Log
Antenna TV, beginning at 5am
Enjoy the crackling sounds of a cozy fireplace, accompanied by delightful tunes celebrating the season, in this five-hour broadcast of the original televised Yule Log, which originally aired on New York’s WPIX beginning in 1966.
Christmas Marathon Concludes
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch Several Christmas Classics!
Have a merry classic Christmas with a day full of beloved holiday-related films on MOVIES! and Turner Classic Movies. Among the highlights on MOVIES! today are A Christmas Carol (1951), An American Christmas Carol (1979), The Night They Saved Christmas (1984), Mrs. Santa Claus (1996), Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus (1991), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and more. TCM’s weeklong Christmas movie marathon wraps up today with a lineup featuring Never Say Goodbye (1946), All Mine to Give (1957), Little Women (1933), In the Good Old Summertime (1949), Holiday Affair (1949), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) and more.
NBA Basketball
ABC & ESPN, beginning at 12pm Live
The NBA’s Christmas Day tradition continues on ABC and ESPN with the San Antonio Spurs at the N.Y. Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Dallas Mavericks, the Philadelphia 76ers at the Boston Celtics, the L.A. Lakers at the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets at the Phoenix Suns.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
NBC, 8pm
In this original 1966 animated TV special based on Dr. Seuss’ classic story, Boris Karloff narrates and voices the title Grinch, who schemes to steal every material vestige of Christmas from the Whos of Whoville. But the Grinch ultimately discovers he can’t remove the spirit of Christmas from the Whos’ hearts.
“Call the Midwife” Holiday Special
PBS, 8pm
It’s Christmas 1969, and the fun fair and carol concert add color to frosty Poplar. Yet the festive spirit at Nonnatus House is dampened by the spread of influenza alongside growing fears of an escaped prisoner after a spate of break-ins.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
NBC, 8:30pm
Jim Carrey plays Dr. Seuss’ titular meanie in this 2000 live-action adaptation directed by Ron Howard.
Get the latest from ReMIND Magazine!
Thursday, Dec. 26
Carols From King’s Christmas Special 2024
BritBox
This beloved British celebration of Christmas is filmed amid the beauty of historic King’s College Chapel in Cambridge.
Squid Game
Netflix
Season Premiere!
Season 2 of this South Korean thriller picks up three years after Player 456, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), won the Squid Game. He gave up going to the States and has returned with a new resolution in his mind. He once again dives into the mysterious survival competition, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the large cash prize. According to director Hwang Dong-hyuk, this season explores “Gi-hun’s endeavor to find out who these people [running Squid Game] are and why they do what they do.”
Star of the Month: Mickey Rooney
TCM, beginning at 6am
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies’ monthlong Thursday celebration of beloved star Mickey Rooney concludes with another daylong marathon today. You knew TCM couldn’t let a Rooney celebration go by without showing at least one of the movies featuring his most famous role as Andy Hardy, right? Well, today you get all 16 of the films in that franchise, in order, beginning with the first title, 1937’s A Family Affair, to the final installment, 1958’s Andy Hardy Comes Home. A few of the titles in between re-teamed Rooney with costar Judy Garland as Betsy Booth, before Garland took off as a major star in her own right: Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), which also features Lana Turner in an early role, Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940) and Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941).
College Football
ESPN, beginning at 2pm Live
ESPN presents a college football bowl game tripleheader with Pittsburgh vs. Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit, Rutgers vs. Kansas State in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix and Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green in the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Scrabble
The CW, 8pm
Season Finale!
Wordsmiths compete to win the final prize of the season in this reality competition series hosted by Raven-Symoné.
E! News Presents NBC’s Hot 10 of 2024
NBC, 8pm
E! News’ Justin Sylvester and Keltie Knight highlight the biggest and most unforgettable moments of the year, from the Olympics to award show trendsetters and the buzziest celebrity couples, in addition to blockbuster films, television, music, sports and more, along with what to expect in 2025.
NFL Football: Seattle at Chicago
Prime Video, 8:15pm Live
Soldier Field in Chicago is the site of this Week 17 Thursday Night Football contest between the Seattle Seahawks and the Bears.
The Year: 2024
ABC, 9pm
Host Robin Roberts looks back at the most memorable and iconic moments of 2024, and the best of what’s to come in 2025. From major news events and pop-culture stories in the news to the breakout stars, heroes and changemakers — revisit it all.
Trivial Pursuit
The CW, 9pm
Season Finale!
Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton hosts the final episode of the competition game show’s season.
The Flipping El Moussas
HGTV, 9pm
Season Premiere!
In “A Flipping Mess,” Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa will kick off a new season in Hawthorne, California, where they tackle their most extreme flip project to date. With a Herculean effort, the couple will face years of muck and multiple construction setbacks to turn the trashy bungalow into a highly desirable home that hopefully delivers a strong return on their investment.
Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas
NBC, 9pm
Dolly Parton leads this 2022 production, a modern-day movie musical that showcases the frenetic backstage story and delightful onstage results of her desire to share the unique mountain magic she has always found in and around Dollywood at Christmastime. Throughout the production numbers and rehearsal chaos, Dolly finds herself taking a private journey into her past, guided by her personal Three Wise Mountain Men. The film includes Dolly’s hits “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You,” as well as a holiday medley and more. Among the musical guests are Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus.
Friday, Dec. 27
College Football
ESPN & FOX, beginning at 12pm Live
College football’s postseason continues today with Oklahoma vs. Navy in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (ESPN), Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl (ESPN), Texas Tech vs. Arkansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl (ESPN), Syracuse vs. Washington State in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl (FOX) and Texas A&M vs. USC in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (ESPN).
NHL Hockey
ESPN2, beginning at 7pm Live
An NHL doubleheader on ESPN2 has the Chicago Blackhawks at the Buffalo Sabres and the Colorado Avalanche at the Utah Hockey Club.
The Greatest @Home Videos: “Holiday Edition”
CBS, 8pm
Cedric the Entertainer is back with his annual special featuring a delightful mix of cute, hilarious, over-the-top, creative and incredibly heartfelt videos that are perfect for the festive season.
In Memoriam
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
Turner Classic Movies offers an evening of films starring or produced by great talents we lost in 2024 (who have not already been honored with stand-alone tributes on the network). Remembered during this night will be French actor Alain Delon, in the 1967 crime thriller Le Samouraï; actress/producer Shelley Duvall, in writer/director Robert Altman’s psychological thriller 3 Women (1977), costarring Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule and making its TCM premiere; character actor M. Emmet Walsh, in Ethan and Joel Coen’s first film, the 1984 neo-noir crime thriller Blood Simple; French actress Anouk Aimée, in the romantic drama Lola (1961); actress/singer Janis Paige, in the musical romantic comedy Romance on the High Seas (1948), also featuring Doris Day in her film debut; and actor Darryl Hickman, in the biographical drama Fighting Father Dunne (1948).
Grammy Greats: The Stories Behind the Songs
CBS, 9pm
Gayle King and Mickey Guyton host this special featuring Grammy winners for Song of the Year discussing the stories behind their creations. Interviews include Billie Eilish, Finneas, Richard Marx, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Mark Ronson, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Brandi Carlile, Bonnie Raitt, Sting and Lady A.
Craft in America: “Science”
PBS, 9pm
From the Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico to the computer science labs of MIT and NASA, this episode investigates the unexpected intersection between art and the sciences, spanning technology, engineering, biology, math and the current climate situation.
Saturday, Dec. 28
College Football
ABC, The CW & ESPN, beginning at 11am Live
A full day of college football bowl game action is in store with UConn vs. North Carolina in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl (ESPN), Boston College vs. Nebraska in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl (ABC), Louisiana vs. TCU in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl (ESPN), Iowa State vs. Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl (ABC), Miami (Ohio) vs. Colorado State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (The CW), East Carolina vs. NC State in the Go Bowling Military Bowl (ESPN), BYU vs. Colorado in the Valero Alamo Bowl (ABC) and Louisiana Tech vs. Army in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (ESPN).
College Basketball
ESPN2, FOX & FS1, beginning at 12pm Live
The Saturday college basketball national TV slate includes Coppin State at Georgetown (FS1), Ole Miss at Memphis (ESPN2), Loyola Maryland at DePaul (FS1), Delaware at St. John’s (FS1) and UCLA at Gonzaga (FOX).
NFL Football
NFL Network, beginning at 1pm Live
NFL Network airs three Saturday games in Week 17, choosing from a pool of five matchups: Denver at Cincinnati, Arizona at L.A. Rams, L.A. Chargers at New England, Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants and Atlanta at Washington.
Two for One: Nicole Holofcener
TCM, beginning at 8pm
Catch a Classic!
TCM primetime host Ben Mankiewicz is joined by director/screenwriter Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking), who introduces two films of her choosing. Holofcener will offer commentary on each title’s cultural significance and its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories, and her own personal reflections on them. The titles she has chosen are Coming Home (1978), the Best Picture Oscar-nominated drama from Best Director nominee Hal Ashby, led by Best Actor winner Jon Voight, Best Actress winner Jane Fonda and Best Supporting Actor nominee Bruce Dern, followed by The Last Detail (1973), a comedy/drama also directed by Ashby, and starring Best Actor nominee Jack Nicholson and Best Supporting Actor nominee Randy Quaid.