Get Lost In Space with John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Tuesday, December 24. All times are Eastern.
Top picks
A good December 24 to one and all. In case you were curious, Netflix is fully aware that lots and lots of you have the day off. Of its several drops today, here are the two big highlights.
Lost In Space (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., complete second season): What do you think: Is Will Robinson still in danger?
Here’s our own Danette Chavez on the slight pleasures of this second season:
[Season two of Lost In Space] feels like a do-over of the first season, with less bulk and roughly the same number of utterances of “Faraday cage.” The new batch of perfectly adequate episodes finds the Robinsons once more MacGyvering their way through a series of obstacles and otherwise trying to contact the Resolute, the mothership that holds the rest of the 24th colonist group. Smith (Parker Posey, who’s loving every dishonest minute) has lost the “Doctor” and the Robinsons’ confidence, but none of her cunning. Early on, the wily stowaway is down, but not out—she has no robot protecting her (nor does Will, for that matter, after the events of the season-one finale), but as long as there are people to manipulate, she’s far from helpless. Smith (or June, if that’s her real name) continues to be the chaotic neutral highlight of the series, thanks to Posey’s balancing act: the actor combines real vulnerability with an inclination for mayhem. As the season goes on, Smith/June’s schemes and her past are revealed like the pieces of a nesting doll, each new layer exposing the same unrelenting sense of self-preservation.
John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., premiere): God bless John Mulaney for what he chooses to do with his clout. Here’s what the comedian had to say about this special, in a statement provided by Netflix:
I’m John Mulaney and I am a 37-year-old man. The Sack Lunch Bunch is a group of children ages 8-13 who are more talented than me. In this special, we are joined by celebrity guests like David Byrne, Tony Award Winner Andre De Shields, Natasha Lyonne, Annaleigh Ashford, Richard Kind, and Jake Gyllenhaal from the movie Zodiac. The result is a collage of Broadway-caliber showstoppers, comedy sketches for all ages, meditations on the unknown from children and adults, and a papier-mâché volcano. It’s funny, musical, joyous, anxious, and surprisingly profound.
And take a look:
Yeah, that’s gonna do it. Keep an eye out for Erik Adams’ review today.
Regular coverage
Wild cards
If you want something more traditionally festive, you’ve got options. There’s the Maya Rudolph/Matthew Broderick A Christmas Story (Fox, 8 p.m.), It’s A Wonderful Life (NBC, 8 p.m.), Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir Featuring Kristin Chenoweth (PBS, 9 p.m.), and the stop-motion classic Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (9 p.m.).
There’s also the continuing The Simpsons Plus+Size Holiday Marathon (FXX, ongoing), which began on the 17th and will continue through New Year’s Eve.