Raising Hope is pretty darn funny, and at least it's not another Glee Christmas episode
Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Tuesday, Dec. 13. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Raising Hope (Fox, 9:30 p.m.): Uhhhhhh… hmmmmm… It feels like we’ve chosen this one for the top pick 500 times already, but it’s a fun episode tonight—It’s A Wonderful Life parodies are always fun—and we’re in a holiday spirit, and, seriously, there’s nothing else on, unless you think Glee is going to nail a holiday episode. Remember last year? They just gave Artie robot legs that never came up again. Anyway, Phil Nugent recommends this Raising Hope, so you should watch.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Glee (Fox, 8 p.m.): And Sue Sylvester dressed up as the Grinch and stole the tree out of the choir room? Man, a lot of stuff happens on this show for no particular reason. That Todd VanDerWerff is just realizing this should tell you something.
New Girl (Fox, 9 p.m.): Zooey and the gang celebrate her first Christmas together. We assume that this will involve lots of plugs for the She & Him Christmas album, accompanied by winks. Erik Adams already owns it, Zooey. Your wiles are useless!
TV CLUB CLASSIC
The Muppet Show (1 p.m.): We were just saying to ourselves, “Selves, it’s been a long time since we had a good comments thread filled with Peter Ustinov jokes.” And here’s Erik Adams covering a Ustinov episode like it’s already Christmas!
The Larry Sanders Show (3 p.m.): Kyle Ryan checks out “Artie’s Gone.” Where did he go? We hope he didn’t go far. There’s no show without Artie. That’s what we always say. (You try writing a bunch of these things for genuinely good shows!)
TV CLUB ADVENT CALENDAR
Gilmore Girls, “Forgiveness And Stuff” (Monday): The ladies Gilmore spend the holiday season in a hospital after Grandpa Gilmore has a health scare. Meanwhile, David Sims reflects on growing up British. Horrifying stuff, that.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Last Man Standing/Inside Story: Santa Clause (ABC/Biography, 8 p.m.): Tim Allen fans, take note! Tonight, you not only get another episode of Last Man Standing, but also all the scoop on a movie from 1994 that you can handle!
William & Kate: Inside The Royal Marriage (NBC, 8 p.m.): When we got married, we always felt a little weird at the way the tabloid press speculated about when we’d have a baby already, but William and Kate seem to be taking it in stride.
Good Morning, Killer (TNT, 9 p.m.): That’s not a very nice way to talk to someone! Unless you’re Mary Jane Watson or something, and all you do is give people cute little nicknames. We hope this movie’s about a guy who kills with Egg McMuffins.
Proving God (History, 10 p.m.): We’re almost certain that a documentary on the History Channel will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt whether God exists or not. That’s why we’re recommending you watch this. You’ll want to tell your grandkids.
The Lemon Drop Kid (TCM, 8 p.m.): We’ve never actually seen this Bob Hope vehicle, but it does have a great name. We imagine it’s just people standing around, saying, “Say, you ain’t the Lemon Drop Kid, is ya’s?” then shooting each other.
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (Sundance, 9 p.m.): Here’s a movie from the great Sidney Lumet, who died a couple years back. Not his finest work, but not bad, and it reminds us of the closing sequence from the Friday Night Lights finale.
NHL Hockey: Sharks at Avalanche (Versus, 9 p.m.): We tried to get interested in hockey, but we have to admit at this point that we just don’t know a damn thing about why this game could be a good match-up. But it’s sports, and it’s on!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Fear Factor (Monday): NBC, continuing its attempts to make it 1997 through magic or science, resurrected one of the big hits of its early ‘00s run, bringing back Joe Rogan and a whole buncha bugs. Phil Nugent was there with fumigation spray.