Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Friday, December 2, and Saturday, December 3, 2011. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Saturday Night Live (NBC, 11:30 p.m., Saturday): It’s the guest host we’ve all been impatiently waiting for since 1998, as Steve Buscemi returns to host the program and star in some Boardwalk Empire skits or resurrect his character from Con Air for one night only or what have you. And he’s joined by The Black Keys, which surely suggests a good time. David Sims would only give up his Saturday nights for a few men. Luckily, Steve Buscemi is one of them.
REGULAR COVERAGE
Late-night Round-up (7 p.m., Friday): Todd VanDerWerff’s been watching a whole week of Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, a week that’s also featured Thomas Lennon doing a ridiculous Spanish accent. And he’s totally fine with that.
Supernatural (The CW, 9 p.m., Friday): Bobby talks about one of the most personal cases of his life, which sounds like an excuse for a flashback episode if ever we’ve heard one. Zack Handlen wants a young Jim Emerson clone to play him.
Boss (Starz, 10 p.m., Friday): There’s an election coming up, and we have to assume that’s bad news for Kelsey Grammer’s Tom Kane. We assume he’ll be fine with whichever candidate wins. Meredith Blake hopes they all go down in flames.
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Veronica Mars (11 a.m., Friday): Rowan Kaiser gets to the episode called “Rat Saw God,” which is one of those episodes named after one of Rob Thomas’ old young adult novels. Good thing Judy Blume never had a TV show. Blubber ahoy!
The Adventures Of Pete And Pete (3 p.m., Friday): This is probably the saddest “death of an iguana” episode we’ve ever seen, and trust us. We’ve seen a lot of “death of iguana” episodes. On Nickelodeon alone! Marah Eakin tries to keep from crying.
The Twilight Zone (1 p.m., Saturday): Zack Handlen watches some guy who’s got eternal life and some dude who figures out his life is just a movie. And, honestly, both of those pretty much describe the undying Zack Handlen, are we right?
Cowboy Bebop (3 p.m., Saturday): There’s a reason Simon Abrams likes this show so much. And that’s because he, himself, is an interstellar space pirate-smuggler-bounty-hunter type thingy. His spaceship is a box and it’s powered by imagination.
TV CLUB ADVENT CALENDAR
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Thursday): Miss the first installment of our TV Club Advent Calendar? Then you should check it out because Erik Adams is just a couple of misfits. Also, he’s one of Santa’s elves. And a holly jolly Christmas.
WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Good Luck Charlie, It’s Christmas! (Disney, 8 p.m., Friday): So all we know about this show is what our nephew told us last Christmas while we were watching it with him, but we’re pretty sure it’s about a lucky baby and the lucky baby’s family.
The Take (Encore, 9 p.m., Friday): Will Harris reviews this crime drama miniseries from the United Kingdom, one that stars a slightly younger Tom Hardy. Hardy, of course, is the object of our affections, right up there with Steve Buscemi.
Onion News Network (IFC, 10 p.m., Friday): Hey, you guys are watching this show, right? We mean… no reason… you don’t have to, we suppose, but we think you’d be a whole lot cooler if you did. Wouldn’t you like to be much cooler? Yeah.
Starving Secrets With Tracey Gold (Lifetime, 10 p.m., Friday): Tracey Gold, formerly of Growing Pains, helps people with eating disorders get better. Doesn’t it sound like she’ll help them stick with their eating disorders? Phil Nugent agrees.
A Princess For Christmas (Hallmark, 8 p.m., Saturday): Roger Moore stars as a duke who decides he wants to get closer to his American grandchildren because it’s Christmas. Somewhere, your grandmother is weeping and applauding quietly.
Too Cute! Kittens!/Too Cute! Puppies! (Animal Planet, 8 p.m., Saturday): If you haven’t watched the series that’s sure to take the top spot on our “top 10 TV shows of 2011” list, you can check in with both installments this very evening.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC Family, 8 p.m., Friday): We’re just listing this movie because we like Christmas and because we want you guys to talk about how terrible it is. Isn’t it terrible? Isn’t it just the worst?
The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters (ESPN Classic, 9 p.m., Friday): This documentary’s a riotously entertaining look at the world of competitive video gaming, and it just might inspire you to dig out Donkey Kong, too.
It’s A Wonderful Life (NBC, 8 p.m., Saturday): The other day, some of you were all, “Oh, I’ve never seen that one,” like you were too good for it or something, and you should know that you are wrong and stupid and should watch it right now.
Pac-12 Football Championship: UCLA at Oregon (Fox, 8 p.m., Friday): Wait… UCLA is good this year? Why didn’t anybody tell us? Ever since we stopped taking the paper, we have no idea what’s going on in the world of sports.
Big 10 Football Championship: Wisconsin at Michigan State (Fox, 8 p.m., Saturday): We’re sure a bunch of you will tell us why we’re wrong to be cheering for Wisconsin, but we don’t care. Go, Badgers! Mushroom, mushroom.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Community (Thursday): Count down with us to the time when Community will be floating in a nebulous netherworld from which it will return… sometime. Hopefully, Todd VanDerWerff will go in, Orpheus-style, and lead it back to the light.