Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, December 17. All times are Eastern.
TOP PICK
Gossip Girl (The CW, 8 p.m.): Hey, you remember when seemingly all New York-based media outlets pushed the shit out of this show back in the halcyon days of 2007-2008, even though it was never all that widely-watched, even for The CW? Well, it’s ending now, and we can only hope that it ends in the death of all living characters. Sonia Saraiya found out that the final episode will reveal who the “Gossip Girl” in the show’s title is, and she rolled her eyes and said, “Who cares?!” How the mighty have fallen!
REGULAR COVERAGE
Misfits (Hulu, 5 p.m.): The fourth series comes to a close, when the group discovers Nadine’s secret. Wikipedia says that the truth will take on “Biblical proportions,” and while we don’t know what that means, Rowan Kaiser hopes it involves a plague of frogs. What? Rowan just really, really likes frogs!
How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8 p.m.): Over the course of a full hour, the HIMYM gang will presumably celebrate the holidays, then inch ever closer to finding the mother and/or hooking up Robin and Barney. Donna Bowman hopes we also learn what ultimately happened to Dale Cooper in the Black Lodge.
2 Broke Girls (ABC Family, 9 p.m.): Yes, it’s true. After covering the show for one-and-a-half seasons, we’re giving up the ghost on 2 Broke Girls, mostly because you seem as bored with it as we do. But not before Pilot Viruet sends the show off in sorta-style by celebrating Christmas with Caroline and Max!
TV CLUB CLASSIC
Batman: The Animated Series (1 p.m.): The Scarecrow invents a toxin that removes fear, instead of causing it, which makes people reckless and dangerous, in an episode called “Never Fear.” In its honor, Oliver Sava is going to break out all of his mid-90s “No Fear” gear and wear it while writing the review.
WHAT ELSE IS ON
Dreamworks Dragons: Gift Of The Night Fury (Fox, 8 p.m.): If there’s one thing that screams “Christmas special” to us, its computer-animated, vaguely Scottish dragons. So, of course, Dreamworks has come up with a holiday treat featuring the scaly, winged beasts from its (pretty good!) How To Train Your Dragon.
Picture Paris (HBO, 9 p.m.): Julia Louis-Dreyfus starred in this short film, directed by her husband, Brad Hall. We’re betting the two of them enjoyed filming in Paris, but it was probably awkward when she found out he was the creator of The Single Guy and admitted to not really liking that show.
1600 Penn (NBC, 9:30 p.m.): The promos for this comedy have been so awful that it’s disappointing to find out that the actual show is merely mediocre. Molly Eichel checks out the first three episodes and lets you know if the “special preview” tonight will have you screaming in terror or rolling your eyes.
Tiny Tonight!: 2012 Year In Review (VH1, 10 p.m.): We don’t entirely know who “Tiny” is, but she or he apparently hosts a talk show, and tonight is going to involve a look back at 2012? We’d say it’s a little early for that, but if the world ends on Friday, this may turn out to be the week’s most prescient move.
A Christmas Carol (AMC, 8 p.m.): You saw Jim Carrey’s take on ol’ Ebenezer Scrooge on Friday, and we hope you checked out Alastair Sim’s definitive take on Sunday. Now, check out what George C. Scott does with the role in this surprisingly entertaining and faithful made-for-TV adaptation from 1984.
War Horse (Showtime 2, 8 p.m.): Depending on your point-of-view, this Steven Spielberg film is either a moving paean to a bygone era of filmmaking or the most sentimental piece of hogwash ever filmed. We were disappointed nobody strapped machine guns to a horse, then pumped up the Black Sabbath.
Monday Night Football: Jets at Titans (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.): Neither of these teams has a winning record, so we’re not too excited to see them face off, but we are excited to watch as Tim Tebow sits on the bench and rearranges the Gatorade cups, as reported in the august pages of The Onion’s sports section.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Bob’s Burgers (Sunday): After Fox moved American Dad’s Christmas episode to God knows when, we were certain there would be no Christmas joy in our animated hearts. But then Bob’s Burgers stepped in with its first Christmas episode, and lo, Rowan Kaiser watched it on a screener and gave it an A-.