You’re an NBC musical, Mr. Grinch
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Wednesday, December 9. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical! (NBC, 9 p.m., premiere): Ahem:
Fahoo fores, dahoo dores,
Welcome Matthew Morrison in green paint.
Fahoo fores, dahoo dores,
We’ll be filing a complaint!
Welcome, welcome, fahoo ramus,
Welcome, welcome, dahoo damus,
The star of Glee looks like a fool
But we’ll still watch this nightmare fuel!
Hey, at least Denis O’Hare’s getting a paycheck (as Old Max)! He deserves the world. Look for Caroline Siede’s recap, assuming a holiday curmudgeon doesn’t break into Kinja while she’s asleep to steal it away alongside the Who-pudding, roast beast, and even the last can of Who-hash.
Regular coverage + holiday stuff
The Masked Singer (Fox, 8 p.m., two-hour episode): Keep an eye out for our news coverage, as well as Angelica Cataldo’s coverage (created with some help from her dad). This week’s episode will include holiday performances from the unmasked singers, as well as the final three still-masked singers.
Wild cards
Alabama Snake (HBO, 9 p.m., complete first season): “Set in the scrub-covered foothills of northern Alabama, this tale begins in a Piggly Wiggly parking lot and grows to a tale of fire and brimstone, of stubborn devils and guardian angels. Most of the film is devoted to the life of Glenn Summerford, a petty criminal-turned-Pentecostal minister who was either redeemed by the blood of Christ or used his religion as a cover for horrific abuse, depending on who you ask. Snake-handling services where believers drape themselves in rattlesnakes (if you don’t get bit, God is with you; if you do, you must have sinned, so no medical intervention is allowed) take place in isolated churches that are generally hostile to outsiders, which makes Burton’s trove of VHS footage from Summerford’s church invaluable to director Theo Love. And the ’80s aesthetics on display in the footage are liable to produce nervous laughter, if only for the contrast between the stiff Aqua Net hairdos and the mortal peril on display. The result is a story that seems to take place out of time, in a place that’s barely on the map as it is, and Love accentuates the mysticism as much as he can.” Read the rest of Katie Rife’s review of HBO’s recent slate of true-crime documentaries.
The Surgeon’s Cut (Netflix, 3:01 a.m., complete first season): This BBC-produced special looks at the lives, philosophies, and groundbreaking techniques of four eminent surgeons. A rare sighting: a TV surgeon that’s not working for Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital and is not in any way a fictional creation.