What to watch on TV: ‘Doctor Who,’ ‘Narcos: Mexico,’ the World Series and more
SUNDAY
The Doctor is in: Jodie Whittaker takes her final turn as the titular Time Lord as the venerable British sci-fi drama “Doctor Who” returns with a new season. 2:25 and 8 p.m. BBC America
The Braves battle the Astros as the “2021 World Series” continues. 5 p.m. Fox; also Tuesday-Wednesday (if necessary)
A single mom reconnects with her estranged father in the new TV movie “Christmas Sail.” With Katee Sackhoff and “Lost’s” Terry O’Quinn. 8 p.m. Hallmark Channel
MONDAY
The intrepid detective known as “Dalgliesh” returns in this new mystery drama based on P.D. James’ bestselling novels. With Bertie Carvel. Anytime, Acorn TV
Two FBI agents and their man on the inside recall their roles in foiling a deadly white supremacist plot in the new special “The Informant: Fear and Faith in the Heartland.” Anytime, Hulu
All rise! Former daytime TV fixture Judge Judy Sheindlin is back on the bench in the new streaming series “Judy Justice.” Anytime, IMDb TV
They’ll be setting their ovens to 350º as the seasonal competition series “Holiday Baking Championship” returns. Jesse Palmer hosts. 8 p.m. Food Network
The 2020 documentary “A Crime on the Bayou” tells the story of a Black teen wrongfully accused of assault in New Orleans in 1966 and the young Jewish lawyer who rose to his defense. 8 p.m. Starz
A filmmaker uses home movies to tell the story of a dysfunctional Michigan family — his own — in the 2021 documentary “North by Current” on a new “POV.” 10 p.m. KOCE
The untimely deaths of Whitney Houston and Brittany Murphy are among the “Hollywood Mysteries” revisited on a new “E! True Hollywood Story.” 10 p.m. E!
The singer is found unresponsive at the Beverly Hilton hours before Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy Awards party. Once a ruler of the pop charts, Houston had seen addiction take a toll on her success.
TUESDAY
The new docuseries “Undercover Underage” follows a mother of three who poses as a teen online to help law enforcement catch sexual predators. Anytime, Discovery+
Iraq war veteran Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs in combat in 2004, hosts the second installment of the four-part series “American Veteran.” 9 p.m. KOCE
WEDNESDAY
“Nature” explains how “The Elephant and the Termite” work together to create life-sustaining watering holes on the African savannah in this new episode. 8 p.m. KOCE
A new edition of “Artbound” surveys the most recent edition of the outdoor, site-specific Desert X international art exhibition. 9 p.m. KCET
The Milky Way, the fun-size galaxy we all call home, is the next stop on a new “Nova Universe Revealed.” 9 p.m. KOCE
No one knows who they were or what ... they were doing. But their legacy remains, hewn into the living rock of Stonehenge on a new “Secrets of the Dead.” 10 p.m. KOCE
THURSDAY
These kids are anything but the life of the party in the 2021 vampire thriller “Dead & Beautiful.” Anytime, Shudder
“One Day at a Time’s” Isabella Gomez steps into Howard Hesseman’s shoes in a reboot of the 1986-91 sitcom “Head of the Class.” Anytime, HBO Max
The new series “Love, Honor, Betray” recounts real-life cases where a couple’s happily ever after was derailed by one partner’s shocking secret. Anytime, Discovery+
Tweens vie for a slot in a new music group being being put together by teen idol JoJo Siwa and her “momager” in the new series “Siwas Dance Pop Revolution.” Anytime, Peacock
Meet the billionaires giving NASA a run for its money in the new special “Space Titans: Musk, Bezos, Branson.” Anytime, Discovery+
At 90, William Shatner set the record for the oldest person to go to space after 10-minute flight aboard Blue Origin. “I am overwhelmed,” he said upon return.
A celebrity chef invites you to savor the season in a holiday edition of her foodie travelogue “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.” Anytime, Hulu
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? No, it’s “The Queen Family Singalong,” a star-studded salute to the legendary British rock band. 8 p.m. ABC
FRIDAY
Those animany, totally insaney “Animaniacs” are back in new episodes of the kooky animated comedy. Anytime, Hulu
Our tormented teens also return in a fifth season of the angsty animated comedy “Big Mouth.” Anytime, Netflix
Two actors in Mexico join the police force in director Alonso Ruizpalacios’ hybrid 2021 documentary/drama “A Cop Movie.” Anytime, Netflix
Hailee Steinfeld is poetry in motion in a third and final season of the quirky comedy-drama “Dickinson.” Anytime, Apple TV+
Benedict Cumberbatch portrays a troubled English painter in the 2021 bio-drama “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain.” “The Crown’s” Claire Foy also stars. Anytime, Amazon Prime
Ailing inventor Tom Hanks takes a road trip with a robot companion he built himself in the 2021 sci-fi fable “Finch.” Anytime, Apple TV+
“30 Rock’s” Jack McBrayer goes the Mister Rogers route in the new made-for-kids series “Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show.” Anytime, Apple TV+
A single gal gets duped by a man she meets on a dating app in the 2021 rom-com “Love Hard.” With Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang. Anytime, Netflix
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny joins the cast of “Narcos: Mexico” as the crime drama returns with its third and final season. Anytime, Netflix
Bad Bunny may be the ultimate 21st-century global superstar: a bilingual singer, rapper and style icon with progressive social views who releases songs whenever he wants.
Lesbian gal pals live, laugh and love in the Sunshine State in the new reality series “Tampa Baes.” Anytime, Amazon Prime
Nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven in the new TV movie “Gingerbread Miracle.” With Merritt Patterson. 8 p.m. Hallmark Channel
Martin Scorsese revisits an 1826 concert that introduced Italian opera to New York City in the 2020 documentary “The Oratorio.” Then, said performance is re-created in “Da Ponte’s Oratorio: A Concert for New York.” 9 and 10 p.m. KOCE
“The Deep House” is underwater, and we don’t mean it’s worth less than its original purchase price, in this 2021 supernatural thriller. 9:35 p.m. Epix
Engage! The new 10-part docuseries “The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek” celebrates the long-lived and prosperous science-fiction franchise. 10 p.m. History Channel
SATURDAY
A magic train transports a lonely woman (Lyndsy Fonseca) back to her past in the new TV movie “Next Stop, Christmas.” “Back to the Future’s” Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd also star. 8 p.m. Hallmark Channel
Robin Wright directs and stars as a big-city lawyer who relocates to the wilds of Wyoming following a tragic personal loss in the poignant 2020 drama “Land.” 8 p.m. HBO
Jill Scott steps into Michael Landon’s shoes in “Highway to Heaven,” a new TV movie based on the inspirational 1984-89 fantasy drama. 8 p.m. Lifetime
“Succession’s” Kieran Culkin hosts a new “Saturday Night Live.” 8:29 and 11:29 p.m. NBC
‘Succession,’ the HBO series about the ultra-wealthy Roy clan, allows Kieran Culkin to cut loose as the despicable family’s youngest member.
What is your emergency? The new special “911 Crisis Center” tracks the action at a call center outside Cleveland. 9 p.m. Oxygen
The 2021 documentary “Attica” revisits the infamous 1971 riot at a prison in upstate New York that left scores of inmates, guards and others dead. 9 p.m. Showtime
Retro-soul singer Leon Bridges and Houston-based indie-rock trio Khruangbin take it to the stage on a new “Austin City Limits.” 11:30 p.m. KOCE
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