Henry Cavill Stars in the Netflix Fantasy Series The Witcher

If Netflix is searching for an answer to Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, The Witcher seems like an excellent place to start. Based on the Polish book series of the same name (which, in turn, inpired the popular video game franchise), the fantasy series stars Henry Cavill as a monster hunter journeying through a hostile world filled with elves, dwarves, and gnomes. Also today: a tribute to Stan Lee, a new movie starring Willem Dafoe on Disney+, and the annual broadcast of the I Love Lucy Christmas Special. Here's what's new and noteworthy on TV this Friday.

SERIES PREMIERE: Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) plays Geralt of Rivia, a sword-wielding slayer who follows a moral compass all his own in The Witcher. Primetimer's Josh Zyber sat down with the series, and well... he didn't love it. But one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? Watch the preview. Streaming on Netflix

MOVIE PREMIERE: Fresh off a three-week limited release in theaters, Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce star in The Two Popes. The Netflix original movie explores the friendship between Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, but as our Aaron Barnhart writes, it has a message that goes way beyond catholicism. Streaming on Netflix

SPECIAL TRIBUTE: Stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe assemble to pay tribute to the man who started it all in Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee. The special event will include appearances by Tim Hiddleston, Mark Hamill, Paul Bettany, Charlie Cox, Cobie Smulders, Bob Iger, Todd McFarlane, Kevin Feige, and many more. Watch the preview 8:00 PM ET on ABC

MOVIE PREMIERE: Disney+'s latest world premiere movie is Togo. The true life tale stars Willem Dafoe as a sled dog owner whose dog, Togo, leads the charge to transport a life-saving serum to an Alaskan town in order to head off an epidemic in 1925. Watch the trailer. Streaming on Disney+

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: In what's become an annual tradition, CBS is airing two back-to-back colorized episodes of I Love Lucy. This year's episodes, both from 1956 are "The Christmas Episode" and "Paris at Last."  Watch the preview.  8:00 PM ET on CBS

ALSO TONIGHT

• The Global Citizens Prize spotlights the leaders, artists, and activists who keep the world's poverty stricken at the forefront of their work. This year's honorees include, Sting, Richard Curtis, Amina J. Mohammed, and Hamdi Ulukaya, with special performances by Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, and Chris Martin. Watch the preview 8:00 PM ET on NBC
• The Christmas Temp follows the holiday exploits of an artist caught in a creative rut during the Christmas season. 8:00 PM ET on Lifetime

Mike Attebery is Senior Editor at Primetimer and the author of seven mystery thrillers. Follow him on Twitter at @mikeattebery.