Thanksgiving Weekend Offers Up Premieres, Specials, and Movies Galore

With Thanksgiving behind us, TV is officially all-in on the holidays this weekend, with classics like Frosty the Snowman, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town airing on broadcast TV, and Netflix sharing made-for-tv holiday movie honors with Hallmark, Lifetime, GAC, and others.

Also, Disney+ drops The Beatles: Get Back parts 2 and 3, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga perform One Last Time on CBS, How to With John Wilson returns to HBO for Season 2, and more. Here’s what’s new and noteworthy on TV this weekend:

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26:

A Castle for Christmas: Original film. When famed author Sophie Brown (Brooke Shields) travels to Scotland hoping to buy a small castle, she clashes with the prickly owner, Myles, the Duke of Dunbar (Cary Elwes). Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

’Twas the Fight Before Christmas: Original documentary. Christmas-loving lawyer Jeremy Morris hopes to throw the biggest community holiday event America has ever seen, but when his efforts are thwarted by his community's home owners’ association, an epic legal battle ensues. Watch trailer. Streaming on Apple TV+

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town: Holiday special. Fred Astaire narrates Rankin/Bass’ timeless tale of Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), a young boy with an immense desire to do good things for others. 8:00 PM ET on ABC

Frosty the Snowman: Holiday special. It was 52 years ago that Frosty first came to life in this holiday classic, and all these years later he's still going strong. Followed by 1992 continuation Frosty Returns. 8:00 PM ET on CBS

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer: Holiday special. On Christmas Eve, young Jake Spankenheimer embarks upon a quest to track down his missing Grandma and prove that Santa Claus is real. 9:00 PM ET on The CW

The Great British Baking Show: Season finale. Chigs Parmar, Crystelle Pereira, and Giuseppe Dell’Anno pull out all the stops in a dramatic finale. Streaming on Netflix

The Beatles: Get Back: Peter Jackson continues to probe the making of the Beatles’ 1970 album “Let It Be” in Part 2 of his six hour, three-part documentary. Streaming on Disney+

School of Chocolate: Complete first season. Eight talented pastry chefs compete for a career-changing opportunity in Netflix’s new baking competition. Famed chocolatier Amaury Guichon serves as a mentor throughout the series. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

A Loud House Christmas: TV movie. Nick brings its Emmy-winning animated series into the real world in this live-action holiday movie that follows Lincoln Loud (Wolfgang Schaeffer) as he works to keep his family together over the holidays. Watch trailer. 7:00 PM ET on Nickelodeon

Reba McEntire’s Christmas in Tune: TV movie. Years after their personal and professional breakup, singing duo Georgia (Reba McEntire) and Joe Winter (John Schneider) agree to reunite after their daughter (Candice King) asks them to participate in a Christmas Charity concert. The “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” tentpole is the first film in Reba’s two-picture deal with the network. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on Lifetime

5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas: Special presentation. The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon turns his bestselling children’s book into a primetime animation special fit for the whole family. 8:30 PM ET on NBC

Trolls Holiday in Harmony: Queen Poppy plans the annual Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap, but things take an unexpected turn when she and Branch draw each other’s names. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on NBC

Cusp: Original documentary. Filmmakers Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt offer a glimpse into American girlhood and female friendship in this vérité-style documentary about three teenage girls in a small military town in Texas. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on Showtime

How to With John Wilson: Season 2 premiere. Documentarian and self-described “anxious New Yorker” attempts to give everyday advice on a variety of topics. First up this season: Real estate. Watch trailer. 10:00 PM ET on HBO

College Football: The regular season comes to a close this weekend with key Rivalry Week matchups:

• Boise State at San Diego State 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on CBS
• Kansas State at Texas 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on FOX
• Cincinnati at East Carolina 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on ABC
• South Florida at UCF 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on ESPN
• Missouri at Arkansas 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on CBS
• North Carolina at NC State 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT on ESPN

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27

The Beatles: Get Back: Docuseries finale. Peter Jackson concludes his three-part documentary with a two-hour episode that reflects on the group’s breakup and the legacy of “Let It Be.” Streaming on Disney+

The National Dog Show: Encore presentation. NBC reairs the 2021 National Dog Show tonight for pet lovers who missed it on Thanksgiving Day. 8:00 PM ET on NBC

Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire: Holiday special. Determined to follow in his father Rudolph’s footsteps, Robbie the Reindeer travels to the North Pole to join Santa’s sleigh team, but the vengeful Blitzen has other ideas. CBS air the first two specials in the BBC series, Hooves of Fire and Legends of the Lost Tribe back-to-back tonight. 8:00 PM ET on CBS

Nash Bridges: TV movie. Original cast members Don Johnson and Cheech Marin reprise their roles as San Francisco investigators Nash Bridges and Joe Dominguez in USA’s two-hour reboot film. Jeff Perry also returns as Inspector Harvey Leek. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on USA Network

College Football: With a spot in the conference championship on the line, Rivalry Week gets heated:

• Florida State at Florida 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on ESPN
• Georgia at Georgia Tech 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on ABC
• Ohio State at Michigan 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on FOX
• Oregon State at Oregon 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on ESPN
• Penn State at Michigan State 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on ABC
• Alabama at Auburn 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT on CBS
• Wisconsin at Minnesota 4:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT on FOX
• Texas A&M at LSU 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT on ESPN
• Oklahoma at Oklahoma State 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT on ABC
• Notre Dame at Stanford 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on FOX
• BYU at USC 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT on ESPN

Merry Liddle Christmas Baby: TV movie. Lifetime's Liddles are back in a new made for TV holiday movie. Jacquie Liddle (Kelly Rowland) and her husband Tyler (Thomas Cadrot) prepare for the arrival of their first baby, Jacqie’s sister Treena (Latonya Williams) and her husband Julian (Jaime M. Callica) consider adoption, and third sister Kiara’s (Bresha Webb) relationship with Chris (Nathan Witte) heats up. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on Lifetime

Christmas at Castle Hart: TV movie. When Brooke Bennett (Lacey Chabert) goes to Ireland for Christmas to search for her Irish roots, she’s mistaken for an elite event planner and hired to host an epic Christmas party at the castle of Aiden Hart, Earl of Glaslough (Stuart Townsend). Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on Hallmark Channel

Saturday Night Live: Encore presentation. Studio 8H is dark for the holiday weekend, so NBC is repeating last month's Kim Kardsahian-hosted episode (with musical guest Halsey). Critics lauded Kardashian's performance, but the episode now seems more notable for the tabloid-ready romance it apparently sparked. 11:30 PM ET on NBC.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 28

One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Special presentation. Filmed in August at Radio City Music Hall, this CBS special commemorates Bennett’s 95th birthday and the culmination of his decade-long partnership with Lady Gaga. The show features solo sets from each artist followed by duets of “Lady is a Tramp,” “Love for Sale,” and “Anything Goes.” Watch preview. 8:00 PM ET on CBS

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses: Series premiere. Host Helen Mirren puts fans to the test with trivia questions about the beloved franchise in this four-part reality competition. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on TBS and Cartoon Network

2021 Soul Train Awards: Award show. The biggest names in hip-hop, soul, gospel, and R&B gather to honor the best artists of the year, a list that includes H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, and Chris Brown. Ashanti will receive the Lady of Soul Honor, while Maxwell will receive the Legend award. With hosts Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold. 8:00 PM ET on BET and BET HER

The Waltons’ Homecoming: TV movie. The CW commemorates the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, the TV movie that launched The Waltons with this prequel about 17-year-old John Boy’s (Logan Shroyer) quest to find his father on Christmas Eve. Richard Thomas, the original John Boy Walton, narrates. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on The CW

Sunday Night Football: The fight for AFC North supremacy takes over primetime as the Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns. 8:20 PM ET/5:20 PM PT on NBC

The Hot Zone: Anthrax: Season premiere. Tony Goldwyn and Daniel Dae Kim lead a team of experts investigating the anthrax letters that paralyzed the nation after 9/11 in Season 2 of the anthology series. Two episodes air back-to-back for the next three nights. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on National Geographic

Succession: At Kendall’s (Jeremy Strong) lavish birthday bash, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) try to arrange a meeting with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård), a tech mogul who recently snubbed Logan (Brian Cox). Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on HBO

Real Housewives of Atlanta Porsha’s Family Matters: Limited series premiere. Following a whirlwind romance and headline-making engagement, RHOA star Porsha Williams’ extended family becomes more involved in her personal drama. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on Bravo

The Great Christmas Light Fight: Season premiere. ABC’s annual decorating competition series returns for more festive challenges and awe-inspiring designs. With judges Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on ABC

Elves: Complete first season. The creators of The Rain continue to serve up scares with this Danish series about two siblings who discover bloodthirsty elves on the remote island they now call home. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.