Streaming Brings the Multiplex Home With Don't Look Up and Disney's Encanto

Once upon a time, TV basically went dark for the Chrtsmas holiday. That's far from the case this weekend, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence starring in the Netflix original film Don't Look Up, the series finales of Dickinson and Insecure, plus a smorgasbord of special holiday programming. Here's what's new and notweworthy on TV this holiday weekend:

FRIDAY DECEMBER 24

Don’t Look Up: Original film. When two astronomers (Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio) discover a comet on a direct collision course with Earth, they find themselves at odds with an indifferent president (Meryl Streep), her sycophantic son (Jonah Hill), and a social media-obsessed public that doesn’t seem to care. Written and directed by Adam McKay, the film is already generating awards buzz: it recently earned six Critics Choice Awards nominations and is among the top contenders for a Best Picture Oscar nod. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Dickinson: Series finale. Alena Smith’s retelling of Emily Dickinson’s story comes to an end in an episode that sees Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) ask Betty (Amanda Warren) to help her design a new dress, and an unexpected guest stop by the Dickinson house. Streaming on Apple TV+

The Wheel of Time: Season finale. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and Rand (Josha Stradowski) make their way through the Blight and into the Eye of the World for an epic showdown with the Dark One. The fantasy epic has already been renewed for a second season, with Dónal Finn set to replace Barney Harris as Cauthon. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Encanto: Original film. Stephanie Beatriz voices Mirabel, an ordinary 15-year-old girl struggling to find her place in her extraordinary family, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia. The Disney animated film features all-new songs by Lin-Mnauel Miranda. Watch trailer. Streaming on Disney+

A Christmas Story Marathon: All Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun, but first he'll have to endure schoolyard bullies, terrifying encounters with Santa, a fragile "Italian" lamp, and a well-deserved run-in with a bar of soap. Simultaneous marathons will run for 24 hours, every hour on the hour, starting at 8:00 PM ET on TBS and 9:00 PM ET on TNT

It’s a Wonderful Life: Special presentation. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchel, and Henry Travers star in the perrenial Frank Capra holiday classic bout a struggling family man who learns what the world would be like if he had never been born. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on NBC

A Holly Dolly Christmas: Encore presentation. The patron saint of Christmas TV returns in this 2020 special featuring performances of holiday classics and songs from her recent album. Watch preview. 8:00 PM ET on CBS

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure: Encore presentation. When Anna and Elsa realize they have no family holiday traditions of their own, Olaf sets out on a merry adventure to bring home the best traditions and save Christmas in this animated featurette. Originally aired December 9. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on ABC

Shrek the Halls: Encore presentation. Christmas comes to the Swamp as Shrek, Donkey, Puss in Boots, and their fairytale buddies put their own twist on the holidays. The 30-minute special originally debuted in 2007 and most recently aired last year. Watch trailer. 8:30 PM ET on ABC

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: Encore presentation. Alan Cumming narrates this musical reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s classic Nutcracker story, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in December 2019. Watch trailer. 9:00 PM ET on PBS

Kenny Rogers: All In For the Gambler: Encore presentation. Taped in 2017 before the country music legend’s death, this one-hour special features tributes and musical performances from the likes of Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Lionel Richie, and Chris Stapleton. Originally aired in September. Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on CBS

Christmas Around the World: Encore presentation. Dean Cain and Laura McKenzie host this two-hour special about unique Christmas experiences around the world, from indoor skiing in Dubai to a month-long holiday celebration in Mexico. Featuring performances from Brandon Rogers, Olympic ice dancing champion Tatiana Navka, Garrett Clayton, and the Luys (Light) Vocal Quartet. Originally aired December 8. 8:00 PM ET on The CW

Home Alone: Eight-year-old troublemaker Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he’s accidentally left by his family before their Christmas vacation in this 1990 classic. Watch trailer. 1:00 PM ET on Freeform

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: History repeats itself when nine-year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally separated from his family and find himself on his own in the big city. Watch trailer. 3:30 PM ET on Freeform

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Jim Carrey plays the misanthropic Grinch, a solitary creature who tries to ruin Christmas by stealing gifts from nearby Whoville, in Ron Howard's 2000 adaptation of Dr. Seuss' beloved book of the same name. Watch trailer. 6:00 PM ET on Freeform

Frosty the Snowman: 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. Watch trailer. 8:30 PM ET on Freeform

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Rankin/Bass’ 1964 Christmas classic uses stop-motion animation to tell the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who puts his glowing red nose to good use over the holidays. 9:00 PM ET on Freeform

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town: 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. 10:00 PM ET on Freeform

Christmas Eve Mass: Special presentation. Pope Francis leads mass live from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. 11:34 PM ET on NBC

SATURDAY DECEMBER 25

Yule Log: Special presentation. Gather by the on-screen fire for the annual airing of WPIX’s yule log, broadcast for four hours without commercial interruption. 5:00 AM ET/2:00 AM PT on Antenna TV

Stories of a Generation - With Pope Francis: Complete first season. Netflix invites inspiring men and women over 70 — including Pope Francis, Martin Scorsese, and Jane Goodall — to share poignant stories and pivotal choices from their remarkable journeys in this docuseries. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade: Special presentation. Derek and Julianne Hough, Trevor Jackson, and Sherry Cola host Disney’s famous Christmas parade along Main Street USA. With performances by the Houghs, Jimmie Allen, Darren Criss, Gwen Stefani, and more. 12:00 PM ET on ABC

All Madden: Original documentary. FOX celebrates the life and legacy of NFL great John Madden in this documentary, which boasts his first on-screen interview in over a decade. The doc will air ahead of the Green Bay Packers-Cleveland Browns game. Watch trailer. 2:00 PM ET on FOX

NBA Basketball: Christmas Day brings a host of high-profile matchups:

• Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT on ESPN
• Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks 2:30 PM ET/11:30 AM PT on ABC
• Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT on ABC
• Brooklyn Nets at Los Angeles Lakers 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on ABC
• Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT on ESPN

Camellia Bowl: Georgia State (7-5) and Ball State (6-6) meet in Montgomery, Alabama in what should be an evenly-matched bowl game. 2:30 PM ET/11:30 AM PT on ESPN

NFL Football: The day of sports continues with two nationally-broadcast NFL games:

• Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT on FOX
• Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals 8:15 PM ET/5:15 on NFL Network

Downton Abbey: Broadcast premiere. The Crawleys and their intrepid staff prepare to host the King and Queen of England, but the royal visit soon unleashes scandal, romance, and intrigue, leaving the future of Downton hanging in the balance. The 2019 film makes its PBS debut tonight, with an encore airing scheduled for January 2. Watch trailer. 7:00 PM ET on PBS

Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material: Comedy special. The British stand-up riffs on anti-vaxxers, life during COVID, mansplaining, and more in his new Netflix special. Watch preview. Streaming on Netflix

Writing Around the Christmas Tree: TV movie. Lifetime’s annual Christmas movie event comes to an end with this tale about an unlucky-in-love romance novelist (Krystal Joy Brown) who meets a dashing author (Curtis Hamilton) at a Christmas writer’s retreat. 8:00 PM ET on Lifetime

iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2021: Encore presentation. Ed Sheeran, BTS, Dua Lipa, the Jonas Brothers, and Lil Nas X, are among the big name artists headlining the radio conglomerate's annual holiday concert, broadcast as a 90-minute event on The CW. Originally aired December 15. 8:00 PM ET on The CW

The Santa Clause: Tim Allen signs on with Team Santa, but he fails to read the fine print before donning the classic red suit. Watch trailer. 9:10 AM ET on Freeform

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town: 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. 4:00 PM ET on Freeform

Frosty the Snowman: 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. Watch trailer. 5:05 PM ET on Freeform

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Rankin/Bass’ 1964 Christmas classic uses stop-motion animation to tell the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who puts his glowing red nose to good use over the holidays. 5:40 PM ET on Freeform

Home Alone: Eight-year-old troublemaker Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he’s accidentally left by his family before their Christmas vacation in this 1990 classic. Watch trailer. 6:45 PM ET on Freeform

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Not to be confused with the more modern iterations, this animated special brought Dr. Seuss’ green meanie to the small screen in 1966. Watch trailer. 8:00 PM ET on NBC

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: History repeats itself when nine-year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is accidentally separated from his family and find himself on his own in the big city. Watch trailer. 9:15 PM ET on Freeform

SUNDAY DECEMBER 26

Insecure: Series finale. Issa Rae’s acclaimed comedy ends its five-season run with an episode that sees Issa (Rae), Molly (Yvonne Orji), and the rest of the gang reflect on their past and evaluate their futures. Watch preview. 10:00 PM ET on HBO

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season finale. With the city council vote rapidly approaching, Larry (Larry David) gives some unsolicited marriage advice and hosts an event for an American hero. Watch preview. 10:40 PM ET on HBO

Letterkenny: Complete Season 10. The residents of Letterkenny continue to feud amongst themselves in the comedy’s tenth season, which sees the Hicks attend a sausage party, the Hockey Players and the Skids have a video game battle, and more. Watch trailer. Streaming on Hulu

Lulli: Original film. After being electrocuted by an MRI machine, an ambitious young medical student (Larissa Manoela) begins to hear other people’s thoughts in this Brazilian comedy. Watch trailer. Streaming on Netflix

Call the Midwife Holiday Special: Encore presentation. As Christmas approaches, a bout of influenza sweeps through both Nonnatus House and the Turner Family, prompting Mother Mildred and the team to set up a branch house in Scotland. Originally aired in 2019. Watch preview. 7:00 PM ET on PBS

Sunday Night Football: The Washington Football Team heads into hostile territory in an NFC East matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. 8:20 PM ET on NBC

Hightown: Season finale. The "Great White" operation is cracked open, but a few mysteries remain. Elsewhere, Ray's plan to get his job back gets complicated, and Jackie goes from hero to zero when she realizes she may have let something critical get away. Ahead of the finale, Starz will run a Season 2 marathon, beginning at 12:25 PM ET. Watch preview. 9:00 PM ET on Starz

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