‘Insecure’ Finale, ‘Downton Abbey’ Movie, ‘1883’ at a Crossroads, Dexter in Jeopardy
Merry Christmas! PBS offers the Downton Abbey feature film as a holiday bonus along with the annual yuletide episode of Call the Midwife. Issa Rae’s Insecure reaches its end after five seasons. The wagon trail gets rough in the Yellowstone prequel 1883. Dexter is the prey, not the hunter, in a pivotal episode of Dexter: New Blood.
Insecure
Series Finale
SUNDAY: Isn’t it time for Issa (Issa Rae) to find some security? Caught between her current boyfriend Nathan (Kendrick Sampson) and her ex, Lawrence (Jay Ellis), when last we saw her, Issa’s path to emotional stability, and maybe even happiness, takes some significant twists in a series finale built around a succession of time jumps, birthdays and other life-changing events. Anyone who’s followed her journey, and BFF Molly’s (Yvonne Orji), will find plenty to savor in this sweetly bittersweet final chapter. (Bittersweet because we hate to see it go.) A behind-the-scenes special, Insecure: The End, will premiere on HBO Max on Sunday, before airing Monday on HBO at 10/9c.
Downton Abbey
Movie Premiere
SATURDAY: Back home where it belongs, the 2019 movie sequel to the beloved Masterpiece series finds its way to PBS just in time for Christmas. The movie finds the Crawleys and their loyal staff preparing for a major event, a royal visit from the King and Queen of England, though not without the usual helpings of intrigue, romance and scandal.
Call the Midwife Holiday Special
SATURDAY: In what has become an annual tradition, the heartwarming period drama presents a Christmas special, this time in 1966, when the Nonnatus House experiences its busiest holiday ever with the Maternity Home overrun with expectant mothers. Blessedly, Mother Mildred (Miriam Margolyes) is there to help. But will all this activity upstage the impending winter wedding of Nurse Lucille (Leonie Elliott) and Cyril (Zephryn Taitte)?
1883
SUNDAY: “Death is everywhere on the prairie,” laments young Elsa (Isabel May) in the Yellowstone prequel’s third chapter as the wagon train reaches a crossroads in its journey to Oregon. Will they attempt a dangerous river crossing or head West where water is scarce? James Dutton (Tim McGraw) and guide/leader Shea (Sam Elliott, never better) have differing opinions, but first, Shea delivers some rough justice to show just who’s in charge. (For what appears to be the last time, Paramount Network airs episode 2 following a new episode of Yellowstone.)
Dexter: New Blood
SUNDAY: You know who’s not celebrating Christmas Eve? Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), who was last seen taken captive by one of Kurt Caldwell’s (Clancy Brown) minions in last week’s cliffhanger. The serial-killer hunter is now the prey as he attempts to escape through the snowy woods, musing, “I really hate it when I’m the one who’s bleeding.” Dexter has more than himself to think of. His vulnerable son Harrison (Jack Alcott) has fallen further under the spell of mentor/father figure Kurt, and we’ve already seen how this lopsided game of hide-and-go-shoot plays out.
Inside Weekend TV:
- All Madden (Saturday, 2 pm/1c, Fox): In advance of a scheduled match-up between the Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers, Fox Sports salutes Hall of Fame coach turned famed broadcaster John Madden in a documentary special.
- Writing Around the Christmas Tree (Saturday, 8/7c, Lifetime): The gift bag of new holiday movies runs out—until 2022—with this tale of a romance novelist (Krystal Joy Brown) on a Christmas writer’s retreat who finds inspiration for real-life romance with a dashing writer (Curtis Hamilton).
- Letterkenny (Sunday, streaming on Hulu): The raucous Canadian comedy drops its 10th season, during which the Hockey Players and the Skids engage in a video-game battle and the town’s men get head-to-toe physicals.
- Hightown (Sunday, 9/8c, Starz): Police in Cape Cod are close to bringing down Frankie and Charmaine (Amaury Nolasco and Imani Lewis) and the “Great White” operation in the crime drama’s Season 2 finale, but Jackie (Monica Raymund) knows the case has holes.
- Home Town: Ben’s Holiday Workshop (Sunday, 10/9c, HGTV): Following the season premiere of Home Town (8/7c), Ben and Erin Napier welcome father-daughter captains Sig and Mandy Hansen from sister channel Discovery’s Deadliest Catch for some woodworking fun with a Norwegian twist.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm (Sunday, 10:30/9:30c, HBO): Another season of social mayhem, Larry David-style, ends with Larry giving unsolicited marriage advice while hosting an event for a famous guest. Will he never learn? We hope not.
