Binge on ‘Chemistry,’ Christmas Movie Deluge, College Football, True Crime Never Dies

The lovely adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’ best-selling novel dropped its series finale just before Thanksgiving, but it’s hard to imagine a better way to enjoy leftovers than indulging a full binge of this terrific eight-part period tragicomedy about a fictional TV chef who’s part Julia Child, part Marie Curie. Brie Larson is marvelous as Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant ahead-of-her-1950s-times chemist who channels her passion for science into cooking when her career is blocked, finding a rapt audience for her recipes on TV. The finale goes full Dickens (a nod to Great Expectations) as Elizabeth and daughter Mad (Alice Halsey) finally resolve the mystery of the late Calvin Evans’ (Lewis Pullman) tangled family ties. And Elizabeth makes a decision regarding the future of her Dinner at Six TV show, leaning on her life philosophy, on or off screen: “The only constant variable in a chemical reaction is change.”

Movie Premiere

6/5c

Twas the day after Thanksgiving, and the Christmas movies are pouring in on Black Friday. In fact, Hallmark Channel has two: Letters to Santa (6 pm/5c) involves a magic pen from Santa that prompts siblings to ask for the ultimate prize: for their separated parents (Katie Leclerc and Rafael de la Fuente) to get back together. Followed by Holiday Road (8/7c), which brings together a disparate group of stranded travelers, including a tech entrepreneur (Warren Christie) and a travel writer (The Vampire Diaries’ Sara Canning), as they share a van on a road trip to Denver. On Great American Family: My Christmas Hero (8/7c) stars the channel’s fan favorite Candace Cameron Bure as Army Reserve doctor Nicole Ramsey, who takes a break from serving others in Washington state to embark on a personal journey to track down her family’s military history, with the help of a charming new friend (Gabriel Hogan).

Documentary Premiere

9/8c

True Crime Watch: Allegations of unholy behavior within Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) Churches fuel Investigation Discovery’s four-part docuseries Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals (9/8c, also Saturday), with first-hand testimony from church defectors, activists and journalists accusing IFB figureheads of a system of physical abuse, mind control and torture. Also over two nights, Oxygen True Crime explores a horrific mass murder in the three-part The Pike County Murders: A Family Massacre (8/7c, concludes Saturday at 9/8c), depicting a deadly family feud that resulted in the execution-like murders in Ohio of eight members of the Rhoden family in four different locations on one night.

If the NFL action on Thanksgiving didn’t satisfy your craving for gridiron matches, college football is everywhere. Starts at noon/ET, with TCU at Oklahoma (Fox), Miami at Boston College (ABC), Iowa at Nebraska (CBS), Memphis at Temple (ESPN). Other highlights through the day at night include Texas-San Antonio at Tulane (3:30 pm/ET, ABC), Missouri at Arkansas (3 pm/ET, CBS), Penn State at Michigan State (7:30 pm/ET, NBC), Texas Tech at Texas (7:30 pm/ET, ABC), Oregon State at Oregon (8:30 pm/ET, Fox).

Not to be outdone, the NFL presents a rare “Black Friday Game” matchup of Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, streaming for free on Prime Video and also on Fox (3 pm/ET).

For some variety, hoops action includes Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic (2:30 pm/ET, NBA TV), Phoenix Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies (5 pm/ET, NBA TV), Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks (7:30 pm/ET, ESPN); and for hockey fans, Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres (6 pm/ET, TNT) and Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild (8:30 pm/ET, TNT).

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• The Greatest @Home Videos (8/7c, CBS): JB Smoove visits host Cedric the Entertainer for a special edition focusing on upbeat holiday videos.
• Bering Sea Gold (9/8c, Discovery): With the storm of the century looming, the ships race to mine. Kris Kelly’s group heads for deeper waters, while his longtime rival, Shawn “Mr. Gold” Pomrenke, fights towering swells. Also battling waves: the fleet’s only female captain, Emily Riedel, never-give-up Vernon Adkison and second-gen miner Chris McCully.
• Cypher (streaming on Hulu): Winner of a Tribeca Festival Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, writer/director Chris Moukarbel’s film charts the rapid rise of Philadelphia-based rapper Tierra Whack while also questioning the desirability of fame making someone so inescapably visible to others.