Laughter and Tears (‘Million Little Things’) on an All-Christmas ABC, Nat Geo’s ‘Paris to Pittsburgh’
A critical checklist of notable Wednesday TV:
Modern Family (9/8c, ABC): The network’s family-comedy lineup goes all out with new Christmas episodes, with the centerpiece being the Emmy-winning hit, which finds Haley (Sarah Hyland) eager to share the blessed news of her unexpected pregnancy to the rest of her family — who as usual are too busy with their own crises, including Claire’s (Julie Bowen) exasperation that Phil (Ty Burrell) has borrowed the family’s Christmas tree for a house showing.
Other yuletide situations: On The Goldbergs (8/7c), Barry (Troy Gentile) is jazzed that he finally gets to celebrate Christmas now that he’s engaged to Lainey (AJ Michalka); Katie (Katy Mixon) worries about keeping the peace between her estranged parents (Wendie Malick and Patrick Duffy) at the holidays on American Housewife (8:30/7:30c); and on Single Parents (9:30/8:30c), Owen (Andy Favreau) surprises Angie (Leighton Meester) with a Christmas Eve gift, and when she runs to Will (Taran Killam) for help, she discovers Will is terrible — or so it seems — at picking presents for his daughter Sophie (Marlow Barkley).
A Million Little Things (10/9c, ABC): Or if you’d rather weep into your eggnog, the tear-jerking drama’s winter finale brings the gang together for the first Christmas since Jon’s (Ron Livingston) suicide. Complicating things further is widow Delilah’s (Stephanie Szostak) struggle with telling her kids about her pregnancy.
Paris to Pittsburgh (9/8c, National Geographic): Sounds like a travel special, but this documentary from Bloomberg Philanthropies and RadicalMedia takes a global look at the controversial issue of climate change, and how individuals and communities are taking on the challenge of committing to responsible energy efficiency. A special focus is on Pittsburgh, whose mayor, Bill Peduto, decides to take up the cause despite federal inaction and denial.
Inside Wednesday TV: Streaming on YouTube Premium: the comedy series Champaign, Ill., starring Adam Pally (Happy Endings) and Sam Richardson (Veep) as members of a famous rapper’s (Jay Pharoah) entourage who must readjust to the real world when their meal ticket suddenly dies… Gina Gershon guests on The CW’s Riverdale (8/7c) as Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) mom from Toledo, who takes in her son and fellow fugitive/BFF Archie (KJ Apa)… Fun and games on NBC, with new holiday editions of Ellen’s Game of Games (8/7c) and Little Big Shots (9/8c)… Prentiss (Paget Brewster) is cooking up a romance with fellow Fed Andrew Mendoza (Stephen Bishop) on CBS’s Criminal Minds (10/9c), but work as usual gets in the way — in this case, a “blast from the past” psychopath who’s stealing the hearts of prominent businessmen (assuming they have them to begin with).
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ABC comedies till 10:00, then Criminal minds. I'm a huge Goldbergs fan.
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So what did everyone think of the Elseworlds conclusion? Still not enough action? 😀
Also, the credits say that Stephen Amell's wife played Nora Fries in this crossover. Who is Nora Fries? Is she the goth-looking young woman who told Alex to go home and get a life? (Speaking of Alex, I really liked her look in this alt-world. In the 'normal' world she looks like an Evil Twin.)
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Nora Fries was the escaped inmate who was trying to get the freeze gun out of the case in that storage room. Killer Frost/Caitlin was trying to stop her, then Barry and Oliver showed up to help and ended up being dosed with the hallucinogenic gas. I missed part of the episode, but I believe it was also Killer Frost who was talking to Alex about getting a life.
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I liked "Elseworlds". Improved as it went along, Action/adventure is the main reason I watch these crossovers.
Ruby Rose might have a spinoff next season! Batgirl!
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Okay, so a pretty minor character, sounds like. With a hubby who looks like hers does, no wonder she wants to keep an eye on him. Rawr!
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I agree, it was pretty exciting. And yeah, I think a Gotham-set spinoff is the idea here. Not sure if that Monitor guy will show up again; he foretold a powerful enemy, so that could be a future storyline on one of the shows. (Or on a future crossover.)
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Rose played Batwoman usually considered a completely different character from Batgirl. Batwoman was Katherine (Kathy or Kate) Kane, a mature woman of means originally seen as a love interest for Batman (although they're playing her as a lesbian here).
Batgirl is the much younger Barbara Gordon (think Robin's age) the daughter of police commissioner James Gordon. Batgirl generally only worked with Batman and Robin while Batwoman worked alone especially during Batman's absence from Gotham.
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Oh wow, I just realized something. When the guest actors' names rolled at the beginning of the episode, I thought one sounded familiar but didn't think twice about it. The name was Lamonica Garrett--he played the Monitor. The reason I knew him and recognized his name is that he played Mike on Designated Survivor. I guess he still will when it comes back to TV next year.
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I'm looking forward to another season of Designated Survivor! That was a show we used to discuss after each episode. Which means it was fun to watch.
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Thanks for the clarification. So Batwoman is being considered as a new CW show. I always get Batgirl and Batwoman confused.
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Or it means that one or more of us was confused about something in the episode. Won't be as much discussion next season because we don't all have Netflix.
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Just remember that Batgirl is a girl (teenager), and Batwoman is a grown woman.
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Only SEAL Team for me tonight.
I don't watch Riverdale, but it seems that (like One Day at a Time), the only similarity between Riverdale and the Archie comics is the names of the characters. From what I've heard, the show is more like The Sopranos: the Teen Years. I thought The Vampire Diaries was bad about teenage behavior, but this seems to blow that out of the water. Honestly, I'm a little surprised the show has lasted.
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The characters of Riverdale are mostly the same as they are in the Archie comics except it focuses more on their dark side. One season was mainly about a serial killer offing people. This season is mainly about a D&D type game that's turned deadly and gotten several kids killed. Before it came on, I was almost determined not to like it, but I've found it highly entertaining.
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If there's only one night I can count on it's Wednesday: 4 ABC comedies, A Million Little Things, Riverdale, and Vikings.
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