Worth Watching: Still ‘Lost in Space,’ John Mulaney Is a Big Kid on Netflix, ‘Christmas Story’ Marathon, Eve Plumb Keeps Renovating on HGTV
A selective critical checklist of notable Tuesday TV:
Lost in Space (streaming on Netflix): The reboot of the cheesy 1960s sci-fi classic returns for a second season, jumping ahead seven months after the Robinson family and the Jupiter 2 became truly lost in space after being sucked into an unknown planetary system. Now resting somewhat peacefully on an ocean planet far removed from their fellow space travelers — and more crucially, the Robot — the Robinsons face new threats while trying to survive the help of the mischievous Dr. Smith (Parker Posey) and awaiting the return of their mechanical friend. As little Will Robinson (Maxwell Jenkins) knows all too well, “Danger, Danger” is always around the corner.
John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (streaming on Netflix): The gifted comedian John Mulaney — whose episode of Documentary Now! titled “Original Cast Album: Co-Op” was one of my very favorite things of 2019 — taps into his inner kid in a musical-comedy special that “aims to recapture the magic of that bygone television era when children sang songs about their feelings with celebrity guests on funky outdoor sets.” Surrounded by a group of precocious 8-to-13-year-olds, Mulaney presents songs and sketches and celebrity appearances by Tony winners Andre De Shields and Annaleigh Ashford, plus David Byrne, Natasha Lyonne, Richard Kind, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Eclectic fun, just in time for Christmas.
A Christmas Story (8/7c, TBS; 9/8c, TNT): Some traditions never get old — like the Turner channels’ 24-hour marathons of the indelible 1983 family comedy, starring Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker, who wants nothing more than a “Red Ryder air rifle” as he and his family endure an eventful and nostalgic holiday.
Personally, I’m holding out for TCM’s annual Christmas Eve showing of 1944’s Meet Me in St. Louis (10/9c), the gorgeous Judy Garland musical that introduced one of the greatest of all standards, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Generation Renovation (11/10c, HGTV): The Bradys are a gift that keep on giving. After the success of A Very Brady Renovation, Eve Plumb (also known as “Jan”) is back on the network in the pilot episode of a new series that shows off her skills at actual home renovating. With Brett Waterman (of DIY Network’s Restored) and husband/renovation partner Ken Pace, Plumb brings ramshackle cabins and cottages back to life. How very Brady of her.
