TV This Week: Nov. 22-29

TV this week: Penguins, tornados, and new and old holiday programming

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, chances are your favorite shows are on a holiday hiatus. The silver lining of that is that all the holiday television specials will be playing.

“Doctor Who” will have a special marathon dedicated to The Eleventh Doctor, airing on Nov. 22 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on BBC America. The Eleventh Doctor features Matt Smith as the beloved character of Doctor Who. Following the marathon will be a special compilation of interviews with the show’s cast from the BBC show’s long history as a celebration of the show’s 50 years. The special, “Doctor Who Explained,” will air at 8 p.m. on BBC America. 

Discovery Channel will air a two-hour special on penguins, narrated by Jane Lynch. “Penguins: Waddle All the Way” comes from the same filmmakers who created “Polar Bears: Spy on the Ice.” The film will reveal the life of penguins through the use of hidden cameras disguised as life-like penguins, chicks, and eggs. “Penguins” will air on Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. on The Discovery Channel.

“Stonados,” the much-anticipated film that draws focus on tornados will finally be airing on the Syfy channel on Nov. 23 at 9 p.m. The film has been postponed time and time again, first back in April after the Boston Marathon attack, and then again in the summer. Storm chasers and science enthusiasts will be intrigued by an inside look at tornados and intense storms.

The annual “American Music Awards” will take place Nov. 24, live at 8 p.m. on ABC. The awards show will be hosted by Pitbull, making it his second time at the AMAs. He will perform his new single “Timber” with an appearance by Ke$ha. 

Classic and New Holiday Programming
It just won’t be a complete holiday season without an annual airing of the Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” This year, the 1966 Grinch will make his return to the small screen on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. on TBS.

Another holiday television classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” will be airing on Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. on CBS. This will be the 1998 color corrected edition that captures the picture’s original visual texture and diverse color palette. 

For Thanksgiving, “Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower” will air Nov. 27 at 8 a.m. on History, featuring dramatic reenactments from original source material written by eyewitnesses and participants in the Mayflower voyage. 

A Thanksgiving favorite, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” will be airing on Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. on ABC. This year will be the 40th year of the special and the Peanuts gang celebrating Thanksgiving. 

Lady Gaga will be having her own television special for Thanksgiving. “Lady Gaga & The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular” will air on Nov. 28 at 9:30 p.m. on ABC. The 90-minute feature will showcase Lady Gaga singing along with the Muppets to classic holiday favorites and some of Lady Gaga’s hit songs. Some of the performances that are expected will be a duet between Gaga and Kermit the Frog, duets with Sir Elton John, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and RuPaul. 

The holiday special will tie in with sneak peeks of the upcoming Muppets film, “Muppets Most Wanted,” which is set to come to theaters in March 2014. 

Since the announcement of the remake of “The Sound of Music,” there has been positive and negative buzz surrounding the production and Carrie Underwood taking on the role that brought Julie Andrews to fame. A behind-the-scenes look at the remake will air on Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. on NBC. The musical itself, “The Sound of Music Live!”, airs live Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. on NBC.