Santa comes through in ‘Boyfriend’
Charles Durning finally gets the role he was born to play: Santa Claus.
He stars as the matchmaking jolly guy in the cable romance “A Boyfriend for Christmas” (9 p.m. tonight, Hallmark). Kelli Williams (“The Practice”) plays a hard-driving do-gooder, and Patrick Muldoon (“Melrose Place”) is a slick corporate lawyer who does pro bono work on the side.
It’s hate, or at least contempt, at first sight, until Kris Kringle gets into the act.
On “Save Our History: Secrets of Jamestown” (8 p.m. tonight, History), researchers unearth evidence that challenges common assumptions about the tragic end to the first English colony in the New World.
Frodo and Sam march onward in the 2003 fantasy “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (9 p.m. tonight, Starz), the third film in the “Rings” trilogy and winner of 11 Academy Awards.
“A Christmas Carol” (9 p.m. Sunday, NBC) combines the sweeps spectacular tradition of producer Robert Halmi (“Gulliver’s Travels”) with an original musical score by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menkin (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Tony-winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens (“Ragtime”).
Closer to a musical comedy or romance than a cautionary tale of greed and redemption, this “Carol” puts the emphasis on sentiment and razzle-dazzle.
Jason Alexander portrays Marley’s ghost with a curiously comic spin. He’s accompanied by a collection of ghouls who would not look out of place on a theme-park ride. They’re far more appropriate to a Halloween special than to “A Christmas Carol.”
As anyone who has read the book or seen its countless movie adaptations can tell you, Marley and his fellow spirits suffer not because they are dead, or because they are spooky, but because they have lost the ability to do good – to intervene in human affairs. This “Carol” completely misses that essential point.
“Pollyanna” on “Masterpiece Theatre” (8 p.m. Sunday, KSPS) is a tearjerker for people who can’t stand tearjerkers.
Only 11 years old, actress Georgina Terry is a delight as Pollyanna Whittier, an orphan whose sunny disposition stands in stark and often comic contrast to the jaded adults around her.
Armed with her late father’s ability to see the “gladness” in everything, she progresses from being an annoyance to an amusement to an inspiration to everyone she encounters. Surprisingly unsentimental, this “Pollyanna” may gladden the heart of even the most cross and dyspeptic viewer.
Tonight’s highlights
College football (5 p.m., ABC).
Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed star in the 1946 Frank Capra favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life” (8 p.m., NBC).
Frank the pug gets even more screen time in the 2002 sequel “Men in Black II” (8 p.m., Fox).
Sir Reggie belts out his greatest hits on “Elton John at Radio City” (8 p.m. tonight, Bravo).
Scheduled on “48 Hours Mystery” (10 p.m., CBS): A Los Angeles cop suspects his father was the notorious Black Dahlia killer.
Sunday’s highlights
Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (7 p.m., CBS): how the case against two alleged spies fell apart; a 12-year-old prodigy’s five symphonies; Dustin Hoffman.
The voices of Mike Meyers and Cameron Diaz animate the 2001 comedy “Shrek” (7 p.m., NBC).
Mammoths and saber-tooth tigers help a human cub in the 2002 computer-animated feature “Ice Age” (7 p.m., Fox).
A new home for an ailing child on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8 p.m., ABC).
Penelope Cruz and Susan Sarandon star in the holiday romance “Noel” (8 p.m., TNT).
Peter Falk, Katey Sagal and Tammy Blanchard star in the holiday fantasy “When Angels Come to Town” (9 p.m., CBS).
The neighborhood confronts a tragedy on “Desperate Housewives” (9 p.m., ABC).
If you spent the best years of your life playing Candyland, don’t miss “Games We Grew Up With” (9 p.m., HGTV), a nostalgic look at popular games including Operation, Clue and Battleship.
An unusual Santa requires legal help on “Boston Legal” (10 p.m., ABC).
An eccentric family discovers that it now owns its whole town in the British comedy “Mine All Mine” (10 p.m., BBC America).
Cult choice
A faux documentary chronicles a rock group’s delusion and decline in the 1984 comedy “This is Spinal Tap” (8 p.m. tonight, Independent Film Channel).