‘Aliens’ family go to mega-church
Tonight’s must-see
“Aliens in America,” 8:30 p.m., CW. As an outsider, Raja puts a fresh focus on American life. Tonight, he asks a key question: What about religion?
His host family has sort of drifted away from it. It didn’t know the site of its church now holds a fast-food restaurant.
So everyone ends up at a mega-church. The mom produces the Christmas pageant; she even bribes her teen daughter with birth-control pills.
The result has moments of sharp satire, while emerging with a fairly warm view of religion.
Tonight’s might-see
“State of Grace,” 10 p.m., TNT. Here’s a show that touches religion every week. Tonight, Grace’s guardian angel meets her new boyfriend, an atheist.
That part is interesting. So are charming scenes involving a young man with Down syndrome, whose friend was slain in a botched robbery.
After that strong start, however, the hour has a wildly unbelievable ending. Trying too hard to surprise us, it just leaves us feeling empty.
Other choices include
“Mary Poppins” (1964), 7 and 10 p.m., Family. A family classic returns, filled with bouncy songs, likable characters and flashy visuals. The result won Academy Awards for actress Julie Andrews, plus the editing, the visual effects , the music score and the song “Chim Chim Cher-ee.”
“Deal or No Deal,” 8 p.m., NBC. As the strike impact grows, NBC scrambles. Next week, it tries something interesting, the four-night “Clash of the Choirs”; first, it shovels in lots of “Deal.” Tonight has a boxing theme, with Sugar Ray Leonard as guest. The contestants – from Brooklyn; Franklin, Tenn.; and Cedar Hill, Texas – face special rules: Whoever wins the most gets everyone’s money.
“I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown,” 8 p.m., ABC. With lots of extra time for the holidays, ReRun (the younger brother of Linus and Lucy) wants to play with Snoopy. Alas, Snoopy is busy and summons his quirky brother, Spike.
“How I Met Your Mother,” 8 p.m., CBS. Here’s the one new episode among tonight’s CBS comedies. Ted is dating his doctor. The others insist it’s a mistake to date someone they’ll keep seeing afterward; they offer vignettes to illustrate that.
“Big Bang Theory,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. Sheldon talks back to his boss and loses his job.
“Two and a Half Men,” 9 p.m., CBS. As Jake nears junior high, the guys give him so much advice that he’s traumatized.
“Samantha Who?” 9 p.m., ABC. Samantha is rushing her relationship with Kevin.
“Notes From the Underbelly,” 9:30 p.m., ABC. As Lauren awaits her baby, her terribly cool sister visits. Now she wants her to stay.
“Journeyman,” 10 p.m., NBC. At Christmas time, Dan’s paper faces layoffs; he heads back in time, to save it. Meanwhile, his wife remains traumatized by her hostage crisis.