Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion
Much like with the original series, last month’s reunion special celebrating the 30th anniversary of Everybody Loves Raymond was such a hit the network asked for more. Ray Romano returns with creator/executive producer Phil Rosenthal to share memories and view indelible clips from the Emmy-winning domestic comedy that aired on CBS from 1996 to 2005 and has been in syndication ever since.
Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris
A night of specials continues with the musical superstar revisiting her holiday album My Kind of Christmas on its 25th anniversary with performances captured live in Paris. Filmed in front of a live audience above the Musée du Quai Branly, Aguilera performs holiday classics and some of her greatest hits with a shimmering Eiffel Tower as her backdrop. Guests include Sheila E. and Yseult.
The Paper
Previously shown on Peacock, but new to NBC, this workplace mockumentary about the underdog staff of a once-proud Toledo newspaper depicts a squirm-inducingly relatable situation when the avuncular boss, CEO Marv Putman (Allan Havey), temporarily relocates to the newsroom while his office is being painted. The sucking-up is almost deafening, especially from office toady Ken (Tim Key), who sees editor-in-chief Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) as a threat, calling him a “ginger Machiavelli” while plotting a new scheme with Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore). Ned only fans the flames and invites office mockery when he misconstrues a term of endearment from Marv.
Elway
They called John Elway “the Duke of Denver,” taking the Broncos to two consecutive Super Bowl victories in 1998 and 1999 during his 16-year career as a quarterback. But it wasn’t easy, as a documentary profile reveals. The film from directors Ken Rodgers and Chris Weaver traces Elway’s career from college success at Stanford through his growing pains in the pro league, losing three Super Bowl titles before achieving ultimate MVP victory. “Winning was the most important thing,” he recalls, acknowledging the toll and sacrifices made in his personal and family life.
Hollywood Squares
Drew Barrymore returns to the center square for a holiday edition of the popular game show, with Ed, a woodworker and Santa from Middletown, NY, playing opposite Katie, a server from Philadelphia, as they place X’s and O’s on a celebrity board featuring Saturday Night Live alums Ana Gasteyer and Bobby Moynihan, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and more comic personalities. A second game follows.
INSIDE MONDAY TV:
- Holiday Baking Championship (8/7c, Food Network): In the season finale, the final five bakers go from “naughty,” creating elf desserts in flavors including black licorice and sauerkraut, to “nice” in the elimination challenge involving hot cocoa desserts. Both elements are featured in the final challenge, where they make a large-scale, over-the-top naughty vs. nice cake. Judges Nancy Fuller, Kardea Brown, and guest judge Zac Young decide who wins $25,000.
- Monday Night Football (8:15 pm/ET, ABC and ESPN): The San Francisco 49ers face the Indianapolis Colts.
- Midsomer Murders (streaming on Acorn TV): A booby-trapped cuckoo clock is the weapon of choice in a murder during an engagement party at Godley Manor.
- Vintage TV favorites finding new streaming homes include all 15 seasons of Supernatural, landing on Peacock, and seven seasons of The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, now available on Netflix.