A couple of Christmas holiday traditions tonight are followed by a wealth of TV show goodness. What will you be watching on TV tonight?

Prime Picks

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (CBS): The title is pretty self-explanatory. It is the holiday classic animated tale. It has been re-mastered to look and sound better than ever.

Lost (ABC): What is Kate’s story? Looks like we will get to know a little more about her tonight. The show runs 64 minutes.

Invasion (ABC): Dave is abducted after some people who have read his blog. They want to know what he really knows.

Solid Selections

One Tree Hill (WB): Turns out today is the worst day since yesterday in Tree Hill as the first game of the season approaches.

Veronica Mars (UPN): This show has really done a great job of overcoming the sophomore slump that many shows have suffered from.

CSI: NY (CBS): Roller derby and a murder, what could make for more entertaining television than that.

Other Options

That ‘70s Show (Fox): Well now there is no Eric and no Kelso. Tonight Jackie moves in with Fez.
Stacked (Fox): An old rival of Skyler tries to get revenge on her through Stewart.

Criminal Minds (CBS): A famous quote is spoken and then the BAU team goes into action to catch a killer of two small town high school students. When the unsub is caught we hear another famous quote and then the credits roll.

Law & Order (NBC): Van Buren goes on a mission to catch a killer after a college friend’s daughter is murdered.

Cable Choices

A Christmas Story (TNT): You can’t have a BB gun you’ll shoot your eye out and don’t forget that wonderful lamp, a classic Christmas movie. Two hours of commercially interrupted Christmas fun.

Good Eats (Food Network): Get all the info you ever wanted about making a roast in this repeat.
Good Eats (Food Network): All about ham in this repeat episode.

Note

Christmas in Rockefeller Center is on tonight, on NBC, in the first hour of primetime where you can watch the 73rd tree lighting ceremony hosted by Al Roker.

Threshold was given one Tuesday night after the switch with Close to Home before it was canceled. I don’t get network execs and how they make their decisions. I kept looking for Threshold on Tuesday after the first episode of Close to Home aired on Saturday and after a couple of weeks when it was finally on it was up against SVU and the last hour of the American Music Awards. The ratings weren’t very good so they cancel it. Why not give it a couple of weeks or so in the new timeslot and give people a chance to know when it was going to be on before giving it the old heave hoe?

Prime Picks

Bones (Fox): Brennan goes up against a mentor of sorts over the case involving the remains of a girl found in a fridge.

House (Fox): A young mother dies and Stacy has to determine if Chase made a mistake or not that caused the death.

Criminal Minds (CBS): The BAU team tracks down another killer in Close to Home and Threshold’s old timeslot.

Solid Selections

NCIS (CBS): This week McGee is in trouble after a shooting.

Commander in Chief (ABC): The first mother visits for Thanksgiving and a new face arrives to stir things up a bit.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC): Ripped from the headlines with an added twist and such making it completely different but kind of the same.

Other Options

According to Jim (ABC): Jim has lunch with an old girlfriend.
Rodney (ABC): A whole lot of flirting going on.

The Amazing Race: Family Edition (CBS): Surprise ending. Well not anymore.

Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2005 (ABC): Interviews with Tom Cruise, Lance Armstrong and 8 others.

Cable Choices

50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up (E!): Former child stars and their children are interviewed. Lasts two hours.

Nip/Tuck (FX): Sean doesn’t like that Quentin and Julia are seeing each other and much more on tonights show.

The long holiday weekend is over. Hope you didn’t stuff yourself too much or spend too much. So after a long day back at work it will be nice to relax a little with your favorite Monday night TV shows.

Prime Picks

Surface (NBC): Episode 10. Rich and Laura are back at the surface but the boat that got them out there in the first place is nowhere to be seen.

Prison Break (Fox): It is the Fall Season Finale. Can you believe that we could have to wait till as long as next May before we can continue the story?

CSI: Miami (CBS): The commercials for this episode make try to make Delco out to be some kind of druggy and they have been setting up the story to look that way for most of the season. There is probably a good explanation and this is not the case. They always try to point you in one direction in the ads and then go another in the actual story.

Solid Selections

The King of Queens (CBS): If you are one of the everybody that loves Raymond then tune in tonight.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS): Ted relies on his friends to get him up to speed on what happened after a night of partying and not remembering in the morning.

Two and a Half Men (CBS): A news story about Alan doesn’t impress his mother and he is crushed when he finds that out.
Out of Practice (CBS): The family takes a guilt trip.

Medium (NBC): A woman who believed her house was haunted is found dead and Allison is asked to help out on the case.

Other Options

Prison Break (Fox): Repeat of last week’s episode.

Las Vegas (NBC): Last week it was sail, sail away in my weird bat-winged like outfit while Danny could do nothing but watch it happen.

Nada, zip, zilch, zero other options in the third hour of primetime.

Cable Choices

Emeril Live: Hilda’s Holiday Classics (Food Network): Emeril prepares some of his mother’s favorite dishes in this repeat showing.

Wintertime Treats Unwrapped (Food Network): Get a behind the scenes look at how candy canes, fruitcakes and other winter favorites are made.

The Secret Life Of … (Food Network): Tonight it is Steak. Get the history of steak.
The Secret Life Of … (Food Network): The history of fried chicken in this repeat.

Sports Note

Monday Night Football is the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Indianapolis Colts on ABC.

Wow, Sunday sure is a stark contrast to Saturday in your TV viewing option isn’t it? To go along with the network picks tonight you will also find another listing of some TV show marathons to look for on cable. What will you be watching?

Prime Picks

Cold Case (CBS): The 1965 death of a little girl is looked at after her skeleton washes up on the beach.

Desperate Housewives (ABC): Tonight Carlos is paroled, George, the wacko, is stalking Bree and Susan tries to get to know her father. The episode runs 61 minutes.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC): The episode starts a minute into the third hour and runs 59 minutes. Tonight much too much happens.

Solid Selections

The Simpsons (Fox): Last week was Father’s Day and tonight is Easter.
The War at Home (Fox): Dave institutes a zero-tolerance policy to combat the kids getting away with too much.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC): A cosmetic surgeon is looked at after a med student is found mutilated but first they think it has something to do with drug trafficking.

Crossing Jordan (NBC): A copycat killer is on the loose and you won’t believe it but Woody and Jordan are going to have to ask the original for help.

Other Options

Charmed (WB): A whole lot of Leos going on.

Silver Bells (CBS): Sappy made for TV Christmas movie to get you in the holiday spirit.

Cable Choices

Emeril Live (Food Network): Emeril cooks up some Holiday favorites.

Decorating Cents: 100 Holiday Ideas Under $100 (HGTV): Get a few suggestions, well 100 of them on decorating for the holidays on a budget.

Nip/Tuck (FX): Repeat of Madison Berg episode from this past Tuesday.

Sports Notes

Sunday Night Football on ESPN is the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets.

TV Show Marathons

ESPN2 – Nine episodes of the 2005 World Series of Poker tonight.
Family Channel – Full House will show 16 times in a row.
TLC – Today you will find 10 episodes of Flip That House followed by episodes of America’s Ugliest …
TNT – Five straight hours of Law & Order including a three-part episode.
SpikeTV – Six consecutive James Bond movies.
VH1 – Breaking Bonaduce plays 11 times with the last two being new episodes.
MTV – Next plays 12 straight times today.
E! – The E! True Hollywood Story of some of your favorite sitcoms all day long.
TVLand – It is Good Times from morning until night. Now this is a true TV show marathon.