Tonight on the Tube: It’s a Wonderful Life, Trading Spaces & Saturday Night Live

News & Notes

On cable tonight, ABC Family has A Miser Brothers’ Christimas special, CMT has NASCAR – The Ride of Their Lives special, G4 has a G4 Investigates: Tech Fight Clubs special, Hallmark Channel has the TV movie premiere of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Lifetime has the TV movie premiere of Will You Merry Me?, Spike has the eighth season finale of The Ultimate Fighter, and WE has the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Hollywood Does Chrirstmas specials.

Prime Pick

It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC): Released 1946. The classic tale of a suicidal family man that gets a chance to see what life would have been like without him. Runs three hours.

Solid Selections

Eleventh Hour (CBS): Repeat. The second episode of this season, “Cardiac,” replays, where Dr. Hood is called in to a small Georgia town where youths are dying from heart attacks.

Surviving Christmas (ABC): Released 2004. Ben Affleck stars as a lonely man that goes back to his childhood home and attempts to celebrate Christmas with the new people that live their. Runs two hours.

Cable Choices

All Neely Family Holiday (Food Network): New. The Neelys celebrate the holidays with their family. Plays again later.

Unwrapped (Food Network): Repeat. See how some of your favorite sweet “Holiday Treats” are made. Plays again later.

Trading Spaces (TLC): New. It’s a Christmastime swap. Plays again later.

Other Options

• The Secret Life Of … (Food Network): Repeat. It’s the history of Christmas. Plays again later.
• Will You Merry Me? (Lifetime): TV Movie Premiere. Stars Wendie Malick (Big Day, Jake in Progress) and Cynthia Stevenson (Men in Trees in a story about a Christian man and his Jewish fiancé and how their diverse families come together for the holidays. Runs two hours. Plays again later.

Sports Notes

• ABC has the front nine of the Wendy’s Three-Tour Challenge.
• CBS has doubleheader college basketball action with Memphis at Georgetown followed by Indiana at Kentucky.
• ESPN has doubleheader college basketball action with Tennessee at Temple followed by Kansas at Massachusetts and then the NCAA Division I Second Semifinal and later the 2008 Heisman Trophy Presentation.
• ESPN2 has college football action with the Division II Final followed by a college basketball tripleheader with Utah at Oklahoma followed by Oral Roberts at North Carolina followed by Xavier at Cincinnati.
• NBA TV has the New York Knicks at the Sacramento Kings.
• Versus has college basketball action with Mississippi at New Mexico.

Late Night

• MADtv (FOX): New. It’s the “Best of MADtv No. 2: Holiday Edition.”
• Saturday Night Live (NBC): New. Hugh Laurie (House) hosts with musical guest Kanye West.
• Talkshow With Spike Feresten (FOX): New. His guest is actor J.B. Smoove (‘Til Death).

TV Marathons

A&E has seven episodes of Flip This House.
BET has nine episodes of Making the Band 4.
ABC Family has animated Christmas specials all day.
Hallmark Channel has Christmas themed TV movies all day long.
Spike has 11 episodes of The Ultimate Fighters.
Travel Channel has nine episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservation.
truTV has 12 episodes of Forensic Files today followed by five episodes of Most Daring tonight.
VH1 has seven episodes of Stylista.