Top Choices for November TV

To say that 2020 has been a very difficult year for everyone is saying almost too little. We’ve all faced a lot of anxiety, fear and uncertainty. We all have had to look for the light at the end of the tunnel or those brief moments of levity wherever we can.

For those of us who love TV, the options have not been as plentiful as they normally would be if this year had been a bit more, well, “normal.” But, that’s not the case so we have to accept things as they are, and hope for a new normal to present itself.

November is almost here and that means a plethora of made-for-TV movies themed around Christmas. Despite the pandemic, there are over 50 holiday movies set to air on a handful of cable networks this month along with a number of dramas coming to an end, some returning dramas finally getting under way and even a few dramas making their debuts.

Given all the viewing options coming in November (how can it be almost November, by the way?!), it was hard thinning the herd down to the top 8 movies and TV shows for which I am most anxious to watch, but I did.

MY MUST SEE MOVIES OF NOVEMBER

Out of all the holiday movies set to air next month, my top two couldn’t be more different. One is on the Hallmark Channel and stars soap star hunk Ryan Paevey (a personal favorite of mine – yes, he is hunky, but he also tends to play fun and interesting characters who aren’t completely one-dimensional). The other is on Netflix and focuses on an unconventional Santa Claus.

Here are the details on both:

A Timeless Christmas will debut on the Hallmark Channel on November 15 at 8 PM. Ryan Paevey plays wealthy Charles Whitley, who travels from 1903 to 2020 (thanks to an antique clock) where he meets Megan Turn (Erin Cahill), a tour guide at his now historic mansion.

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two is the sequel to last year’s hit Netflix film that found Kurt Russell (and his significant other Goldie Hawn) playing Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. The movie will debut on November 25, and will find Kate Pierce (Darby Camp, who was in the original film) as a now cynical teenager, who is spending the holiday in the tropics with her mom’s new boyfriend and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno). Unhappy with the new version of her family, Kate runs away, but a magical troublemaker transports them both to the North Pole where they will help Santa and Mrs. Claus not only save that magical world but also save Christmas.

FINALLY COMING BACK

There are over 15 dramas returning to the small screen in November; and out of those I am most anxious to see:

The Crown on Netflix on November 15
All Rise on CBS on November 16 at 10 PM
A Million Little Things on November 19 at 10 PM on ABC

A GRAND FAREWELL

It’s been 15 seasons in the making (plus the delay due to all productions being shut down), but Supernatural will be coming to an end on November 19 at 9 PM on The CW. Before that one last hour with the Winchester brothers, their angel buddy Castiel and nephilim “son” Jack comes to its glorious or hellish (whichever way you look at it) conclusion, there will be a one-hour retrospective at 8 PM that will take a look back at the longest running show for that network. In fact, it’s the only show from the days of The WB to still be on the air.

WELCOME TO THE FOLD

There are not quite 10 new shows set to debut throughout November, and my top two picks are focused on teenagers. That is saying a lot given the fact I am not overly fond of anyone under the age of 20. However, these two series have a lot of action and adventure, some intense storylines and some great adult characters.

The first drama I have yet to watch. While I have already had a chance to watch the second, but wanted to include it on my list because I highly recommend people check it out.

The Astronauts is a new series on Nickelodeon, set to debut at 7 PM on November 13. The series follows a group of kids who embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they are mistakenly launched into space. The spacecraft Odyssey II is set to launch on a mission to retrieve a foreign object that could potentially save mankind. The plan quickly goes awry when five untrained kids use their parents’ security clearances to sneak onto the empty ship. Soon after they board, the onboard AI system triggers the launch sequence. Unable to stop the ship from blasting off, the kids must assume their new role as astronauts and brave harrowing tasks, as their parents rush to find a way to take control of the situation. Most adults will not recognize the kids on the show (the kid actors will be played by Miya Cech, Bryce Gheisar, Keith L. Williams, Kayden Grace Swan and Ben Daon) but hopefully some adults will recognize the adult actors on the show. They include Bethany Brown (who has appeared in The 100 and eight Hallmark movies), Erica Cerra (who has starred in Eureka, The 100 and Supernatural), Ben Cotton (who has appeared in TV shows like Stargate: Atlantis, Hellcats, and The Arrangement as well as 6 Hallmark movies), Ryan Robbins (who has appeared in the Dwayne Johnson movie Walking Tall and TV shows like Sanctuary, Falling Skies, Battlestar Galactica, Continuum, Arrow and Pure), Nathalie Boltt (who has appeared in the TV shows Riverdale and 800 Words as well as the Hallmark movie Mystery 101: Words Can Kill) and Garfield Wilson (who appeared in shows like Almost Human andThe Man in the High Castle as well as 3 Hallmark movies).

Alex Rider, based on the popular book series, will debut on IMDBtv on November 13. The series follows Alex Rider (Otto Farrant), a London based teenager who has unknowingly been trained since childhood for the dangerous world of espionage. Pressured to help investigate his uncle’s death, and how it connects to the assassination of two high-profile billionaires, Alex reluctantly assumes a new identity and goes undercover in a remote boarding school called Point Blanc. Isolated far above the snowline in the French Alps, Point Blanc claims to set the troubled teenage children of the ultra-rich back onto the right track. As Alex digs deeper, he discovers the students are in fact the subjects of a disturbing plan which Alex will have to risk his life to stop. The cast includes mostly newcomers to American audiences, but some eagle eye viewers will, hopefully, recognize Andrew Buchan and Stephen Dillane.

Our full November TV calendar – covering dramas and movies – will go live tomorrow. When you get a chance to check it out, please share what you’re looking forward to watching in November.