What to Expect on TV in December

The year is almost at an end and with the holidays upon us, the networks have moved into overdrive with one holiday movie, mini-series or special after another.

The folks over at the Hallmark Channel have been airing a new movie every Saturday night since September 19 and that will continue until Valentine’s Day. About two weeks from now, the network will air a five-night movie event over the long Thanksgiving weekend; and there will be plenty more movies on the network and its sister network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries every weekend leading up to Christmas.

Here is a list of those movies:

The Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Just in Time for Christmas will debut on the Hallmark Channel on December 5 at 8 PM, starring Eloise Mumford (Fifty Shades of Grey), Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield), William Shatner and Christopher Lloyd.

Karen Kingsbury’s The Bridge will debut on December 6 on the Hallmark Channel movie at 8 PM, starring Katie Findlay (The Carrie Diaries and The Killing), Wyatt Nash (Petals on the Wind), Ted McGinley and Faith Ford.

Magic Stocking will air on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on December 6 at 9 PM, starring Bridget Regan (Jane the Virgin and Marvel’s Agent Carter) and Victor Webster (Continuum).

On The Twelfth Day of Christmas will debut on the Hallmark Channel on December 12 at 8 PM, starring Brooke Nevin (Breakout Kings) and Robin Dunne (Sanctuary).

The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie Debbie Macomber’s Dashing Through the Snow will debut on December 13 at 9 PM, starring Meghan Ory (Once Upon a Time) and Andrew Walker (A Bride for Christmas).

A Christmas Melody will debut on the Hallmark Channel movie on December 19 at 9 PM, starring Lacey Chabert, singer Mariah Carey, Brennan Elliott (Cedar Cove) and Kathy Najimy.

The Hallmark Channel movie Christmas Land will debut on December 20 at 8 PM, starring Nikki DeLoach (Awkward), Luke MacFarlane (Killjoys) and Maureen McCormick.

Also, the network will air a two-hour When Calls the Heart holiday special on December 26 at 8 PM in advance of the one-hour drama’s third season return in February.

Not to be outdone is Lifetime, which will be airing a handful of holiday-themed movies that will be unlike the network’s typical “women in jeopardy” films. They include the following:

The Flight Before Christmas on December 5 at 8 PM, starring Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory), Ryan McPartlin (Chuck) and Reginald VelJohnson and Joe Marie Payton (both from Family Matters).

Last Chance Christmas on December 6 at 9 PM, starring Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill), Gabriel Hogan (Heartland) and Tim Matheson (Hart of Dixie).

Becoming Santa on December 12 at 8 PM, starring Laura Bell Bundy (Hart of Dixie), Jesse Hutch (Cedar Cove), Tony Cavalero (Hart of Dixie) and Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter (both from Family Ties).

Wish Upon a Christmas on December 13 at 9 PM, starring Larisa Oleynik (Pretty Little Liars), Aaron Ashmore (Smallville) and Alan Thicke (Growing Pains).

The Spirit of Christmas on December 19 at 8 PM, starring Jen Lilley (Days of Our Lives).

Then there will be the following two new holiday movies on the Christian-themed network UP Channel:

Beverly Hills Christmas on December 6 at 7 PM, starring Dean Cain (Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman); and A Baby For Christmas on December 13 at 7 PM, starring Kristoff St. John and Victoria Rowell (both from The Young and the Restless).

There are still more holiday movies, including the following that will air on ION:

Merry Kissmas on December 5 at 9 PM, starring Karissa Staples (The Lottery), Brant Daugherty (Pretty Little Liars), Brittany Underwood (One Life to Live), Ion Overman (Ghost Whisperer), Roxanne Hart (Chicago Hope) and Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond).

How Sarah Got Her Wings on December 6 at 9 PM, starring Lindsey Gort (The Carrie Diaries and Impastor), Derek Theler (Baby Daddy) and Daniel Di Tomasso (Witches of East End).

A Christmas Truce on December 12 at 9 PM, starring Craig Olejnik (The Listener), Ali Liebert (Bomb Girls), Kate Vernon (Battlestar Galactica) and Adam DiMarco (Artic Air and Cedar Cove).

A Christmas Reunion on December 13 at 9 PM, starring Denise Richards, Patrick Muldoon, Jake Busey (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Catherine Hicks (7th Heaven) and Parker Stevenson (Baywatch and The Hardy Boys).

Lastly, the holiday movie Royal Family Christmas will debut on TV One on December 5 at 8 PM, starring Richard Lawson, Debbi Morgan and Vivica A. Fox.

There will also be the following two specials on NBC:

The Wiz Live! on December 3 at 8 PM, starring newcomer Shanice Williams, David Alan Grier, Elijah Kelley, Ne-Yo, Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), Amber Riley (Glee), Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Common and Stephanie Mills.

Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors on December 10 at 9 PM, starring Jennifer Nettles, Gerald McRaney, Ricky Schroder and youngster Alyvia Alyn Lind.

And, then Syfy will be bringing two classic novels to the small screen in the following:

The two-night premiere of the 10-episode mini-series The Expanse will debut on December 14 and December 15 at 10 PM both nights The cast includes Thomas Jane (Hung), Steven Strait (Magic City and 10,000 BC), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Grimm), Cas Anvar (Olympus) and Wes Chatham (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay).

The Syfy three-night event Childhood’s End will air at 8 PM on December 14 – December 15 and December 16, starring Mike Vogel (Under the Dome), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck and Charmed), Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black), Daisy Betts (The Player), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Colm Meaney (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine).

What are the movies or specials airing in December that you want to see most?