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TV This Week

Best tube bets this holiday weekend

The top draws on broadcast and cable and in sports

By Toni Fitzgerald

November 21, 2012

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WEDNESDAY

Best bet on broadcast: ABC, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," 8 p.m. The holidays just never turn out like Charlie hopes, do they?

Best bet on cable: FX, "American Horror Story: Asylum," 10 p.m. There’s plenty of explaining to do after last week’s big twist.

Top sporting event: ESPN, "Men’s College Basketball," 7:30 p.m. Tiny Chaminade hopes for another big upset in the Maui Invitational, this time over North Carolina.

THURSDAY

Best bet on broadcast: NBC, "Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade," 9 a.m. The parade celebrates its 80th anniversary as Meredith Vieira hosts with Matt Lauer.

Best bet on cable: NFL Network, "NFL Gameday Scoreboard," 6 p.m. Catch up on the day’s games and get a preview of tonight’s New York Jets-New England Patriots matchup.

Top sporting event: Fox, "NFL: Washington at Dallas," 4:15 p.m. The bitter NFC East rivals meet for a Thanksgiving Day game.

FRIDAY

Best bet on broadcast: CBS, "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!," 9:30 p.m. Let the Christmas specials begin. This is a new one featuring characters from the long-running Nickelodeon cartoon.

Best bet on cable: Nickelodeon, "iCarly," 8 p.m. Series finale. Carly hopes her dad will make it home to attend a dance, while Sam works on a motorcycle and Freddie gets a new phone.

Top sporting event: CBS, "College Football," 2:30 p.m. No. 7 LSU tries to end its regular season on a winning note at conference rival Arkansas.

SATURDAY

Best bet on broadcast: ABC, "College Football," 8 p.m. Can No. 1 Notre Dame finish the job and get into the BCS title game with a win at USC? This may be the highest-rated college football game of the year.

Best bet on cable: OWN, "Iyanla, Fix My Life," 10 p.m. In the first-season finale Iyanla tries to help a blended family with relationship issues.

Top sporting event: Fox, "College Football," 6:30 p.m. Another good season-ending matchup, this between Pac-12 foes No. 8 Stanford and No. 17 UCLA.

SUNDAY

Best bet on broadcast: Fox, "The Cleveland Show," 9:30 p.m. A few days late, but a Thanksgiving-themed episode airing in a special timeslot.

Best bet on cable: Lifetime, "Liz & Dick," 9 p.m. Lindsay Lohan plays Elizabeth Taylor in a movie about the actress's relationship with Richard Burton.

Top sporting event: NBC, "Sunday Night Football," 8:20 p.m. Interesting NFC game between the last two Super Bowl winners, the Giants and the Packers.

A look at this week's top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC	"Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (A)	Annual special includes a special cartoon that takes place on the Mayflower in 1620.
8 p.m.	Fox	"The X Factor" (R)	The top finalists deliver another round of performances.
9 p.m.	Food Network	"Restaurant: Impossible" (R)	Season premiere. Helping a struggling Latin restaurant in Kansas City.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel	"Moonshiners" (R)	Mark and Jeff build a new copper still, while Josh and Bill make progress with their underground still.
10 p.m.	Showtime	"Jim Rome on Showtime" (T)	Series premiere. The TV and radio sports personality launches a new cable program.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22
Time	Network	Program	Description
12:30 p.m.	CBS	"NFL Football" (S)	The Lions host the Texans in the first of three Thanksgiving Day games.
3:30 p.m.	AXS	"College Basketball" (S)	Minnesota takes on Duke in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
4:30 p.m.	Fox	"NFL Football" (S)	RGIII and the Redskins take on the Cowboys in Dallas.
7:30 p.m.	ESPN	"College Football" (S)	Not into the pros? Good college game between TCU and Texas.
8:30 p.m.	NBC	"NFL Football" (S)	Another solid matchup, this between the Patriots and Jets.
9:30 p.m.	ABC	"Bad25" (N)	Spike Lee documentary celebrating the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's "Bad" album.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23
Time	Network	Program	Description
12 p.m.	ABC	"College Football" (S)	Big Ten clash between Nebraska and Iowa.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Frosty the Snowman" (K)	The classic holiday special narrated by Jimmy Durante.
8 p.m.	Nickelodeon	"iCarly" (C)	Series finale. Spencer goes to a dance with Carly, whose dad can't make it.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel	"Gold Rush" (R)	Episode titled "The Ultimatum" will no doubt result in some drama.
9:30 p.m.	CBS	"It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" (K)	New holiday special based on the long-running Nickelodeon cartoon.
11 p.m.	CMT	"CMT Crossroads" (A)	A mash-up between the Avett Brothers and Randy Travis.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24
Time	Network	Program	Description
3:30 p.m.	ESPN	"College Football" (S)	Rivalry game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Made in Jersey" (D)	The network starts burning off episodes of the canceled drama.
8 p.m.	ABC	"College Football" (S)	If Notre Dame wins at USC they will likely earn a spot in the BCS national championship game.
8 p.m.	Hallmark Channel	"Naughty or Nice" (M)	A woman comes across Santa's "Naughty or Nice" book.
10 p.m.	CBS	"48 Hours" (N)	Looking back at a 1984 murder in South Pasadena.
10 p.m.	MSNBC	"Lockup: Louisville – Extended Stay" (N)	Following inmates at a prison in Louisville.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25
Time	Network	Program	Description
4:30 p.m.	Speed	"Formula One Racing" (S)	The season-ending Grand Prix of Brazil, with the championship still up for grabs.
8 p.m.	ABC	"Once Upon a Time" (D)	Cora tries to get the compass from Emma and Mary Margaret.
8:20 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	Game between the past two Super Bowl champs as the Packers face the Giants.
9 p.m.	AMC	"The Walking Dead" (D)	Rick has to make a decision about somebody who shows up at the prison.
10 p.m.	Travel Channel	"Instant Christmas" (N)	Dollywood in Tennessee makes the list of holiday vacation ideas.
10 p.m.	TLC	"Extreme Cougar Wives" (N)	Looking at a handful of strange relationships, including one between a 76-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.