Have you been watching the Terry Crews nightly Christmas specials on The CW? There's still time, there are three left.
Terry Crews Saves Christmas is a weeklong nightly, holiday-theme special that premiered Tuesday. Today's hourlong episode airs at 7 p.m. and Friday's two episodes also begin at 7.
In case you don't recognize the name, Crews plays the big, beefy, muscle-bound, high-strung Sgt. Terry Jeffords on the Fox sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He's the one who looks like a professional football player.
That's because he was. The 48-year-old Crews played defensive end and linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles from 1991 to 1997.
Once he hung up his helmet, the 6-foot-2, 245-pound Michigan native turned to his other passion -- acting. He got his start in 1999 playing the "warrior" T-Money in the gladiator-esqe competition series Battle Dome. After that, he found his comedic talent.
Crews has starred as the dad in the UPN/CW comedy Everybody Hates Chris and the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet? and as host of the syndicated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Crews is also a huge fan of the Christmas scene, probably because of his family full of four daughters.
In this week's multipart special, Crews "puts hopeless holiday enthusiasts through a hilarious crash-course in Yuletide celebration."
In each episode, Crews visits a befuddled seasonal celebrant and helps him sort it all out in order to do Christmas right.
Crews has help. After assessing the makings of a Christmas mess, Crews enlists an expert team of intrepid food, beverage and design experts who provide tips and tricks "to pull off a Christmas that friends and family will remember for years to come."
"Christmas is the best time of the year," Crews says in CW publicity, "and done right, the day is filled with love, joy, and warmth. But sometimes, the pressure of gathering loved ones and hosting an event can be a stress-filled recipe for disaster. And that's where I come in. I'm going to work my Christmas magic to help give these families the best holiday ever."
It's a lot of fun and full of handy tips that'll help you in these final days leading up to Christmas.
MORE HO HO HO
Christmas is Sunday and that leaves just three more days to soak up the holiday cheer. Here are a few more opportunities.
• Deck the Halls, 7 p.m. today on AMC. This 2006 family comedy stars Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis, and Kristin Chenoweth.
Broderick plays Steve Finch, the small town's "Christmas guy." DeVito plays car salesman Buddy Hall, who moves in across the street and whose home decorations soon challenge Finch for supremacy. A decorating war escalates with hilarious results.
• Holiday Affair, 7 p.m. today on TCM. Retro! The black-and-white 1949 film stars Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey in a love triangle that takes the entire film to sort out. The film poster's teaser line was, "It happens in December, but it's hotter than July!"
• Remember the Night, 8:45 p.m. today on TCM. More retro! This romantic comedy came out in 1940 and stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray long before they became TV staples on (respectively) The Big Valley and My Three Sons.
In the movie, Lee Leander (Stanwyck) is accused of stealing a bracelet from a jewelry store and John Sargent (MacMurray) is the assistant district attorney assigned to prosecute her.
There's a road trip, wacky stuff happens and things get convoluted.
• Jingle All the Way, 7:55 p.m. today, Freeform. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a dad battling another dad (Sinbad) on Christmas Eve to get an action figure for their respective sons.
• A Home for the Holidays, 7 p.m. Friday on CBS. Miranda Lambert heads the 18th annual special that celebrates families whose lives have been changed through adoption.
• Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, 7 p.m. Friday, NBC. Welcome to Whoville (or Who-ville as it's spelled in the cartoon). This is the half-hour 1966 animated special featuring the voice of Boris Karloff. It's not to be confused with the Ron Howard 2000 movie of the same name that starred Jim Carrey.
• The Santa Clause, 7:50 p.m. Friday, Freeform. This 1994 offering is the first (and by far the best) of the Tim Allen Santa Clause triology where he becomes the new Santa. Adopted Arkansan Judge Reinhold (who recently was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after a confrontation with security agents at Dallas Love Field) co-stars.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 12/22/2016