TV on Tap: A "Doctor Who" Shakeup, an Awful Year of Fox News and Could Netflix Revive "Firefly" Next?

TNT begins the weekend before Christmas with a return visit to Christmas in Washington.

News

There are some big changes coming to Doctor Who. For one thing (as fans have speculated for awhile) Amy and Rory will soon have their final journey with The Doctor, which makes me sad because I'll miss Rory. (Amy, on the other hand, took way too long to have a personality besides being a pretty woman who kissed strangers for her job.)

Also, don't expect to see any two-part episodes in the future. While it was believed that two-part episodes were cheaper (I'm guessing because of shared effects and sets) recent analysis shows that wasn't the case. Steven Moffat also says that viewers didn't like the two-parters, those stories got less media coverage and ratings usually dropped for the second part. So those stories were a lose-lose.

When the end of Joy Behar's HLN show was announced, it sounded like Behar decided to move on. However, now she's talking about how her show was canceled and that she hopes she can get another network to pick up it up. I liked Behar's show when she wasn't stuck discussing the nonsense HLN was already covering to death, so I'm hoping the right channel is out there for Behar.

Suburgatory has a Clueless reunion coming up. The comedy has grabbed Alicia Silverstone for a multi-episode arc as a love interest for Jeremy Sisto's George.

Does Netflix's revival of Arrested Development open the door to the possibiliy of new episodes of Firefly? I'd say it depends on how Arrested Development does for Netflix (and on the stars schedules) but I'm digging up my old Wonderfalls petitions just in case.

CBS is reviving the classic interview series Person to Person with Charlie Rose and Lara Logan stepping into Edward R. Murrow's shoes. I have to admit my interest is piqued, especially if they decide to smoke on set.

USA is developing its first period drama (at least if my memory serves correctly) with a drama about Kate Warne, the U.S.A.'s first female detective and a Union spy (often posing as a southern belle) during the civil war. The pilot will deal with how Warne helped uncover a plot to assassinate President-Elect Lincoln. If the series can be half as interesting as that sounds, I cannot wait to see this show.

The people at Animal Planet wasn't happy to hear that Steven Colbert took his Seriously, Classy Debate to Nat Geo Wild, so they're now offering to rename the network to Colbert Planet once the debate airs.

In case you needed a reminder of why Fox News was a neverending source of awfulness this year.

FX has hired Russell Brand to host a late-night show, though the specifics of the format — aside from Brand performing in front of an audience — haven't been settled.

Friday's Listings

The Nate Berkus Show (syndicated) Check local listings
Nate is joined by Elmo who shows Nate how to cook his favorite meal. Meanwhile, Lilliana Vazquez has advice on the perfect holiday outfit and Nate unveils his holiday gift guide.

Christmas in Washington (TNT) 8:00 PM ET
TNT returns for its annual visit to celebrate Christmas in the Nation's capitol. This year, the ceremony will include performances from Jennifer Hudson, Cee Lo Green, Justin Bieber, Victoria Justice and The Band Perry.

Chuck (NBC) 8:00 PM ET
Chuck and Sarah face a ruthless spy (Rebecca Romijn) as they try to stop a computer virus.

Grimm (NBC) 9:00 PM ET
When a body is discovered in the woods, a cold missing persons case becomes a homicide... one Nick thinks might call for Monroe's help. Then again, doesn't everything call for Silas' help with Nick? Not that I mind, since Monroe is a reliable scene-stealer.

Bad Sex (Logo) 9:00 PM ET
This week, Chris focuses on a sexually-inexperienced animal lover who has an anxiety disorder that gets in the way of his interactions with women.

Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (Sundance) 9:00 PM ET
After their big fight, Jared and Tenisha debate repairing their relationship while Olivia debates if she should stand by Brent after his arrest.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (IFC) 10:00 PM ET
With the second season of the David Cross/Will Arnett comedy getting ready to debut, IFC is revisiting the first season this weekend, starting with the first two episodes.

Sanctuary (Syfy) 10:00 PM ET
Will and Magnus get trapped in a cave-in while trying to capture a legendary Abnormal, leading to the "trapped and forced to get to know each other better" episode!

X-Men (G4) 11:00 PM ET
The X-Men deal with some surprising revelations after Yui's experimental drug fails to work.