After weeks of premieres and so many new shows and exciting TV events things are starting to wind down for the holiday break.  The good news is (well for me) in the coming couple of weeks I will get to write about some of my favorite Christmas specials and episodes.  Here are my pics for this week:

Christmas in Rockefeller Center (8:00 PM Wednesday NBC) NBC calls this the official kick-off to the Christmas season, someone should have told the tree vendors and the mall Santas that I’ve been seeing everywhere; whether they have that part right or not, it’s always fun to see the world’s most famous Christmas tree light up.  The special will be hosted by Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie; among the many musical guests will be Mariah Carey, Babyface and Kelly Clarkson.

SNL Christmas (9:00 PM Wednesday NBC) I love this yearly tradition, I hope they show the alternate ending to It’s a Wonderful Life, truly one of the most hilarious skits in the show’s history!  At any rate, few TV programs can deliver guaranteed laughs, this one does.

Mob City (9:00 PM Wednesday TNT) This three week TV event tells the stories of real cops and real mobsters in 1940’s Los Angeles.  They had me with that alone, but the fact that the series was created by Frank Darabont of Walking Dead and Shawshank Redemption fame means this little series has the potential to be epic!

http://youtu.be/6Ut04TPYnZE

NFL Football “Seahawks at 49rs” (1:25 PM Sunday FOX) This is a big game for both teams; Seattle looks like an unstoppable force, they currently have the best record in the NFL and they have made some very good teams look very bad.  The 49rs have struggled a bit, and some doubters have said this just isn’t their season; they are a team with something to prove and I have no doubt they will play like it this Sunday.  Tune in for what should be one heck of a good game!

– John Morton