CMA Awards, Get Real With Nature (Sir David Attenborough Profile, Netflix’s ‘Our Oceans’), Get Down With ‘Merry Gentlemen,’ No ‘Shrinking’ From the Truth

CMA Awards

Country music celebrates its own in a ceremony airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, with four-time host Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning (who doesn’t sing) joined by 2023’s Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson, a first-time host. Bryan and Wilson are among the many performers, a roster that includes a collaboration of Post Malone and Chris Stapleton, plus Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims in a mashup of their hits. Dierks Bentley leads a bluegrass-style tribute to Tom Petty, with George Strait receiving the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nature

The voice and presence that launched a seemingly countless number of timeless nature documentaries earns a Nature biographical portrait in Sir David Attenborough’s 98th year. The tireless conservationist, biologist, and filmmaker reflects on his career and travels with footage from his many productions while the special (titled Attenborough’s Life Journey) traces his beginnings as a boy obsessed with fossils to become the BBC presenter who opened the natural world to an avid TV audience.

Our Oceans

And here’s a project Attenborough would most certainly appreciate. From makers of series including Our Planet and Blue Planet II comes a literally immersive five-part docuseries, narrated by Barack Obama, that plunges viewers into the teeming and interconnected world beneath the surface of Earth’s five oceans. Following the great global current around the world, Our Oceans spans from the Pacific to the Arctic, capturing dazzling and intimate behaviors including a family of sperm whales playing with a calf to comfort him while his mom hunts. With penguins, bottlenose dolphins, blue whales, polar bears and seals among the cast of characters, this deep dive is well worth taking.

The Merry Gentlemen

A week ago, we were introduced to Hot Frosty, the fable of a hunky snowman brought to life. This week, the streamer brings more whimsical heat to the holiday movie season with the abs-solutely saucy story of a former dancer (Britt Robertson) who enlists a bighearted pal (One Tree Hill alum Chad Michael Murray) to help create an all-male dance revue to save her parents’ small-town watering hole. They might not go “the full Monty,” but the eggnog might reach the boiling point before the final number.

Shrinking

There’s no shrinking from hard truths in this endearing comedy about therapists who could often use some counseling themselves. While Jimmy (Jason Segal) engages in “exposure therapy” with one of his more challenging clients, his daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell), tries to make amends with the best friend she betrayed, BFF Brian (Michael Urie) takes a sudden leap toward adoptive parenthood, and neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) risks upsetting her husband Derek (the great Ted McGinley) by hanging out in secret with her old friend Mac (Josh Hopkins). On the lighter side, Derek’s pal Derrick (Damon Wayans Jr.) — or “Derrick 2,” as the friend group dubs him — gets much closer to Gaby (Jessica Williams), and we wholeheartedly approve.

INSIDE WEDNESDAY TV:

• Chicago Med (8/7c, NBC): Charles (Oliver Platt) reunites with former psych resident Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo), but they clash over the treatment of a depressed patient. Followed by Chicago Fire (9/8c), with Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Mouch (Christian Stolte) preparing for their officer exams, and Chicago P.D. (10/9c), where the Intelligence Unit learns Torres’ (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) big secret.
• Survivor (8/7c, CBS): In what’s described as a first for the long-running reality contest, the castaways engage in a desperate negotiation for rice. Followed by The Summit (9:30/8:30c), where the climbers traverse an icy glacier, but there’s only enough gear for six of the seven remaining players.
• The Masked Singer (8/7c, Fox): Group C singers perform Miley Cyrus hits while waiting to learn who gets unmasked and who moves on to the group finals.
• Surveilled (9/8c, HBO): Journalist Ronan Farrow (Catch and Kill) investigates the rise and dangers of commercial spyware in an alarming documentary that may make you guard your vulnerable cell phone more carefully.
• Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch (10/9c, Discovery): Father-son excavators Duane and Chad Ollinger continue their search for potential Aztec treasures beneath their 160-acre Utah property in Season 4.
• Wild West Chronicles (10/9c, INSP): In the Season 4 finale, Bat Masterson (Jack Elliott) recounts a notorious train robbery that led to one of California’s most massive manhunts, culminating in a shootout with bandits at Stone Corral.

ON THE STREAM:

• Wish List Games (streaming on Prime Video): Nick Cannon and Lele Pons host a game show (five episodes available for a binge) in which audience members play games with a chance to win prizes from their Amazon Wish Lists, up to $25,000.
• Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy (streaming on Netflix): A cautionary documentary, timed a week before Black Friday, warns of the manipulative practices used to keep consumers consuming, with perilous consequences for the environment.
• Rhythm & Flow (streaming on Netflix): Ludacris, DJ Khaled and Latto audition new talent in search of the next hip-hop star in the second season of the reality-competition series. Guest judges include Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Big Sean and Glorilla. The game plays out over 10 episodes, with the final three airing Dec. 4.
• The Complete and Utter History of Britain (streaming on BritBox): Monty Python alums Terry Jones and Michael Palin take a twisted comic tour through ancient British history.