Keira Knightley in ‘Black Doves,’ ‘Matlock’s First Pharma Case, Christmas on Cherry Lane and Christmas Lights Galore

Black Doves

“I have no idea who I am,” laments Helen Webb (a spirited Keira Knightley), the duplicitous heroine of a rollicking espionage romp, set incongruously during the Christmas season. She works for the shadowy organization Black Doves, which steals government secrets to sell to the highest bidder. For the last decade, Helen has been gathering intel as the outwardly adoring supermom wife of the U.K.’s defense minister (Broadchurch’s Andrew Buchan). But when her passionate secret affair with a civil servant shockingly ends with his execution, part of a wave of murders connected to the mysterious death of the Chinese ambassador, Helen goes rogue to get to the truth. She drags along her best friend, Sam (the soulful Ben Whishaw), a forlorn triggerman who’s spent the last seven years in exile and just wants to reconnect with the boyfriend he left behind. Sarah’s deceptively matronly handler (Happy Valley’s Sarah Lancashire) observes all of the mayhem with chagrin, losing trust in her most valuable asset. The eight episodes fly by quickly, and the good news is that the series has been renewed for a second season. (See the full review.)

Matlock

There’s an office holiday party to attend, but Matty (the great Kathy Bates) is almost too busy to notice. She’s finally impressed the bosses enough to put her on a Big Pharma case alongside Julian (Jason Ritter), part of her incognito scheme to take down those responsible for her daughter’s death. But the case, involving a young plaintiff who developed a chronic condition after participating in their client’s clinical trial, triggers her moral conscience as the sharks in her midst play dirty and she may hold the key to success. At what cost?

Season’s Greetings From Cherry Lane

The address stays the same, but over a 70-year span, many different families experience the joys and challenges of the Christmas season in a trilogy of films inspired by last year’s Christmas on Cherry Lane, each installment featuring cast members from the original. In the opener, Season’s Greetings from Cherry Lane, Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III return as a couple in 2024 who find it hard to keep their Christmas surprises a secret. In a 1951 storyline, a doctor (Corey Cott) hopes to make Christmas Eve special for his wife (Annabelle Bourke) before he ships off to Korea, but the best-laid plans go awry when she fractures her arm. In 2003, newlyweds (Sarah Dugdale and Shannon Kook) host their in-laws for an eventful Christmas Eve.

The Great Christmas Light Fight

You might want to put blinders on when the 12th season of the seasonal bright-lights celebration gets underway. In two back-to-back episodes, Carter Oosterhouse judges houses and lawns whose families have decked more than the halls with extreme light displays. In each episode, four families proudly reveal their exhibits that would put Rudolph’s red nose to shame, with one winning a $50,000 grand prize (helps pay the electric bills) and the Light Fight trophy.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The first, and forever the best, adaptation of the Dr. Seuss fable is Chuck Jones’ 1966 animated classic, with Boris Karloff providing narration and the gravelly voice of the green Grinch who looks down upon Whoville with contempt as they prepare for Christmas. His elaborate breaking-and-entering caper, accompanied by faithful dog Max and momentarily interrupted by little Cindy Lou Who, results in a heart-swelling climax. You’re a swell one, Mr. Grinch. It starts at 8/7c, followed by Frosty the Snowman (8:30/7:30c), which moves to NBC for the first time after airing annually on CBS since its 1969 premiere.

INSIDE THURSDAY TV:

• Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (8/7c, CBS): When Georgie (Montana Jordan) joins a church with the ulterior motive of selling tires to the congregation, Mandy (Emily Osment) wonders if there’s more to the conversion. Followed by Ghosts (8:30/7:30c), where Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) go digging for Isaac’s (Brandon Scott Jones) long-hidden diary.
• A Dance in the Snow (8/7, Hallmark Channel): Erica Cerra stars as Melanie, whose autistic daughter Jenny (Vanessa Burghardt) wants to sit out her senior-year high school Christmas dance. While mom secretly plots to make the dance more welcoming, Jenny and her friends plan a party on the same night to honor Melanie.
• Southern Charm (9/8c, Bravo): The Charleston socialites return for a gossipy 10th season.
• Crime Scene Kitchen (9/8c, Fox): The final three teams compete in a two-bake challenge in the season finale, with a $100,000 grand prize on the line.
• Snoop’s Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne’s Story (10/9c, E!): The ubiquitous Snoop Dogg is executive producer of a three-part reality docuseries about the chaotic wedding planning of his daughter Cori Broadus and her fiancé Wayne Duece.
• Elsbeth (10/9c, CBS): Dirk and DeeDee Dashers (Broadway veteran Christopher Fitzgerald and Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer) are celebrity Christmas curators heading toward divorce. When he dies during a freak decorating accident (at an event where he was plotting her murder), suspicion falls on DeeDee. But Elsbeth’s (Carrie Preston) police sidekick Kaya (Carra Patterson) is more concerned that her friend is going to spend this holiday alone in New York City.

ON THE STREAM:

• Brewster’s Millions: Christmas (streaming on BET+): Richard Pryor’s children (Richard Pryor Jr. and Rain Pryor) appear in a reimagining of Pryor’s 1985 comedy, starring China Anne McClain as heiress Monica Brewster.
• Creature Commandos (streaming on Max): Guardian of the Galaxy’s James Gunn delivers a warped adult-animation series (launching with two episodes) from the DC Universe about a ragtag team of incarcerated military-bred monsters who are enlisted for top-secret missions deemed too harrowing for humans.
• Ace of Base: All That She Wants (streaming on Viaplay): A three-part docuseries profiles the Swedish pop band that topped the charts in the 1990s.
• Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story (streaming on Prime Video): A four-part docuseries explores the rise and fall of the children’s accessories brand.
• Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls (streaming on Hulu): The fourth season of the true-crime docuseries follows the investigation into the 2012 disappearance of 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, which leads to the discovery of a series of murders by serial killer Israel Keyes.
• White Lies (streaming on Sundance Now): Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer stars as an investigative reporter in Cape Town, South Africa, who discovers dark secrets within a posh neighborhood when her wealthy estranged brother is murdered in his luxury digs, with his teenage children the prime suspects.
• Jentry Chau vs the Underworld (streaming on Netflix): Beef’s Ali Wong provides the voice of Chinese American teen Jentry in an animated adventure about a Texas high-schooler with secret supernatural powers who learns a demon king with an underground army of monsters is hunting her.
• Patriot Awards (streaming on Fox Nation): Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity hosts the sixth annual ceremony honoring military veterans, first responders and community heroes at Long Island’s Tilles Center for Performing Arts.