A list of Thanksgiving week specials and movies

Turkey’s away! Once again, WKRP bombs the Pinedale Shopping Mall with live turkeys dropped from a helicopter as MeTV repeats the classic 1978 WKRP in Cincinnati episode the Sunday of Thanksgiving week.

That’s a great way to start Thanksgiving week on television, which is always packed with old holiday favorites.

Again here comes Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Story of Santa Clause, Elf, Four Christmases, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and The Polar Express.

MeTV, the nostalgic network for Baby Boomers, also will air holiday episodes from M*A*S*H, Cheers, Happy Days, Full House, The Love Boat, The Brady Bunch, Bugs Bunny and Beverly Hillbillies Sundays until Christmas.

But it’s not all warmed-over reruns.

A Walton’s Thanksgiving, a new film narrated by original star Richard Thomas, features Logan Shroyer as the new John Boy for the second time in two years in a CW revival of the drama about a mountain family during the 1930s Great Depression. It premieres 8 p.m. Sunday and repeats 8 p.m. Thanksgiving.

While Apple TV+ has exclusive rights to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving this year, Peanuts fans can get their fix with MeTV’s Boy Named Charlie Brown (8 p.m. Sunday). It was the first Charlie Brown animated feature film in 1969.

The handful of new specials this week include NBC’s behind-the-scenes look at the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade (8 p.m. Wednesday), and NBC’s Trolls Holiday In Harmony animated special (8:30 p.m. Friday).

Cincinnati Public Radio helps you celebrate this week with Every Good Thing (8 p.m. Wednesday on WGUC-FM 90.9); the annual Turkey Confidential turkey triage special from the Splendid Table host Francis Lam (noon-2 p.m. Thursday on WVXU-FM 91.7); and John Birge’s annual Giving Thanks mix of classical music and stories of gratitude (5 p.m. Thursday on WGUC-FM; 8 p.m. Friday on WVXU-FM).

Viewers also will see some specials that have nothing to do with the holidays, except that we have time to watch them or enjoy watching with family and friends, such as The Wizard of Oz (6 p.m. Thursday and 5:07 p.m. Friday on TBS), and Frank Ferrante’s Groucho (five times on CET Arts Channel 48.3 Thursday-Saturday).

Here are the Thanksgiving week holiday highlights:

SUNDAY, NOV. 20

Beverly Hillbillies (noon, MeTV): Elly won’t let the family kill the Thanksgiving turkey.

Beverly Hillbillies (12:30 p.m., MeTV): The Clampets spend Thanksgiving in Hooterville.

The Brady Bunch (1:30 p.m., MeTV): The family argues over Greg’s Thanksgiving movie script.

Four Christmases (2 p.m., TBS): A couple (Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn) spends Christmas with each of their four divorced parents.

Happy Days (2:30 p.m., MeTV): Mrs. Cunningham tells the story of the first Thanksgiving.

Cheers (3 p.m., MeTV): Diane suggests the gang spend Thanksgiving together at Carla’s new home.

WKRP In Cincinnati (3:30 p.m., MeTV): The Big Guy’s (Gordon Jump) ill-conceived Thanksgiving promotion —- dropping turkeys over a shopping mall parking lot. As God is my witness, it’s still one of the funniest TV shows ever.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (4 p.m., TBS): A Griswold family Christmas in 1989 with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo.

The Love Boat (4 p.m., MeTV): A Thanksgiving cruise with Lorne Greene and Dorothy McGuire.

Full House (5 p.m., MeTV): A Tanner family Thanksgiving.

Four Christmases (6 p.m., TBS): A couple (Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn) spends Christmas with each of their four divorced parents.

M*A*S*H (7:30 p.m., MeTV): Most of the 4077 camp gets sick after eating Klinger’s Thanksgiving turkey.

A Walton’s Thanksgiving (8 p.m., CW Ch 12.2): NEW. Richard Thomas narrates this film about a young boy arriving on Walton Mountain before Thanksgiving in 1934. Starring Logan Shroyer as John Boy Walton.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (8 p.m., MeTV): Charlie Brown wins the school spelling bee and a trip to New York in this first feature length “Peanuts” movie in 1969.

2022 American Music Awards (8 p.m., ABC): Live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (8 p.m., TBS): A Griswold family Christmas in 1989 with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo.

SongSearcher: The Times and Toils of Moyshe Beregovsky (12:35 a.m., ABC)

The efforts of music scholar Moyshe Beregovsky to record and preserve the musical heritage of Ukraine’s centuries-old Yiddish civilization.

MONDAY, NOV. 21

Arthur Thanksgiving (5 p.m., Ch 48, 16): Arthur and friends prepare for the Thanksgiving parade.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (7:30 p.m., Freeform): The Pumpkin King (Danny Elfman) doesn’t understand Christmas.

TUESDAY, NOV. 22

[No holiday specials]

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Free on Apple TV+ through Nov. 27): Charlie Brown’s 1973 toast and popcorn dinner for the Peanuts gang. Animated.

The Waltons (noon, MeTV): The Thanksgiving Story, Part 1: A turkey shoot, a school play about the Pilgrims and the big dinner.

Arthur Thanksgiving (3 p.m., Ch 48, 16): Arthur and friends prepare for the Thanksgiving parade.

Every Good Thing (8 p.m., WGUC-FM 90.9): Host Andrea Blain and classical music fans give thanks and celebrate the gift of music.

Countdown to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (8 p.m., NBC): A behind the scenes look at the parade.

Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving Special (9 p.m., NBC): SNL holiday sketches.

THANKSGIVING

Arthur Thanksgiving (8 a.m., Ch 48, 16): Arthur and friends prepare for the Thanksgiving parade.

Thanksgiving Day Parade (9 a.m.-noon, NBC, CBS): Participants in the 96^th edition of the Macy’s parade include cast members from Broadway’s Funny Girl, A Beautiful Noise, Some Like It Hot and The Lion King; plus Paula Abdul; Big Time Rush; Gloria, Sasha and Emily Estefan; Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Kirk Franklin; Mario Lopez and family; Ziggy Marley; the Muppets; Trombone Shorty; Jordin Sparks; and Dionne Warwick.

National Dog Show Presented By Purina (noon, NBC): With commentary by John O’Hurley and David Frei.

The Waltons (noon, MeTV): The Thanksgiving Story, Part 2: Conclusion of Wednesday’s episode.

Arthur Thanksgiving (2:30 p.m., Ch 48, 16): Arthur and friends prepare for the Thanksgiving parade.

Turkey Confidential, (noon-2 p.m., WVXU-FM 91.7): Annual turkey triage special from the Splendid Table host Francis Lam and friends such as authors Claire Saffitz and Rick Martinez, Chopped judge Maneet Chauhan; and Jesse Sparks from The One Recipe podcast.

Elf (4 p.m., TNT): An elf (Will Ferrell) searches for his family.

Giving Thanks (5 p.m., WGUC-FM 90.9): John Birge presents classical music, stories of gratitude with U.S. poet laureate Ada Limon.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (6 p.m., TNT): A Griswold family Christmas in 1989 with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo.

The Wizard of Oz (6 p.m., TBS): Dorothy (Judy Garland) and dog Toto discover they’re not in 1939 Kansas anymore.

Every Good Thing (8 p.m., WVXU-FM 91.7): Host Andrea Blain and classical music fans give thanks and celebrate the gift of music.

A Walton’s Thanksgiving (8 p.m., CW Ch 12.2): NEW. Richard Thomas narrates this film about a young boy arriving on Walton Mountain before Thanksgiving in 1934. Starring Logan Shroyer as John Boy Walton.

The Polar Express (8:15 p.m., TBS): A train conductor takes a boy to the North Pole in 2004.

Frank Ferrante’s Groucho (8:30 p.m., WCET Arts Ch 48.3): Frank Ferrante’s one-man tribute to Groucho Marx filmed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 2017.

FRIDAY, NOV. 25

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (noon, TNT): A Griswold family Christmas in 1989 with Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo.

Frank Ferrante’s Groucho (1:10 p.m., WCET Arts Ch 48.3): Frank Ferrante’s one-man tribute to Groucho Marx filmed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 2017.

Elf (2 p.m., TNT): An elf (Will Ferrell) searches for his family.

Fred Claus (2:41 p.m., TBS): Santa (Paul Giamatti) bails out his brother (Vince Vaughn) in 2007.

The Wizard of Oz (5:07 p.m., TBS): Dorothy (Judy Garland) and dog Toto discover they’re not in 1939 Kansas anymore.

Frank Ferrante’s Groucho (5:30 p.m., WCET Arts Ch 48.3): Frank Ferrante’s one-man tribute to Groucho Marx filmed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 2017.

Macy’s Light Up The Square (7 p.m., Ch 5): Live broadcast of Fountain Square tree lighting with news anchors Sheree Paolello and Mike Dardis.

The Polar Express (7:13 p.m., TBS): A train conductor takes a boy to the North Pole in 2004.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (8 p.m., Ch 5 NBC): Boris Karloff narrates the 1966 classic cartoon.

Giving Thanks (8 p.m., WVXU-FM 91.7): John Birge presents classical music and stories of gratitude.

Frosty the Snowman (8 p.m., CBS): Jimmy Durante narrates the 1969 musical cartoon.

Frosty Returns (8:30 p.m., CBS): Jonathan Winters narrates the 1992 story of Frosty endangered by a snow melting aerosol spray.

Trolls Holiday In Harmony (8:30 p.m., Ch 5, NBC): NEW. Queen Poppy plans a Trolls Kingdom Holiday Gift Swap. With voices by Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake and Kenan Thompson.

A Christmas Proposal (9 p.m., CBS): A chef (Jessica Camacho) poses as the girlfriend of a hotshot Seattle attorney (Adam Rodriguez) visiting his family for Christmas.

Fred Claus (9 p.m., TBS): Santa (Paul Giamatti) bails out his brother (Vince Vaughn) in 2007.

SATURDAY, NOV. 26

A Very Merry Bugs Bunny Christmas (9 a.m., MeTV): The 1979 Bugs Bunny’s Looney Tunes Christmas Tales special.

Frank Ferrante’s Groucho (3:30 p.m., WCET Arts Ch 48.3): Frank Ferrante’s one-man tribute to Groucho Marx filmed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 2017.

Robbie The Reindeer (8 p.m., CBS): Reindeer compete for jobs pulling Santa’s sleigh.

The Story of Santa Claus (9 p.m., CBS): A jolly old couple (voices of Ed Asner, Betty White) start the toy-giving tradition in this 1996 cartoon..

Frank Ferrante’s Groucho (10:30 p.m., WCET Arts Ch 48.3): Frank Ferrante’s one-man tribute to Groucho Marx filmed at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park in 2017.