‘Katrina Weddings’ offers fresh starts
With “Three Wishes” bumped to make room for a two-hour “Dateline,” viewers in search of their three-hanky feel-good fix will have to settle for something called “Katrina Weddings: A Second Chance” (7 p.m., WE).
Lost in the physical devastation, economic ruin, political meltdowns and tragic loss of more than a thousand lives that resulted from the late-summer hurricane were an unknown number of personal heartaches, including the postponements of long-planned wedding days.
Host, wedding planner and “The Apprentice 2” finalist Sandy Ferreira will help two lucky couples have the nuptial celebration of their dreams.
It should be noted that both couples lost more than catered affairs in the Katrina devastation. They also lost their homes and their incomes and barely escaped with their lives.
With the return of “American Idol” scant weeks away, last year’s champion stars on “In the Moment: Carrie Underwood” (10 p.m., CMT), a one-hour special about Underwood’s attempts to make it in the world of country music.
Holiday highlights
A rookie food critic (Carly Pope) comes to the aid of a struggling chef (Bobby Cannavale) despite static from her annoying mother (Christine Baranski) in the 2005 bauble “Recipe for a Perfect Christmas” (7 p.m., Lifetime).
Linus cuts through the commercial clutter to offer the 411 on the big day on a repeat offering of the 1965 special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (8 p.m., ABC).
Boris Karloff narrates the 1966 holiday favorite “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (8 p.m., Cartoon Network).
An ominous snowman threatens to wreck the yuletide on “A Scooby-Doo Christmas” (8:30 p.m., WB).
The hourlong animated special “Billy & Mandy Save Christmas” (8:30 p.m., Cartoon Network) proves that even a show starring the Grim Reaper can celebrate Christmas.
A security guard (Mark Ruffalo) and two shoplifters (Mary Stuart Masterson and Lauren Suzanne Prat) find their lives transformed in the 1997 romance “On the 2nd Day of Christmas” (9 p.m., Lifetime).
Eddy covets his neighbor’s gifts on “Ed, Edd & Eddy’s Jingle Jingle Jangle” (9:30 p.m., Cartoon Network).
Other highlights
An unhappy comic specter haunts his old club on “Ghost Whisperer”(8 p.m., CBS).
Scheduled on a two-hour “Dateline” (8 p.m., NBC): a small town suffers after an auto accident caused by a drunken driver; Internet predators caught on tape.
On back-to-back episodes of “Bernie Mac” (Fox), Wanda’s needs (8 p.m.) and Isaac Hayes (8:30 p.m.).
The year in review on “Biography of the Year 2005” (8 p.m., A&E).
Death on the Little League diamond on “Close to Home” (9 p.m., CBS).
“The Big, Bad and Best” (9 p.m., E) wraps up the year in pop culture, fads and entertainment.
A series of arsons may be linked to tree-hugging extremists on “Numb3rs” (10 p.m., CBS).
A homicide investigation casts a shadow over a celebrated cop on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (10 p.m., NBC).
Cult choice
Director Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders” (6:15 p.m., AMC) featured a cast of up-and-coming talent including Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise.
Series notes
Wrestling on “Friday Night SmackDown!” (10 p.m., UPN) … Income woes on “What I Like About You” (8 p.m., WB) … Pharmaceutical madness on “Family Guy” (9 p.m., Fox) … Richard Kind guest-stars on “Reba” (9 p.m., WB) … Hope wants to let Faith clean up her own mess on “Hope & Faith” (9 p.m., ABC) … Malcolm stands up for Reese on “Malcolm in the Middle” (9:30 p.m., Fox) … Lola’s pneumatic physique may be a health hazard on “Hot Properties” (9:30 p.m., ABC) … Back to school on “Twins” 9:30 p.m., WB).