November 2016 TV premieres, movies, specials, more

The November 2016 TV premieres calendar has something for everyone, but viewers of a certain sex rabidly await the Gilmore Girls reunion episodes.

“Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” will debut Nov. 25 on Netflix, which currently is streaming all episodes of the 2000-07 series. Lorelei Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel) return, along with their friends and Rory’s past boyfriends. (Watch my chat with Milo Ventimiglia.)

Netflix has another big premiere this Friday. Anyone who visits my site regularly knows I’m a sucker for a good historical drama. “The Crown” certainly fits that bill. The new drama follows 10 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign beginning when she was 25.

If you’re not quite over Halloween, IFC’s horror comedy “Stan Against Evil” and Season 3 of WGN America’s with drama “Salem” debuts Nov. 2.

More new shows to watch: “Close to the Enemy” on Acorn TV; “Incorporated” on Syfy; “Good Behavior” on TNT; “Mars” on Nat Geo, and Ali Wentworth’s new comedy “Nightcap” on Pop. Other returning shows include Season 4B of “Vikings” on History and “Red Oaks” Season 2 on Amazon.

And don’t forget the onslaught of Christmas movies. I’ll continue adding to the November 2016 TV premieres calendar.

November 2016 TV premieres

Tuesday, Nov. 1

6 p.m.

• “Project Dad,” Discovery Life (series premiere; 3 celebrity dads play “mom” for 48 hours)

8 p.m.

• “The Battle of Chosin,” PBS (“American Experience” premiere; epic Korean War battle told through the heroic stories of the men who fought it)
• “Your Brain on Drugs,” Science (special; explores effects of video games on human psyche)
• “Rabia,” Azteca America (series premiere; rabies outbreak has government quarantining civilians who don’t like it)
• “Last Squad Standing,” Oxygen (series premiere; 3 groups of friends live together, compete and ultimately vote each other off show for $100,000 prize)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 2

Streaming

• “Thunderbirds Are Go,” Amazon (season 2)
• “The 5th Quarter,” go90 (mockumentary series premiere; greatest untold/untrue stories of sports)

7 p.m.

• “The Story of Cats,”  PBS (“Nature” premiere; a look at felines from their roots in ancient rainforests to today’s house cats; Part 2 airs Nov. 9)

8 p.m.

• “Salem,” WGN America (season 3)
• “Expedition Unknown,” Travel (season 3)

9 p.m.

• “Stan Against Evil,” IFC (comedy premiere, 2 episodes; disgruntled former sheriff and his replacement team to fight plague of unleashed demons in small New England town)
• “Years of Living Dangerously,” Nat Geo (time period S2 premiere; accounts of effects of climate change from across the planet)
• “Little Women: Dallas,” Lifetime (series premiere; two of the Atlanta gals move to Dallas)

9:30 p.m.

• “Rachel Dratch’s Late Night Snack,” truTV (midseason premiere)

 

Thursday, Nov. 3

7 p.m.

• “Impractical Jokers Live: Nitro Circus Spectacular,” truTV (season 5 finale; broadcast live from Prudential Center in Newark, NJ)

 

Friday, Nov. 4

Streaming

• “The Crown,” Netflix (series premiere; a look at Queen Elizabeth II’s reign from age 25 over 10 years)

8 p.m.

• “One and Done,” Showtime (doc; look at life of 2016 No. 1 NBA Draft pick Ben Simmons)

9 p.m.

• “Treasure Quest: Snake Island,” Discovery (season 2)

 

Saturday, Nov. 5

7 p.m.

• “Who Killed JonBenét?” Lifetime (movie; fictionlized version of the famous unsolved case)

8 p.m.

• “400 Days,” Syfy (movie; astronauts in a simulated mission to distant planet begin losing minds)
• “A Wish for Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; woman makes wish to Santa that she’ll finally have the courage to stand up for herself)
• “Karen Carpenter: Goodbye to Love,” Reelz (2-hour doc; look at 1970s star from The Carpenters who suffered from Anorexia Nervosa)
• “Killision Course,” Oxygen (series premiere; recreations of true murder stories connecting victim, accomplice, killer)

9 p.m.

• “JonBenét’s Mother: Victim or Killer?” Lifetime (special; a look at life of JonBenét Ramsey’s mother, Patsy)

 

Sunday, Nov. 6

7 a.m.

• “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” Disney, Disney Junior (series premiere; animated Mickey Mouse and friends)

7 p.m.

• “The Mistletoe Promise,” Hallmark (movie; two strangers who share a disdain for Christmas make pact to help them navigate their holiday complications)
• “Mighty Planes,” Smithsonian (season 3)
• “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Bravo (season 9)

8 p.m.

• “Love Always, Santa,” Hallmark M&M (movie; girl writes to Santa asking for one gift—her single mom to find love again)
• “Holiday Baking Championship,” Food (season premiere)
• “Married to Medicine,” Bravo (season 4)

9 p.m.

• “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” reunion, Bravo (2-part special; Part 2 airs 9 p.m. Nov. 13)

 

Monday, Nov. 7

Streaming

• “Deep Water,” Acorn TV (exclusive U.S. premiere; detectives investigate murder of a man in a beachfront apartment in Bondi, Australia; November at Acorn TV)
• “Doctor Romantic,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; South Korean medical drama about genius surgeon who teaches struggling doctors true significance of saving lives)

8 p.m.

• “USO—For the Troops,” PBS (doc; history and cultural resonance of the American military institution)
• “Vanderpump Rules,” Bravo (season 5)

9 p.m.

• “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party,” VH1 (series premiere; Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg and special guests talk, cook, ext, perform)

 

Tuesday, Nov. 8

7 p.m.

• Election coverage, ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox/PBS (special)

10 p.m.

• “Stephen Colbert’s Live Election Night Democracy’s Series Finale: Who’s Going To Clean Up This Shi*t?” Showtime (special; Stephen Colbert hosts)
• “The View Live Election Special,” Lifetime (special; election coverage)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 9

4 p.m.

• “Celebrity Adventure Club,” Travel (special; Eric Stonestreet is on a quest through Alaska, Hawaii and Washington to examine the American battlefronts of World War II)

9 p.m.

• “Jay Leno’s Garage,” CNBC (season 2)

 

Friday, Nov. 11

 

Streaming

• “Red Oaks,” Amazon (season 2)

7 p.m.

• “The Warfighters,” History (series premiere marathon of four episodes; chronicles recent U.S. Special Operations Forces missions in the global war on terror)

8 p.m.

• “Great Performances: Gypsy,” PBS (Fall Arts Festival premiere; Imelda Staunton, Lara Pulver and Peter Davison star)
• “Payday,” Viceland (series premiere; four 20-somethings over the course of a single pay-period to see how they spend, struggle and thrive)
• “Married to Medicine Houston,” Bravo (docuseries premiere; 5 women face high stakes in social circles and medical world)

9 p.m.

• “World’s Biggest Shipbuilders,” Science (series premiere; building giant tanker size of two football fields)

 

Saturday, Nov. 12

7 p.m.

• “Mech-X4,” Disney XD (series premiere, also on Disney; high school freshman is technopath who can control technology with his mind)
• “Every Christmas Has a Story,” Hallmark (movie; TV personality who hates Christmas is invited to Christmas-loving town)
• “Best-Selling Murder,” LMN (movie; author’s online crime story seems to be inspiring a copycat killer)

8 p.m.

• “The Killing Season,” A&E (docu-series premiere; documentarians investigate one of most bizarre unsolved serial killer cases of our time—10 dead sex workers discovered on Gilgo Beach, Long Island)
• “Reagan: From Movie Star to President,” Reelz (2-hour doc; former president’s love affair with Hollywood)

9 p.m.

• “All Def Comedy,” HBO (standup special; hosted by Tony Rock with DJ Drama)

 

Sunday, Nov. 13

7 p.m.

• “Christmas Cookies,” Hallmark (movie; woman who is supposed to shut down Aunt Sally’s Christmas Cookie Company is struck by the season)

8 p.m.

• “Finding Father Christmas,” Hallmark M&M (movie; woman meets family of father she never knew)

9 p.m.

• “The Traffikers,” Fusion (docuseries premiere; exploring fine line between legitimate market and black market)
• “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge,” CMT (season premiere)
• “Clash of the Grandmas,” Food (series premiere; real grannies compete)
• “Unique Sweets,” Cooking (season premiere)

 

Monday, Nov. 14

Streaming

• “Close to the Enemy,” Acorn TV (series premiere; Intelligence officer must convince German scientist to work for Britain in post-WW II London)
• “Raised by Wolves,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere of Series 2)
• “Suspects,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere of Series 5)
• “Princess Weiyoung,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; direct descendant of Northern Wei Dynasty plans to avenge death of her family, kingdom by dating heirs to enemy’s throne)

7 p.m.

• “Under Fire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro,” HBO (doc; life of WW II combat infantryman and photographer who took 8,000 photographs of the war)

8 p.m.

• “Mars,” Nat Geo (series premiere; the first manned mission to Mars in 2033)
• “Mars: The Secret Science,” Science (series premiere; meet scientists, entrepreneurs, and modern-day explorers determined to send humans to Mars)
• “Cake Wars: Christmas,” Food (season premiere)

9 p.m.

• “Explorer,” Nat Geo (series relaunch; Richard Bacon hosts return of cable TV’s longest-running doc series that mixes field pieces, roundtable discussions, in-depth interviews)

 

Tuesday, Nov. 15

8 p.m.

• “Window Warriors,” GSN (series premiere; 8 top visual merchandising window designers compete for $100,000)
• “Wrench Against the Machine,” Esquire (series premiere; motorcycle build competition)
• “Intervention In-Depth: Flakka,” A&E (special)
• “The Curse of Oak Island,” History (season 4)
• “Moonshiners,” Discovery (season premiere)
• “What on Earth?” Science (season premiere)

9 p.m.

• “Good Behavior,” TNT (drama premiere; con artist’s life is always one wrong turn or one bad decision from implosion)
• “Shooter,” USA (series premiere; former Marine sniper Bob Lee Swagger is set up as an assassin)
• “Teen Wolf,” MTV (6th and final season)
• “Joyride,” Esquire (series premiere; celebrity auto fanatics as they hit the road in some of the most incredible new and vintage cars)
• “Hunting Hitler,” History (season 2)

9:30 p.m.

• “Billy on the Street,” truTV (season 5)

10 p.m.

• “Sweet/Vicious,” MTV (series premiere; sorority sister deliver late-night justice on campus)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 16

Streaming

• “The Art of More,” Crackle (season 2)
• “Oh My Geum-Bi,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; single dad cares for ill 8-year-old)

7 p.m.

• “Nightcap,” Pop (comedy premiere; Ali Wentworth plays talent booker for late night talk show)
• “Ice,” Audience (series premiere; family of jewelers is plunged into underbelly of LA diamond trade)
• “Undercover,” BBC America (series premiere, part 1; woman who is about to become the highest-ranking public prosecutor in England learns her hubby of 20 years isn’t who she thought he was)
• “Polar Bear Time,” Smithsonian (docuseries premiere; annual migration of polar bears through Churchill, Manitoba in Canada)
• “Total Divas,” E! (season 6)

8 p.m.

• “Duck Dynasty,” A&E (season premiere)

8:30 p.m.

• “Going Si-ral,” A&E (series premiere; Uncle Si Robertson and Willie Robertson of “Duck Dynasty” explore the internet)

9 p.m.

• “Wahlburgers,” A&E (season premiere)

 

Thursday, Nov. 17

Streaming

• “Lovesick,” Netflix (season 2; formerly titled “Scrotal Recall”)
• “Dan Levy: Lion,” Seeso (stand-up special)

8 p.m.

• “Undercover,” BBC America (series premiere, part 2)

 

Friday, Nov. 18

Streaming

• “Beat Bugs,” Netflix (season 2)
• “The Grand Tour,” Amazon (series premiere; Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May launch their new motoring show)

5 p.m.

• “Gilmore Girls” marathon, UP (153 hours of series through 2 a.m. Nov. 25)

7 p.m.

• “Que Suenen Los Tambores,” HBO Latino (concert special; Víctor Manuelle performs)

 

Saturday, Nov. 19

11 a.m.

• “The Great British Baking Show: Masterclass,” PBS (marathon through 6 p.m.)

7 p.m.

• “My Christmas Dream,” Hallmark (movie; work relationship becomes personal for woman trying to get a promotion)

8 p.m.

• “Zero Days,” Showtime (doc; cyber warfare and its global implications)
• “Autopsy: The Last Hours of …,” Reelz (season premiere; Chris Farley)

9 p.m.

• “Scandal Made Me Famous,” Reelz (season premiere; Amy Fisher)

 

Sunday, Nov. 20

6 p.m.

• “Elena and the Secret of Avalor,” Disney & Disney Junior (movie; backstory of how Elena was imprisoned in her magical amulet by evil sorceress Shuriki)

7 p.m.

• “The Librarians,” TNT (season 3)
• “2016 American Music Awards,” ABC (special)
• “A December Bride,” Hallmark (movie; wedding guests faking engagement fall for each other)

8 p.m.

• “Operation Christmas,” Hallmark M&M (movie; woman separated from soldier hubby finds way to make holidays great for others)

9 p.m.

• “The Affair,” Showtime (season 3)

 

Monday, Nov. 21

7 p.m.

• “Fashion Police: American Music Awards,” E! (special)

8 p.m.

• “Marathon: The Patriots’ Day Bombing,” HBO (doc; recounts April 2013 terrorist attack at Boston Marathon through individuals whose lives were affected)

10 p.m.

• “Search Party,” TBS (comedy premiere; group of self-absorbed 20-somethings become entangled in disappearance of former college acquaintance; 2 episodes per night through Nov. 25)

 

Tuesday, Nov. 22

Streaming

• “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” DramaFever (U.S. premiere; dating advice guru disguised as man becomes involved in political power struggle at royal palace)

7 p.m.

• “Team Ninja Warrior: College Madness,” Esquire (series premiere; 3 people from college rivals race in obstacle course)
• “Little People, Big World,” TLC (season 12)

8 p.m.

• “Intervention In-Depth: Spice,” A&E (special)

9 p.m.

• “Kate Plus 8,” TLC (season 10)
• “Billion Dollar Buyer,” CNBC (season 2)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 23

7 p.m.

• “Broadcasting Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; two local TV news anchors compete for coveted job)

8 p.m.

• “Little Weddings,” Lifetime (3-part doc series; McInturff Family runs Sassy Bash Events, an events company specializing in creating magical moments for little people)
• “Brothers Take New Orleans,” HGTV (series premiere; Jonathan and Drew Scott take home renovation sibling rivalry on road)

9 p.m.

• “Legend of Croc Gold,” Discovery (series premiere; family attempts to find gold amid crocodiles inhabiting waters around island of Bougainville, miles off of the coast of Papua New Guinea)

 

Thursday, Nov. 24

8 a.m.

• “90th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” NBC, CBS, ABC (special)

11 a.m.

• “The Simpsons” marathon, FXX (600 episodes, 300 hours, 13 days; the “longest running marathon in TV history” goes until 11 p.m. Dec. 6)

7 p.m.

• “Party Down” marathon, Starz (Season 1 episodes through 11:30 p.m.)

7 p.m.

• “Anne of Green Gables,” PBS (holiday movie; precocious orphan girl taken in by conservative woman and they learn from each other)
• “Christmas in Homestead,” Hallmark (movie; actress filming in Homestead, Iowa, falls for local innkeeper)

 

Friday, Nov. 25

Streaming

• “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” Netflix (limited series; 4 90-minute chapters span winter, spring, summer and fall of Lorelei and Rory Gilmore)
• “If You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie,” Amazon (holiday special;  Mouse and his animal friends must save holiday pageant)
• “Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day,” Amazon (holiday special; snowball fight ruins Peter’s family’s holiday meal)
• “An American Girl Story—Maryellen 1955: Extraordinary Christmas ,” Amazon (holiday special; middle child Maryellen longs to stand out in her family during Christmas 1955 in Daytona Beach, Fla.)

6 p.m.

• “Once Upon a Sesame Christmas,” HBO (holiday special; Elmo’s grandfather spins a tale of how Sesame Street was a dreary place not even Santa would visit in the early 19th Century)
• “Party Down” marathon, Starz (Season 2 episodes through 11:30 p.m.)

7 p.m.

• “Christmas List,” Hallmark (movie; woman who plans extravagant holiday with boyfriend improvises when he doesn’t show up)

8 p.m.

• “Savage Kingdom,” Nat Geo Wild (miniseries; the wild from the predators’ point of view)

 

Saturday, Nov. 26

Noon

• “Spartacus Blood & Sand” marathon, Starz (Season 1 episodes through 1 a.m.)

7 p.m.

• “A Heavenly Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; Scrooge-like workaholic dies and is recruited by her guardian angel to be a Christmas Angel) 
• “All I Want for Christmas,” Lifetime (movie; woman attempts to be a better person after she gains ability to hear people’s thoughts about her)
• “Punkin Chunkin,” Science & Discovery (3-hour special; teams compete using air cannons, catapults, trebuchets and other homemade contraptions to see who can propel a pumpkin the farthest)

 

Sunday, Nov. 27

7 p.m.

• “Soul Train Awards,” BET & Centric (special)
• “Journey Back to Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; transported to 2016, WWII era nurse meets man who helps her discover bonds of family, true meaning of Christmas)

8 p.m.

• “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Hallmark M&M (movie; woman and estranged dad reunite, fight and reconcile during holiday)

 

Monday, Nov. 28

7 p.m.

• “Patria O Muerte: Cuba, Fatherland or Death,” HBO (doc; spotlights Cuba and its people with contemporary context)
• “Christmas Cookie Challenge,” Food (holiday special)

8 p.m.

• “Mariela Castro’s March: Cuba’s LGBT Revolution,” HBO (doc; follows crusade of Mariela Castro, Fidel Castro’s niece, to establish equal rights for LGBT Cubans)
• “Cooks vs. Cons,” Food (season premiere)

 

Tuesday, Nov. 29

7 p.m.

• “Intervention,” A&E (season premiere; 2nd episode at 8 p.m.; new eps at 8 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Dec. 6)

8 p.m.

• “Ladies of London,” Bravo (season 3)

9 p.m.

• “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” A&E (docuseries premiere; stories of abuse, heartbreak and harassment experienced by those who have left Church of Scientology)
• “How the Universe Works,” Science (season premiere)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 30

7 p.m.

• “Christmas in Rockefeller Centers,” NBC (holiday special)

8 p.m.

• “Vikings,” History (season 4B; more Vikings)
• “Entertainment Weekly Presents: ‘80s Stars: Where Are They Now?” Reelz (special; hosted by Alan Thicke)

9 p.m.

• “Incorporated,” Syfy (series premiere; young exec with a secret discovers climbing corporate ladder in near future has deadly consequences)
• “Hollywood & Football,” E! (docuseries premiere; lives of six Rams players outside of football)