Neal Justin's TV picks for Nov. 30-Dec. 1: 'You Light Up My Christmas,' 'Mister Rogers: It's You I Like,' 'Lost Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs'

November 29, 2019 at 10:37PM
(L to R) Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, and Mindy Cohn star in You Light Up My Christmas premiering December 1 at 8pm ET/PT. Photo by Courtesy of Lifetime
Copyright 2019
Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields and Mindy Cohn star in “You Light Up My Christmas.” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

That's life

"You Light Up My Christmas" might have just been another cable movie about a woman rediscovering the holiday spirit during a visit to her hometown, if star Kim Fields hadn't recruited three former "Facts of Life" co-stars to make some cameos. That sitcom's matriarch, Charlotte Rae, passed away last year, but Fields, who played Tootie on the '80s series, made sure that the ice skating rink in the film was named in her honor.

7 p.m. Sunday, Lifetime

Right said Fred

Turns out Tom Hanks' Fred Rogers is only a supporting character in the newly released "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." If you want a film where the beloved figure is front and center, check out the 2018 doc "Mister Rogers: It's You I Like." The celebrity-filled tribute is hosted by Michael Keaton, who worked behind the scenes of the children's show long before he became Mr. Mom.

7 p.m. Sunday, TPT, Ch. 2

Kingdom come

Even world-history wizards might get stumped if you brought up the Kush Empire, a late dynasty that never got its proper due, in large part because early scholars couldn't wrap their heads around the idea that a black race could be so dominant. "Lost Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs" shatters that stereotype with the help of new excavations in current-day Sudan.

8 p.m. Sunday, Science Channel

Neal Justin

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