E8 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR
SERIES
Sesame StreetThe venera-
ble children’s series re-
turns for its 50th season. 9
a.m. HBO
California Cooking With
Jessica Holmes A
Thanksgiving episode
features a charcuterie
board-inspired grilled
cheese, gold and red en-
dive salad with butternut
squash; Grandma
Debbie’s cranberry relish
and kale stuffed acorn
squash. 8 p.m. The CW
Crikey! It’s the IrwinsBindi
swims alongside whale
sharks, assisting with re-
search efforts on the
world’s largest fish. 8 p.m.
Animal Planet
Saturday Night LiveSing-
er-songwriter Harry
Styles is host and musical
guest in this new episode.
8:29 and 11:29 p.m. NBC
Planet Earth: Blue Planet II
In the new episode “Blue
Planet Now: Shark Para-
dise” scientists to study
how temperature in-
creases are affecting reefs,
and how plastic is putting
the future of the planet’s
turtles at risk. 9 p.m. BBC
America
Ghost Adventures This
paranormal investigation
series opens a new season
with an episode set in a
Pasadena home that Zak
Bagans and his team be-
lieve was home to a self-
proclaimed satanist. 9
p.m. Travel
Christmas Cookie Chal-
lengeHost Eddie Jackson
asks five of America’s best
cookie makers to create
two cookies on sticks. 10
p.m. Food Network
MOVIES
Christmas Under the Stars
When Nick (Jesse Met-
calfe) loses his all-con-
suming corporate job as
the holidays approach, he
resorts to working at a
Christmas tree lot owned
by a warmhearted widow-
er (Clarke Peters) and
meets an astronomy
teacher (Autumn Reeser)
who is being hounded by a
ruthless financial institu-
tion in this new holiday ro-
mance. 8 p.m. Hallmark
LittleAt age 14, Marsai Mar-
tin (“black-ish”) became
the youngest executive
producer ever to hold that
title on a Hollywood pro-
duction with director and
co-writer Tina Gordon’s
2019 comedy fantasy,
which Martin first pitched
in 2014 after seeing the
classic comedy “Big.” Re-
gina Hall (“Girls Trip”)
stars as a ruthless tech
mogul who bullies every-
one around her until a
child’s wish turns her into
a 13-year-old (Martin).
Issa Rae, Justin Hartley,
Tone Bell, Rachel Dratch
and Mikey Day also star.
8 p.m. HBO
Christmas in Louisiana
When a former Miss
Christmas pageant win-
ner (Jana Kramer) comes
home for the holidays and
the town’s Sugarcane
Christmas Festival, she
rediscovers the magic of
the season with her
mother (Moira Kelly) and
grandparents (Dee Wal-
lace, Barry Bostwick) in
this new holiday romance.
8 p.m. Lifetime
An Acceptable LossWriter-
director Joe Chappelle’s
2019 political thriller stars
Tika Sumpter as a former
national security expert
to Vice President Rachel
Burke (Jamie Lee Curtis)
being stalked by a gradu-
ate student (Ben Tavas-
soli). Jeff Hephner also
stars. 9 p.m. Showtime
The Nutty Professor(1996)
8:45 a.m. Cinemax
The Kid Who Would Be King
(2019) 10 a.m. HBO
Despicable Me 2(2013) 6
p.m. FXWEEKEND TALKSUNDAY
CBS News Sunday Morning
Ornithologist David Sib-
ley (“Sibley Guide to
Birds”). Author John Le
Carré. Tom Brokaw. Golf-er Renee Powell. (N) 6 a.m.
KCBS
Good Morning America(N)
6 a.m. KABC
State of the Union (N) 6 and
9 a.m. CNN
Fox News Sunday Rep.
Steve Scalise (R-La.).
House Intelligence Com-
mittee member Rep. Jim
Himes (D-Conn.). Musi-
cian Toby Keith. Panel:
Jonah Goldberg; Marie
Harf; Gillian Turner; Juan
Williams. (N) 7 a.m.
KTTV; 11 a.m., 4 and 11 p.m.
FNC
Fareed Zakaria GPS(N) 7
and 10 a.m. CNN
Face the Nation House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-
San Francisco). House In-
telligence Committee
members Rep. Jim Jordan
(R-Ohio); Rep. Mike
Quigley (D-Ill.). Polls: An-
thony Salvanto. Panel: Ed
O’Keefe; Rachael Bade,
the Washington Post;
Ramesh Ponnuru, Na-
tional Review; Molly Ball,
Time. (N) 7:30 a.m. KCBS
Meet the Press(N) 8 a.m.
KNBC; 3 p.m. MSNBC
This Week Intelligence
Committee members
Rep. Sean Patrick Ma-
loney (D-New York); Rep.
Chris Stewart (R-Utah).
Panel: Chris Christie; Bar-
bara Comstock; Rahm
Emanuel; Yvette Simp-
son; Maggie Haberman,
the New York Times. (N) 8
a.m. KABC
Reliable Sources With Bri-
an Stelter(N) 8 a.m. CNN
MediaBuzz Kristen Soltis
Anderson, the Washing-
ton Examiner; Jeanne
Zaino, Iona College; Emily
Jashinsky, the Federalist;
Rich Lowry, National Re-
view; Mara Liasson; Hank
Sheinkopf. (N) 8 a.m. and
midnight FNC
60 MinutesThe debate over
“Red Flag” laws; mining
metals from the ocean
floor; Syrian refugee chil-
dren. (N) 7 p.m. KCBSSPORTSCollege FootballUCLA vis-
its Utah, 5 p.m. Fox; USC
visits California, 8 p.m.
FS1
NHL Hockey The Vegas
Golden Knights visit the
Kings, 1 p.m. Fox Sports
Net; the Ducks visit the St.
Louis Blues, 5 p.m. Fox
Sports NetTV HIGHLIGHTS
Allister FosterHallmark
AUTUMN REESERin
the new holiday movie
“Christmas Under the
Stars” on Hallmark.SaturdayPrime-TimeTV SportsNews Movies(N) NewÅClosed Captioning
8 pm 8:30 9 pm 9:30 10 pm 10:30 11 pm
CBS Bull(TV14)Å 48 HoursÅ 48 Hours(N)Å News(N)Å
NBC The Voice
(TVPG)ÅSaturday Night Live(TV14) Harry Styles hosts
and performs. (8:29) (N)ÅSaturday Night LiveOct. 2,
1999: David Bowie performs.News(N)ÅCW California
Cooking(N)ÅFrank Buckley
Interviews(N)Two and a Half
Men(TV14)Two and a Half
Men(TV14)News(N)Å Sports Final
(N) (10:45)ÅNews(N)ÅABC Jeopardy!Å Wheel(TVG) Tamron Hall(TVPG)Å 20/20Å News(N)Å
KCALNews(N)Å News(N)Å News(N)Å Sports Central black-ishÅ
FOX FootballUCLA
at Utah. (5)Overtime(N)
ÅExtra(TVPG) (N)Å News(N)Å PBC Fight
Camp
MyNtMajor Crimes(TV14)Å Major Crimes(TV14)Å King of Queens King of Queens Laughs
KVCRBad for Each Other››(1954)Å Beat the Devil›››(1954) (9:25)Å Jam(TVPG)
KCETA Classic Christmas(TVG) Holiday music.Å Aging Backwards(TVG)Å Earth FocusÅ
UNI Como dice el dicho(TV14) La Rosa de Guadalupe(TV14) Edición
KOCEMidsomer Murders(TVPG)Å Midsomer Murders(8:49)Å Inspector Morse(TVG) (9:36)Å
KDOCAmerican Ninja WarriorÅ American Ninja WarriorÅ Chicago P.D.(TV14)Å Chicago P.D.
KLCSBetween Lines Firing LineÅ Jamestown(TV14)Å Modus(TV14)Å Professor T.
A&E Live PD: Rewind(TV14) (8:06)Live PD(TV14) (N)Å
AMC Star Trek›››(2009) Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto. (PG-13)Å ... Ultimatum
ANP Crikey! It’s the IrwinsSwim-
ming with whale sharks. (N)Pit Bulls and Parolees(TVPG)
Sisters in Rescue. (N)ÅAmanda to the Rescue(TVPG)
Pit-Bull and Panda. (N)Amanda to the
Rescue
BBC Planet Earth: Yellowstone
Autumn.ÅPlanet Earth: Blue Planet II
Shark Paradise. (N)ÅPlanet Earth: Yellowstone
(TV14) Winter.ÅYellowstone
Summer.Å
BET Madea’s Family Reunion››(2006) Tyler Perry, Blair Underwood. (PG-13) Diary of Mad
BravoBelow Deck(TV14) (7:45)Å It’s Complicated››(2009) Meryl Streep, Steve Martin. (8:48) (R)Å
CMT The Sandlot(1993) Thomas Guiry. (7) (PG) Weekend at Bernie’s››(1989) Andrew McCarthy. (PG-13)
CNN Special Report The Seventies(TVPG)Å The Eighties(TVPG) VCRs; remote controls; family sitcoms.
Com Office Space(1999) (6:50) Wedding Crashers›››(2005) Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn. (R)Å
Disc Moonshiners: Art of the ’Shine Moonshiners: Art of the ’Shine Moonshiners: Art of the ’Shine Moonshiners
Disn Big City Green Big City Green Big City Green Big City Green Bunk’d(TVG) Coop & Cami Raven’s Home
E! Couples Retreat››(2009) (PG-13) (7)Å Couples Retreat››(2009) Vince Vaughn. (PG-13)Å
ESPNCollege FootballArizona at Oregon. (7:30) (N) SportsCenter(N)Å
Food Holiday Baking Championship
(TVG) Tradition! Tradition!ÅHoliday Baking Championship
(TVG) 12 Days of Christmas.Christmas Cookie Challenge
(TVG) (N)ÅCookie(TVG)
Å
FNC Watters’ WorldÅ Justice With Judge JeanineÅ The Greg Gutfeld ShowÅ Watters’ World
Free Home Alone 2(6:20) Frozen›››(2013) Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel. (PG)Å
FX Despicable Me 3››(2017) Steve Carell. (PG)Å Hotel Transylvania 2››(2015) (PG)Å
Hall Christmas Under the Stars(2019) Clarke Peters.Å Christmas Connection(2017) (10:03)Å
HGTVCaribbean Life Caribbean Life Mexico Life(N)Mexico Life(N)Island Life(N)Island Life(N)Beach Hunters
Hist Ancient Aliens: Declassified(TVPG) Entities from unseen realms. (N)Å
IFC The Dukes of Hazzard››(2005) Johnny Knoxville. (PG-13) The Dukes of Hazzard››(2005) (10:15)Å
Life Christmas in Louisiana(2019) Jana Kramer.Å A Christmas in Tennessee(2018) (10:03)Å
MSN 11th HourÅ Lockup: WichitaÅ Lockup: WichitaÅ DatelineÅ
MTV Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness
NGC Outlaw Bikers(TV14)Å Outlaw Bikers(TV14)Å Outlaw Bikers(TV14)Å Outlaw Bikers
Nick Henry Danger America’s Most Musical Family All That(TVG)FriendsÅ FriendsÅ FriendsÅ
OWN Love & Marriage: Huntsville Love & Marriage: Huntsville(N)Ready to Love(TV14) (N) Love & Marriage
Para The Lost World: Jurassic Park››(1997) Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore. (PG-13)Å Jurassic Park
Sund MASH(TVPG)MASH(TVPG)MASH(TVPG)Gladiator›››(2000) Russell Crowe. (R)Å
Syfy Journey-Center of Earth(7) Captain America: Civil War›››(2016) Chris Evans. (PG-13)Å
TBS Transformers›››(5:45) Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Big BangÅ Full FrontalÅ
TCM The Anderson Tapes(7:15) The Hitch-Hiker›››(1953)Å Drums Along the MohawkÅ
TLC 90 Day Fiancé(TVPG) Anna introduces Mursel to her family.90 Day Fiancé(TVPG)
TNT Ant-Man›››(2015) Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas. (PG-13)Å The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Toon Steven Universe StevenUniverse Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers Family GuyÅ Family GuyÅ My Hero
TravelGhost Adventures(TVPG) Ghost Adventures(TVPG) (N)Destination Fear(TVPG) (N) GhostÅ
Tru Rush Hour›››(1998) Jackie Chan. (PG-13)Å CarbonaroÅ CarbonaroÅ CarbonaroÅ
TV L 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ 2 1/2 MenÅ
USA Chicago P.D.(TV14)Å Chicago P.D.(TV14)Å Chicago P.D.(TV14)Å Modern Family
VH1 Titanic››››(1997) Leonardo DiCaprio. (5:20) (PG-13)ÅLove & Basketball›››(2000) (PG-13)Å
WGN Bounty Hunter Bounty Hunter Bounty Hunter(TVPG) Bounty Hunter(TVPG) Person-Interest
Cine Spy Game››(2001) Robert Redford, Brad Pitt. A CIA
agent tries to rescue his protege from prison. (R)ÅFight Club›››(1999) Brad Pitt, Edward
Norton. (10:10) (R)Å
Encr Venom››(2018) Tom Hardy. (8:05) (PG-13)Å Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Serenity
Epix Transformers: The Last Knight››(2017) Mark Wahlberg. (PG-13)Å Bumblebee›››(10:35)Å
HBO Little››(2019) Regina Hall, Issa Rae. A mogul transforms
into a 13-year-old version of herself. (PG-13)ÅHis Dark Materials(TV14)
(9:50)ÅHis Dark Mate-
rials(10:50)
ShowShameless(TVMA) Frank
milks his injury.ÅAn Acceptable Loss›(2018) Tika Sumpter,
Jamie Lee Curtis. (R)ÅAmerican Assassin››(2017)
Dylan O’Brien. (10:45) (R)Å
StarzMamma Mia!››(2008) Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan.
Hoping to meet her real father a bride secretly invites
three men from her mother’s past to her wedding. (PG-13)Dublin Murders(TVMA) Agirl
is found murdered in on the
outskirts of Dublin. (9:51)ÅLeavenworth
(TVMA)
(10:52)
TMC Faster(2010) (7:20) (R)Å The Cured(2017) Ellen Page. (R)Å It Stains the Sands Red(10:40)times in rom-coms, and the
girl is always searching for
another guy,” says Dennings,
dressed in an all-black en-
semble with her hair in a high
ponytail as she sits in a con-
ference room at Hulu’s Santa
Monica headquarters. “Here,
the breakup happens and the
person sees that their friends
are gone. So instead of her go-
ing for another romance, the
rekindling is between the
friends. I think it’s kind of a
fresh take.”
“Dollface” also puts the
actress in uncomfortably fa-
miliar personal territory: The
title was inspired by a pet
name an ex-beau called her.
Like Jules, she hated the
name.
“I’ve been through this
thing where you’re so in love
that you forget yourself,”
Dennings says. “I’m guilty of
being completely swept up
and ignoring everything
around me. It’s no one’s fault.
I just feel like it happens to ev-
eryone to some extent. May-
be I’m a little more intense
about it. I’ve been working on
it. I’m 33 now, so I’m a little
better at it.”
Although Dennings is re-
visiting some painful touch-
stones in “Dollface,” she is
playful and upbeat as she dis-
cusses the series, celebrating
a sense of freedom and a
dark-humored tone that are
worlds away from the formu-
laic joke-fest of “2 Broke
Girls.”
“Dollface” was developed
by Oscar nominee Margot
Robbie’s production com-
pany, LuckyChap Entertain-
ment.
Says Dennings with a
chuckle, “I’ve been Jules, and
it’s unpleasant. It kind of
sucked to revisit it as an ac-
tress. It made me feel my
progress and my lack of prog-
ress at the same time. Like,
‘What painful thing can I re-
visit and exploit and make
myself really miserable?’ ”
Executive producer and
showrunner Ira Ungerleider
says “Dollface” is an ideal ve-
hicle to show Dennings’
range as an actress.
“Kat has this very no-non-
sense persona, but inside of
that, she’s squishy, like the
middle of a piece of candy,” he
says. “She’s got very deep-
seated emotions. Her per-
formance comes from a very
rough, emotional place.”
More significantly, “Doll-
face” fulfills Dennings’ desire
to play the polar opposite of
Max and a character closer to
her own personality and sen-
sibilities. Though the CBS se-
ries established her as a star,
she was often uneasy with
the furor that shadowed the
series throughout its run.
At the time of its 2011 pre-miere, the series was blasted
for what critics called its car-
toonish and stereotypical de-
piction of ethnic characters,
particularly Han Lee, the im-
migrant Korean diner owner
played by Matthew Moy. At a
contentious session of the
Television Critics Assn. press
tour in January 2012, Michael
Patrick King, who created
the series with Whitney Cum-
mings, debated reporters,
maintaining that because he
was gay, he should be allowedmore latitude in poking fun
at “outsiders.”
Parents’ groups and oth-
ers also objected to the
show’s heavy emphasis on
raunchy jokes, many of them
delivered by Max about her
sex life.
“There was some blow-
back that was warranted,
100%,” Dennings says when
asked about her perspective
on the series. “The producers
and writers really liked to
push the envelope and see
what they could get away
with on network TV. There
were some things that I felt
uncomfortable saying. Being
older now, I probably would
have disputed a few things.
But at the time, I was very
young, so I didn’t feel I could
change things.“As the seasons went on,
you probably notice a big dif-
ference where I suggested we
look for an alternative line. It
became more of a collabora-
tive experience. Ultimately, it
was beneficial for everyone,”
she continues.
“On the whole, it was a
positive experience. I spent
my whole 20s on that show.
It’s a huge part of my life. But
by the end, I just yearned for
something different, darker,
a single-camera show.”
The actress responded
immediately to Robbie’s
pitch. Even though “Doll-
face” shares some of the char-
acteristics of HBO’s “Girls”
and other comedies centered
on groups of female friends,
its approach is more uncon-
ventional, using magical real-
ism to illustrate Jules’ pre-
dicaments. A literal Cat Lady
(Beth Grant) regularly ap-
pears to offer Jules sobering
perspective on her despera-
tion. In one scene, Jules ap-
proaches aloof female col-
leagues seated at a table, and
the table starts speeding
away from her, prompting
Jules to run to catch up.“The magical realism re-
minded me of Hayao Miya-
zaki movies, which I love,”
Dennings says, referring to
the beloved Japanese ani-
mator. “It was just so totally
different from the show I did
for a long time.”
She was also intrigued by
the series’ satirical pokes at
the rituals of female bonding
and how difficult it can be.
“This is where I strongly
relate to Jules,” she adds. “I
have this slightly disenfran-
chised feeling about my own
age group. Things I should be
doing I have no interest in do-
ing. Why am I such an old
man about it? Why don’t I
want to do yoga at 6 a.m. just
like everyone else? I just
don’t. There’s this initiation
that seems to happen around
groups of women, especially
if you all work in the same
place. We just took that and
ran with it.”
Though Jules is the cen-
tral character of “Dollface,”
the series also focuses on the
professional and personal
difficulties of her friends,
played by Brenda Song
(“Dads”), Shay Mitchell
(“Pretty Little Liars”) and
Esther Povitsky (“Crazy Ex-
Girlfriend”). Says Dennings,
who is also an executive pro-
ducer and was instrumental
in casting: “You’re seeing real
chemistry. All these girls are
just amazing.”
Former Disney Channel
star Song (“The Suite Life of
Zack & Cody”) was equally
excited about working with
Dennings. “She has very
quickly become one of my
best friends,” Song said in a
phone interview. “Her timing
as an actress is so impec-
cable, but she’s also so gener-
ous. Right off the bat, we real-
ized we had so much in com-
mon, and ever since we met,
we just haven’t stopped talk-
ing.”
Dennings is hopeful that
“Dollface” connects with
both female and male view-
ers — even the ex who called
her “dollface.”
“We’re friends now, and
it’s all good,” she says. “He
has a family and a wonderful
life and I’m very happy for
him. I did ask him if it was OK
if we used the name. He was
very happy.”Kat Dennings enjoys these friends
[Dennings, from E1]
BLIPSof magical realism, such as a splitting table, capture the feelings of Kat Dennings’ “Dollface” character.Aaron EpsteinHuluIN THE SITCOM“2 Broke Girls,” Dennings played a
struggling waitress. Garrett Morris was the cashier.Sonja FlemmingCBS‘Dollface’
Where:Hulu
When:Anytime
Rating:TV-MA (may be
unsuitable for children
under the age of 17)