TV picks for Dec. 20: 'America's Badlands,' 'The Indian Detective,' 'Scrooged'

"Scrooged" is devilishly clever interpretation of "A Christmas Carol."

December 19, 2017 at 4:52PM
Bill Murray is Frank Cross, the president of the IBC television network. In the Paramount comedy. Cross intends to exploit the holidays for every rating point they're worth. John Shannon
In “Scrooged,” Bill Murray is visited by Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Start treating us good

Many Minnesotans have made the road trip to "America's Badlands," but even frequent visitors will learn a few things in this documentary that provides a 75-million-year history lesson, as well as some footage of wildlife you probably didn't catch from your car window.

7 p.m., Smithsonian Channel

Capturing Kirk

Russell Peters, one of the world's most popular comics, hasn't quite caught fire in America, an oversight that may be corrected with the series "The Indian Detective," which originally aired in Canada. Peters plays a Toronto investigator who returns to his parents' homeland to uncover a conspiracy, with none other than William Shatner in the middle of the web.

Now streaming on Netflix

Bah, humbug!

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has inspired many interpretations, but few are as devilishly clever as 1988's "Scrooged" with Bill Murray at his utmost grumpiest. The cameos range from Buster Poindexter to Robert Mitchum, but Murray is the runaway star here, confirming once and for all that he was more than a Ghostbuster.

7 p.m., AMC

Neal Justin

Russell Peters arrives at the NBC Universal Summer Press Day on Tuesday, April 8, 2014, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) ORG XMIT: INVW
Peters (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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