TV picks for Dec. 23-27: 'Vanity Fair,' Kennedy Center Honors, '3Below'

I'm fairly certain William Thackeray would have gotten a kick out of having Monty Python's Michael Palin play him in a sassy new seven-part adaptation of his novel "Vanity Fair" — and would be equally tickled by the use of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" in the opening credits. But what might please him the most is Olivia Cooke's irresistible take on social climber Becky Sharp. Those dimples were created to cause serious damage, which they do.

Now streaming on Amazon Prime

I'm glad the Kennedy Center has a separate event celebrating comics, but the addition of the Mark Twain Prize means "The Kennedy Center Honors" has become a more somber affair. Despite the more serious tone, you're bound to crack a smile when Cyndi Lauper celebrates Cher with a youthful rendition of "If I Could Turn Back Time." Minnesota actress Melissa Peterman takes you behind the scenes of the tribute to Reba McEntire in Wednesday's Variety section.

7 p.m. Wednesday, WCCO, Ch. 4

I wasn't sure Guillermo del Toro could live up to his promise, and follow up his excellent animated series "Trollhunters" with two spinoffs. So far so good. In "3Below: Tales of Arcadia," aliens on the run hide out in small-town America in the form of teenagers and a grandpa. It's just as much fun as its predecessor, thanks largely to the way Nick Offerman voices a bodyguard who acts like Thor but looks like Ed Asner.

Now streaming on Netflix