"Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade"
Thursday 9am-noon, NBC
There are plenty of reasons to dismiss the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. It gets monotonous with marching band after marching band followed by crappy Broadway musical numbers; C-list music stars clumsily lip synching to holiday songs; and the countless gaudy floats and giant balloons. And yet, I always make sure to catch at least part of the spectacle in between slicing up potatoes or picking Brussels sprouts out of the garden with Dad. The bottom line is, the holiday season officially starts once the Fat Man shows up in his sleigh following the Rockettes. Stay tuned after for the National Purina Dog Show, hosted by Mr. Peterman himself, John O’ Hurley.
"October Road"
Thursday 10pm, ABC
Against all odds, this low-key midseason drama from last year was picked up for Season 2, which begins tonight before moving to its regular Monday timeslot. A Thanksgiving premiere is fitting, given the premise: A young buck writer returns home to the small-town family and friends he abandoned a decade ago, people he portrayed in a less-than-flattering manner in his now-famous book. The lead, Nick, is played by the likable Bryan Greenberg, Uma Thurman’s young love interest in the flop "Prime," and Laura Prepon from "That ’70s Show" plays his bitter ex-girlfriend. Notable supporting cast members include Tom Berenger, who has definitely lost the battle of the bloat—and his neck—in his role as Nick’s father.
"Battlestar Galactica: Razor"
Saturday 9pm, Sci-Fi
Although "Battlestar" isn’t coming back for its final season until at least April (boo!), at least fans of this stellar sci-fi show have this special to tide us over. Razor focuses on the Pegasus, the other warship to survive the Cylon attack that nearly wiped out the human race. The flick finally explains just how Pegasus escaped the "toasters" (human slang for the robotic antagonists), which means we’ll get flashbacks with the indispensable Michelle Forbes ("Homicide: Life on the Street") as Admiral Cain. The looks into the past help bring into focus the character of Kendra Shaw, Apollo’s new XO on the Pegasus, who had to make all kinds of morally dubious decisions while under Cain’s command. Should be intense.
