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Celebrations kick off with special Thanksgiving episodes of scripted series
√ New musical specials ‘A Very Backstreet Holiday’ and ‘Finding Harmony’ debut Wednesday, Dec. 14
√ ABC News to air ‘Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer/ABC News Special’ and ‘The Year: 2022’
√ The Wonderful World of Disney brings nostalgia with ‘Mickey Saves Christmas,’ special airing of ‘Home Alone,’ broadcast debut of ‘Frozen II’
√ ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023’ rings in 2023 as Kickoff to Disney100 Years of Wonder
√ Additional seasonal offerings include The Wonderful World of Disney: ‘Magical Holiday Celebration,’ ‘CMA Country Christmas,’ ‘The Great Christmas Light Fight’; more special holiday episodes of network’s scripted and game shows
ABC announced its holiday programming in anticipation of the most wonderful time of the year, which includes a lineup “filled with merriment, beloved classics and uplifting new specials.”
Two specials featuring some of the biggest names in music will bring melodies in December: “A Very Backstreet Christmas” celebrates the holidays with The Backstreet Boys, and “Finding Harmony” is an uplifting story featuring EGOT winner John Legend and David Brown, founder of the Columbus-based Harmony Project in Ohio.
Disney will kick off its 100th anniversary celebration during “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023.”
More highlights include Disney’s new stop-motion holiday special, “Mickey Saves Christmas”; the return of “CMA Country Christmas” from Nashville; holiday-themed episodes of ABC’s favorite comedies and game shows; and Wonderful World of Disney movies that families can enjoy, including a special airing of “Home Alone” on Christmas Eve. ABC News is also set to air “Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer/ABC News Special” and “The Year: 2022.” A magical new season of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” also returns, along with news of a season 11 pickup for 2023.
Additional movies, musicals and specials round out the holiday season on ABC. Airdates are as follows (all times listed are Eastern/Pacific).
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16
8-8:30 p.m. “The Conners” (Thanksgiving episode)
8:30-9 p.m. “The Goldbergs” (Thanksgiving episode)
9:31-10 p.m. “Home Economics” (Thanksgiving episode)
TUESDAY, NOV. 22
10-11 p.m. “The Rookie: Feds” (Thanksgiving episode)
SUNDAY, NOV. 27
7-7:30 p.m. “Mickey Saves Christmas” (new)
7:30-8 p.m. “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”
8-10 p.m. The Wonderful World of Disney: “Magical Holiday Celebration” (new)
MONDAY, NOV. 28
8-10 p.m. “The Great Christmas Light Fight” (season premiere)
TUESDAY, NOV. 29
8-9 p.m. “Love Actually: 20 Years Later - A Diane Sawyer/ABC News Special” (new)
THURSDAY, DEC. 1
8-9 p.m. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
9-10:01 p.m. “CMA Country Christmas” (new)
MONDAY, DEC. 5
8-10 p.m. “The Great Christmas Light Fight” (new)
TUESDAY, DEC. 6
8-9 p.m. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” (holiday episode)
9-10 p.m. “Press Your Luck” (holiday episode)
10-11 p.m. “The $100,000 Pyramid” (holiday episode)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7
8-8:30 p.m. “The Conners” (holiday episode)
8:30-9 p.m. “The Goldbergs” (holiday episode)
9-9:31 p.m. “Abbott Elementary” (holiday episode)
9:31-10 p.m. “Home Economics” (holiday episode)
THURSDAY, DEC. 8
8-10:01 p.m. The Wonderful World of Disney: “Frozen II” (broadcast premiere)
MONDAY, DEC. 12
8-10 p.m. “The Great Christmas Light Fight” (season finale)
TUESDAY, DEC. 13
8-8:30 p.m. “Mickey Saves Christmas”
8:30-9 p.m. “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure”
9-9:30 p.m. “Disney Prep & Landing”
9:30-10 p.m. “Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty Vs. Nice”
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14
8-9 p.m. “A Very Backstreet Holiday” (new)
10-11 p.m. “Finding Harmony” (new)
TUESDAY, DEC. 20
8-9 p.m. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
9-9:30 p.m. “Toy Story That Time Forgot”
9:30-10 p.m. “Shrek the Halls”
SATURDAY, DEC. 24
8-10 p.m. The Wonderful World of Disney: “Home Alone”
SUNDAY, DEC. 25
10 a.m-noon. ET/7-9 a.m. PT “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” (new)
MONDAY, DEC. 26
9-11 p.m. “The Year: 2022” (new)
SATURDAY, DEC. 31
8-10 p.m. “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023” (new)
10-10:30 p.m. Local Programming
10:30 p.m.-2:13 a.m. “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023” (new)