Sometimes it seems that our surveillance society has turned every moment into an old episode of “Cops.” The A&E network has made the most of this development, churning out one show after another, featuring footage from courtrooms, 911 calls and even local jail interrogation rooms.
The holiday offers no respite from depressing behavior. In fact, the tension and anxiety brought on by forced festivity, family gatherings, shopping and office Christmas parties makes the season especially prone to human dysfunction.
This is what “Christmas Wars” (9 p.m., A&E, TV-14) is all about. Now in its second season, it captures shoppers fighting with a mall Santa and a bargain hunter going to great lengths to secure a free tree. In another episode (9:30 p.m.), a woman staggering home from a Christmas party dares police to arrest her, and things turn deadly when a gift bursts into flames.
The notion of turning Christmas into a “war” or a “fight” may be depressing, but it certainly has been woven into the fabric of our pop culture. Competition drives the theme of “Big Brother: Reindeer Games” (9 p.m., CBS), airing its finale tonight.
Busy North Pole elves put 21st-century military-style logistics to work in “Disney’s Prep & Landing” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-G) and “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” (8:30 p.m., TV-G) from 2009 and 2011, respectively.
The tendency to militarize everything, including the celebration of a savior child once referred to as “the Prince of Peace,” says a lot about our culture. Our nation spends nearly a trillion dollars annually on “defense” with scant congressional debate or oversight.
A warlike approach to even Christmas reflects changes to our relationship with the military that have arrived in our language, almost unconsciously. Soldiers, referred to as “doughboys” during World II, “GIs” during World War II and “grunts” in the Vietnam era are now often called “warriors.”
The migration of this mindset into Christmas celebrations may reflect changes in certain strains of evangelical culture, where the notion of a crusading “warrior” Jesus has eclipsed the figure who preached the Sermon on the Mount.
This approach also explains why divisive media and social media have used the paranoid fairytale of a “war on Christmas” to stoke fears and resentment in highly tribalized audiences.
— Speaking of religious crusades, “Frontline” (10 p.m., PBS) presents “Netanyahu, America & the Road to War in Gaza.”
— Former “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah hosts his fourth Netflix standup special, “Where Was I.” The focus is on his globe-spanning travels and his unique perspective on such phenomena as national anthems the world over.
CBS recently announced that Noah would be hosting the Grammy Awards in February 2024. This marks his fourth consecutive time as host.
— For a second night running, “Lego Masters” (8 p.m., Fox) holds a “Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular,” inviting series regulars, including David Guedes, Caleb Schilling, Krystle Starr and Randal Wilson, and celebrities NeNe Leaks, Marshawn Lynch, Kelly Osbourne and Rob Riggle to play with their toys.
— Viaplay, the streaming service for Scandinavian content, offers the two-episode series “My Life as Lasse Hallstrom,” profiling Sweden’s best-known director.
— There are only six days left to feast on holiday classics like “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-PG), “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (8:20 p.m., Freeform, TV-PG) and “Elf” (10:15 p.m., AMC, TV-PG).
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG) recaps past performances before anointing a new winner (9 p.m.).
— Estranged siblings attend a family reunion in the Highlands in the 2023 holiday romance “A Merry Scottish Christmas” (8 p.m., Hallmark, TV-G).
— Pizza delivery can be deadly in the 2018 horror comedy “Slice” (9 p.m., MoMax).
— Lorraine (Jennifer Jason Leigh) pulls the rug from under some schemers on “Fargo” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA). Streaming Wednesday on Hulu.
CULT CHOICE
Bing Crosby portrays an affable priest in the 1944 musical comedy “Going My Way” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-G) and the 1945 holiday favorite “The Bells of St. Marys” (10:15 p.m.), co-starring Ingrid Bergman as a stern nun in a financially strapped parish. A generation later, in the 1972 epic “The Godfather,” Michael and Kay emerge from a Radio City showing of “Bells” to learn that Don Corleone has been shot.
SERIES NOTES
“The Price Is Right at Night” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … Major cases recalled on “FBI: True” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Jimmy Fallon welcomes Bradley Cooper, Martha Stewart and Rufus and Martha Wainwright on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Sarah Silverman, Greta Lee and Rick Martinez visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC).
