Sci fi and fantasy TV get their due in November with the premieres of Fox’s robot-action thriller “Almost Human,” the “Doctor Who” 50th anniversary special, “The Day of the Doctor,” and BBC America’s mythology series “Atlantis.” Two sitcoms, Fox’s “Raising Hope” and CBS’ “Mike & Molly,” also return with new seasons. But the majority of the schedule is filled with JFK and holiday specials. Nov. 22 is the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination, and every network seems to have a doc about the event. Here are the TV specials, series, movies and docs debuting in November. (All times are Central.)
Friday, Nov. 1
2:01 a.m. | “Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive,” Netflix (standup special)
7 p.m. | “Why We (heart) Vampires,” NBC (special; comedic interviews and clips)
8 | “Moby-Dick from San Francisco Opera,” PBS (Great Performances premiere)
8 | “The Thundermans,” Nickleodeon (series premiere; superhero siblings)
8 | “Time of Death,” Showtime (6-part doc series; people face their mortality)
9 | “The Dead Files,” Travel Channel (season premiere)
Saturday, Nov. 2
7 | “The Thanksgiving House,” Hallmark (movie; woman’s house could be on site of first Thanksgiving)
7 | “The Preacher’s Mistress,” Lifetime (movie; single mom looks for Mr. Right)
8 | “10 Things You Don’t Know About,” H2 (series premiere; twists and tidbits behind the historical tales, figures, and places)
8 | “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” OWN (season premiere)
9 | “Houston Beauty,” OWN (season premiere)
9 | “Big History,” H2 (series premiere; universes history)
10 | “Animation Domination High-Def,” Fox (fall premiere; new “Axe Cop” and “High School USA!”)
Sunday, Nov. 3
2 | “For the Love of Music: The Story of Nashville,” ABC (special; story behind the Nashville music scene)
7 | “Secrets of Selfridges,” PBS (special)
7 | “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Bravo (season premiere)
7 | “It Takes a Choir,” USA (series premiere)
7 | “JFK: The Smoking Gun,” Reelz (special)
8 | “Restaurant Express,” Food (series premiere; culinary & business competition)
8 | “Greatest Mysteries: Smithsonian,” Travel (special)
8 | “Snapped: Killer Couples,” Oxygen (season 2 premiere)
9 | “Cesar Millan: Doggie Nightmare,” Nat Geo WILD (special)
9 | “America Declassified,” Travel (series premiere; hidden side of U.S.; “JFK 50th, Toxic Waste Scare, Quiet Zone”)
10:30 | “Fashion Queens,” Bravo (talk show premiere; celebrity hairstylists Derek J and Miss Lawrence, media socialite Bevy Smith gab)
Monday, Nov. 4
7 | “The 47th annual CMA Awards,” ABC (special)
8 | “Mike & Molly,” CBS (season 4 premiere)
8 | “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills/Vanderpump Rules,” Bravo (crossover special)
8 | “Tales from the Organ Trade,” HBO (doc premiere)
8 | “Bizarre Foods America,” Travel (season premiere)
9 | “Hotel Impossible,” Travel (season finale)
Tuesday, Nov. 5
7 | “Styled to Rock,” Style (competition series premiere)
7 | “The Chase,” GSN (season 2 premiere)
8 | “Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’,” PBS (“American Masters” special)
8 | “Moonshiners,” Discovery Channel (season 3 premiere)
9 | “Shahs of Sunset,” Bravo (season premiere)
9 | “Storage Hunters,” truTV (season 3.5 premiere)
11 | “Mother Up!” Hulu (series premiere; Eva Longoria’s animated comedy about disgraced former music exec who moves to burbs to be better mom)
Wednesday, Nov. 6
7 | “Love in the Animal Kingdom,” PBS (“Nature” premiere)
8 | “Beverly Hills Pawn,” Reelz (season 2 premiere)
Thursday, Nov. 7
7 | “Guinness World Records Unleashed,” truTV (season 1.5 premiere)
7 | “JFK: A President Betrayed,” DirecTV Audience (“Something to Talk About” doc premiere)
8 | “Urban Suburban,” Discovery Fit & Health (series premiere; buy in city or burbs?)
9 | “Reno vs. Relocate,” Discovery Fit & Health (series premiere; remodel or sell?)
11 | “The Greatest Event in Television History,” Adult Swim (season premiere)
Friday, Nov. 8
7 | “JFK: The Final Hours,” Nat Geo (doc; final day of Kennedy’s life)
7 | “Pete’s Christmas,” Hallmark (movie; middle child experiences bad Christmas over and over)
8 | “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta,” TLC (season premiere)
8 | “The Lylas,” WEtv (series premiere; Bruno Mars’ sisters launch music career)
9 | “Company,” WTTW; PBS (Great Performances premiere)
Saturday, Nov. 9
6 | “12 Years A Slave: A TV One Special with Cathy Hughes,” TV One (special about the film)
7 | “Snow Bride,” Hallmark (movie; reporter falls for subject)
7 | “A Country Christmas Story,” Lifetime (movie; girl pursues musical dream)
8 | “Beast of the Bering Sea,” Syfy (movie; gold seekers disturb sea vampires)
8 | “Jobs That Bite!” Nat Geo WILD (series premiere; people who love bad jobs)
Sunday, Nov. 10
6 | “Homeward Bound,” Military Channel (special; telethon supporting veterans with PTSD & TBI)
7 | “A Very Merry Mix-Up,” Hallmark (movie; newly engaged woman accidentally spends holiday with wrong family instead of future in-laws)
7 | “World’s Dumbest…,” truTV (season 16 premiere)
8 | “Killing Kennedy,” Nat Geo (movie; dramatization of JFK assassination)
8 | “BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards,” BBC America (special)
8 | “Ax Men,” History (season 7 premiere)
8 | “Shake It Up,” Disney (season finale)
9 | “American Jungle,” History (series premiere; Hawaiian hunting clans clash)
11 | “The Wrong Mans,” Hulu (series premiere; 2 regular guys stumble into murder conspiracy)
Monday, Nov. 11
9 | “Dial One For Vets,” HBO (doc premiere)
8 | “JFK,” PBS (“American Experience” premiere; doc on Kennedy; Part 2 airs Nov. 12)
9 | “Church Rescue,” Nat Geo (series premiere; business-savvy ministers help churches)
10 | “World’s Best Bartender,” Travel (special)
Tuesday, Nov. 12
8 | “Secret State,” DirecTV Audience (miniseries premiere)
9 | “Black Mirror,” DirecTV Audience (miniseries premiere)
9 | “Capturing Oswald,” Military Channel (doc special; look at manhunt for Lee Harvey Oswald after JFK assassination)
10 | “Lost Survivors,” Travel (series premiere; couple must survive in treacherous places)
Wednesday, Nov. 13
7 | “Parrot Confidential,” PBS (“Nature” premiere)
8 | “Cold Case JFK,” PBS (“NOVA” special)
9 | “JFK: One PM Central Standard Time,” PBS (“Secrets of the Dead” special)
Thursday, Nov. 14
8 | “Ground Floor,” TBS (series premiere; workplace comedy)
Friday, Nov. 15
TBA | “Alpha House,” Amazon (1st 3 episodes post; lawmakers live together in D.C.)
8 | “Raising Hope,” Fox (season premiere)
8 | “America’s Next Top Model,” CW (season finale)
8 | “Sweet Home Alabama, ” CMT (season premiere)
9 | “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma,” WTTW; PBS (Great Performances premiere)
9 | “Against the Tide,” Showtime (doc; integration of college football in the South)
Saturday, Nov. 16
3 | “Bill Cosby: Himself,” Comedy Central (classic stand-up special)
7 | “The Christmas Ornament,” Hallmark (movie; widow falls for Christmas tree shop owner)
7 | “Twelve Trees of Christmas,” Lifetime (movie; librarian faces demolition of library)
8 | “The Challenger Disaster,” Science Channel & Discovery Channel (movie; one man’s search for cause of the Challenger explosion in 1986)
8 | “As It Happened: John F. Kennedy 50 Years,” CBS (special)
8 | “JFK: For the Record,” Reelz (special)
8 | “Orange County Choppers,” CMT (series premiere; custom motorcycles)
9 | “Swamp Pawn,” CMT (season 2 premiere)
9 | “Railroad Alaska,” Destination America (series premiere; elite train crew traveling Alaska’s 650-mile long railroad)
9 | “F#ck Nick Cannon,” Showtime (stand-up special)
11 | “Eagleheart: Paradise Rising,” Adult Swim (season 3 premiere)
11 | “Steve Rannazzisi: Manchild,” Comedy Central (stand-up premiere)
Sunday, Nov. 17
7 | “Almost Human,” Fox (2-night series premiere; human and robots cops team up)
7 | “Secrets of Scotland Yard,” PBS (special)
7 | “Bigfoot: The New Evidence,” Nat Geo (special; what is Bigfoot?)
7 | “Catch a Christmas Star,” Hallmark (movie; widower reconnects with high school sweetheart)
7 | “Kennedy’s Suicide Bomber,” Smithsonian (doc premiere; Richard Pavlick tried to kill JFK in 1960)
8 | “The Day Kennedy Died,” Smithsonian (special)
8 | “Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy,” TLC (doc)
9 | “Monster Survival Guide,” Nat Geo (pilot; mockumentary docuseries)
Monday, Nov. 18
8 | “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley,” HBO (doc premiere)
8 | “Doctor Who: Tales from the TARDIS,” BBC America (special)
9 | “The Science of Doctor Who with Brian Cox,” BBC America (special)
9 | “Indian Relay,” PBS (“Independent Lens” special)
Tuesday, Nov. 19
8 | “Lincoln@Gettysburg,” PBS (special)
8 | “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition,” Liftime (season 2 finale)
8:30 | “David Blaine: Real or Magic,” ABC (special)
9 | “Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?” PBS (“Frontline” special)
Wednesday, Nov. 20
7 | “At the Edge of Space,” PBS (“NOVA” special)
8 | “Asteroid: Doomsday or Payday?” PBS (“NOVA” special)
8 | “How I Rock It,” Esquire TV (series premiere; style show)
9 | “Comet Encounter,” PBS (“NOVA” special)
9:30 | “The Fashion Fund,” Ovation (sneak peek; emerging fashion designers vying for the chance to be named the 2013 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner)
Thursday, Nov. 21
6 | “JFK: The Lost Tapes,” Discovery (special)
7 | “Desert Runners,” DirecTV Audience (“Something to Talk About” doc premiere)
Friday, Nov. 22
TBA | “Betas,” Amazon (1st 3 episodes post; 4 friends creat social media app)
7 | “Nikita,” CW (season premiere)
7 | “JFK Assassination The Definitive Guide,” History (special)
7 | “Doctor Who Explained,” BBC America (special)
8 | “An Adventure in Space and Time,” BBC America (movie; bio about creation of “Doctor Who”)8 | “Tom Brokaw Special: Where Were You?” NBC (special; JFK anniversary)
8 | “Nashville 2.0: The Rise of Americana,” PBS (doc; country music performances)
9 | “Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours to Live,” History (special)
Saturday, Nov. 23
1:50 & 7 | “Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor,” BBC America (50th anniversary movie)
7 | “Bill Cosby: Far From Finished,” Comedy Central (stand-up premiere)
7 | “Widow Wonderland,” Hallmark (movie; 2 window dressers vie for job)
7 | “Kristin’s Christmas Past,” Lifetime (movie; woman relives worst Christmas of her life)
7 | “Life with La Toya Holiday Special,” OWN (special; La Toya Jackson and friends)
7:30 | “Raising Whitley Holiday Special,” OWN (special; Kym Whitley and friends)
8 | “Atlantis,” BBC America (series premiere; Greek myths re-imagined)
8 | “Penguins: Waddle All the Way,” Discovery (special; animatronic penguin uncovers birds’ secrets)
8 | “ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2013,” PBS (“Austin City Limits” special)
9 | “Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles,” HBO (special)
Sunday, Nov. 24
7 | “Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited-The Eleventh Doctor,” BBC America (special)
7 | “Carol Burnett: The Mark Twain Prize,” PBS (special)
7 | “Fir Crazy,” Hallmark (movie; exec loses job and works selling Christmas trees)
8 | “Defending Santa,” ION (movie; sheriff arrests Santa and falls for his lawyer)
9 | “Getting On,” HBO (comedy series premiere; doctors and nurses care for elderly)
9:30 | “Ja’Mie: Private School Girl,” HBO (comedy series premiere; mean teen rules school)
Monday, Nov. 25
8 | “Major Crimes,” TNT (winter premiere)
8 | “Toxic Hot Seat,” HBO (doc premiere)
8 | “Christmas with Tucker,” Hallmark Movie Channel (movie; boy meets dog)
9 | “Young Lakota,” PBS (“Independent Lens” special; young people on Pine Ridge Reservation)
Tuesday, Nov. 26
6 | “Christmas Bounty,” ABC Family (movie; former bounty hunter back in business at Christmas)
8 | “How Sherlock Changed the World,” PBS (2-part special; check local listings)
8 p.m. | “Boston’s Finest,” TNT (season 2 premiere)
9 p.m. | “Marshal Law: Texas,” TNT (series premiere)
9 | “A Death in St. Augustine,” PBS (“Frontline” special; domestic violence allegations against police)
9 | “Swamp People: Swampsgiving,” Hiatory (holiday special)
Wednesday, Nov. 27
8 | “Big Cool Stuff,” Travel (special)
9 | “Haunted Highway,” Syfy (season 2 premiere)
Thursday, Nov. 28
8 a.m. | “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” NBC (special)
Noon | “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” NBC (special)
8:30 p.m. | “Lady Gaga & The Muppets Holiday Spectacular,” ABC (special)
Friday, Nov. 29
6 | “Jinxed,” Nickelodeon (movie; Murphy family sets out to reverse a curse)
7 | “Non Stop,” Lifetime Movie Network (movie; woman faces mystery on plane)
8 | “Garth Brooks, Live from Las Vegas,” CBS (concert special)
8 | “Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn,” PBS (“Great Performances” special)
8 | “My Santa,” ION (movie; young mother loses faith in Christmas)
8 | “Man vs. Cheetah,” Nat Geo WILD (Big Cat Week premiere)
9 | “Super Cat,” Nat Geo WILD (Big Cat Week premiere)
9 | “Wives with Knives,” Investigation Discovery (Season 2 premiere)
Saturday, Nov. 30
7 | “Let It Snow,” Hallmark (movie; job trip turns to romance)
7 | “Dear Secret Santa,” Lifetime (movie; woman haunted my memories of friend)
7 | “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s Holiday Special,” OWN (holiday special)
8 | “Killer Queen,” Nat Geo WILD (Big Cat Week premiere)
8 | “America Unearthed,” H2 (season 2 premiere)
9 | “Cougar vs. Wolf,” Nat Geo WILD (Big Cat Week premiere)
Want more? Discuss this article and others on Show Patrol’s Facebook page.
