BBC America, 8:00 p.m. ET
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to… be entertained by one of the best family movies ever made. From 1987, it’s Rob Reiner as director, and William Goldman adapting his own novel for the screen, teaming up for a film that’s a wondrous delight from start to finish. Including the start, in which Peter Falk plays a grandfather reading the story "A Princess Bride" to his initially reluctant grandson, played by Fred Savage. You’ll love it all, including Mandy Patinkin as the vengeful swordsman Inigo Montoya.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
There haven’t been many funny film comedies based on stage plays about critics, but there are a few. Arsenic and Old Lace may be the best of them all, but there’s also a respectable second place in this 1942 film. Monty Woolley, reprising his Broadway role, stars as Sheridan Whiteside, a nationally known critic who fakes an injury so he can keep receiving the hospitality of a well-to-do family. Bette Davis and Ann Sheridan co-star.
Starz!, 9:00 p.m. ET
This 2015 movie came and went so quickly this year, you hardly had time to say “Aloha” before it was time to say “Aloha.” And now it’s back, appearing on cable relatively quickly after it vanished from theaters. Cameron Crowe directs, and Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone star – and now you can see it without leaving home, which is the same way most people missed it in theaters.
Comedy Central, 9:30 p.m. ET
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd nail this 1983 comedy of manners, playing two men on opposite sides of a reversal of fortune. So does the strong supporting cast, from Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche (as the wealthy men who see others as mere pawns) to Jamie Lee Curtis, pictured (as the prostitute with a heart of, if not gold, then a solid investment plan). And the city of Philadelphia is photographed cleverly here, too. Add in its holiday setting, and Trading Places is a fine film with which to spend some of the Christmas season.
Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET
Figuring prominently in this week’s episode is laudanum – perhaps the first time it’s played such a big role in a TV series since Deadwood.